Help Me Make It Through the Night

by Hank Crawford

Overview

Help Me Make It Through the Night is one of those Hank Crawford albums: large band, many horns, funky chunky Hammond B-3, strings, and polyrhythms dropping all over the arrangements by Don Sebesky and company. This 1972 set by Crawford is an exemplary portrait of his movin' and groovin' style. With the help of Sebesky and Pee Wee Ellis, Crawford provides the deep groove side of his work without reservation. Jazz takes a back seat as the R&B pours forth all sweaty, greasy, and dripping with a raw, honeylike sweetness. With cats like Airto, Eric Gale, Cornell Dupree, Grover Washington, Jr., Pepper Adams, Snooky Young, and Richard Tee in the house, a masterful groove session was to be expected. Listeners get their money's worth after the opener, which is the title track. With the Junior Walker stinging alto countered by the Hammond, the mess is loose and the vibe is pure downtown. Other cuts such as "Imagine," "Go Away Little Girl," "Brian's Song" -- perfect string arrangement by Sebesky -- and "In the Wee Small Hours of the Morning" make this a date of some of the most stellar covers Crawford ever cut. There are no extra notes, but there are plenty of extra beats; the improvisation is red hot, but the strings and supporting rhythm section are out of this world. Help Me Make It Through the Night is indeed one of those Crawford records. [CTI Japan reissued the album in 2007.] ~ Thom Jurek

Product Details

Release Date:	12/15/2017
Label:	Cti
UPC:	4988003514167
Rank:	93083

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Hank Crawford   Primary Artist,Saxophone,Sax (Alto)
Felix Giglio   Violin
Iris Muhammad   Drums
Alfred Brown   Viola
Charles McCracken   Cello
Snooky Young   Trumpet
Harold Kohon   Violin
Bernard "Pretty" Purdie   Drums
Gene Orloff   Violin
Idris Muhammad   Drums
Bernard Eichen   Violin
Cornell Dupree   Guitar,Guitar (Electric)
Eric Gale   Guitar,Guitar (Electric)
Emanuel Vardi   Viola
Wayne Andre   Trombone
Pepper Adams   Sax (Baritone)
Margaret Ross   Harp
Ron Carter   Bass (Acoustic),Bass (Electric)
Joe Malin   Violin
Pee Wee Ellis   Conductor
Emanuel Green   Violin
Phil Kraus   Vibraphone
Richard Tee   Organ,Piano,Organ (Hammond),Piano (Electric)
Max Pollikoff   Violin
Al DeRisi   Trumpet
Theodore Israel   Viola
Airto Moreira   Percussion
George Ricci   Cello
Don Sebesky   Conductor
Harry Lookofsky   Violin
Grover Washington, Jr.   Sax (Tenor)
Joseph Malin   Violin
Max Polikoff   Violin
Al DeRise   Trumpet
Elliot Rosoff   Violin

Technical Credits

William Cadge   Photography
Giraud   Composer
Kris Kristofferson   Composer
David Mann   Composer
Ray Charles   Composer
Bob Hilliard   Composer
Creed Taylor   Producer,Original Album Producer
Carole King   Composer
Marilyn Bergman   Composer
John Lennon   Composer
Rudy Van Gelder   Engineer
Pee Wee Ellis   Arranger,Composer
Michel Legrand   Composer
Arnaldo DeSouteiro   Liner Notes,Reissue Supervisor,Digital Remastering
Alan Bergman   Composer
Gerry Goffin   Composer
Hank Crawford   Composer
Don Sebesky   Arranger
Delanoe   Composer
Bob Ciano   Design
Susumu Morikawa   Reissue Producer