I don't claim to be an expert on the Detroit sound, but I felt compelled to dig into it just a little as a starting point for myself and others to dig deeper. Thanks for walking with us, Lee.
Hey, this is great! I knew Lyman pretty well! We played lots of gigs together when he joined my band, the Sun Messengers. He was with us for several years. I loved him.
My uncle Bud Spangler played drums in the expanded version of the CJQ and he was in the Tribe, making him, as far as I know, the only cat to be in both collectives.
Bud engineered and/or produced every album on the Strata label and was VERY involved with the Strata Concert Gallery.
John Sinclair was a lifelong mentor/friend. We recorded two albums together.
Leonard King is a living Detroit treasure and we are co-collaborators on projects to this day.
This is fantastic information, RJ. I intend to dig deeper into the Detroit tributary of that Big River called Jazz and these are good places to start, as I try to learn more about it. There is so much rich Jazz history in and around the Motor City and so very little reported. Thanks for riding with us.
Yes, that is correct. During the early 1970s, while Stanley Cowell was working at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor (where he earned a master’s degree), he went to nearby Detroit for some shows at the Strata coffee house. Impressed and inspired by the operation, and particularly the idea of an independent artist-run label, he got together with his friend Charles Tolliver when he returned to NYC and in 1971 organized Strata-East.
Should have said link to 180 proof on band camp who have issued a compilation in association with Barely Breaking Even music who are reissuing albums: https://bbemusic.com/artist/strata
Mr. King! Another great journey, thank you. Appreciate you turning me on to the bass solo on Scorpio. Killer!
Thanks, Brother. Good to hear from you.
Aw yeah, this is fantastic! Detroit’s got such a rich and somehow still unwritten history. Love the handwritten playbills.
I don't claim to be an expert on the Detroit sound, but I felt compelled to dig into it just a little as a starting point for myself and others to dig deeper. Thanks for walking with us, Lee.
Hey, this is great! I knew Lyman pretty well! We played lots of gigs together when he joined my band, the Sun Messengers. He was with us for several years. I loved him.
My uncle Bud Spangler played drums in the expanded version of the CJQ and he was in the Tribe, making him, as far as I know, the only cat to be in both collectives.
Bud engineered and/or produced every album on the Strata label and was VERY involved with the Strata Concert Gallery.
John Sinclair was a lifelong mentor/friend. We recorded two albums together.
Leonard King is a living Detroit treasure and we are co-collaborators on projects to this day.
Again, thanks for giving Detroit some love.
This is fantastic information, RJ. I intend to dig deeper into the Detroit tributary of that Big River called Jazz and these are good places to start, as I try to learn more about it. There is so much rich Jazz history in and around the Motor City and so very little reported. Thanks for riding with us.
https://youtu.be/SlJziN4WfFA?list=OLAK5uy_k4Sxcn8-nNeMWRAA9vk-t-v8iajBgYCQM
Indeed we do travel the spaceways....
F Bill - Jonny Don here! This article brought me back to sitting in your room listening to vinyls and talking music! Well done!
Nice to hear from you Jonny Don. It's been many moons since then. Thanks for taking me back, brother.
Excellent did not know this history- only familiar with John Sinclair and Marcus Belgrave & the name of Kenny Cox, is it correct to say that Strata provided the inspiration for Strata East ? Must share, also here is link to 180 proof on Bandcamp who are reissuing albums: https://180proofrecords.bandcamp.com/album/dj-amir-presents-strata-recordsthe-sound-of-detroit-volume-1
Yes, that is correct. During the early 1970s, while Stanley Cowell was working at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor (where he earned a master’s degree), he went to nearby Detroit for some shows at the Strata coffee house. Impressed and inspired by the operation, and particularly the idea of an independent artist-run label, he got together with his friend Charles Tolliver when he returned to NYC and in 1971 organized Strata-East.
Should have said link to 180 proof on band camp who have issued a compilation in association with Barely Breaking Even music who are reissuing albums: https://bbemusic.com/artist/strata