MFSL UHQR LP MFQR-1-025: Earl Klugh - Finger Paintings - 1981 JAPAN 200g BOX #d

	C$		500
	$		362

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Background -

Earl Klugh (born September 16, 1953) is an American jazz guitarist and composer. In 2006 Modern Guitar magazine wrote that Klugh "is considered by many to be one of the finest acoustic guitar players today."

At the age of three, Klugh commenced training on the piano until he switched to the guitar at the age of ten. At the age of thirteen, Klugh was captivated by the guitar playing of Chet Atkins when Atkins made an appearance on the Perry Como Show. Klugh was a performing guest on several of Atkins' albums. Atkins, reciprocating as well, joined Earl on his Magic In Your Eyes album. Klugh also appeared with Atkins on several television programs, including Hee Haw and a 1994 TV special entitled "Read my Licks". Klugh was also influenced by Bob James, Ray Parker Jr, Wes Montgomery and Laurindo Almeida. His sound is a blend of these jazz, pop and rhythm and blues influences, forming a potpourri of sweet contemporary music original to only him.

Klugh's first recording, at age fifteen, was on Yusef Lateef's Suite 16. He played on George Benson's White Rabbit album and two years later, in 1973, joined his touring band.

For their album One on One, Klugh and Bob James received a Grammy award for Best Pop Instrumental Performance of 1981. He has since received 12 Grammy nominations, millions of record and CD sales, and continues touring worldwide to this day.

Klugh has recorded over 30 albums including 23 Top Ten charting records—five of them No. 1—on Billboard's Jazz Album chart. With 2008's The Spice of Life, Klugh earned his 12th career Grammy nomination — his second nomination and release on the independent Koch label.

Each spring, Klugh hosts a special Weekend of Jazz featuring jazz legends and greats at the Five-Star Broadmoor Hotel & Resort in Colorado Springs. Jazz greats including Ramsey Lewis, Patti Austin, Chuck Mangione, Bob James, Joe Sample, Chris Botti, Roberta Flack, and Arturo Sandoval have all performed at the annual event set at the foot of the Colorado Rockies. In November 2010, Klugh brought the 'Weekend of Jazz' to Kiawah Island Golf Resort in South Carolina.

An acoustic guitarist with a very pretty tone, Earl Klugh does not consider himself a jazz player and thinks of Chet Atkins as being his most important influence. Klugh played on a Yusef Lateef album when he was 15 and gained recognition in 1971 for his contributions to George Benson's White Rabbit record. He played regularly with Benson in 1973, was briefly a member of Return to Forever in 1974, and then in the mid-'70s began recording as a leader. After a couple well-received solo albums on different Capitol imprints including Blue Note, Klugh hit pay dirt with 1979's One on One, a Grammy-winning collaboration with pianist Bob James. More solo albums followed before the sequel to One on One, Two of a Kind, appeared in 1982. In 1984 he changed labels and released one of his most popular albums, Soda Fountain Shuffle, on Warner Bros. Klugh made his biggest artistic impression yet in 1989 with the self-explanatory Solo Guitar. Two years later he would return to the "serious jazz" repertoire of Solo Guitar, but this time with bassist Ralphe Armstrong and drummer Gene Dunlap on the acoustic bebop outing The Earl Klugh Trio, Vol. 1. Cool from 1992 found him working with Bob James again and was followed by three more smooth releases for the Warner Bros family before the jump was made to Windham Hill with 1999's Peculiar Situation. Compilations, live albums, appearances with others, and reissues filled the years leading up to 2005's Naked Guitar, a stripped-down, standards-heavy album for the Koch label. The Spice of Life followed in 2008. For the next four years, Klugh focused on touring and booking his Weekend of Jazz concerts at both the Broadmoor Hotel & Resort in Colorado Springs and the Kiawah Island Golf Resort in South Carolina. In 2013, he returned to recording. The album Hand Picked was released by Heads Up in the summer of 2013, and featured guest spots by Bill Frisell, Vince Gill, and Jake Shimabukuro. - Scott Yanow

Finger Paintings is the third studio album by Earl Klugh released in 1977.

