Melodies International are extremely proud to bring forward their latest reissue and 18th release, presenting two of their favourite tracks by Chicago based house virtuoso Warren Harris aka Hanna: I Needed / Intercession, On Behalf. Available early October on 12-inch vinyl.
**Includes 16 page fanzine - The Melodies Melozine**
With MEL014, we are extremely proud to bring you one more You’re A Melody classic and one of the most beautiful soul records we’ll have reissued as of yet: Jack Jacobs – I Believe It’s Alright.
Jack Jacobs grew up in Philadelphia and started out his singing career with an acapella doo-wop singing group before becoming lead singer in some Philly R&B bands. After a while he decided to take up the keyboard so he got a full sized Hammond B-3 organ, which he used to lug back and forth to gigs from his 3rd floor apartment. Jack is remembered by friends and family as an incredibly talented musician and one of the most soulful vocalists they’ve ever known.
Childhood friend and jazz guitar great Pat Martino recalls: “I’ve had a chance to work with some seriously heavy duty singers, such as Ray Charles. He (i.e. Jack) was so spontaneously prolific; he was a poet. I can play some things for you right now and you would be shocked to find out he had no idea what he was about to sing. The lyrics were absolutely phenomenal, and they were extremely spiritual in context in terms of the message he was talking about. They were Biblical lyrics; absolutely overwhelming – just incredible”.
After Jack moved to Atlantic City in the 1970s, he wrote and recorded “I Believe It’s Alright”, initially released on Libra, a small local New Jersey music label. The record barely got any exposure at the time despite how good it was. It channels honest, raw soul energy in its purest form - a truly uplifting song!
Fully licensed and remastered, MEL014 is presented in its original promo 7” vinyl format with the extended version on the flip and digitally – accompanied by our latest issue of the Melodies Melozine!
A - Jack Jacobs - I Believe It's Alright
B - Jack Jacobs - I Believe It's Alright (extended)
With MEL012, Trio Ternura – A Gira / Last Tango In Paris, we are very excited to move from North America into Brazilian territory reissuing one of our favourite pieces of 1970s MPB (Música popular brasileira) written and mostly recorded by a single family.
A post shared by Melody Johnson (@melodiesint) on
Trio Ternura (or Tenderness Trio) consisted of two sisters, Jussara, Jurema and their brother Robson. Their father, Umberto Silva was a revered Brazilian songwriter and recording artist who introduced his children to the music world at a very young age.
After performing some songs on broadcast television and at festivals early on, their father Umberto and brother, Beto Scala wrote A Gira for the Trio to record. The song is a tribute to nature, spirituality and mindfulness. The hommage is made through a form of “cantico” (chant) or “saudação” (salutation), aimed at invoking an Orisha named “Oxossi”. Otherwise known as “Saints”, Orishas are the deities worshiped in the Afro-Brazilian religion of “Candomblé”.
African religion and culture have had an undeniable impact in Brazil, especially in music and on artists with African roots as its rituals were often accompanied by music comprising highly percussive drumming. As a result, A Gira, an homage to a Candomblé deity recorded in 1973 involves mesmerizing polyrhythms from the very first few bars and throughout, followed by the sisters’ soaring vocals and impeccable instrumentation. It’s a song that they can really identify with, in their own words “it has the dancing, the expression, the lyrics and musical relaxation - something very Brazilian”.
Originally released on Polydor in Brazil, fully licensed and remastered from the tapes – MEL012 comes forth in its 7-inch original vinyl format and digitally, b/w Trio Ternura's stunning version of Gato Barbieri's Last Tango in Paris and is accompanied by the first bilingual Melozine !
A - A Gira
B - Last Tango In Paris
With MEL011, it is our immense pleasure to direct focus towards both Soul and House royalty, selecting and reissuing two of Frankie Knuckles’ scarcer remixes of an all time classic: Womack & Womack – MPB (Missin’ Persons Bureau).
A. MPB (Missin' Persons Bureau)(Paradise Ballroom Mix)
B. MPB (Missin' Persons Bureau)(Folk Version)
Now known as Zekkariyas and Zeriiya, partners Cecil and Linda Womack, two eminent members in an extensive lineage of music artistry (i.e. Bobby Womack was Zekkariyas' brother, Zeriiya is Sam Cooke's daughter) engaged in one of music history’s most successful and exciting singing and song writing partnerships in the early 1980s.
Zeriiya says her process with Zekkariyas flowed like water, their shared complicity and talent led them to write and produce strings of chart topping hits and classic albums as Womack & Womack but also for other renowned artists of the time such as Patti LaBelle, Teddy Pendergrass and the O’Jays to only name a few.
The original version of Missin’ Persons Bureau was first released in 1988 on “Conscience” (Island Records), a classic album with impeccable instrumentation and thoughtful and relatable narratives that reflect on the nature of life, true friendship, love or in the case of MPB, it’s subsequent loss.
Following the release of the LP, Island records founder Chris Blackwell introduced the idea of getting Missin’ Persons Bureau reworked by House legend Frankie Knuckles and whilst the Womacks weren’t originally set on the idea of having their songs remixed by other artists, Blackwell who Zeriiya describes as a “record label manager seriously involved in making sure the project is what the creators really want it to be” had earned their trust.
With these remixes, Frankie managed to turn a radio hit into underground club classics. The Paradise Ballroom mix conserves the essence of the original, reinterpreting the rhythm section whilst drawing it out over 8 minutes, with expert tension building and release clearly aimed at the dance floor. The Folk Version presents a beatless interpretation of the Ballroom mix, focusing on the uplifting vocal arrangements and mesmerising guitar performance, truly beautiful!
MEL011 comes forth as a 12” with the original artwork, restored and lovingly re-mastered from the original tapes.