Here’s a look at how the Ramsey Lewis album Tequila Mockingbird fared in various publications:
| 1977-78 | |||
| Date | Billboard Jazz (40) | Billboard 200 | Cashbox 200 |
| Dec 24 | 15 | 150 | |
| Dec 31 | 191 | ||
| Jan 7 | 122 | 186 | |
| Jan 14 | 9 | 116 | 179 |
| Jan 21 | 114 | 170 | |
| Jan 28 | 5 | 111 | 166 |
| Feb 4 | 111 | 161 | |
| Feb 11 | 3 | 183 | 154 |
| Feb 18 | 183 | 148 | |
| Feb 25 | 6 | 148 | |
| Mar 11 | 6 | ||
| Mar 25 | 11 | ||
| Apr 8 | 12 | ||
| Apr 22 | 20 | ||
| May 13 | 25 | ||
| May 27 | 40 |
REVIEWS:
| Rolling Stone Jazz & Blues Album Guide: | ★★★ |
| Virgin Encyclopedia of Jazz: | ★★★ |
Spend an hour remembering some of the most popular jazz of late Autumn 1980 as listed on the Jazz LPs chart in the December 6, 1980 issue of Billboard magazine.
Playlist:
#47: “Inflation” by Stanley Turrentine, from the #47 album of the week, Inflation. This album, on the Elektra label was in the latter third of its chart run on this date. However, his newer release on the Fantasy label, Use the Stairs, was at #33 in the first weeks of its chart run.
| Billboard Album Charts: | Peak | Weeks |
| Jazz | 17 | 38 |
| Billboard 200 | 209 | 1 |
| R&B | 65 | 3 |
#44: “Bud Powell” by Chick Corea and Gary Burton from the #44 album, In Concert, Zürich, October 28, 1979. This ECM album was premiering on the Jazz Charts this week and would go on to win the Grammy Award for Best Jazz Instrumental Album, Individual or Group.
| Billboard Album Charts: | Peak | Weeks |
| Jazz | 23 | 19 |
#38: “Midnight Parade” by Larry Carlton from the #38 album, Strikes Twice. This track is the third track on the album, which was Carlton’s fifth solo release. This week, the album was headed down the charts, having peaked back on the October 4 chart.
| Billboard Album Charts: | Peak | Weeks |
| Jazz | 8 | 22 |
| Billboard 200 | 138 | 8 |
#29: “Hideaway” by David Sanborn from the #29 album, Hideaway. The lead and title track from his breakthrough album. Sanborn would remain a staple on the jazz charts throughout his career. By this point, the album was almost halfway from its 86 week chart run. It was in its 41st week on the chart, having premiered at #18 on March 1.
| Billboard Album Charts: | Peak | Weeks |
| Jazz | 2 | 86 |
| Billboard 200 | 63 | 19 |
| R&B | 33 | 14 |
#28: “Who’ll Be The Fool Tonight” by the Larsen-Feiten Band from the #28 album, Larsen-Feiten Band. This single by a group of well-known session musicians (led by keyboardist Neil Larsen and guitarist Buzz Feiten) hit #29 in the Billboard Top 40 in October 1980.
| Billboard Album Charts: | Peak | Weeks |
| Jazz | 16 | 12 |
| Billboard 200 | 142 | 10 |
#20: “East Side Strut” by Deodato from the #20 album, Night Cruiser. The second track on the album, this funk song features bass playing by Gary Grainger. The album debuted at #40 on the chart in late August before peaking at #7 in mid-October.
| Billboard Album Charts: | Peak | Weeks |
| Jazz | 7 | 33 |
| Billboard 200 | 186 | 3 |
| R&B | 53 | 8 |
#15: “The Two of Us” by Seawind from the #15 album, Seawind. Seawind was a fusion group from Hawaii; this, their most popular album, was their only release on the A&M label and was produced by George Duke. This west coast/AOR song features vocals by Pauline Wilson and Carl Carlwell on vocals as well as the signature horn licks of Jerry Hey. The album first appeared on the chart on October 11, had peaked in November, and was just starting its move down the charts on this date.
| Billboard Album Charts: | Peak | Weeks |
| Jazz | 13 | 30 |
| Billboard 200 | 83 | 11 |
| R&B | 20 | 21 |
#11: “Your Sweet Love” by Al Jarreau from the #11 album, This Time. The album, produced by Jay Graydon, moved away from jazz towards a more adult R&B sound. The move was rewarded with chart success. This song again treats us to more Jerry Hey horns along with lots of electric piano from Tom Canning. This album held the #1 spot on the Jazz charts from for 3 weeks in July before being knocked off by The Crusaders’ Rhapsody and Blues.
