Yo, Leroy

With a blast of August heat hitting us in April it's as good a time as any to post a few disco-boogie joints - maybe my favorite stuff (along with park jam classics) to enjoy in the city when the temperature's rising. With the exception of his mentor and sometime collaborator Patrick Adams, no one made better records in the genre than Leroy Burgess - whether it was as a producer/writer ("Over Like a Fat Rat"; "Weekend"), vocalist (with Black Ivory, and the Fantastic Aleems) or some combination of both (under the guises Convertion, Dazzle, Logg etc.). Here's two of his headier creations that have caught my ear of late:

Black Ivory "White Wind" (Buddah, 1976)

Burgess got his start as a teen singing falsetto leads on all the early Black Ivory sweet soul classics on Today. By '76 his more robust, trademark Stevie Wonder-ish timbre had fully matured and is in full flair on this Gamble & Huff-style cautionary composition about the evils of cocaine. The heavy message only adds to the dramatic sweep of the track - whose swirling strings and tricky changes on the chorus bring a EW&F type vibe. 

Venus Dodson "Where Are We Headed" (Warner Bros., 1979)

The popular Patrick Adams-produced "Night Rider" occupies the flip, but this Burgess-written/produced/arranged B-side smashes it IMO. The chorus has that kind of jazzy, staccato phrasing (I'm purposely avoiding the unfortunate term "scatting" here) so common to Roy Ayers' stuff. Great counter-melodies on the back-up vocals by Leroy himself. More message oriented lyrics - this time about spiritual clarity and whatnot - which ultimately morph into exhortations to join the party on the dance floor. Good advice.