Charles Earland
Charles Earland (May 24, 1941 – December 11, 1999[1]) was an American jazz composer, organist, and saxophonist in the soul jazz idiom.
Biography
Earland was born in Philadelphia and learned to play the saxophone in high school.[1] He played tenor with Jimmy McGriff at the age of 17 and in 1960 formed his first group. He started playing the organ after playing with Pat Martino, and joined Lou Donaldson's band from 1968 to 1969.[1]
The group that he led from 1970, including Grover Washington, Jr., was successful, and he eventually started playing soprano saxophone and synthesizer. His hard, simmering grooves earned him the nickname "The Mighty Burner".
In 1978, Earland hit the disco/club scene with a track recorded on Mercury Records called "Let the Music Play", written by Randy Muller from the funk group Brass Construction. The record was in the U.S. charts for five weeks and reached number 46 in the UK Singles Chart.[2] With Earland's playing on synthesizer, the track also has an uncredited female vocalist. He had several moderate Billboard R&B chart hits in the mid-1970s and early '80s on Mercury and later Columbia Records.
Earland traveled extensively from 1988 until his death in 1999, performing throughout the USA and abroad. One of the highlights of his latter years was playing at the Berlin Jazz Festival in 1994. Among the musicians that performed with him at the Berlin Jazz Festival was the Alabama-born Chicago resident, Zimbabu Hamilton.[3] on the drums. Earland died in Kansas City, Missouri, of heart failure at the age of 58.[1]
Discography
As leader
- Black Power (Rare Bird)
- Boss Organ (Choice)
- Soul Crib (Choice 1969)
- Charles Earland (live album) (Trip 1969)
- Black Talk! (Prestige, 1969)
- Black Drops (Prestige, 1970)
- Living Black! (Prestige, 1970)
- Soul Story (Prestige, 1971)
- Intensity (Prestige, 1972)
- Live at the Lighthouse (Prestige, 1972)
- Charles III (Prestige, 1973)
- The Dynamite Brothers (Prestige, 1973)
- Leaving This Planet (Prestige, 1973)
- Kharma (Prestige, 1974)
- Introducing - Live (Giant Step)
- Freakin' Off (Big Chance)
- Odyssey (Mercury, 1975)
- The Great Pyramid (Mercury 1976)
- Mama Roots (Muse 1977)
- Smokin' (Muse 1977)
- Revelation (Mercury 1977)
- Pleasant Afternoon (Muse 1978)
- Infant Eyes (Muse 1978)
- Perceptions (Mercury 1978)
- Coming to You Live (Columbia 1980)
- Burners (Prestige 1981)
- In the Pocket (Muse 1982)
- Earland's Jam (CBS 1982)
- Street Themes (CBS 1983)
- Front Burner (Milestone 1988)
- Third Degree Burn (Milestone 1989)
- Whip Appeal (Muse 1990)
- Unforgettable (Muse 1991)
- I Ain't Jivin', I'm Jammin' (Muse 1992)
- Ready 'n' Able (Muse 1995)
- Blowing the Blues Away (High Note 1997)
- Jazz Organ Summit (Cannonball 1998)
- Slammin' & Jammin' (Savant 1998)
- Live (Cannonball 1999)
- Cookin' with the Mighty Burner (High Note 1999)
- The Almighty Burner (32 Jazz 2000)
- Stomp! (High Note 2000)
As sideman
With Lou Donaldson
- Say It Loud! (Blue Note, 1968)
- Hot Dog (Blue Note, 1969)
- Everything I Play Is Funky (Blue Note, 1970)
With Rusty Bryant
- Soul Liberation (Prestige, 1970)
With Willis Jackson
- Bar Wars (Muse, 1977)
With Boogaloo Joe Jones
- Right On Brother (Prestige, 1970)
With George Freeman
- Introducing George Freeman Live With Charlie Earland Sitting In (Giant Step, 1971)
- Franticdiagnosis (Bam-Boo, 1972)
With Houston Person
- The Nearness of You (Muse, 1977)
References
External links
- Charles Earland at Allmusic.com
- Charles Earland discography at Jazzlists
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- 1941 births
- 1999 deaths
- American male composers
- American jazz organists
- Columbia Records artists
- Mercury Records artists
- Milestone Records artists
- Muse Records artists
- Musicians from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
- Prestige Records artists
- Soul-jazz organists
- Soul-jazz saxophonists
- 20th-century composers
- 20th-century American musicians
