David Axelrod

I'm a recent convert to the jazz and pop music productions of the legendary David Axelrod. In many ways most famous for his 60's and 70's recordings being looted for breaks, but those in the know recognize his work for Capitol Records during the label's golden years of the 60s.

The following two compilations provide a decent overview of his work from the mid-60s to 1970. The Edge - David Axelrod at Capitol Records 1966-1970 [Capitol Jazz] starts with two tracks from David McCallum's recordings from '66 (House of Mirrors and The Edge) through cuts from Lou Rawls (Lifetime Monologue and You've Made Me So Very Happy), Letta Mbulu (Pula Yetla), Don Randi (Theme from The Fox) and Cannonball Adderley (Tensity) and ten tracks from Axelrod's own solo lps Songs of Innocence, Songs of Experience and Earth Rot.

1968 to 1970 An Anthology [Stateside] duplicates some of the solo material, however this set does provide additional tracks from Rawls (For What It's Worth), Mbulu (Kukuchi and West Wind) and Adderley (Space Spiritual and Why Am I Treated So Bad) with one cut from The Electric Prunes (Holy You Are), perhaps the only misfire.

What strikes me about both collections is the unity unusual for retrospectives. All the tracks have a spare and spacious production where the performers have room to breathe.

Recommended.