Charles Earland - Letha (from Black Drops)

BUY / STREAM: https://found.ee/ce-blackdrops This Bob Porter-produced soul-jazz/hard bop LP finds Charles Earland surrounding himself with mostly fellow Philadelphians, including tenor and soprano saxophonist Jimmy Heath, guitarist Maynard Parker, trombonist Clayton Pruden, and drummer Jimmy Turner -- in fact, the only non-Philadelphian on Black Drops is trumpeter Virgil Jones. Highlights of the LP range from the driving hard bop of Earland's "Buck Green" and John Coltrane's "Lazybird" to a funky workout on Sly Stone's "Sing a Simple Song" and some mellow, congenial grooving on "Don't Say Goodbye," and Burt Bacharach's "Raindrops Keep Falling on My Head."