Jazz Room Records reissues rare 1977 jazz-funk private press from Danny Ward & Reality

Danny Ward & Reality (Jazz Room Records)

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Jazz Room Records reissues rare 1977 jazz-funk private press from Danny Ward & Reality

For Jazz Room Records latest release, Paul Murphy has dove deep into the jazz dance well and unearthed the extremely rare 1977 private press self-titled album from Seattle-based Danny Ward & Reality.

This 6-track recording features funky renditions of some classic dancefloor material written and made famous by George Benson, Lydia Pense and Coldblood, The Headhunters, Mandrill, and Aretha Franklin. The lively feel-good session features souring saxophone lines and soulful vocal harmonies across head-nodding percussion grooves that are deep in the pocket.

According to Danny Ward, “In the summer of 1977 this album was recorded at a club called The Tyee Restaurant and Lounge in Bremerton, Washington State, USA. The night this album was recorded, there was hardly an audience, perfect conditions for making this recording. We played every kind of venue, a lot of Top 40 dance clubs, but our style was to do a lot of soloing, despite the pressure of club owners and agents not to do so much soloing and be so “jazzy”. We didn’t care, we knew the audience loved us and we were very popular. This was the best group of musicians that i’ve ever worked with under the name of Danny Ward and Reality.”

Superb from start to finish, it’s great to see this impossible-to-find gem receive an official reissue release. Highly recommended!