THE LOOP

Description

Vibes player Johnny Lytle was one of the heroes of the early acid jazz club circuit, with his tracks "Selim" and "The Man" being anthems of the scene. The Ohio born player’s first album as leader was on the Jazzland label in 1962 with “Nice And Easy”. His second, three years later, on Riverside, “The Village Caller”, made him a star in the jazz world. When Riverside ran into difficulties, co-owner Orrin Keepnews collaborated with Lytle on two albums released on the Detroit-based Tuba label. The first of these, "The Loop", featured his regular trio partners organist Milt Harris and drummer “Peppy” Hinnant. This line up was augmented on some tracks by former Miles Davis pianist Wynton Kelly and bassist George Duvivier. A 7-inch version of the title track actually spent five weeks in the Billboard Hot 100 in January 1966. As for the album, as well as the acid jazz cut ‘The Man’, it features a superb version of Duke Pearson’s ‘Cristo Redentor’ and the dancefloor friendly ‘Possum Grease’ and ‘Hot Sauce’. The band also stretches out on the extended track ‘The Shyster’. “The Loop” is a classic album and Ace’s pressing is the first time it has been legitimately reissued on vinyl.