Chicago, Damn

from the LP Blacks & Blues, Blue Note Records, 1972



Becoming the first female musician ever signed to Blue Note records is no small feat, as the jazz genre was one of the most begrudging to accept that women could do anything other than sing; granted, it’s not as if they were signing a female sax-player or, god forbid, a trumpeter, but it was an important step for women within the world of jazz and one that was well-deserved. Ms. Humphrey grew up in Dallas, but made the hop to NYC based upon advice she received from none-other-then Dizzy Gillespie himself, after he’d seen her perform in a talent contest; her smooth flow on the flute is second to none, never sounding forced or out of breath as she paints her vivid & harmonious solos. This track is utterly infectious, a funktified soundtrack to Chicago’s south side, and part of that accolade Bobbi shares with the man behind all those spaced-out synthesizer effects, one Freddie Perren.