Bernard Purdie SOUL DRUMS

Personnel: Bernard "Pretty" Purdie (vocals, drums); Eric Gale , Billy Butler (guitar); Buddy Lucas (flute, tenor saxophone, baritone saxophone); Seldon Powell (flute, tenor saxophone); Richard Tee (piano, organ).
Audio Mixer: Vic Anesini.
Audio Remixer: Vic Anesini.
Liner Note Author: Andrew Graham.
Recording information: 1967-1969.
Authors: Robert Flack; Jalaluddin Mansur Nuriddin; Pete Rock & C.L. Smooth.
Photographers: Devin Horwitz; Sandy Speiser.
Arranger: Richard Tee.
Not so much an album as it is a master class in the art of funk percussion, Soul Drums is the quintessential Bernard "Pretty" Purdie LP, an unstoppable rhythm machine made all the more memorable by its fiercely idiosyncratic production. Paired with pianist/arranger Richard Tee, guitarists Eric Gale and Billy Butler, bassist Bob Bushnell, and tenorist Seldon Powell, Purdie creates a suite of deep funk grooves notable for the sheer insistence of their energy as well as the remarkable imagination and skill of their beats, all topped off with echo-chamber-like production that underscores the music's visceral punch. It is virtually impossible to listen to Soul Drums without nodding your head and tapping your foot -- and physical response, not thoughts or words, are its most sincere praise. ~ Jason Ankeny

• Format: CD
• Genre: R&B