Black Octopus

by Paul Jackson

Overview

Something of a lost funk legend, Black Octopus was recorded by bassist Paul Jackson during a 1978 tour of Japan with Herbie Hancock's Headhunters, but didn't see an American release until more than two decades later. Augmented with four bonus tracks, the album lives up to the reputation it developed in exile, its blend of "Chameleon"-like fusion, disco, R&B, and spacy jazz driven by Jackson's fatback basslines into rare groove nirvana. Surprisingly, most of the original Black Octopus also features his vocals, which bear a marked resemblance to Slave's Steve Arrington. Jackson acquits himself well as a frontman, nicely crooning his way through the sultry, laid-back disco of "Burning in the Heat (Of Your Love)" and even reciting a little poetry on the opening "Many Directions." But it's the vintage grooves here -- played by several other Hancock veterans, including Herbie himself, and loaded with crunchy Rhodes riffs, JB's-style horn charts, and in-the-pocket drumming -- that are the real star. Of the four additions, which nearly double the album's running time, the instrumental "T-Bolt" is probably closest to what would have been expected from a Jackson solo effort, its tasteful fusion a descendant of Hancock's '70s work. "Umi Bozu" is more adventurous, its clouds of synth underpinned by propulsive rhythm guitar, and "Bow Tie Dress" is flat-out weird, with Jackson mumbling lyrics over a jaunty electric piano. Yet if Black Octopus' musical tentacles occasionally reach beyond their grasp, the overall result is still an essential for any savvy DJ or fusion fan. ~ Dan LeRoy

Product Details

Release Date:	06/02/2023
Label:	Imports
UPC:	0717340688729
Rank:	91922

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Paul Jackson   Primary Artist,Primary Artist
Ray Obiedo   Guest Artist,Guitar (Electric)
Bennie Maupin   Guest Artist,Sax (Tenor),Clarinet (Bass)
Alphonse Mouzon   Guest Artist
Herbie Hancock   Guest Artist,Piano,Clavinet,Arp Odyssey,Synthesizer
Kei Shibata   Keyboards
Zaindre Yarborough   Guitar
David Leland   Drums
Chuichi Naoki   Guitar
Michael Curtin   Saxophone
Paul Jackson, Jr.   Vocals,Bass (Acoustic),Bass (Electric)
James Levi   Drums
Freddy Washington   Bass
Vernon "Ice" Black   Guitar
Jeff Pittson   Keyboards
Webster Lewis   Arp Odyssey,Arp Strings,Synthesizer,Organ (Hammond),Piano (Electric)
Carl Lockett   Guitar
George Spencer   Trumpet,Clavinet
Jun Saito   Drums
Butch Haynes   Congas
Babe Hanna   Percussion

Technical Credits

Paul Jackson   Producer,Composer
Tameo Kawada   Assistant Engineer
Kei Shibata   Composer
Byran Bell   Associate Producer
Hideo Yoshida   Executive Producer
Teichi Hori   Production Coordination
Kenichi Yamagchui   Assistant Engineer
Paul Jackson, Jr.   Producer
James Levi   Composer
Mitsuharu Kobayashi   Cutting Engineer
Yoshio Okazaki   Cutting Engineer
Bill Watts   Assistant Engineer
Hiro Takao   Production Coordination
Shoji Taguchi   Cutting Engineer
Graham Moore   Sleeve Design Assistant