Sources For Madlib's Shades Of Blue Untinted CD

Madlib had an outstanding year in 2003. Various remix projects, releases under his several guises, and a collaboration with fellow hip-hop producer Jay Dee propelled Madlib from underground producer with a cult following to a bona fide powerhouse with a large commercial following. But the crown jewel in 2003's output was easily Shades of Blue, which featured Madlib receiving unfettered access to the massive Blue Note archive to reinterpret and remix several label classics and obscure hits. Untinted contains the source material for Madlib's ambitious project for those not willing to dig in the crates to find many of the releases that were never issued on CD, with some never being formally released at all. It's an ideal supplement for those who wish to compare/contrast the originals with Madlib's experiments, and a nice blueprint for those uninitiated in the brilliance of the vast Blue Note catalog. ~ Rob Theakston

Gene Harris & 3 Sounds/Donald Byrd/Ronnie Foster/Bobby Humph

Photographer: B+.

Arrangers: Dale Oehler; Larry Mizell; Monk Higgins; Wade Marcus; Bobby Hutcherson.

Personnel: Bobbi Humphrey (vocals, flute); Fonce Mizell (vocals, trumpet, Clavinet); Donald Byrd (vocals, trumpet); Larry Mizell (vocals, piano, electric piano, synthesizer, background vocals); James Carter, James Carter (whistling); David T. Walker, Dean Parks, Al Vescovo, Gene Bertoncini, Craig McMullen, Grant Green, John Rowin (guitar); Dorothy Ashby (harp); Sanford Allen (violin); Al Brown, Selwart Clarke (viola); Kermit Moore (cello); Jesse Erlich, Henry Felber, Albert Steinberg, Louis Kievman, Leonard Malarsky, William Kurash (strings); Roger Glenn (flute, alto flute, saxophone); Ernie Watts (flute, tenor saxophone); Jim Horn (flute); Gary Bartz (alto saxophone); George Coleman, Joe Henderson, Junior Cook, Wayne Shorter, Bennie Maupin (tenor saxophone); Carmell Jones, Lee Morgan Quintet , Oscar Brashear, Blue Mitchell (trumpet); Skip Scarbrough, Skip Scarborough (piano, electric piano, Clavinet); Jerry Peters (piano, electric piano, synthesizer); Chuck Davis, Joe Sample (piano, electric piano); Eddie Cano, Gene Harris, Herbie Hancock, Horace Silver, Andrew Hill (piano); Freddie Perren (electric piano, background vocals); Reuben Wilson, Ronnie Foster (organ); Bobby Hutcherson (vibraphone, marimba); George Devens (vibraphone, percussion); Alan Estes (vibraphone); Chuck Rainey, Gordon Edwards, Wilton Felder (electric bass); Leo Morris, Dee Ervin, Joe Chambers, Jimmy Johnson, Jr. , Harvey Mason, Sr. , Joe Chambers, Louis Hayes, Mickey Roker, Miles Grayson, Paul Humphrey & the Cool Aid Chemists , Anthony Williams , Carl Burnett (drums); Mayuto Correa, Arthur Jenkins (congas); Stephanie Spruill (percussion, background vocals); Roger Sainte, Johnny Paloma, Hall Bobby Porter, Rudy Calzado, Bobby Matos, Victor Pantoja (percussion); Rosario Dávila, Augie Rey, Kay Haith, Lorraine Kennar, Katherine Lyra, Sonia Tavares, Jess Acuna, Margie Evans (background vocals).

Director: Kermit Moore.