(Welcome to the third installment of Clifton’s Corner. Every other week on the blog Clifton Weaver, aka DJ Soft Touch, will be sharing some of his favorite spins, old and new, in the worlds of soul, r&b, funk, psych and beyond. – AD)

JAZZ: When I was a little kid, just the word alone was enough to bore me to tears. In some respects, I probably feared jazz. The lack of rules. The lack of boundaries (hopefully, some Mighty Boosh fans get this reference). Seriously though, it was obtuse and abstract. Why bother when I could listen to the latest Michael Jackson or other easily digestible pop hit. Thankfully, I made it out of junior high and with age came musical sophistication. By the time I was nineteen, I had immersed myself completely into Blue Note, Prestige, Atlantic and other legendary labels. Having ‘inherited’ a large portion of my dad’s record collection (some would say ‘stolen’, I say ‘liberated’), I had a great head start and many points of reference for various styles within the jazz category. As a big fan of soul music, the late 60s/early 70s ‘soul jazz’ mix soon became a favorite. So, here’s a collection of some of my favorites. I’ll let the grooves speak for themselves.  P.S. Like last time, I apologize for any pops & crackles — these were digitized straight from well-worn vinyl. P.P.S. I’ve noticed a fair amount of Atlantic records pops up in this collection. It’s a testament to the high quality of their recordings, artists & their choice of material. – Clifton

MP3: The Awakening  :: Slinky
MP3: Dizzy Gillespie :: Matrix
MP3: Les McCann :: What’s Going On
MP3: Bobby Hutcherson :: Ummh
MP3: Jimmy McGriff ::  Blue Juice

MP3: Lena Horne & Gabor Szabo :: Rocky Raccoon
MP3: Eddie Harris :: Listen Here Goes Funky
MP3: Herbie Mann :: New Orleans
MP3: Mongo Santamaria :: Cloud Nine
MP3: Rahsaan Roland Kirk :: Never Can Say Goodbye

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