High Times
Joined: 25 Oct 2004
Posts: 744
Location: music written by JK/Toby Smith
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 Posted: Tue Sep 05, 2006 14:15 |
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PATRICE RUSHEN
Patrice Rushen
hi, i love Patrice Rushen's music very much and this thread is about her!!!
JK recommended one of her albums for fans to check out -
(Patrice Rushen, "Straight from the Heart" (Elektra, 1982) )
Jay says: Her voice, particualarly on "I Was Tired of Being Alone," has amazed me since the early '80s.
http://www.jamirotalk.net/forum/viewtopic.php?t=4174
Born September 30,1954, in Los Angeles, CA, Rushen's parents enrolled her in music classes at U.S.C. when she was three. In her teens, she won a solo competition at the 1972 Monterey Jazz Festival. The attention garnered from this earned her a contract with Prestige Records. After recording three albums, "Prelusion"-1974, "Before The Dawn"-1975, "Shout It Out"-1976, and becoming an in-demand session player, Rushen joined Lee Ritenour's group in 1977. She was widely accepted as a major talent by jazz critics and fans alike.
Rushen signed with Elektra Records in 1978. "Patrice" her debut for the new label, featured the 12" of "Hang It Up" and marked her move away from jazz to a more danceable groove.
At the height of "disco-fever" in 1979 she released "Pizzazz," perhaps one her most memorable albums. It cemented her fame with R&B and disco fans with the 12" singles of "Haven't You Heard" and "Givin' It Up Is Givin' Up," a duet with D.J. Rodgers.
Patrice Rushen entered the 1980s on a high note with "Posh," her third album for Elektra and sixth album overall. By that time, it seemed unlikely that Rushen would become a full-time jazz instrumentalist again — she was enjoying too much success as an R&B/pop singer. When "Posh" came out in 1980, jazz's loss appeared to be R&B's gain. If you were a jazz lover, it was frustrating to see Rushen — a talented improviser with a healthy appreciation of Herbie Hancock — neglecting jazz. But if you loved sleek, sophisticated R&B/dance, you couldn't help but savor it and get into such offerings as the exuberant, Emotions-influenced 12" single of "Look Up!," and the infectious 12" single of "Never Gonna Give You Up." But this was just a precursor to an even more successful crossover.
1982's "Straight From The Heart" is Patrice Rushen's most successful fusion of R&B and dance. The album doesn't delve too deeply into either R&B/fusion or dance; instead, it charts a light, mellow and soulful middle ground. And the approach was successful: Three of the songs — "Forget Me Nots," "Breakout!," "I Was Tired Of Being Alone (Glad I Got Cha)" — were R&B hits, while the instrumental "Number One" was nominated for a Grammy. Rhino's 1996 reissue of "Straight From The Heart" includes single edits and 12-inch remixes of the album's singles. Elements of the her 1982 hit song "Forget Me Nots" were also featured prominently in George Michael's #1 hit "Fastlove."
the song was later used as a basis for Will Smith's theme for the 1997 film Men in Black.
1984's "Now" is the follow-up to her best-selling 1982 album. Those expecting a sequel were in for quite a shock. In the two years between the efforts, Rushen became a proponent of the technology-or-bust ethos of many jazz artists in the early to mid-1980's. Given that thinking, "Now" is both minimal and innovative — with all of its sonic virtues probably not fully appreciated at the time of its release. The album's biggest dance tracks, "Feels So Real (Won't Let Go)" and "Get Off (You Fascinate Me)," are relentlessly polyrhythmic and fulfilling. Rushen, unlike countless other acts, knew how to give synthesizers a sense of panache without the sound seeming artificial.
By 1987, with her contract expired from Elektra, a move to the more commerical Arista Records seemed plausible. "Watch Out" was the singer/songwriter/producer's sole Arista album. The playful, upbeat title track 12" single was a Top Ten R&B hit. The production duo of Jerry ("Overnight Sensation") Knight and Aaron Zigman contributes the crystalline ballad "Somewhere," which was a popular radio-aired LP track, and the peppy, charting follow-up 12" single "Anything Can Happen." The album broke the R&B Top 20 and has been reissued on CD by BMG.
