Charles Earland
Encyclopedia
Charles Earland was an American
jazz
composer
, organist
, and saxophonist
in the soul jazz
idiom.
in high school
. He played tenor
with Jimmy McGriff
at the age of seventeen, and in 1960 started his first group. He started playing the organ after playing with Pat Martino
, and joined Lou Donaldson
's band from 1968 to 1969.
The group that he led from 1970, including Grover Washington, Jr.
, was successful, and he eventually started playing soprano saxophone
and synthesizer
. His hard, simmering grooves earned him the nickname
, 'The Mighty Burner'.
In 1978 Earland hit the disco/club scene with a track recorded
on Mercury Records
called "Let the Music Play", written
by Randy Muller from Brass Construction
. The record
was in the U.S.
charts
for 5 weeks and reached number 46 in the UK Singles Chart
. With Earland's playing on synthesizer
, the track also has an uncredited female vocalist
.
From 1988 until his death, Earland traveled extensively. One of the many highlights of his latter years was playing at the Berlin Jazz Festival in 1994. Among the musician
s that performed with him at the Berlin Jazz Festival, was the Alabama
born, Chicago
resident, Zimbabu Hamilton. on the drum
s.
Earland continued to perform throughout the U.S. and abroad until his death. He died in Kansas City
, Missouri
of heart failure at the age of fifty-eight.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
composer
Composer
A composer is a person who creates music, either by musical notation or oral tradition, for interpretation and performance, or through direct manipulation of sonic material through electronic media...
, organist
Organist
An organist is a musician who plays any type of organ. An organist may play solo organ works, play with an ensemble or orchestra, or accompany one or more singers or instrumental soloists...
, and saxophonist
Saxophone
The saxophone is a conical-bore transposing musical instrument that is a member of the woodwind family. Saxophones are usually made of brass and played with a single-reed mouthpiece similar to that of the clarinet. The saxophone was invented by the Belgian instrument maker Adolphe Sax in 1846...
in the soul jazz
Soul jazz
Soul jazz is a development of jazz incorporating strong influences from blues, soul, gospel and rhythm and blues in music for small groups, often an organ trio featuring a Hammond organ.- Overview :Soul jazz is often associated with hard bop. Mark C...
idiom.
Biography
Earland was born in Philadelphia and learned to play the saxophoneSaxophone
The saxophone is a conical-bore transposing musical instrument that is a member of the woodwind family. Saxophones are usually made of brass and played with a single-reed mouthpiece similar to that of the clarinet. The saxophone was invented by the Belgian instrument maker Adolphe Sax in 1846...
in high school
High school
High school is a term used in parts of the English speaking world to describe institutions which provide all or part of secondary education. The term is often incorporated into the name of such institutions....
. He played tenor
Tenor saxophone
The tenor saxophone is a medium-sized member of the saxophone family, a group of instruments invented by Adolphe Sax in the 1840s. The tenor, with the alto, are the two most common types of saxophones. The tenor is pitched in the key of B, and written as a transposing instrument in the treble...
with Jimmy McGriff
Jimmy McGriff
James Harrell McGriff was an American hard bop and soul-jazz organist and organ trio bandleader who developed a distinctive style of playing the Hammond B-3 organ.-Early years and influences:...
at the age of seventeen, and in 1960 started his first group. He started playing the organ after playing with Pat Martino
Pat Martino
Pat Martino is an Italian-American jazz guitarist and composer within the post bop, fusion, mainstream jazz, soul jazz and hard bop idioms.-Biography:...
, and joined Lou Donaldson
Lou Donaldson
Lou Donaldson is a jazz alto saxophonist. He was born in Badin, North Carolina. He is best known for his soulful, bluesy approach to playing the alto saxophone, although in his formative years he was, as many were of the bebop era, heavily influenced by Charlie Parker.His first recordings were...
's band from 1968 to 1969.
The group that he led from 1970, including Grover Washington, Jr.
Grover Washington, Jr.
