Cornell Dupree - Shadow Dancing (1978)

Cornell Dupree's impeccable guitar work has graced an estimated minimum of more than two thousand soul, jazz, R&B, and pop recording sessions since he established himself as a premier New York studio guitarist during the 1960s. Legendary producer Jerry Wexler marveled that once he began using Cornell regularly on Atlantic Records sessions, Wex could slice the number of guitarists he booked from three to one because Dupree phenomenally blended the lead and rhythm parts into one seamless whole-rendering additional axemen superfluous! Cornell and alto sax great Hank Crawford convened in August of '78 to record the LP "Shadow Dancing". Here Dupree tackles a medley of Andy Gibb's "Shadow Dancing" and Donna Summer's "Last Dance," Stephen Bishop's "On And On," and Steely Dan's "Peg" as well as "The Closer I Get To You," Roberta Flack's mellow duet with the ill-fated Donny Hathaway, and Dolly Parton's "Two Doors Down," every one of them revisiting a current hit. Cornell was clearly in command, peppering each track with delightfully fluid riffs. The sumptuous "Hey, Girl" must have been a longtime personal favorite of Cornell's-it was a '63 hit for soul balladeer Freddie Scott and wasn't a denizen of the 1978 hit parade. Once again, Dupree saved some of his best for last: "The Creeper" is another blistering, brass-driven blues workout allowing him a wealth of very welcome solo space. All selections have been newly remastered.