Top Jazz Albums of July 9, 1983

Let's take a look at what was topping the various jazz album charts on July 9, 1983.

	Billboard	Cash Box	Radio & Records
1	Jarreau Al Jarreau	In Your Eyes George Benson	Low Ride Earl Klugh
2	Low Ride Earl Klugh	Travels Pat Metheny Group	In Your Eyes George Benson
3	The Hunter Joe Sample	Jarreau Al Jarreau	Jarreau Al Jarreau
4	Star People Miles Davis	The Genie Bob James	Journey to a Rainbow Chuck Mangione
5	The Genie Bob James	Low Ride Earl Klugh	The Genie Bob James
6	Friends Larry Carlton	Star People Miles Davis	Les Fleurs Ramsey Lewis
7	Autumn George Winston	Friends Larry Carlton	Friends Larry Carlton
8	Mirage a Trois Yellowjackets	The Hunter Joe Sample	Mirage a Trois Yellowjackets
9	Dave Grusin and the New York/L.A. Dream Band	Mirage a Trois Yellowjackets	Travels Pat Metheny Group
10	In Your Eyes George Benson	Journey to a Rainbow Chuck Mangione	The Hunter Joe Sample

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Exclusive MFD meta-analysis of the above charts:

1. Jarreau (26 points)
2. Low Ride (25 pts)
3. In Your Eyes (20 pts)
4. The Genie (19 pts)
5. Friends (14 pts)
6. (tie) The Hunter and Star People (12 pts)
8. Travels (11 pts)
9. (tie) Mirage a Trois and Journey to a Rainbow (8 pts)
11. Les Fleurs (5 pts)
12. Autumn (4 pts)
13. Dave Grusin and the New York/L.A. Dream Band (2 pts)

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Listen to selected tracks from the above albums and other 1983 releases, courtesy of Dr. Smooth:

Top 50 Jazz Albums of 1983

According to the December 24, 1983 edition of Billboard magazine. Chart peaks are from that publication's jazz, pop, and R&B album charts, respectively. If the album was released in a year prior to 1983, that information is noted following the album title.

	Album	Artist	Jazz	Pop	R&B
1	Two of a Kind ('82)	Bob James & Earl Klugh	1	44	23
2	Jarreau	Al Jarreau	1	13	4
3	As We Speak ('82)	David Sanborn	1	70	32
4	Offramp ('82)	Pat Metheny Group	1	50	43
5	In Your Eyes	George Benson	1	27	6
6	Breakin' Away ('81)	Al Jarreau	1	9	1
7	December ('82)	George Winston	2	54
8	Incognito ('82)	Spyro Gyra	2	46	39
9	The Best is Yet to Come ('82)	Grover Washington, Jr.	2	50	8
10	Winter into Spring ('82)	George Winston	7	127
11	Casino Lights ('82)	Various Artists	1	63	32
12	Hands Down ('82)	Bob James	3	72
13	George Benson Collection ('81)	George Benson	1	14	5
14	Low Ride	Earl Klugh	2	38	27
15	Dave Grusin & The NY/LA Dream Band ('82)	Dave Grusin & The NY/LA Dream Band	4	181	54
16	Autumn ('80)	George Winston	7	139
17	The Hunter ('82)	Joe Sample	3	125	44
18	Rit/2 ('82)	Lee Ritenour	5	99	53
19	Off the Top ('82)	Jimmy Smith	5
20	Procession	Weather Report	3	96	46
21	Quartet ('81)	Herbie Hancock	5	202
22	Touchstone ('82)	Chick Corea	9	207
23	Star People	Miles Davis	4	136
24	Friends	Larry Carlton	6	126
25	Travels	Pat Metheny Group	3	62

