Storm
Song by Rare Silk
“Rare Silk was an extraordinary American vocal Jazz group that surfaced at the beginning of the 80s. ”
The group's journey began with two sisters "MaryLynn Gillaspie" and Gaile, who were brought up by the sound of trumpets played by their father. Somewhere in the middle of 1978, the sisters started experimenting with different instruments at local clubs.
After a meet-up with another singer Marguerite Juenemann they formed the well-renowned band "Rare Silk."
Their first release was in 1983 and titled "New Weave," including their new member Todd Buffa. Right after the pressing, the group experienced a sudden upsurge. The album was pressed on the label "Polydor" and is full of the Jazz Funk experimental details: Choir style funk, accompanied by sick live drums, Spanish guitars, crazy keyboard solos, and many more surprises hidden under this magnificent jam. These evolvements of smooth transitioning and experimenting made Rare Silk so characteristic.
After the release, the group toured a lot, but at the same time, they started working on another album right away. The recording and pressing took place in 1984, and in 85, "American Eyes" was released. Delivered by "TBA records and Tapes," immediately caught the audience's attention as it was indeed hard to miss.
The album kicks off with the track "Oops." A rare combination of vocal and free spirit jazz jamming.
“The harmonica, electronic keyboards, tambourine, guitar, and all of these, fused with great vocals delivered by powerful women. ”
These instruments and styling follow the whole album and are an exquisite mixture of many different elements. "Hello" is another superb track on the album that varies throughout the entire album. The playful marimba changes the dramaturgy throughout 8 minutes of the track.
Chilling vibes that open up this track are transformed into the crazy jazz session with the help of marimba, keyboards, and shakers. And then, quietly and peacefully, we are taken back to the chill and playful vibes that characterize Rare Silk.
One of the most acknowledged tracks from the album - "Storm," is a cover and a re-make of Stanley Turrentine's work of the same name. It is a complete turnover of the older version. Stanley's original piece was an experimental fusion of many different instruments packaging and delivering a great vibe of the early 70s. Meanwhile, Rare Silk chose the so-called "minimalistic" way.
The track kicks off with percussion noises and then smoothly brings continuous hand drums fused with hi-hats into the game. The sublime vocal harmonies and expansive, spacious arrangements bring a completely different ambiance to the album and the 80s Soul Jazz styling. Chilling vibes, kicking around 90 BPM, are in perpetual sync.
The constant light percussion and a touch of saxophone solos in the middle remind us of Stanley's version, but at the same time, Rare Silk's version is a challenging statement towards the new era of Jazz Funk.
Since 1985, the original releases were almost gone, and in 2019 we encountered the new repress from "Emotional Rescue " and "Be With Records." Together they brought newly pressed vinyl alongside the digital copies.