Donny Hathaway's Live

1. "What's Goin' On" (Renaldo "Obie" Benson, Al Cleveland, Marvin Gaye)
2. "The Ghetto" (Donny Hathaway, Leroy Hutson)
3. "Hey Girl" (Earl DeRouen)
4. "You've Got a Friend" (Carole King)
5. "Little Ghetto Boy" (Derouen, Eddy Howard)
6. "We're Still Friends" (Hathaway, Watts)
7. "Jealous Guy" (John Lennon)
8. "Voices Inside (Everything Is Everything)" (Richard Evans, Philip Upchurch, Ric Powell)

Jazzy, funky, soulful, and awesome crowd participation, this live set takes from Hathaway's performances in New York and LA. Some tracks, such as "The Ghetto," ain't nothing but soul-jazz and instrumental funk(and you can hear the blues here, too, in solos and the vamp, and the influence of Afro-Caribbean music in the congas playing a sacred 6/8 groove; but don't forget about the nice soul-clap that leads to the song's final movement!), whereas other tracks achieve a balance between Hathaway's not-quite but very similar to Stevie Wonder-esque vocal style and technique. Unlike Stevie, however, there is more jazz here than most of the former's 1970s releases, including Hathaway on the electric piano and organs. The brother knew how to play, too, though acknowledging that the album was not primarily jazz so his voice prevails. His cover of Gaye's "What's Goin On" is superior, with a jazzed-up refinement and unique interpretation that surpasses Gaye's original (though Marvin Gaye plays some nice acoustic piano for a jazz live rendition, here). The instrumental delights of "The Ghetto" come out again in "Voices Inside (Everything is Everything)," which additionally features a funky bass solo from Willie Weeks. And of course the crowd's participation in "You've Got a Friend" is nothing short of a direct transport back to the club in the early 1970s, a powerful feeling that only the best live albums truly capture. "Lil' Ghetto Boy" may be the best track on the album, perfectly jazzy yet funky and soulful, later sampled by Dr. Dre in the 1990s because of its message (with nice electric piano soloing by Hathaway but definitely not McCoy Tyner or Herbie Hancock, and heavy bass). More so than even Marvin, Hathaway's social consciousness permeated his oeuvre so that his music contained poignant and relevant social and political commentary. So, while you're getting down to his quasi-Wonder vocalization, which is strongest in "We're Still Friends," and the funk, the jamming bandmates and political subtext pervades the entirety of the recording. Moreover, the John Legend cover "Jealous Guy" shows off the band's flexibility, playing a 'rock' song while Hathaway's Stevie Wonder-like style, far more appealing as a vocalist than Lennon, actually works.

Any fan of live 1970s soul recordings will love this. In fact, listening to this album reminds me of Curtis Mayfield's Live, recorded at the Bitter End in New York in the same period. Like Mayfield, this album fuses 1970s funk and soul with touches of jazz and extended bouts of improvisation with social commentary. The instruments used are both typical of 1970s soul: electric piano and organ, congas, electric bass, electric guitar, drums, and, in other forms of funk and soul groups, horns. Both artists are signifyin' and "testifyin' to their hearts content, as well as that of their respective audiences. Remember, "lil' ghetto boy, playing in the ghetto street, what you gonna do when you grow up and have to face responsibility?" Also, "everything has got to get better" shows a profound sense of optimism, joy, and determination in the face of great obstacles, best exemplified by "Lil' Ghetto Boy" and "The Ghetto." As for those who want to knock Hathaway for sound too similar to Stevie, I say, well, he's playing a different style of jazzy soul that Wonder, also proficient in the jazz idiom, recorded less often. Moreover, he does not aim for the Wonder falsettos or other characteristically Wonder style. Thus, Hathaway remains singularly and uniquely Hathaway, while also performing fascinating covers. Regardless, this style of early 1970s soul is among my favorites of the genre, an atmostphere successfully created in early Gil Scott-Heron albums such as Pieces of a Man (blogged about here). As a fan of both jazz and soul, seeing their successful fusion into the 1970s remains utter delight.