Phil Upchurch - Upchurch (1969)

01.Black Gold (4:31) [Charles Stepney]
02.America (3:30) [Paul Simon]
03.As You Said (2:31) [Jack Bruce, Pete Brown]
04.You Wouldn't, You Couldn't Be True (3:02) [Phil Upchurch]
05.Cross Town Traffic (4:00) [Jimi Hendrix]
06.Adam And Charlene (4:19) [Charles Stepney]
07.Spining Wheel (3:28) [D.C. Thomas]
08.Voodoo Chile (2:52) [Jimi Hendrix]
09.More And More (2:43) [VeePee, Don Juan]
10.Midnight Chile (4:09) [Phil Upchurch].
Recorded at Ter Mar Studios, Chicago, March 1969

Phil Upchurch : guitar
Louis Satterfield : bass
Morris Jennings : drums
Donny Hathaway : piano
Bobby Christian : percussion
James Mack Singers : vocal
Dave Chausow's :Strings and Horns
Charles Stepney:Arranger, conductor and producer
Stu Black:Engineer.

ABOUT THE ARTIST - From Wikipedia

Phil Upchurch (born 19 July 1941, Chicago, Illinois) is an American jazz and R&B guitarist and bassist.
Upchurch began playing in R&B backing bands, including those of The Kool Gents, The Dells, and The Spaniels. He eventually formed the Phil Upchurch Combo, and their song "You Can't Sit Down" reached the US Top 30 in 1961 and the UK Top 40 on its reissue five years later. The band included:
Cornell Muldrow (organ)
David Brooks (saxophone)
Mac Johnson (trumpet)
Joe Hoddrick (drums).

Dee Clark used "You Can't Sit Down" as a theme song. Upchurch had his most successful collaboration with keyboardist Tennyson Stephens in the 1970s.
Upchurch later appeared on albums by Bo Diddley, Muddy Waters, Jimmy Reed and Howlin' Wolf. In the 1970s Upchurch appeared on several fusion albums, including Grover Washington, George Benson and The Crusaders. One album in particular is George Benson's 1976 album, Breezin'. Phil Upchurch plays rhythm guitar, except for "Breezin'" and "Six to Four" where he plays bass. In the 1980s he appeared on Marlena Shaw's "Could It Be You". He has also collaborated with Chaka Khan, Booker T. Jones, Leroy Hutson and Michael Jackson.Upchurch received a Pioneer Award from the Rhythm and Blues Foundation in 1997.

Little known LP by highly regarded session guitarist at Chess/Cadet records.Here Upchurch is on fire and his playing is at its most mature.The LP consists of instrumental covers of great tracks such as Hendrix's Voodoo Chile and Cross Town Traffic and Paul Simon's America.There are also a brace of Upchurch originals.The highlight of the LP though are the two Charles Stepney originals.On Black Gold Upchurch is backed by some 36 musicians with strings,voices and horns leading to an electrifying orchestral piece.Stepney also arranges the majority of the LP.As for Upchurch's playing well it is not too heavy and features a large amount of tremelo work to highlight phrases.Another hidden gem on Cadet .© bruklover © 2000 - 2007 rateyourmusic.com.

An incredible album from one of the greatest talents on the Chicago soul scene of the late 60s -- guitarist Phil Upchurch, a player with an amazing sound! Phil could work in worlds that were equal parts soul and psychedelia -- making his guitar a perfect accompaniment for the best Chicago soul of Curtis Mayfield, Donny Hathaway, Minnie Riperton, and other greats of the time. This album's easily one of Phil's best -- a mindblowing set of arrangements put together by the groundbreaking producer Charles Stepney -- bringing together bits of jazz, rock, soul, and funk -- all providing the perfect genre-blending space for Upchurch to solo! Given that there's no singer on the set, Phil's work on guitar is a lot freer than you're used to hearing -- in a really great way, one that puts him in a space somewhere between Shuggie Otis and Jimi Hendrix! Brilliant all the way through, with tracks that include "Adam & Charlene", "You Wouldn't You Couldn't Be True", "Crosstown Traffic", "More & More", "Black Gold", "America", and "As You Said". © 1996-2007, Dusty Groove America, Inc.

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