By the turn of the new decade, with a shift in musical tastes, a more mature Patrice decided to return to her jazz-based roots. Joining forces with saxophonist Ernie Watts, bassist Alphonso Johnson and drummer Ndugu Chancler, they released the 1990 GRP/Arista Records album "The Meeting." The selections alternate between soulful jazz, inventive R&B, a bit of funk and ballads. Watts is in top form, and Rushen (who recalls Chick Corea on "Tango" and Herbie Hancock in other spots) shows that she can still play with creativity. A few of the tracks are mediocre, especially "Elements Of Mystery" and "Virgin," but overall, the set is a pleasant surprise and is recommended to Patrice fans and listeners who enjoy R&B-oriented jazz.
In 1993, Rushen signed with Disney's Hollywood Records. Her first and only release was the excellent "Anything But Ordinary," which yielded the inspiring single "My Heart, Your Heart." Hollywood wasn't satisfied with the album and shelved it. Sindrome Records bought the rights to the album and reissued it with the single, and some of the album's tracks received airplay on R&B and smooth jazz radio stations. Though this CD isn't in a class with "Pizzazz" or "Posh," sleek R&B/pop tunes like "I Do" and "Tell Me" showed that the L.A. native could still hold her own as a singer, composer and producer. Rushen experiments with hip-hop influences on a few selections, but on the whole, the disc is quite similar to her Elektra output. While "Anything.." didn't return Rushen to the top of the R&B charts, her more devoted fans were glad to see her back in the studio.
Her last original solo release was 1997's "Signature" for the tiny Discovery label. Once again Patrice is in fine form from original numbers like "Sneaky Pete" to an inspired cover of Sade's "Sweetest Taboo." This is an essential recording for anyone who appreciates fine R&B/jazz/pop or Patrice.
In 2001, she returned to recording with a project collaboration with her long time friend, Sheree Brown. The project band was Sisters Being Positively Real with the album entitled "Beautiful Woman - The Album."
Admired by many for her ground-breaking achievements, Rushen has amassed an impressive list of "firsts". She was the first woman in 43 years to serve as head composer/musical director for television's highest honor, the EMMY AWARDS, the first woman to serve as musical director for the NAACP IMAGE AWARDS broadcast, an honor she has held for ten consecutive years. Rushen has been the only woman musical director/composer for the PEOPLES CHOICE AWARDS, HBO's COMIC RELIEF and the only woman musical director/conductor/arranger for a late-night television talk show, THE MIDNIGHT HOUR which aired on CBS. In addition, Rushen was named musical director/composer for Newsweek's first AMERICAN ACHIEVEMENT AWARDS, broadcast on CBS from the Kennedy Center and she served as the musical director for Janet Jackson's World Tour, "Janet." As the musical director for these top award shows, Rushen composed and performed special musical tributes to Michael Landon, Ted Turner, Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz, The Temptations, James Garner and Leonard Bernstein to name a few.
Our hats off to one of the few artists to hit it big in disco's prime era and carry that success over into the next decade. A true talent and a real diva.......we love you!
from
http://www.discomuseum.com/PatriceRushen.html
her official site is:
http://www.patricerushen.com/
i have these albums of Patrice:
1978 Patrice
1979 Pizzazz
1980 Posh
1982 Straight From The Heart
and she has amazing James Gadson on drums who played drums on
Marvin Gaye's "I Want You"
1978 "Patrice" album includes "Music Of The Earth",
which Jay used for his "Late Night Tales" compilation.
if you listen to her albums you'll see that some songs have influenced jamiroquai music.
her discography:
Prelusion (1974)
Before the Dawn (1975)
Shout It Out (1976)
Patrice(1978)
Pizzazz (1979) - Earth Wind & Fire guitarist Al McKay guests here
Posh(1980)
Straight from the Heart (1982)
Now (1984)
Watch Out (1986)
The Meeting (1990)
Anything But Ordinary (1994)
Signature (1997)
interesting link
http://www.warr.org/rushen.html |
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I like her a lot too. "Haven't You Heard" is one of my favourites....it's soooo great!!!