James Brown – Gettin' Down To It | King KSD 1051
King Records 1968 – KSD 1051
notes:
Gettin' Down To It is a distinctive side of James Brown,
released by King Records in May 1969 as catalog KSD 1051.
Rather than concentrating on his explosive funk sound,
Brown explores jazz standards and romantic ballads
with the intimate backing of the Dee Felice Trio.
The album was recorded at King Studios in Cincinnati,
Ohio, between December 1968 and March 1969,
with James Brown producing. The core trio features
Dee Felice on drums, Frank Vincent on piano and
Lee Tucker on bass. Lee Garrett and Kenny Poole
are also credited with guitar on selected tracks,
while Marva Whitney contributes vocals.
The repertoire includes “Sunny,” “That's Life,”
“Strangers in the Night,” “Willow Weep for Me,”
“Cold Sweat,” “There Was a Time,” “Chicago,”
“(I Love You) For Sentimental Reasons,”
“Time After Time,” “All the Way,”
“It Had to Be You” and “Uncle.”
A fascinating collector's LP, Gettin' Down To It reveals
Brown's ability to move away from his familiar hard-funk
formula and into a sophisticated soul-jazz and
jazz-ballad setting.
The album reached No. 99 on the Billboard Top LPs chart in 1969
credits:
James Brown – vocals, producer
Frank Vincent – piano
Lee Tucker – bass
Dee Felice – drums
Additional guitar:
Lee Garrett – guitar on “There Was a Time”
Kenny Poole – guitar on “There Was a Time” and “Uncle”
Guest vocal:
Marva Whitney – vocals on “Sunny”
The album was recorded between December 1968
and March 1969 at King Studios in Cincinnati, Ohio.
The recording sessions were produced by James Brown,
with Dave Harrison credited for audio
tracklist:
A1 Sunny
Vocals – Marva Whitney
Written-By – Bobby Hebb
3:19
A2 That's Life
Written-By – D. Kay*, K. Dean*
4:27
A3 Strangers In The Night
Written-By – Kaempfert*, Singleton*, Snyder*
3:22
A4 Willow Weep For Me
Written-By – A. Ronell*
4:42
A5 Cold Sweat
Written-By – J. Brown*, A. Ellis*
5:02
A6 There Was A Time
Written-By – B. Hobgood*, J. Brown*
2:58
B1 Chicago
Written-By – F. Fisher*
2:52
B2 (I Love You) For Sentimental Reasons
Written-By – Z. Watson*, W. Best*
7:20
B3 Time After Time
Written-By – Styne-Cahn*
2:40
B4 All The Way
Written-By – J. Van Heusen-S. Cahn*
3:41
B5 It Had To Be You
Written-By – Kahn*, Jones*
2:43
B6 Uncle
Written-By – F. Vincent*
2:34
