Hank Crawford – It's a Funky Thing to Do (Cotillion/Collectables, 1971)

Hank Crawford (as); Richard Tee (p, el p); Pee Wee Ellis (el p, 1 trk only); Eric Gale (g); Cornell Dupree (g); Chuck Rainey (el b); Ron Carter (b); Bernard "Pretty" Purdie (d)

Recorded on December 10, 1970

It's a Funky Thing to Do was Hank Crawford's final album for Atlantic after a long run with the label.  In Soul Jazz: Jazz in the Black Community, 1945-1975 (XLIBRIS, 2016), Bob Porter explains that Crawford was upset with Atlantic because they wouldn't give him the budget he needed for a larger ensemble.  As a result, Crawford couldn't get the "little big band" sound that he usually favored.  Ironically, that's one of the reasons why I love this record.  Since he's the sole horn on the album, Crawford's alto sax is front-and-center.  

From start to finish, this music feels really good.  All you need to do is listen.  For my money, there's never been another saxophonist who finds the sweet spot in the overlapping worlds of soul and jazz better than Hank Crawford. 

Here's Crawford's take on Charlie Parker's classic, "Parker's Mood":

And here's the album's unstoppable title cut, "It's a Funky Thing to Do":

More Hank Crawford
Aside from It's a Funky Thing to Do, my favorite Hank Crawford from the 1970s is Wildflower (Kudu, 1973).  As you might expect from a Creed Taylor production, the music is much bigger and "thicker" than the music on the Atlantic LP.  (Bob James did the arrangements.)  It's a Funky Thing to Do sounds raw and unvarnished in comparison.  Regardless of their differences, Wildflower oozes soul.  Hank's sound comes shining through. ... I also love Crawford's collaborations with Jimmy McGriff.  Their partnership didn't come along until much later, but they made some terrific music together.  Road Tested (Milestone, 1997) is probably the Crawford & McGriff disc that I like best.