CHARLES EARLAND
Intensity (Prestige/OJC)
Reviewed by Shaun Dale

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Charles Earland's organ is always worth hearing, and his abilities as a leader always attracted top players to his sessions. On Intensity, those players included John Faddis, Hubert Laws, Billy Cobham and other notables. There was none more notable, though, than trumpeter Lee Morgan, and this album became one of the most notable in Earland's discography because it also turned out to contain Morgan's last sessions. Lee Morgan was murdered two days after these tracks were cut in 1972.

For this CD release, two tracks are added from another Earland release in order to put the complete Lee Morgan sessions on one disc. Those bonus cuts, Morgan's theme song "Speedball" and a cover of Chicago's "Lowdown," belong right here, and thanks to the space available on a CD compared to an LP, there is room to make this the album it always should have been.

Intensity has as much musical quality as historical importance, and with a renewal of interest in the soul jazz category, this is a great chance to add both an enjoyable and an important recording to your collection.

Track List: Happy 'Cause I'm Goin' Home * Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow * 'Cause I Love Her * Morgan * Lowdown * Speedball

(C) 1998 - Shaun Dale