This is killer boogie from 1984 Pittsburgh. Original press was limited to 500 copies on Sapphire Records. This rip is from the official repress.
Tim Mabin Jimmy Jam
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3 comments:
Being a very close friend and drummer for Tim Mabin back in the 80's, I clearly remember what went into this recording. Tim was (and still is) a formidable recording artist and musician. I performed with Tim on many occasions, and although this recording was not played live much at all due to the production restrictions, we still did a great job of pulling off the tune to an audience. The original label needs to be clarified: This record was on Sapphire Records, an "indie" label which is not shown on the vinyl photo enclosed. We worked hard as young musicians back in the 80's and it was a shame that it didn't go further than local. I do have an original copy, and no, you can't find any these days! After all, I was Tim's drummer, and what we had was powerful.
Wow thanks for the info. You must be proud to be part of such an amazing track. Im curious what else did Tim lay done on record ? i couldn't find any other releases by him.
Well, as everything that we did, we rehearsed in Tim's basement in a small town in Bridgewater, PA, a small, poor community of steel workers when the J&L steel mills were weening away. The band was the Mabin Brothers Band, although we didn't really play much with all the brothers. Tim's dad, (now deceased) was an amazing sax player, and it was always a treat when he pulled out the old Selmer.. Tim and I picked up a few top notch musicians from Pittsburgh, but it was tough getting gigs in our area since most clubs were into more rock-n-roll acts. I was the only white guy in the band, (which actually made it kinda cool) and I was really into the Motown sound and Tim was a major influence on me as a working musician. Tim tried and tried to "make it", but had no financial support. We gigged in Pittsburgh and the surrounding area but never any real big breaks, just empty promises. Being truthful, the demographic was bad for Tim, and we couldn't seem to get things off the ground. The "producer" for the recording, Juan Sligh, was an amateur. He saw dollar signs, and we were able to press out around 500 copies or so. Most of the records went to a small record shop, and we pushed for airplay on WAMO radio in Pittsburgh, the best R&B station in the area. It received some nice airplay, but with no financial support, it slowed down quickly. Sligh took all the profits and ran with the cash, literally. Any royalties that came with it went up in smoke and Sligh dissappeared. We were crushed, and Tim was bruised badly. Unfortunately, Tim had visions of "making it" but would never take my advice and move out of the area. Tim is still in the same town, and has become a victim of unemployment and painful life lessons. I do see him on occasion when I travel back home, and the conversation is the same: Still has visions of making it, but won't leave town. I left when I was young and was fortunate to continue my music career as a working drummer, eventually becoming a drum instructor and also working with some of the best musicians in the Philadelphia and Baltimore areas. "Jimmy Jam" was written about a family member who just loved to dance, and back then, break dancing was just starting to take hold. Tim has an amazingly creative musical mind. He is able to just write music that can stand out in the crowd, and his jazz work is killer. He has a voice that is smooth as silk, and could hold a crowd all night. Maybe one day, if I can ever get him to just spend a week away from home, he could share his talent with some of the people that I know. Tim and I worked on several other tracks, none ever published, but one in particular that we just labeled as "The Smooth Jam", which I have a recording of, is absolutely amazing. Some of the best jazz keyboard work that I have seen and heard. It never got out of the basement. I often thought of ressurecting it with some of my studio boys, but Tim is the only guy that I know that could really inject the soulful playing required for this tune, so I keep it close and personal hoping that one day, before we get too damn old, we can get together and put out a single. Who knows, maybe one day... If interested, feel free to check out my solo work, I have a few recordings posted on my myspace account. Just some fun drum work that I recorded for demo stuff when posting for gigs. www.myspace.com/matchgripmusic enjoy...!
RW
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