The early 1970s was an explosive time for pop music. Trade quotas were lifted on Japanese electronic products, and America was flooded with affordable component stereo systems. Stores helped you match a turntable to an integrated receiver and speakers based on your budget. If you didn't have the money, you could always go with a Japanese-made 8-track player with built-in speakers and an integrated receiver.
Appearing on all of those integrated receivers was an FM radio band, which for the first time allowed millions of Americans to tune in a wide range of local stations broadcasting in stereo. Full albums were often played, and an increased demand for music gave way to a growing number of record supermarket chains, featuring aisles of bins holding thousands of records in dozens of sections. The number of sub-genres of all types of music mushroomed to fill the bins.
Jazz suddenly included soul-jazz, jazz-funk, jazz fusion, jazz-rock, soft jazz and many other splinter forms. Enter guitarist O'Donel "Butch" Levy. Born in Baltimore, Md., in 1945, he studied at Johns Hopkins's Peabody Institute and then moved to New York. A jazz-funk and soul-jazz player, he toured with guitarist George Benson and organist Jimmy McGriff.
Levy's first album release as a leader was Black Velvet (Groove Merchant), a soulful jazz-pop album with a Latin-tinged funk-soul groove. The album featured O'Donel Levy (g), Billy Skinner (tp), Arthur 'Fats' Theus (ts,fl), Charles Covington (el-p,org), Alarza Lee Collins (b), Chester Thompson (d), Nathaniel Rice Jr. (congas) and William Thorpe (perc).
The tracks:
- Watch What Happens
- Granny
- I'll Close My Eyes
- Nature's Child
- Love Story
- Didn't I (Blow Your Mind This Time)
- I'll Be There
- Misty
- Call Me
- You've Made Me So Very Happy
O'Donel Levy died in 2016 at age 70.
Here's Levy's complete Black Velvet, without ad interruptions. A special thanks to Tom Fine for the O'Donel Levy reminder...
Other ad-free Backgrounders in my series:
- Zoot Sims Plays Bossa Nova, go here.
- Lee Morgan: Lee-Way, go here.
- Bossa Nova for Swinging Lovers, go here.
- Leon Spencer: Louisiana Slim, go here.
- Bossa Nova Modern Quartet: Bossa Nova Jazz Samba, go here.
- Bill Evans & Luiz Eça: Piano Four Hands, go here.
- Ray Brown Trio: Don't Get Sassy, go here.
- Os Tatuis: Os Tatuis, go here.
- Waltel Branco: Mancini Tambem É Samba, go here.
- Jack Wilson Plays Brazilian Mancini, go here.
- Conjunto Copacabana Bossa: Bossa, go here.
- Ella Fitzgerald: Ella Swings Lightly, go here.
- Charles Earland: Charles Earland, go here.
- Kenny Burrell: Crash! w/ Jack McDuff, go here.
- Jack McDuff: The Heatin' System, go here.
- Horace Silver: Horace-Scope, go here.
- Antonio Carlos Jobim: Wave, go here.
- Sonny Stitt: Sonny Stitt Plays, go here.
- Sonny Stitt with Bennie Green: My Main Man, go here.
- Johnny Hodges and Earl Hines: Stride Right, go here.
- Lionel Hampton: Bossa Nova Jazz, go here.
- Johnny Hodges & Ben Webster: Cellar Session, go here.
- Bill Evans: Solo Sessions Vol. 1, go here.
- Frank Wess: Trombones & Flute, go here.
- Presenting the Buddy DeFranco & Tommy Gumina Quartet, go here.
- Ernest Ranglin: Wranglin', go here.
- Dave Pell Octet: Plays Rodgers & Hart, go here.
- Milt Buckner: Block Chords Parade, go here.
- Roberto Menescal: A Nova Bossa, go here.
- Count Basie: Have a Nice Day, go here.
- Freddie Green: Mr. Rhythm, go here.
- Leny Andrade: Leny Andrade, go here.
- Johnny Alf: Ele é Johnny Alf, go here.
- Dodo Marmarosa: Dodo's Back, go here.
- Freddie Redd: The Music From the Connection, go here.
- Nicola Stilo & Toninho Horta: Duets, go here.
- Urbie Green: Persuasive Trombone, go here.
- Johnny Richards: Something Else, go here.
- Wayne Shorter: JuJu, go here.
- Hampton Hawes: All Night Session!, go here.
- Shorty Rogers Plays Richard Rodgers, go here.
- Chet Baker: Pretty/Groovy, go here.
- Sonny Stitt: The Sensual Sound of Sonny Stitt, go here.
- Gil Mellé: New Faces, New Sounds, go here.
- Herbie Mann and Charlie Rouse: Just Wailin', go here.
- Bobby Hackett: Memorable & Mellow, go here.
- Tina Brooks: Back to the Tracks, go here.
- Sonny Rollins Plays for Bird, go here.
- Red Garland: A Garland of Red, go here.
- Grant Green: Gooden's Corner, go here.
- Eumir Deodato Plays Marcos Valle, go here.
- Horace Parlan; Movin' & Groovin', go here.
- Russ Garcia: Four Horns and a Lush Life, go here.
- Vic Lewis: Plays Bossa Nova at Home and Away, go here.
- Buddy Collette's Swinging Shepherds, go here.
- Dizzy Gillespie: Gillespiana, go here.
- Nelson Riddle: Communication, go here.
- Nelson Riddle: Changing Colors, go here.