	Album	Artist	Jazz	Pop	R&B
26	The Genie	Bob James	5	77	43
27	Mirage a Trois	Yellowjackets	7	145
28	We are One ('82)	Pieces of a Dream	4	114	22
29	Think of One	Wynton Marsalis	1	102
30	Learning to Love ('82)	Rodney Franklin	9	190	45
31	Live at The Plugged Nickel ('82)	Miles Davis	16
32	Dreams of Tomorrow	Lonnie Liston Smith	11	193	46
33	Desire ('82)	Tom Scott	5	164
34	Gentle Fire	Wilton Felder	8		55
35	Kenny G ('82)	Kenny G	10
36	Tour de Force - Live ('82)	Al Di Meola	8	165
37	Journey to a Rainbow	Chuck Mangione	10	154
38	Les Fleurs	Ramsey Lewis	10	206
39	Havana Moon	Carlos Santana	13	31	55
40	Finesse	John Klemmer	10
41	Out of the Shadows ('82)	Dave Grusin	4	88
42	Home Again ('82)	Stanley Turrentine	11
43	City Kids	Spyro Gyra	2	66
44	Steps Ahead	Steps Ahead	24
45	Passion, Grace & Fire	John McLaughlin, Al Di Meola & Paco de Lucía	9	171
46	California Here I Come ('82)	Bill Evans	12
47	Winelight ('80)	Grover Washington, Jr.	1	5	2
48	Mr. Nice Guy	Ronnie Laws	6	98	24
49	Crazy and Mixed Up ('82)	Sarah Vaughan	22
50	Crazy for You ('81)	Earl Klugh	2	53	14

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Speaking of jazz albums from 1983, why don't you give Dr. Smooth's flashback a listen:

Billboard's Top Jazz Artists 1976-85

Not sure if they still do it, but years ago Billboard would list its top jazz artists in its year-end issues, based on album sales for that year. Here's a sample list from 1982:

I'm guessing the results were based on both chart peak as well as the number of weeks the artists' albums spent on the charts. Regardless, I took the results of the 10 lists from the years 1976-85 and ran them through a simple algorithm. Here's a countdown of the top ten jazz artists for the decade along with albums that placed on the Billboard Jazz Album charts during those years:

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CHUCK MANGIONE

Album	Jazz Chart
Bellavia	7
Encore	24
Main Squeeze	4
Chase the Clouds Away	30
Land of Make Believe	21
Feels So Good	1
The Best of Chuck Mangione	23
Children of Sanchez	1
Live at the Hollywood Bowl	5
Fun and Games	1
Tarantella	10
Love Notes	8
70 Miles Young	19
Journey to a Rainbow	10
Disguise	26

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DAVID SANBORN

Album	Jazz Chart
Taking Off	19
Sanborn	10
Promise Me the Moon	27
Heart to Heart	16
Hideaway	2
Voyeur	1
As We Speak	1
Backstreet	1
Straight to the Heart	1

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SPYRO GYRA

 

Album	Jazz Chart
Spyro Gyra	14
Morning Dance	2
Catching the Sun	1
Carnaval	2
Freetime	1
Incognito	2
City Kids	2
Access All Areas	1
Alternating Currents	3

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BOB JAMES

Album	Jazz Chart
Three	2
BJ4	3
Heads	1
Touchdown	1
Lucky Seven	3
"H"	3
All Around the Town	3
Sign of the Times	2
Hands Down	3
The Genie	5
Foxie	3
12	5

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THE CRUSADERS

Album	Jazz Chart
Chain Reaction	1
Those Southern Knights	2
The Best of The Crusaders	18
Free as the Wind	1
Images	1
Street Life	1
Rhapsody and Blues	1
Standing Tall	2
Royal Jam	5
Ghetto Blaster	3

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AL JARREAU

Album	Jazz Chart
Glow	9
Look to the Rainbow	5
All Fly Home	2
This Time	1
Breakin' Away	1
Jarreau	1
High Crime	2
In London	10

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PAT METHENY

Album	Jazz Chart
Bright Size Life	28
Watercolors	28
Pat Metheny Group	5
New Chautauqua	3
American Garage	1
80/81	4
As Falls Wichita...	1
Offramp	1
Travels	3
Rejoicing	4
First Circle	2

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EARL KLUGH

Album	Jazz Chart
Earl Klugh	16
Living Inside Your Love	8
Finger Paintings	6
Magic in Your Eyes	4
Heart String	2
Dream Come True	4
Late Night Guitar	4
Crazy for You	2
Low Ride	2
Wishful Thinking	1
Nightsongs	4
Soda Fountain Shuffle	3
Key Notes	30

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GROVER WASHINGTON, JR.

