The Real Thing (Vinyl LP)

One of two Dizzy Gillespie albums released on Perception Records in 1970 'The Real Thing' is an album of mainly Mike Longo penned tracks and a line-up that reads as a who's who of Stateside jazz and a meeting of musical minds.

Featuring long time Gillespie collaborator (15 albums together in total) James Moody on tenor saxophone with, amongst others, Mike Longo on piano, Eric Gayle on guitar, Phil Upchurch on bass and Candy Finch on drums, Dizzy's trumpet vies with, dances with and interplays with the virtuoso playing of the ensemble throughout.

'The Real Thing' is an album of jazz and funk fusion that sits comfortably in the late 60s-early 70s experimentations in Black Consciousness jazz as created by label mate Larry Young's output and Miles Davis' Bitches Brew and On The Corner albums. This is no more so than in the one Dizzy Gillespie composition on the album, the funk rock fuelled N'Bani which heavily features Eric Gayle's guitar work which in turn sounds like Prince had jumped into a time machine to play some licks. The Be-Bop and Hard-Bop are still there though as to be expected with Gillespie and Moody jamming together.

'The Real Thing' boasts two tracks that were part of the UK Mod-Jazz DJ staples in the 1980s in Matrix and Alligator, two tracks that also found their way into many a 'Rare Groove' set towards the end of that decade. The bassline heavy cover of Gershwin's Summertime sounds sublime with Dizzy's horn singing a plaintiff defiance. Yes, this is an album for Jazz lovers and it is also an album for dancers, for funkers and for collectors.

Condition
Media: Mint (M)
Sleeve: Mint (M)

Our Grading Standards
We grade all vinyl using the Goldmine standard:
Mint (M): Perfect, unplayed condition.
Near Mint (NM): Nearly perfect with minimal signs of handling.
Very Good Plus (VG+): Shows light signs of play but plays with minimal surface noise. The most common grade for collectable vinyl.
Very Good (VG): Noticeable marks and some surface noise, but still an enjoyable listen.
Good (G): Heavy wear — for collectors only.

All records are graded visually and by play. Media and sleeve are graded separately.

About Peckham Soul

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We're a specialist vintage vinyl shop with roots in Peckham, London. From our Swedish store we ship across Europe and the EU. Every record in our collection is individually sourced, inspected, and graded. We stock soul, funk, jazz, reggae, punk, indie, psych and beyond — always original pressings, always honestly described.

Shipping & Returns
We ship carefully packed in rigid mailers to protect your record in transit. If a record arrives not as described, we'll sort it — no hassle.