Grover Washington, Jr. was an American jazz-funk / soul-jazz saxophonist. Along with George Benson, John Klemmer, David Sanborn, Bob James, Chuck Mangione, Herb Alpert, and Spyro Gyra, he is considered by many to be one of the founders of the smooth jazz genre.He wrote some of his material and...
, was successful, and he eventually started playing soprano saxophone
Soprano saxophone
The soprano saxophone is a variety of the saxophone, a woodwind instrument, invented in 1840. The soprano is the third smallest member of the saxophone family, which consists of the soprillo, sopranino, soprano, alto, tenor, baritone, bass, contrabass and tubax.A transposing instrument pitched in...
and synthesizer
Synthesizer
A synthesizer is an electronic instrument capable of producing sounds by generating electrical signals of different frequencies. These electrical signals are played through a loudspeaker or set of headphones...
. His hard, simmering grooves earned him the nickname
Nickname
A nickname is "a usually familiar or humorous but sometimes pointed or cruel name given to a person or place, as a supposedly appropriate replacement for or addition to the proper name.", or a name similar in origin and pronunciation from the original name....
, 'The Mighty Burner'.
In 1978 Earland hit the disco/club scene with a track recorded
Sound recording and reproduction
Sound recording and reproduction is an electrical or mechanical inscription and re-creation of sound waves, such as spoken voice, singing, instrumental music, or sound effects. The two main classes of sound recording technology are analog recording and digital recording...
on Mercury Records
Mercury Records
Mercury Records is a record label operating as a standalone company in the UK and as part of the Island Def Jam Motown Music Group in the US; both are subsidiaries of Universal Music Group. There is also a Mercury Records in Australia, which is a local artist and repertoire division of Universal...
called "Let the Music Play", written
Songwriter
A songwriter is an individual who writes both the lyrics and music to a song. Someone who solely writes lyrics may be called a lyricist, and someone who only writes music may be called a composer...
by Randy Muller from Brass Construction
Brass Construction
Brass Construction was an American funk group formed in Brooklyn, New York in 1968. They were originally known as Dynamic Soul, and went on to record a string of hit singles and albums through to 1985.-Career:...
. The record
Gramophone record
A gramophone record, commonly known as a phonograph record , vinyl record , or colloquially, a record, is an analog sound storage medium consisting of a flat disc with an inscribed, modulated spiral groove...
was in the U.S.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
charts
Record chart
A record chart is a ranking of recorded music according to popularity during a given period of time. Examples of music charts are the Hit parade, Hot 100 or Top 40....
for 5 weeks and reached number 46 in the UK Singles Chart
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
. With Earland's playing on synthesizer
Synthesizer
A synthesizer is an electronic instrument capable of producing sounds by generating electrical signals of different frequencies. These electrical signals are played through a loudspeaker or set of headphones...
, the track also has an uncredited female vocalist
Singing
Singing is the act of producing musical sounds with the voice, and augments regular speech by the use of both tonality and rhythm. One who sings is called a singer or vocalist. Singers perform music known as songs that can be sung either with or without accompaniment by musical instruments...
.
From 1988 until his death, Earland traveled extensively. One of the many highlights of his latter years was playing at the Berlin Jazz Festival in 1994. Among the musician
Musician
A musician is an artist who plays a musical instrument. It may or may not be the person's profession. Musicians can be classified by their roles in performing music and writing music.Also....* A person who makes music a profession....
s that performed with him at the Berlin Jazz Festival, was the Alabama
Alabama
Alabama is a state located in the southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Tennessee to the north, Georgia to the east, Florida and the Gulf of Mexico to the south, and Mississippi to the west. Alabama ranks 30th in total land area and ranks second in the size of its inland...
born, Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
resident, Zimbabu Hamilton. on the drum
Drum
The drum is a member of the percussion group of musical instruments, which is technically classified as the membranophones. Drums consist of at least one membrane, called a drumhead or drum skin, that is stretched over a shell and struck, either directly with the player's hands, or with a...
s.
