Air - 1971 - Air

Air

1971

Air

01. Realize – 3:47

02. Mr. Man – 3:12

03. Baby, I Don’t Know Where Love – 4:34

04. Martin – 2:37

05. In Our Time – 5:08

06. Man Is Free – 4:25

07. Sister Bessie – 2:32

08. Lipstick – 4:37

09. Man’s Got Style – 2:52

10. Jail Cell – 5:10

11. I Wish I Knew How It Would Feel To Be Free – 3:36

John Siegler — Bass

Mark Rosengarden — Drums

Tom Coppola — Organ, Piano

Googie Coppola — Vocals, Piano, Organ, Harpsichord

Herbie Mann — percussion

Randy Brecker — trumpet

Mike Brecker — tenor saxophone, soprano saxophone

Barry Rogers — trombone

Dave Johnson — congas, timbales

Robert Kogel — guitar

Bob Rosengarden — vibraphone

Jann Hammer — percussion

Herbie Mann — percussion

Long Island’s Air only album is a soulful jazz-rock masterpiece that deserves to shine after being held, by those lucky enough to find original copies on Embryo, as one of the great long lost record of the early 1970s.

Selectors such as Jeremy Underground, Hunee and Floating Points, all have praised this Herbie Mann produced pop-goes-jazz-fusion statement as a highlight in their collection. Not to be confused with French duo Air, this group featured the amazing talent of Googie Coppola on vocals and an impressive cast of musicians who collaborated with Flora Purim and Ray Barretto. Whether it’s the funky groove of Mr. Man or the lighter touches of Jail Cell, the expressive voice of Googie blends itself in a unique way with great songwriting and a strong musical knowledge at work here. The beauty of a song like Sister Bessie is simply unbelievable and brings to mind some of Roberta Flack’s most memorable moments.

There’s a sense of abandon that absolutely recalls it’s era. Nonetheless, Air is a jazz band that comes across with a wide range of styles (blending folk, soul, funk and progressive rock) in a very unique way that makes this album standout on it’s own. You tend to hear influences from Billie Holliday to Marvin Gaye, Carole King, or even Herbie Hancock, yet this music sounds like nothing else. Frequently quite impressive, this is the compelling listen that needs to be heard by a larger audience. Once again, Be With prove that they are among the top reissue labels at the moment with a genuine sense of detail in every aspect of their work.

Not to be confused with the French techno band or the R&B band from the late '80s. Air was one of the groups featured on Herbie Mann's Embryo label, a jazz/rock imprint of Atlantic from the early 1970s. It featured Googie Coppola on vocals.

Air's sound was extremely jazz based with a slight pop influence. The main selling point was Googie Coppolla's vocals. Whether telling off an ex-lover in "Mr. Man" or telling a Lolita tale in "Man Is Free", her voice is strong and lovely at the same time. Unfortunately, not all the songs are up to the same level, and the album starts to fall apart toward the end.

Still, if you can find it, it is definitely worth picking up, as it is one of the lost gems of the early 1970s and probably the Embryo label's best release.