Album	Jazz Chart
Mister Magic	1
Feels So Good	1
A Secret Place	1
Live at The Bijou	1
Reed Seed	1
Paradise	2
Skylarkin'	1
Baddest	5
Winelight	1
Anthology (Motown)	11
Come Morning	1
The Best is Yet to Come	2
Inside Moves	3
Anthology (Elektra)	37

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GEORGE BENSON

Album	Jazz Chart
Breezin'	1
Good King Bad	3
The Other Side of Abbey Road	28
Blue Benson	23
In Flight	1
In concert - Carnegie Hall	6
Weekend in L.A.	1
Livin' Inside Your Love	1
Give Me the Night	1
The George Benson Collection	1
In Your Eyes	1
20/20	3

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Promo posters as seen on "WKRP in Cincinnati" #69

Albums: Elvis Costello - Trust (Columbia, 1981), Gary Myrick - Living in a Movie (Epic, 1981), The Police - Ghost in the Machine (A&M, 1981), George Benson - The George Benson Collection (Warner Bros., 1981), Midnight Star - Standing Together (Solar, 1981).
Episode: Season 4, Episode 13, "Changes"
Original air date: Wednesday, January 27, 1982

Music ads for 1980 releases

1980 Album of the Month: Give Me The Night

Released: 1980 (Warner Bros./Qwest) Produced by: Quincy Jones

Side One	Side Two
Love X Love Off Broadway Moody's Mood Give Me the Night	What's On Your Mind Dinorah, Dinorah Love Dance Star of a Story (X) Midnight Love Affair Turn Out the Lamplight

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Billboard 200	3
CashBox Albums	7
Rolling Stone 100	5
Billboard Jazz	1
Billboard R&B	1

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Rolling Stone, October 16, 1980, p. 56

Record World. August 2, 1980, p. 1

Stereo Review, December, 1980, p. 85

CashBox, July 26, 1980, p. 11

Billboard, August 2, 1980, p. 58

Allmusic

★★★★★

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Billboard, June 21, 1980, p. 99

CashBox, June 21, 1980, p. 22

Billboard, October 4, 1980, p. 110

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MFD Not-So-Random Five #20

In which I select five songs from 1976-1985 based on an arbitrary theme. (Not to be confused with this blog's Random Five feature, a different exercise in arbitrariness). Today's theme: 1985 singles that just missed the Billboard Top 40.

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1. "To Live and Die in L.A." by Wang Chung (peaked at #41)
   This movie theme fared better on the Rock charts, peaking at #21, and previously on this blog where it was named the 26th best single of 1985. Ominous and driving, this dense dance tune perfectly captures the mood of the film (disclaimer: I've only seen the first 30 minutes of the movie).


2. "We Close Our Eyes" by Go West (peaked at #41)
   This dance track peaked at #5 on the dance chart and #15 on my 85 of '85 list. What a synth hook! That thing hits you in the face about 7 seconds in. Lots of over-produced synth hits, pads, and effects throughout - the producer (Gary Stevenson) was having fun trying to be Trevor Horn. All this over a driving, danceable, eighth note beat. And then we get a nice bridge that goes right back into that sweet synth hook.


3. "You Wear It Well" by El DeBarge with DeBarge (peaked at #46)
   The third single from the Rhythm of the Night album. That synth chord progression at the intro and then things go up a notch in the pre-chorus. Guitar solo from Jesse Johnson of The Time. While it didn't make the Top 40, it did top the Billboard Dance chart and peaked at #7 R&B. Sounds like something from a club scene in an episode of Miami Vice, but instead was relegated to The Facts of Life with a disinterested George Clooney:
   
   


4. "Black Cars" by Gino Vannelli (peaked at #42)
   I had always thought of Vannelli as a soft rocker and then I heard this tune. It peaked at #34 rock and #15 dance, while I placed it at #50 for the year. Lots of guitar and synth hooks and while the drum sound dates it a bit, there's no denying this thing is danceable. Speaking of dancing, in the summer of 1985, I was home from college working during the day and trying to enjoy my nights. One night, I was hanging out with a high school buddy (who I'll call Brent) when he got a phone call from another friend (who I'll call Steve) inviting us to a party where we were promised the presence of girls. Lots of girls. What 19-year-old boy could refuse? Brent and I traveled to some local apartments where we met Steve. As luck would have it, we were the only 3 males in a sea of females. I soon found out why - we were at a bachelorette party and Steve was the "entertainment." When he started dancing/stripping, I got uncomfortable and left. The song Steve chose to dance to? Gino Vannelli's Black Cars.


5. "20/20" by George Benson (peaked at #48)
   In which Benson tries his best to sound like Al Jarreau. In other words, this was squarely in my wheelhouse in 1985. Fairly generic with a DMX drum machine, saved at the end with a vocalized guitar solo from Benson. It was good enough to peak at #15 R&B and #15 AC while placing at #82 for the year for me.