Earland continued to perform throughout the U.S. and abroad until his death. He died in Kansas City
Kansas City, Missouri
Kansas City, Missouri is the largest city in the U.S. state of Missouri and is the anchor city of the Kansas City Metropolitan Area, the second largest metropolitan area in Missouri. It encompasses in parts of Jackson, Clay, Cass, and Platte counties...
, Missouri
Missouri
Missouri is a US state located in the Midwestern United States, bordered by Iowa, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Kansas and Nebraska. With a 2010 population of 5,988,927, Missouri is the 18th most populous state in the nation and the fifth most populous in the Midwest. It...
of heart failure at the age of fifty-eight.
Discography
- Black Power (Rare Bird)
- Boss Organ (Choice)
- Soul Crib (Choice 1969)
- Black Talk! (Original Jazz 1969)
- Charles Earland (live albumLive albumA live album is a recording consisting of material recorded during stage performances using remote recording techniques, commonly contrasted with a studio album...
) (Trip 1969) - Black Drops (PrestigePrestige RecordsPrestige Records was a jazz record label founded in 1949 by Bob Weinstock. The company was located at 203 South Washington Avenue in Bergenfield, New Jersey, and recorded hundreds of albums by many of the leading jazz musicians of the day, sometimes issuing them under the names of several...
1970) - Living Black! (Prestige 1970)
- Soul Story (Prestige 1971)
- Live at the Lighthouse (Prestige 1972)
- Intensity (Prestige 1972)
- Charles 3 (Prestige 1973)
- Introducing - Live (Giant Step)
- Freakin' Off (Big Chance)
- The Dynamite Brothers (Prestige 1973)
- Leaving This Planet (Prestige 1973)
- Kharma (Prestige 1974)
- Odyssey (MercuryMercury RecordsMercury Records is a record label operating as a standalone company in the UK and as part of the Island Def Jam Motown Music Group in the US; both are subsidiaries of Universal Music Group. There is also a Mercury Records in Australia, which is a local artist and repertoire division of Universal...
1975) - The Great Pyramid (Mercury 1976)
- Mama Roots (MuseMuse RecordsMuse Records was an American record label which released jazz and blues music.Muse was founded in the early 1970s by Joe Fields, who had previously worked as an executive for Prestige Records in the 1960s...
1977) - Smokin' (Muse 1977)
- Revelation (Mercury 1977)
- Pleasant Afternoon (Muse 1978)
- Infant Eyes (Muse 1978)
- Perceptions (Mercury 1978)
- Coming to You Live (ColumbiaColumbia RecordsColumbia Records is an American record label, owned by Japan's Sony Music Entertainment, operating under the Columbia Music Group with Aware Records. It was founded in 1888, evolving from an earlier enterprise, the American Graphophone Company — successor to the Volta Graphophone Company...
1980) - Burners (Prestige 1981)
- In the Pocket (Muse 1982)
- Earland's Jam (CBSCBS RecordsCBS Records is a record label founded by CBS Corporation in 2006 to take advantage of music from its entertainment properties owned by CBS Television Studios. The initial label roster consisted of only three artists; rock band Señor Happy and singer/songwriters Will Dailey and P.J...
1982) - Street Themes (CBS 1983)
- Front Burner (Milestone 1988)
- Third Degree Burn (Milestone 1989)
- Whip Appeal (Muse 1990)
- Unforgettable (Muse 1991)
- I Ain't Jivin', I'm Jammin' (Muse 1992)
- Ready 'n' Able (Muse 1995)
- Blowing the Blues Away (High Note 1997)
- Jazz Organ Summit (Cannonball 1998)
- Slammin' & Jammin' (Savant 1998)
- Live (Cannonball 1999)
- Cookin' with the Mighty Burner (High Note 1999)
- The Almighty Burner (32 Jazz 2000)
- Stomp! (High Note 2000)
External links
- [ Allmusic.com biography]