| Billboard Album Charts: | Peak | Weeks |
| Jazz | 1 | 82 |
| Billboard 200 | 27 | 35 |
| R&B | 6 | 39 |
#10: “Funkin’ for Jamaica” by Tom Browne from the #10 album, Love Approach. This funk song hit #1 on the R&B charts and #9 on the Disco charts yet didn’t crack the Hot 100. Vocals provided by Toni Smith. This album held down the #1 spot on the Jazz album chart for just one week, November 8.
| Billboard Album Charts: | Peak | Weeks |
| Jazz | 1 | 45 |
| Billboard 200 | 18 | 26 |
| R&B | 1 | 32 |
#6: “Let it Flow (For Dr. J)” by Grover Washington, Jr. from the #6 album, Winelight. This album would go on to spend 31 weeks at #1 on the jazz charts and yield the #2 pop single “Just the Two of Us,” featuring vocals by Bill Withers. Washington was from the Philadelphia area and was a huge fan of the 76ers basketball team and often performed the national anthem before games. This love of the game led him to write this piece for Hall of Famer Julius Irving, star of the 76ers at the time. Grover’s previous album, Baddest, a double LP “best of” compilation on the Motown label, was also on this week’s chart, placing at #21.
| Billboard Album Charts: | Peak | Weeks |
| Jazz | 1 | 183 |
| Billboard 200 | 5 | 52 |
| R&B | 2 | 49 |
#2: “Bittersweet” by Spyro Gyra from the #2 album, Carnaval. This was this particular album’s 5th week on the chart; it spent a total of five weeks at #2 behind George Benson’s Give Me the Night. The group had two albums on the chart this week, their previous album, Catching the Sun, was at #31 in it’s 37th week on the chart.
| Billboard Album Charts: | Peak | Weeks |
| Jazz | 2 | 34 |
| Billboard 200 | 49 | 30 |
| R&B | 24 | 23 |
#1: “Dinorah, Dinorah” by George Benson from the #1 album, Give Me the Night.
A huge crossover hit on both the pop and R&B charts, this album spent 17 non-consecutive weeks in the #1 spot. Produced by Quincy Jones, this Brazilian composition by Ivan Lins and Vitor Martins features some familiar names including Herbie Hancock, Patti Austin, Greg Phillinganes, and Jerry Hey (yet again). The album debuted on the Jazz chart on August 9, was at #1 the following week, and stayed on the chart until August of the following year. It also topped the R&B album chart for 4 weeks.
| Billboard Album Charts: | Peak | Weeks |
| Jazz | 1 | 53 |
| Billboard 200 | 3 | 38 |
| R&B | 1 | 37 |
As always, thanks to Herc of Herc’s Hideaway for research assistance and support.
Here’s a look at how Spyro Gyra’s album Incognito fared in various publications:
| 1982 | ||||||
| Date | Billboard Jazz (50) |
Billboard 200 | Cash Box 200 | Cash Box Jazz (30) |
Radio & Records Jazz (30) |
Rolling Stone 100 |
| Oct 16 | 138 | 18 | 21 | |||
| Oct 23 | 18 | 73 | 119 | 8 | 12 | |
| Oct 30 | 61 | 103 | 1 | 6 | ||
| Nov 6 | 3 | 51 | 81 | 1 | 5 | |
| Nov 13 | 48 | 69 | 1 | 1 | ||
| Nov 20 | 3 | 46 | 64 | 2 | 1 | 66 |
| Nov 27 | 46 | 63 | 2 | 1 | ||
| Dec 4 | 3 | 56 | 61 | 2 | 2 | 56 |
| Dec 11 | 69 | 88 | 2 | 2 | ||
| Dec 18 | 3 | 80 | 107 | 5 | 2 | 56 |
| Dec 25 | 80 | 112 | 5 | 2 | ||
| 1983 | ||||||
| Jan 1 | 80 | 112 | 2 | 2 | 63 | |
| Jan 8 | 2 | 94 | 112 | 5 | 3 | |
| Jan 15 | 94 | 125 | 3 | 3 | 63 | |
| Jan 22 | 2 | 109 | 129 | 3 | 4 | |
| Jan 29 | 109 | 136 | 3 | 5 | 66 | |
| Feb 5 | 2 | 117 | 158 | 4 | 5 | |
| Feb 12 | 133 | 167 | 5 | 5 | ||
| Feb 19 | 3 | 148 | 187 | 4 | 9 | |
| Feb 26 | 148 | 199 | 5 | 9 | ||
| Mar 5 | 3 | 148 | 6 | 9 | ||
| Mar 12 | 146 | 7 | 9 | |||
| Mar 19 | 3 | 146 | 7 | 9 | ||
| Mar 26 | 184 | 8 | 13 | |||
| Apr 2 | 3 | 13 | 23 | |||
