Melvin Sparks, a much-in-demand soul-jazz guitarist who recorded with virtually all of the great organists of the late '60s and '70s and pioneered a sound that borrowed from Grant Green and Sly Stone, died on March 13 . He was 64.
Sparks was at his best playing a muscular, groovy rhythm guitar behind organists like Leon Spencer and Charles Earland, breaking out occasionally with a melodic, groovy solo. He was a mainstay at Prestige during the '70s, where he was a first-call session guitarist noted for his pulsating twangy feel.
Two of my favorite albums featuring Sparks are Leon Spencer's Louisiana Slim (1971) and Charles Earland's Infant Eyes (1978).
Here's Leon Spencer on Mercy, Mercy Me with Sparks keeping jazz-soul time...
And here's Charles Earland's Thang from 1978 off of Infant Eyes, with Sparks running a string-bending solo. Also on the date: Bill Hardman (tp), Frank Wess (fl,ts), Grady Tate (d) and Lawrence Killian (perc).
Frank Wess still sounds as good today (or at least recently) as he did on that clip. Another outstanding example of Sparks' guitar work is the Red Holloway/Plas Johnson album "Keep That Groove Going."
Posted by: David | March 16, 2011 at 11:48 AM
umm... your date of his death is wrong. He died Tuesday, March 15, 2011 at his Mt. Vernon, NY home. NOT on March 13.
Posted by: gitgrl | March 16, 2011 at 03:24 PM
That's a good groove going there, thanks for this news. RIP
Posted by: Jackson Rushing | March 17, 2011 at 09:37 AM
just to note that Sparks was much more then just a groovin' type of player - when I played with him in Bridgeport, Connecticut maybe 20 years ago, he rolled through one of the hottest versions of Cherokee I've ever heard, in classic hard-bop fashion. He played everything, from blues to changes, that night. An educated player in the deepest sense of the word.
Posted by: Allen Lowe | March 17, 2011 at 10:11 AM
I have Sparks album Spark Plug from i believe 71 or 72 great lp.
Posted by: Conrad Mason | May 02, 2012 at 04:17 PM
Melvin Sparks was my "gateway guitarist" that took me from soul/R&B to jazz in 1972. I regret that I missed my chance to meet him when he played in Brooklyn the summer before he passed away. He continues to inspire! -- Tony Flood
Posted by: www.google.com/accounts/o8/id?id=AItOawlkb_eKcaMseqk_5dwaI4nlvOcWbzhwvaE | November 15, 2012 at 03:24 PM