About

Brother Jack McDuff was already a well-established and prolific organist who led his own soul jazz bands throughout the 1960s when he came to Blue Note Records in 1969. Following his label debut Down Home Style, McDuff made one of the most creatively ambitious albums of his career with Moon Rappin’, which was released in 1970.

The album featured 5 funky, spaced-out McDuff originals including hard-grooving numbers like “Flat Backin’” and “Loose Foot,” as well innovative tracks like “Moon Rappin’” and “Oblighetto,” which would later be permanently ingrained into hip hop history when it was sampled by A Tribe Called Quest as the foundation of 2 of their all-time classic tracks: “Scenario” and “Check the Rhime.”

This Blue Note Classic Vinyl Edition is stereo, all-analog, mastered by Kevin Gray from the original master tapes, and pressed on 180g vinyl at Optimal. — (via Label)

Moon Rappin' is one of Brother Jack McDuff's most ambitious efforts, a loose concept album that finds the organist exploring funky and spacy soundscapes. Unlike most McDuff records, there isn't a steady groove that flows throughout the record - the album flies into atmospheric territory that isn't strictly soul-jazz, but it's far from free.

In many ways, Moon Rappin' is a fairly typical album of its time, boasting wah-wah guitars, flutes, spacious reverb, long bluesy vamps, orchestras, and disembodied backing vocals, but it also stands out from the pack in how it offers some excellent improvisation (including a rare piano spotlight on the title track) and unpredictable moments, like the stuttering organ and nearly free interludes on "Made in Sweden." — (via AllMusic)

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Label: Blue Note 
Series: Blue Note Classic Vinyl Series
Format: Vinyl, LP, Album, Reissue, Stereo, 180g, Gatefold
Reissued: 2022 / Original: 1970
Genre: Jazz
Style: Jazz-Funk, Soul-Jazz

File under: Jazz // Blue Note Records
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