Plenty Good Eaton - Cleveland Eaton (1LP Vinyl)

Plenty Good Eaton by Cleveland Eaton.

Cleveland Eaton steps out front on "Plenty Good Eaton," a record that carries the confidence of a bassist who spent years anchoring other people's grooves and finally decided to write, arrange, and lead the whole affair himself. Every note here bears his fingerprints, produced under his own banner, Eaton's Prod. Inc., and shaped by a musical vision that reached toward the horizons of soul, jazz, and funk all at once.

The album opens with "Chi-Town Theme," a nod to the city that runs through this record's veins, before easing into the melodic warmth of "Keena." From there, "Moe, Let's Have A Party" invites the listener into looser, celebratory territory, and side A closes on the tender ballad "Are You Out There Somewhere Caring," the one track Eaton did not write alone, sharing the pen with M. Anderson for a song that trades in longing and open questions.

Flip it over and the mood shifts again. "Kaiser 405" and "Hamburg 302" bracket side B with a sense of motion and travel, while "All Your Lover, All Day, All Night" sits between them as a slow burning declaration. It is a program that moves easily between the intimate and the expansive, always grounded in Eaton's sturdy sense of arrangement.

The sessions came together on 15 July 1974 at the legendary Chess Recording Studio, a room with deep roots in Chicago's musical history, then traveled east to be mixed at Sigma Sound in Philadelphia, the studio that helped define the lush, polished sound of the era. That combination of Midwestern grit and Philly sheen gives the record its distinctive character, a foot in two worlds at once. Special assistance came from Ed Green and Morris Jennings, whose contributions helped bring Eaton's charts to life.

There is a personal warmth stitched into this release as well. Eaton offered special thanks to the late Terry Bashman and Peter Trunk for making some of his music, a quiet acknowledgment of the friends and collaborators who shaped his path. He also named his idols openly: Maurice White of Earth, Wind and Fire, Herbie Hancock, and Stevie Wonder, a trio of visionaries whose blend of musicianship, craft, and ambition clearly informed the spirit of this set.

For collectors chasing the crossroads where jazz meets soul and funk in the mid seventies, "Plenty Good Eaton" is a rewarding find. It captures a gifted sideman claiming the spotlight, backed by top flight studios and a clear artistic compass. A record of ideas, warmth, and groove, it earns a proud place on any shelf devoted to the deeper corners of the genre.

Pressing Details:
Written and Arranged by Cleveland Eaton, except "Are You Out There Somewhere Caring" written by M. Anderson, C. Eaton
with special assistance from Ed Green & Morris Jennings
Special thanks to the late Terry Bashman and Peter Trunk, for making some of our music.

Produced by Eaton's Prod. Inc. (E.P.I.)
Recorded 15 Jul 1974 at Chess Recording Studio
Mixed Sigma Sound, Philadelphia, PA

P.S. My music and business idols are Maurice White "Mr. Earth Wind and Fire" Herbie Hancock "Mr. Jazz/Rock and Mr. Stevie Wonder.

Track Listing:
A1. Chi-Town Theme
A2. Keena
A3. Moe, Let's Have A Party
A4. Are You Out There Somewhere Caring
B1. Kaiser 405
B2. All Your Lover, All Day, All Night
B3. Hamburg 302

Artist: Cleveland Eaton

Format: 1LP

Genre: Jazz

Label: Black Jazz Records

Catalog Number: BJ/20

Release Year: 2019

Country: Import

Condition: Sealed (New)

Related: Read the full review