Virtually everything bassist
Cleveland Eaton recorded or played on carries his trademark brand of swing and soul. Whether laying down meaty grooves with the
Ramsey Lewis Trio, playing sessions at
Chess and
Cadet, or swinging with the
Count Basie Orchestra, his sound is instantly recognizable.
Plenty Good Eaton, issued by
Gene Russell's pioneering
Black Jazz Records in 1975. It was cut at
Chess studios immediately following the bassist's departure from the
Lewis trio. He enlisted a slew of
Chess/
Cadet contemporaries including organist/pianist
Odell Brown, electric pianist
Ken Prince, violinist
Ed Green, trombonist
Steve Galloway, saxophonists
Duke Payne and
Ari Brown, and flutist/percussionist
Derf Recklaw.
The intro to opener "Chi-Town Theme" cribs directly from
Isaac Hayes' "Theme From Shaft" with its ticking hi-hat, wah-wah guitars, and sweet, sassy, female backing chorus chanting the title amid swelling horns, rumbling electric bass, and soaring keyboards. While the funk vamp remains, various solos and instrumental interludes -- like the dialogue between the Rhodes piano, horns, and strings at 1:30 -- are meaty and satisfying. The Latin-tinged "Keena," offers a fluid melodic statement from
Eaton's double bass enfolded in sweeping Motown-esque strings and swinging jazz horns. "Moe, Let's Have A Party" offers a hard funk theme worthy of
Chaka Khan and
Rufus. While
Eaton's phase-shifted vocals chanting the title repeatedly gets old, the vamp doesn't. His filthy bassline functions as if it were a lead guitar in the middle of crisscrossing horns, swirling strings, and spiraling Hammond B-3. "Are You Out There Caring," is a soul tune obviously influenced by the songwriting and production of
Gamble & Huff as they emerged with the
Philadeliphia International sound.
Eaton's lead vocals don't reveal him to be great singer, but he's effective thanks to an elegant melody, hooky chorus, and sublime instrumental bridge. "Kaiser 405," demonstrates
Eaton's roots in swinging hard bop and his deep love of cop film soundtracks. His bassline drives a canny exchange between intricate progressive horn harmonies, biting guitar lines, fleet piano ostinatos. and swinging drums. "All Your Lover, All Day, All Night," is a nine-and-a-half minute exercise in cinematic jazz-funk. Led by an uneasy union of strings and
Eaton's punchy double bassline,
Recklaw's flute layers in funky interludes amid vocal chants and driving breakbeats. Closer "Hamburg 302," commences with a forceful vamp from the rhythm section, appended by modal piano, cascading strings, and bossy horns. Combining influences from composer
Lalo Schifrin's sense of cinematic drama (think
Mission: Impossible and
Bulitt) and
Isaac Hayes'
Shaft/
Truck Turner-esque funk, it delivers glorious tenor, trombone, and violin solos framed by punchy reeds and brass accents.
Eaton's bass rises above, sweeping the proceeding through its suite-like changes until the explosive climax.
Plenty Good Eaton stands apart in
Eaton's slim but fantastic discography as a thoroughly balanced exercise in musical sophistication and good-time grooves. It stands as one of
Black Jazz's most important recordings, and one of the most iconic exercises in jazz funk to emerge from the 1970s. ~ Thom Jurek
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