Speak No Evil

Released in 1976, Buddy Rich's Speak No Evil is one of the most unusual dates in his long career. For starters, it was produced and arranged by the legendary Richard Evans, house producer and arranger at Chess Records' Cadet imprint. Amazingly enough, this set comes off beautifully as a funky, soulful jazz date. And for a change, it seems, Rich allowed his producer to do his job without inserting himself at every turn. Some jazz fans may write off the date simply because the great drummer is decked out in kung fu garb and is sporting a pair of nunchucks on the back cover. That's too bad for them, because this one is a killer. As usual, Rich surrounded himself with some of the great soloists and session players available for the date — saxophonists Joe Farrell, Steve Marcus, Dave Tofani, and Turk Mauro; trumpeters Lew Soloff and Jon Faddis; bassist Bob Cranshaw; guitarist Ross Traut (who co-produced the session with Evans); and Kenny Barron on electric piano — amidst the other brass and percussion and trio of female backing vocalists including Vivian Cherry, Lani Groves, and Rhetta Hughes. The program walks a free-flowing line between funky and progressive big-band jazz, sophisticated pop, and soulful instrumental tunes that border on disco (especially the Natalie Cole-Chuck Jackson tune "Sophisticated Lady [She's a Different Lady]"), but for the most part stays on the funk side of the street. The program features some of the bigger tunes of the day, including a burning, break-laden rendition of the Isley Brothers' "Fight the Power," Gino Vanelli's "Storm at Sunup," the Spinners' "Games People Play," and the Pointer Sisters' "How Long (Betcha Got a Chick)." The charts are simply infectious. Evans, scoring for the popping bass and guitar-driven rhythm section, is always at the core. Add Barron's smoking choppy Fender Rhodes lines and you have a bottom the drummer (who is amazingly restrained here) can play off of. Evans gives plenty of solo space to the principals while keeping things taut and grooving — check out the Brecker Brothers' "Sneakin' Up Behind You," with killer breaks by Rich and a rubbery bassline by Cranshaw. The counterpoint in the horn chart between trombones and trumpets is virally infectious. Rich may not have scored commercially with this set at the time, but it has become a favorite of beat hunters since the dawn of sampling. Speak No Evil was released — finally — on CD by Wounded Bird in 2008.