Wilbert Longmire - 1978 - Sunny Side Up

Wilbert Longmire

1978 

Sunny Side Up

01. Black Is The Color 8:11

02. Good Morning! 8:48

03. Love Why Don't You Find Us 6:13

04. Lovely Day 6:25

05. Starflight 5:47

Bass – Gary King

Cello – Alan Shulman, Charles McCracken

Drums – Harvey Mason

Electric Guitar – Wilbert Longmire (tracks: B2, B3)

Electric Guitar [Rhythm] – Cornell Dupree (tracks: A2, B3), Eric Gale (tracks: B2)

English Horn – George Marge (tracks: A2)

Flute [Alto] – George Marge

Flute [Bass] – Eddie Daniels

Guitar – Wilbert Longmire (tracks: A1, A2 , B1)

Oboe – George Marge (tracks: A2)

Percussion – Sue Evans

Piano – Bob James (tracks: B3), Richard Tee (tracks: A1, B1, B2)

Piano [Fender Rhodes] – Bob James (tracks: A1, A2,), Richard Tee (tracks: B1)

Synthesizer [Buchla] – Stephen Horelick

Synthesizer [Oberheim Polyphonic] – Bob James (tracks: A2, B2, B3)

Tenor Saxophone – Harvey Estrin

Trombone – Dave Taylor*, Paul Faulise, Wayne Andre

Trumpet – Alan Rubin, Jon Faddis, Marvin Stamm, Mike Lawrence, Randy Brecker

Viola – Emanuel Vardi, LaMar Alsop

Violin – Barry Finclair, Charles Libove, Harry Cykman, Harry Lookofsky, Matthew Raimondi, Max Ellen, Paul Gershman

Vocals – Wilbert Longmire (tracks: B1)

lbert Longmire’s highly celebrated debut 1978 album Sunny Side Up was produced by Bob James and features an array of talented jazz musicians. An absolute master at that smooth, jazz-fusion sound, the album is a mesmerising body of work that combines a smooth, soulful and joyful energy with more dance-centric drumming, such as on the thrilling opener “Black Is The Color”, where Wilbert Longmire’s incredible guitar plucking and playing is complemented by Harvey Mason’s incredible drum rhythms, Bob James and Richard Tee’s piano arrangements, and the plethora of wind instrumentation that creates a colourful tapestry of sounds. “Good Morning!” has a subtle, more moody and emotive tone to it, with a smooth and light melody brought by the incredible guitar playing, subtle key arrangements and drumming. The sensuality of “Love Why Don’t You Find Us” is brought by Wilbert’s soulful singing as well as the choir adding an angelic quality to the record. The Bill Withers cover of “Lovely Day” is an soulful, light version of the original, as the track feels playful and light in comparison to the soulful and more defined original. I would have loved vocals on this track, but the instrumental jam of this is pretty great regardless. The guitar-driven melody of “Starflight” is groovy, and is combined beautifully with the hypnotic wind instrumentation and basslines throughout, making it a light and beautiful way to close the album out. Wilbert Longmire created an absolute gem of an album, and I’m so glad to have found it at my local record shop. It is definitely worth purchasing on vinyl if you haven’t yet.

A standout set from guitarist Wilbert Longmire -- one of a few classics cut in the 70s for Bob James' Tappan Zee label, done with some great help from James on production and arrangements too! The vibe is very much in the best spirit of the Kudu Records label at the time -- plenty of room for Longmire's guitar in the lead, wrapped up in some tight arrangements with a nice undercurrent of soul -- grooving a bit upbeat on a few cuts, but mostly laying back in a sweet mellow vibe on the rest! Wilbert sings a bit on one cut -- and other players include Richard Tee on piano and Fender Rhodes, Bob James on Fender Rhodes, Cornell Dupree and Eric Gale on guitars, and Harvey Mason on drums