About

Like the winged, part-man/part-bull creature that adorns its bizarre cover, Cleveland Eaton's Half and Half is a mutant, a jazz-funk monster that lays to waste everything in its path. Despite the structural complexity of its fusion-inspired arrangements, the record remains rooted in the driving soul-jazz grooves of Eaton's past collaborations with Ramsey Lewis, resulting in celebratory music that appeals equally to the mind and the body. Eaton also proves an imaginative composer, with originals like "Keep It Funky" and "Here Comes Funky You" fitting comfortably alongside covers including War's "Slippin' into Darkness" and the Stylistics' "Betcha by Golly, Wow." Out of print by the early 20th century, Half and Half demands a reissue worthy of its excellence.