| Apr 9 | 18 | |||||
| Apr 16 | 10 | 17 | ||||
| Apr 23 | 21 | |||||
| Apr 30 | 11 | 23 | ||||
| May 7 | 24 | |||||
| May 14 | 17 | 24 | ||||
| May 21 | 22 | |||||
| May 28 | 12 | 27 | ||||
| June 4 | 29 | |||||
| June 11 | 12 | 26 | ||||
| June 18 | 25 | |||||
| June 25 | 22 | 25 | ||||
| July 2 | 24 | |||||
| July 9 | 40 | 28 | ||||
| July 16 | 30 | |||||
| July 23 | 38 | 29 | ||||
| July 30 | ||||||
| Aug 6 | 32 | |||||
| Aug 13 | ||||||
| Aug 20 | 29 | |||||
| Aug 27 | ||||||
| Sept 3 | 29 | |||||
| Sept 10 | ||||||
| Sept 17 | 41 | |||||
| Sept 24 | ||||||
| Oct 1 | 40 | |||||
| Oct 8 | ||||||
| Oct 15 | 44 |
REVIEWS:
Billboard, October 9, 1982
| Rolling Stone Jazz & Blues Album Guide: | ★½ |
| Virgin Encyclopedia of Jazz: | ★★ |
click to enlarge
Down Beat, June 1982, p. 49
Note: the Bobby Short album was re-titled Moments Like This and issued on the Elektra label (60002)
60019
Jazz Masters Edition
Recorded at Club Kavakos, Washington D.C., February 22nd, 1953.
Produced by Bill Potts
Peak on Billboard Jazz Album Chart: #28
Musician, May 1982, p. 82
click to enlarge
| Down Beat Magazine: | ★★★★★ |
| Virgin Encyclopedia of Jazz: | ★★★ |
60020
Produced by Mike Berniker
Peak on Billboard Jazz Album Chart: Did not chart
Liner notes. Click to enlarge.
Down Beat, June 1982, p. 49
| Virgin Encyclopedia of Jazz: | ★★★ |
60022
Produced by Eric Gale
Peak on Billboard Jazz Album Chart: #20
Liner notes. Click to enlarge.
| Virgin Encyclopedia of Jazz: | ★★★ |
60024
Produced by Lee Ritenour
Peak on Billboard Jazz Album Chart: #11
Peak on the US Billboard Top 200 chart: #163
Peak on Cash Box album chart: #178
Musician, June 1982, p.86
| Rolling Stone Jazz & Blues Album Guide: | ★★★ |
| Virgin Encyclopedia of Jazz: | ★★★ |
60025
Stanley Clarke, bass; Chick Corea, piano; Joe Henderson, tenor saxophone; Freddie Hubbard, trumpet and flugelhorn; Lenny White, drums
Produced by Lenny White
Peak on Billboard Jazz Album Chart: #35
Musician, June 1982, p. 82
| Down Beat Magazine: | ★★★ |
60029
Produced by Jeffrey Weber
Peak on Billboard Jazz Album Chart: #24
Musician, June 1982, p. 86
60031
Originally released in 1971
Produced by John McLaughlin
Peak on Billboard Jazz Album Chart: #34 (1982)
Peak on the US Billboard Top 200 chart: #194 (1972)
Musician, June 1982, p. 86
| Virgin Encyclopedia of Jazz: | ★★★ |
60042
Produced by Material
Peak on Billboard Jazz Album Chart: #32
Musician, June 1982, p. 86
| Down Beat Magazine: | ★★★★ |
| Virgin Encyclopedia of Jazz: | ★★★ |
60043
Sampler – songs taken from above albums plus a track from Echoes of an Era (Elektra 60021)
Produced by various
Peak on Billboard Jazz Album Chart: #41
Billboard, February 20, 1982, p. 70
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Allmusic
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YouTube
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Spotify
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Billboard, February 27, 1982, p 42 & 64
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For more info on the short life on the Elektra/Musician imprint, click here. |
Here’s a look at how David Sanborn’s album Heart to Heart fared on the various Billboard and Cash Box charts:
| 1978 | ||||
| Date | Billboard 200 |
Cash Box 200 |
Billboard Jazz (50) |
Cash Box Jazz (40) |
| June 3 | 175 | 30 | ||
| June 10 | 165 | 23 | 23 | |
| June 17 | 155 | 174 | 23 | 18 |
| June 24 | 151 | 155 | 17 | 16 |
| July 1 | 159 | 150 | 17 | 14 |
| July 8 | 193 | 148 | 18 | 14 |
| July 15 | 147 | 20 | 16 | |
