Charles Earland Mighty Burner: The Best Of His Highnote Recordings CD

Personnel: Charles Earland (Hammond b-3 organ); Bill Boris, Bob DeVos (guitar); Michael Karn (tenor saxophone); James Rotondi, James Rotondi (trumpet); Buddy Williams (drums); Gary Fritz (percussion); Melvin Sparks (guitar); Najee (soprano saxophone, tenor saxophone); Eric Alexander , Carlos Garnett (tenor saxophone); Bernard "Pretty" Purdie (drums).
Liner Note Author: Joe Fields.
Recording information: Van Gelder Studios, Englewood Cliffs, NJ (02/12/1997-10/19/1999).
The Mighty Burner: The Best of His Highnote Recordings is a comprehensive single-disc overview of the final recordings made by one of the masters of the Hammond B-3, Charles Earland. These ten previously issued tracks were recorded in the late '90s and are taken from the albums Blowing the Blues Away, Cookin' With the Mighty Burner, If Only for One Night, Slammin' & Jammin', and his last session, Stomp! Even at this late period in his career, Earland's six originals and four cover versions of "Blowing the Blues Away," "Sister Sadie," "Organyk Groove," and "Killer Joe" are executed with vigor, guts, and inspiration. Alongside the organist on these tracks was an awesome set of rotating musicians who provided the delicate balance between post-bop technical excellence and the greasy funk of soul-jazz, including Eric Alexander and Carlos Garnett on tenor saxophones, trumpeter James Rotundi, guitarist Melvin Sparks, and drummer Bernard Purdie. This highly recommended compilation demonstrates that, even in the closing years of Charles Earland's life, his recorded output remained both mighty and burning. ~ Al Campbell