GIL SCOTT-HERON — Gil Scott-Heron / Brian Jackson : Winter In America (review)

GIL SCOTT-HERON — Gil Scott-Heron / Brian Jackson : Winter In America album cover Album · 1974 · RnB Buy this album from MMA partners
3/5 ·
Sean Trane
Debut album of GSH’s collaboration with pianist and wind player Brian Jackson, Winter In America is certainly a strong statement, but it concentrates much more on the music than the GSH solo albums, and to be honest, it’s rather refreshing, because Gil’s rhetorics were definitely sounding like sour puss by the mid-70’s, even if Harlem In New York wasn’t built in one day. To my knowledge, WIA is one of the few albums of theirs that were recorded on the small and ultra-collectible strata East label, and the album came with an impressive artwork on the front cover, and another even more impressive collage on the inside. Although the flute goes un-credited, I believe it was played by Brian Jackson. The A-side is composed in a duet, but its flipside is almost GSH-only, if you’ll except the short closer.

This is probably one of the best examples of soul-jazz that I could give out to anyone that’s looking to investigate the “genre”. At times, WIA might sound quite slow compared to some of the GSH solo album: Very Precious Time in almost insufferably long and slow, and its not the only one either. Actually I’m not big on this album because it’s way to mellow and a little deceptive in regards to its inflammatory title. Only the H2Ogates Blues (read Watergate) that’s recorded live brings a little spice in a relatively bland album. Still worth a listen , though.
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