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Dee Dee Bridgewater – Afro Blue
Dee Dee Bridgewater
Afro Blue
Style: Jazz
Label: Trio Records
Catalog Number: PA-7095
Released: 1974
While not a household name, singer Dee Dee Bridgewater is a true great of ’70s soul-jazz, fusion, and disco. Along with her 1979 disco classic Bad for Me, Bridgewater is known for her guest vocal contributions for numerous legends including Roy Ayers, Stanley Clarke, Norman Connors, Cecil McBee and others. Bridgewater’s 1974 solo debut Afro Blue is also a sought-after rare groove masterpiece that was reissued by Mr. Bongo in 2020. Recorded and originally available exclusively in Japan, the album featured a collaboration of American and Japanese musicians, such as Cecil & Ron Bridgewater, Motohiko Hino and producer Takao Ishizuka. The title track opens with African percussion, castanets, and Bridgewater imitating bird sounds before dropping into an energetic and spiritual rendition of Mongo Santamaria’s classic “Afro Blue.” Another favorite, “Little B’s Poem,” is a soul-jazz take on Bobby Hutcherson’s beloved composition (Doug Carn also released a version of this tune on his Infant Eyes album for Black Jazz).
Recommended – Full Listen
Tags: Cult Classic / Rare Groove / Soul-jazz
Tracklist:
A1 Afro Blue
A2 Love Vibrations
A3 Blues Medley (Everyday I Have The Blues / Stormy Monday Blues)
B1 Little B’s Poem
B2 Raindrops Keep Fallin’ On My Head
B3 Love From The Sun
B4 People Make The World Go Round
Credits:
Arranged By – Cecil Bridgewater (tracks: A1, A3, B1, B2, B4), Horace Silver (tracks: A2)
Bass – George Mraz
Directed By – H. Matsumoto*
Drums, Bells, Sounds – Motohiko Hino
Liner Notes – Kiyoshi Koyama
Photography By, Design – K. Abe*
Piano, Electric Piano – Roland Hanna
Producer – T. Ishizuka*
Recorded By, Mixed By – M. Ohkawa*, Y. Kannari*
Supervised By – Bridgewater Jazz Family
Tenor Saxophone, Vibraslap, Cowbell, Bells, Castanets [African] – Ron Bridgewater
Trumpet, Kalimba – Cecil Bridgewater
Vocals – Dee Dee Bridgewater
