🎷 AotW: CTI Johnny Hammond: Gambler's Life (Salvation Records SAL 702)

Johnny Hammond: Gambler's Life

Salvation Records SAL 702
Released 1974

Gambler's Life 5:45
Rhodesian Thoroughfare 6:06
This Year's Dream 6:19
Star Borne 7:51
Back To The Projects 5:36
Yesterday Was Cool 6:50
Virgo Lady 6:41
Call On Me 4:30

Arranged By – Johnny Hammond (tracks: A3, B3), Larry Mizell (tracks: A1, A2, A4 to B2, B4)
Backing Vocals, Arranged By [Vocals] – Fonce Mizell, Fred Perren*, Larry Mizell
Bass – Henry Franklin, Tony Dumas
Clavinet, Trumpet – Fonce Mizell
Conductor – Larry Mizell
Congas – King Errisson
Design [Album] – Sibbie McDonough
Directed By [Technical Director] – Chuck Davis
Drums – Fritz Wise, Harvey Mason
Electric Piano, Synthesizer – Johnny Hammond
Engineer [Assistant] – John Mills (2), Val Garay
Engineer [Recording] – David Hassinger*
Guitar – John Rowin, Mel Bolton, Melvin "Wah Wah" Ragin*
Legal – Joseph E. Porter, III*
Liner Notes – Emory Holmes
Mastered By – Arnie Acosta
Mixed By – David Hass*
Percussion, Vocals – Stephanie Spruill
Photography By [Cover] – Pete Turner (4)
Piano – Jerry Peters
Producer – Chuck Davis (tracks: A2), Larry Mizell
Programmed By [Synthesizer] – Chuck Davis
Saxophone – Carl Randall, Jr.*
Synthesizer [Solina] – Larry Mizell
Trombone – Al Hall (2)

Recorded June 1974 at The Sound Factory.


Amazon product ASIN B00FASBCHC

Not available via Qobuz. Album is out of print and not available via streaming.

Johnny Hammond - Gambler's Life

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Fan-provide YouTube video of complete album plus four bonus tracks.

 

[Rudy]

This album is an interesting entry in the CTI family catalog. The Salvation label was originally an idea by Creed Taylor to record gospel records. But as we can see after the release of SAL 700, the focus turned immediately back to records more aligned with CTI or Kudu, with other producers than Creed Taylor.

This Johnny Hammond date is no exception and honestly, this chould have been a perfect fit for where the Kudu label was heading at the time. The Mizell brothers (Larry and Fonce) produced and performed on this record. (They were known for many jazz/funk albums as well as being behind a #1 hit for the soul group Taste of Honey.) And in a departure from past albums, Johnny Hammond switches over the Rhodes electric piano, which was all the rage back then. There isn't a Hammond B3 to be found anywhere on this record. There are pianos, and even an ARP synthesizer (courtesy of Larry Mizell) in places.

That's actually a good thing, though. While this record tangentially references jazz, it is more like an instrumental funk and soul album. It can be a bit noisy or even chaotic at times, but in a very good way. There are a lot of layers to this record that take a few plays to discover. There are a few vocal parts here and there, but they are mainly for accent, almost like a horn section punctuating key places in the songs.

Johnny Hammond left the CTI family after this record, but the follow-up record to Gambler's Life, Gears, appeared on the Milestone label and again features the Mizell brothers. That album is a little less cluttered and a little more direct, and still good fun.

I had this as a high-res download a while ago, but since it is not available on streaming, the easiest way to get this is on CD or LP. It's worth finding if that mid 70s funk and soul vibe is your thang.