Back in 1976 George Benson, no less, wrote that acoustic guitarist Earl Klugh "will by his own merits become one of the most important voices on the guitar in the 70s". Well, we all know that good old George was spot on as the young Detroiter's first two albums notched up top 20 placing on the American jazz charts with the second effort – the lovely 'Living Inside Your Love' – even denting the R&B charts. Klugh went on to become a star and album after album (including some big name collaborations) reinforced that status.

1977's 'Finger Paintings', '79's 'Heart String' and 'Wishful Thinking' from 1984 - they show an artist at the top of his game – crafting an instantly recognizable sound that many since have copied but few have bettered. The hallmark of Klugh's sound is the effortless simplicity which imbues all his work.

The 'Finger Paintings' album (originally released on the iconic Blue Note label) is a perfect summation of all that was good about Klugh at that period with the plaintive 'Catherine' defining what he stood for. 'Dr Macumba' and a sprightly cover of Orleans' 'Dance With Me' are noteworthy too. 'Heart String' came out on the United Artists label and though self produced ('Finger Paintings was helmed by Dave Grusin and Larry Rosen) the gentle soundscape is essentially the same with the album's title track stealing the album honours. 'Wishful Thinking' was released on Capitol Records and though issued some seven years after 'Finger Paintings' its sonic template is much the same – gentle, laid back, uncluttered, melodic, deceptively simple - though there's a Caribbean flavour about 'Tropical Legs' and 'All The Time'.

SJF's Charles Waring succinctly sums up the guitarist's importance; "Though he was unaware of it at the time, Klugh – together with like minded musicians such as Bob James, David Sanborn and Grover Washington Jr – ushered in a gentle, musical revolution of mellow-vibed instrumental mood music that was the stylistic forerunner to smooth jazz”. - Bill Buckley

This listing is for a super rare, out of print, BOXED LP title - an OPENED and in near mint minus condition LP PRESSED and ISSUED by MFSL / MOFI Records of a highly collectible title from their catalog - a superb title featuring -

Earl Klugh

Box Set Title -

Finger Paintings

Performers & Credits -
• Acoustic Guitar – Earl Klugh
• Arranged By, Conductor – Dave Grusin
• Drums – Harvey Mason (tracks: A2, A3, B1, B5), Steve Gadd (tracks: A1, A4, B2 to B4)
• Electric Bass – Anthony Jackson (tracks: A1 to A3, B1, B5), Louis Johnson (tracks: A4, B2, B3)
• Electric Guitar – Lee Ritenour (tracks: A1 to A3, B1, B5)
• Electric Piano [Fender Rhodes], Synthesizer – Dave Grusin
• Horns – Chuck Findley, Dick Hyde, Jack Nimitz, Jerome Richardson, Lawrence Williams, Tom Scott
• Management – Block-Kewley Mgt.
• Percussion – Dave Grusin (tracks: B1, B2), Ralph MacDonald (tracks: A1, A2, B3, B5), Steve Forman (tracks: A3, A4, B4)
• Producer – Dave Grusin, Larry Rosen
• Strings – Allan Harshman, Ann M. Stockton, Arnold Belnick, Bernard Kundell, Constance Pressman, Dana L. Rees, David Montagu, Edgar Lustgarten, Endre Granat, Gerald Vince, Jacob Krachmalnick, Karen Jones, Marshall Sosson, Pamela Goldsmith,                                      Sheldon Sanov
• Coordinator [Production Coordinator] – Alicia Johnson
• Design [Album Design] – Bill Burks
• Executive-Producer – Dr. George Butler
• Mastered By [Half-speed Mastering] – Stan Ricker
• Photography By – Greg Heisler
• Producer, Recorded By, Mixed By – Larry Rosen
• Recorded By [Strings And Horns] – Phil Schier
• Recorded By, Mixed By [Assisted By] – Michael Ebert, Michael Shulman

