*SEALED* Jazz LP BILLY BUTLER “This is Billy Butler” PRESTIGE 7622 RVG nice

$

47

Artist:  BILLY BUTLER                                     

Title:   “This is Billy Butler”

Label:   PRESTIGE ~ PR 7622.  Stereo pressing.  Presumed to be purple label.  

Year:  1969 

Personnel: 

Billy Butler – guitar, bass guitar 

Houston Person – tenor sax

Ernie Hayes – organ & electric piano

Bob Bushnell – electric bass

Rudy Collins – drums 

NOTES: 

• Recording:  Rudy Van Gelder
• This is Billy’s first album for Prestige.  

Condition:  

Album is STILL SEALED in original factory shrink wrap.  Shrink wrap is clean and bright.  Shrink wrap has a minor separation (approximately 4 inches) at the bottom right, otherwise fully intact.  There is one breather hole in the shrink wrap on the front.  There is a small drill hole at the bottom right corner, indicating the record was originally sold as a “cutout” / deletion.  

A red circular discount price sticker ($3.99) is affixed on the front shrink at top right corner, overtop of what appears to be the original small white retail price sticker.   

Track Listing:  

Side One: 

• The Twang Thang  -  5.15
• Cherry  -  6.23
• Work Song  -  5.45 

Side Two: 

• The Soul Roll  -  4.40
• She Is My Inspiration  -  5.11
• Bass-ic Blues  -  6.16 

Review: 

“In the 1960s, Billy Butler was not only one of the top guitarists in the soul-jazz field -- he was also a busy, in-demand session player who backed his share of R&B heavyweights.  Butler, one of the countless jazz greats who came out of Philadelphia, had so much work as a sideman that it took him a long time to record an album under his own name.  In fact, the guitarist had just turned 43 when, in December 1968, he recorded his first session as a leader, This Is Billy Butler. 

This vinyl LP is a soul-jazz/hard bop classic, and Butler has a talented cast of players to help him pull it off -- one that includes producer Bob Porter and engineer Rudy Van Gelder, as well as tenor saxman Houston Person and pianist/organist Ernie Hayes (among others).  While Person delivers his share of inspired solos, Butler is the man in the driver's seat, and he really soars on material that ranges from Nat Adderley's "Work Song" to Butler originals like "Bass-ic Blues" and "The Soul Roll."  Butler and his sidemen also turn their attention to Don Redman's "Cherry," a standard that has often been heard in classic jazz and swing settings, but easily lends itself to an inspired soul-jazz makeover.   

In retrospect, it's surprising that a guitarist of Butler's stature didn't record as a leader extensively -- after providing four of his own LPs for Prestige in 1968-1970, he only recorded a few more LPs for various independent labels.  But then, Butler's sidemen work didn't leave him with a lot of free time.  It took the Philadelphian 43 years to record as a leader, and this excellent LP proved that he was certainly up to the task.” 

(review courtesy of Alex Henderson, allmusic.com.)

Guaranteed to be original and authentic first pressing from 1969.  I do not sell bootlegs or modern reissues. 

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