- Elmo Hope: Complete Trios, 1953-1966, go here.
- Buddy Collette: Man of Many Parts, go here.
- The Herbie Mann-Sam Most Quintet, go here.
- Shorty Rogers: Cool and Crazy, go here.
- The Return of Art Pepper, go here.
- Benny Golson and the Philadelphians, go here.
- Moacir Santos: Coisas, go here.
- Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis: Lock, the Fox, go here.
- Tony Bennett: The Movie Song Album, go here.
- Thad Jones/Mel Lewis: Consummation, go here.
- James Moody: Return From Overbrook, go here.
- Barry Galbraith: Guitar and the Wind, go here.
- Count Basie: With Quincy Jones and Neal Hefti, go here.
- Johnny Richards: Walk Softly, Run Wild!, go here.
- Dave Pike: Bossa Nova Carnival, go here.
- Clare Fischer: Só Danço Samba, go here.
- Reggie Johnson: First Edition, go here.
- John Graas: French Horn Jazz, go here.
- Eddie Lockjaw Davis & Johnny Griffin: Tough Tenor Favorites, go here.
- Bill Perkins: Bossa Nova With Strings Attached, go here.
- Incredible Jazz Guitar of Wes Montgomery, go here.
- Pepper Adams Quintet, go here.
- Sonny Rollins Plus 4, go here.
- Coleman Hawkins: Desafinado, go here.
- Sammy Davis Jr. Sings and Laurindo Almeida Plays, go here.
- Paul Quinichette: Moods, go here.
- Jimmy Forrest: Forrest Fire!, go here.
- Brazilian Jazz Quartet: Coffee and Jazz, go here.
- Art Blakey!!! Jazz Messengers!!!, go here.
- Sidney Bechet/Martial Solal, go here.
- John Carisi: The New Jazz Sound Of "Show Boat," go here.
- The Marty Paich Quartet, Featuring Art Pepper, go here.
- João Gilberto, 1998, go here.
- Bobby Timmons: Soul Time, go here.
- Gerry Mulligan: Jeru, go here.
- Ray Bryant: Alone With the Blues, go here.
- Leon Spencer Jr.: Bad Walking Woman, go here.
- Jimmy McGriff: Step 1, go here.
- Johnny "Hammond" Smith: Breakout, go here.
- Oliver Nelson: Taking Care of Business, go here.
- Quincy Jones: Americans in Paris, go here.
- Sonny Stitt: Tune-Up!, go here.
- Herbie Mann: Yardbird Suite, go here.
- Quincy Jones: Twilight Time, go here.
- Lou Levy Quartet: Jazz in Four Colors, go here.
- Johnny Alf: Rapaz de Bem, go here.
- Hank Mobley: Poppin', go here.
- Barney Kessel: Kessel's Kit, go here.
- Larry Young: Into Somethin', go here.
- Henry Mancini: The Jazz Sound From Peter Gunn, go here.
- Sonny Stitt: Night Crawler, go here.
- Maynard Ferguson: Around the Horn, go here.
- Frank Rosolino: Franky Speaking!, go here.
- Ben Webster: King of the Tenors, go here.
- Kenny Dorham: Una Mas, go here.
- Gigi Gryce: Nica's Tempo, go here.
- Charlie Parker With Strings: The Master Takes, go here.
- The Great Jazz Piano of Phineas Newborn Jr., go here.
- The Complete Chet Baker Sings, go here.
- Shorty Rogers Courts the Count, go here.
- Miles Ahead: Miles Davis +19, go here.
- Kenny Burrell, Jazzmen - Detroit, go here.
- Bill Watrous, In Love Again, go here.
- Gene Ammons, Boss Tenor, go here.
- Roy Eldridge: The Strolling Mr. Eldridge, go here.
- Clifford Brown and Max Roach with Sonny Rollins, go here.
- Fats Navarro: Nostalgia, go here.
- Hank Mobley: Hank Mobley Quintet, go here.
- Sandy Mosse: Relaxin' With..., go here.
- Maynard Ferguson: A Message From Newport, go here.
- Jimmy Raney: Two Jims and Zoot, go here.
- Zoot Sims Plays 4 Altos, go here.
- Jimmy Forrest: Out of the Forrest, go here.
- Jazz Studio 2, From Hollywood, go here.
- Billy Taylor: My Fair Lady Loves Jazz, go here.
- Hank Mobley: Soul Station, go here.
- Sylvia Telles, Lúcio Alves and Roberto Menescal: Bossa Session, go here.
- Horace Silver: The Horace Silver Trio, go here.
- Walter Davis: Davis Cup, go here.
- Wynton Kelly: Kelly at Midnite, go here.
- Jack Sheldon: Jack's Groove, go here.
- Herbie Nichols: Complete Masters, go here.
- Hank Mobley: Hank Mobley Quartet, go here.
- Mundell Lowe: Satan in High Heels, go here.
- Hal McKursick and Art Farmer: Quintet Sessions, go here.
- Os Poligonais: Os Poligonais, go here.
- Buddy Fite: Tasty, go here.
- Al Sears: Swing's the Thing, go here.
- A.K. Salim, Savoy recordings, go here.
- Rosinha de Valença, go here.
- Remo Rau, Evening at Cafe Africana, go here.
- Georgie Auld, Plays the Winners, go here.
- Complete Oscar Pettiford Orchestra, go here.
- East Coast - West Coast Scene, go here.
