MEL BROWN - CHICKEN FAT (LP)

Mel Brown Chicken Fat on LP

Mississippi-born, West Coast-based guitarist Mel Brown flexed his slinky fingers with blues god T-Bone Walker before going out on his own for this seriously funky 1967 session. The hot studio band here also includes versatile L.A. pianist Gerald Wiggins and none other than six-string legend Herb Ellis, who dishes up fiery exchanges with Brown on the backbone-slipping “Greasy Spoon” and the Down-South, down-home title cut. In addition to handling arrangements on the date, composer supreme Oliver Nelson (“Stolen Moments”) contributed two tunes; the tricky, frenetic “Anacrusis” and the wah-wah-covered “Hobo Flats.”

But it’s the blues that form the rich and juicy marrow of Brown’s soulful style, and Chicken Fat’s pair of late-night, down-tempo workouts, the sultry original “Home James” and the Ellis-composed “I’m Goin’ to Jackson,” will have you licking your lips with deep delight. Guitar chops meet pork chops on this gorgeous gatefold repress of the original Impulse! LP, one that’s sure to water the mouths of not only jazz and blues fans but of anyone who can’t get enough of that good ol’ raw, funky, Booker T.-style soul.

Mel Brown Chicken Fat Track Listing:

1. Chicken Fat
2. Greasy Spoon 
3. Home James
4. Anacrusis
5. Hobo Flats
6. Shanty
7. Sad But True
8. I’m Goin’ To Jackson
9. Slalom