Track Listing -

A1. Dr. Macumba - Written-By – E. Klugh - 4:25         
A2. Long Ago And Far Away - Written-By – J. Taylor - 5:34         
A3. Cabo Frio - Written-By – E. Klugh - 3:30         
A4. Keep Your Eyes On The Sparrow (Baretta's Theme) - Arranged By [Horns] – Tom Scott Vocals – Alexandra Brown, Lisa Roberts, Stephanie Spruill Written-By – D. Grusin, M. Ames - 4:35         
B1. Catherine - Written-By – E. Klugh - 4:10         
B2. Dance With Me - Written-By – J. Hall - 3:25         
B3. Jolanta - Written-By – E. Klugh - 3:00         
B4. Summer Song - Bass [Electric] – Francisco Centeno Written-By – E. Klugh - 4:05         
B5. This Time - Twelve-String Guitar – Lee Ritenour Written-By – E. Klugh - 3:40

Other Information -

• Manufactured By – Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab
• Distributed By – Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab
• Licensed From – Liberty/United Artists, Inc.
• Recorded At – Kendun Recorders
• Mixed At – Kendun Recorders
• Recorded At – Electric Lady Studios
• Mixed At – Electric Lady Studios
• Phonographic Copyright (p) – United Artists Music And Records Group, Inc.
• Recorded At – Columbia 30th Street Studio
• Pressed By – Victor Company Of Japan, Ltd.
Originally issued by BlueNote 
Manufactured & distributed by Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab under license from Liberty / United Artists, Inc 
Plated and Pressed by Victor Company Of Japan, Ltd. 
Numbered UHQR Limited Edition 
Recorded and mixed at Kendun Recorders, Burbank, Calif. except for track B4 recorded at Electric Lady Studios, N. Y., N. Y. Strings recorded at Columbia Studios, 30th Street, N. Y., N. Y. 
? 1977 United Artists Music and Records Group, Inc

The title is from the ultra-rare MFSL series of audiophile LPs.

• MFSL / MOFI / Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab RECORDS
• LP made in JAPAN
•  Pressing is in STEREO
• Made with 200-gram vinyl, comes in a luxurious boxed set - numbered (#1279), Limited Edition of 5,000 copies.
  
• Record vintage = made in 1981
  
• LP catalog # MFQR 1-025

 CONDITION Details:

The LP box is in excellent overall condition! The box has NO splits or crushed corners! The corners and seams are solid with just some shelf wear along the seams and corners. The colors on the box are sharp and clean, but as the box is essentially black in color, some of the paint has rubbed off over the years (see pictures with this listing as they are of the actual item).

The set comes complete with, 2 foam inserts, Technical Specifications Manual, UHQR Certificate of Authenticity, Jacket and large format box (see pictures for more detail).

The LP is in near mint minus condition! We found that the vinyl looked superb on this vintage LP set (glossy and appear never played). There are no significant marks and the LP retains virtually all of the original gloss and sheen - obviously well taken care of! There may have a bit of dust and perhaps a finger print or two on the LP so they should be cleaned before playing. There are NO serious spindle marks on the record labels either. Just beautifully made JVC Japanese Virgin Vinyl! That said, acquiring a vintage LP like this is for the performance and rarity of the LP, not necessarily for the sound quality.

A Short Note About LP GRADING -

• Mint = Only used for sealed items.
• Near Mint = Virtually flawless in every way.
• Near Mint Minus = Item has some minor imperfections, some audible.
• Excellent = Item obviously played and enjoyed with some noise.
• Very Good Plus = Many more imperfections which are noticeable and obtrusive.

For best results, always thoroughly clean your LPs before playing them.

LPs can be audiophile quality pressings (any collector of fine MFSL, half speeds, direct to discs, Japanese/UK pressings etc., can attest to the difference a quality pressing can make to an audio system).

Do not let this rarity slip by!