Sonny & Linda Sharrock - Paradise (1975)

Sonny Sharrock was one of the first American free-jazz guitarists. He played in the '60s and early '70s with Miles Davis, Pharoah Sanders, Roy Ayers, Herbie Mann and many other greats. 

He also recorded three solo LPs at the beginning of the '70s with his wife Linda Sharrock on vocals, before discreetly disappearing from the musical scene. The couple divorced in 1978.

1st off, you have have to be ready for Linda's vocals. They're wordless, and an confident take on the path Yoko Ono blazed. 

It's mannered, funny, terrifying - i wonder if the B-52s heard this. She's in tune and fearless; i enjoy it, and i've sold Keith Jarrett records solely because of his vocalizations in the background. 

She doesn't sing that much, either. The focus is on the guitar.

That's the reason you're here, of course. Sharrock's guitar; he plays high up the fretboard, choking otherworldy skronks out. 

Everything wobbles and smears. It rocks as surely and complexly as any Ulmer or Fripp, but no one sounds exactly like this.

The rest of the band is competent, but not monster, famous players. The keyboardist, Kenny Armstrong, deserves mention for some fun Moog solos.

"Gary's Step" ends the record on a slow burn, building through successive waves of guitar frenzy on a bluesy groove and Linda's keening; Sharrock may not have liked this record, but I do.

Tracklist

1.  Apollo - 7:50

2.  End of the Rainbow - 3:00

3.  Miss Doris - 9:22

4.  1953 Blue Boogie Children - 7:04

5.  Peaceful - 4:23

6.  Gary's Step - 8:27

Companies, etc.

• Phonographic Copyright ℗ – Atlantic Recording Corporation
• Copyright © – Atlantic Recording Corporation
• Recorded At – A&R Studios
• Remixed At – Record Plant, N.Y.C.
• Pressed By – Presswell
• Manufactured By – Atlantic Recording Corporation
• Record Company – Warner Communications

Credits

• Art Direction – Paula Scher
• Bass Guitar – Dave Artis
• Drums, Timpani – Buddy Williams
• Engineer – Phil Ramone
• Engineer [Overdubs] – Rich Blakin
• Engineer [Remix & Additional Overdubs] – Carmine Rubino, Dennis Ferrante
• Executive-Producer – Nesuhi Ertegun
• Guitar – Sonny Sharrock
• Percussion – Sonny Bonillia
• Piano, Electric Piano [Fender], Synthesizer [Moog], Clavinet, Mellotron [Chamberlin] – Kenny Armstrong
• Producer – Ilhan Mimaroglu
• Voice – Linda Sharrock

Notes

Release: 1975

Genre: Free Jazz, Jazz-funk

Length:  40:08

Label:  ATCO Records

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