| July 22 | 163 | 20 | 19 | |
| July 29 | 199 | 16 | 21 | |
| Aug 5 | 19 | 25 | ||
| Aug 12 | 21 | 29 | ||
| Aug 19 | 28 | 30 | ||
| Aug 26 | 33 | 31 | ||
| Sept 2 | 33 | 33 | ||
| Sept 9 | 36 | 34 | ||
| Sept 16 | 37 | |||
| Sept 23 | 40 | |||
| Sept 30 | 41 | |||
| Oct 7 | 47 | |||
| Oct 14 | 50 |
Starting in 1987, Billboard switched from having one “Top Jazz Albums” chart with forty chart positions to having two jazz albums charts: 1) the existing “Top Jazz Albums” chart was reduced to 15 chart positions, and 2) a new “Top Contemporary Jazz Albums” chart premiered with 25 positions. Here’s a chart of the #1 Top Contemporary Jazz Albums of 1989:
| Week Ending | Album | Artist(s) |
|---|---|---|
| January 7 | Silhouette | Kenny G |
| January 21 | Heart’s Horizon | Al Jarreau |
| February 4 | ||
| February 18 | ||
| March 4 | ||
| March 18 | ||
| April 1 | ||
| April 15 | ||
| April 29 | Spellbound | Joe Sample |
| May 13 | ||
| May 27 | ||
| June 10 | ||
| June 24 | ||
| July 8 | ||
| July 22 | ||
| August 5 | Amandla | Miles Davis |
| August 19 | Letter from Home | Pat Metheny |
| September 2 | ||
| September 16 | ||
| September 30 | ||
| October 14 | ||
| October 28 | ||
| November 11 | At Last | Lou Rawls |
| November 25 | Migration | Dave Grusin |
| December 9 | ||
| December 23 | Time Out of Mind | Grover Washington, Jr. |
#1 Jazz Albums:
1970 · 1971 · 1972 · 1973 · 1974 · 1975 · 1976 · 1977 · 1978 · 1979
1980 · 1981 · 1982 · 1983 · 1984 · 1985 · 1986 · 1987 · 1988 · 1989
In 1972, Billboard published a Jazz Album list monthly with 20 albums ranked through June. Beginning in July, the chart expanded to 25. Here’s a chart of the #1 jazz albums of 1972:
| Week Ending | Album | Artist(s) |
|---|---|---|
| January | Shaft Soundtrack | Isaac Hayes |
| February | ||
| March | Smackwater Jack | Quincy Jones |
| April | ||
| May | ||
| June | ||
| July | ||
| August | Push Push | Herbie Mann |
| September | Upendo Ni Pamoja | Ramsey Lewis Trio |
| October | ||
| November | All the King’s Horses | Grover Washington, Jr. |
| December | On the Corner | Miles Davis |
#1 Jazz Albums:
1970 · 1971 · 1972 · 1973 · 1974 · 1975 · 1976 · 1977 · 1978 · 1979
1980 · 1981 · 1982 · 1983 · 1984 · 1985 · 1986 · 1987 · 1988 · 1989
Starting in 1987, Billboard switched from having one “Top Jazz Albums” chart with forty chart positions to having two jazz albums charts: 1) the existing “Top Jazz Albums” chart was reduced to 15 chart positions, and 2) a new “Top Contemporary Jazz Albums” chart premiered with 25 positions. Here’s a chart of the #1 Top Jazz Albums of 1989:
| Week Ending | Album | Artist(s) |
|---|---|---|
| January 7 | Talkin’ ‘Bout You | Diane Schuur |
| January 21 | ||
| February 4 | ||
| February 18 | ||
| March 4 | Michel Camilo | Michel Camilo |
| March 18 | ||
| April 1 | ||
| April 15 | ||
| April 29 | Chick Corea Akoustic Band | Chick Corea Akoustic Band |
| May 13 | The Truth is Spoken Here | Marcus Roberts |
| May 27 | ||
| June 10 | Chick Corea Akoustic Band | Chick Corea Akoustic Band |
| June 24 | ||
| July 8 | ||
| July 22 | ||
| August 5 | In a Sentimental Mood | Dr. John |
| August 19 | ||
| September 2 | Tenderly | George Benson |
| September 16 | ||
| September 30 | ||
| October 14 | ||
| October 28 | ||
| November 11 | “When Harry Met Sally” Soundtrack | Harry Connick, Jr. |
| November 25 | ||
| December 9 | Waiting for Spring | David Benoit |
| December 23 |
#1 Jazz Albums:
1970 · 1971 · 1972 · 1973 · 1974 · 1975 · 1976 · 1977 · 1978 · 1979
1980 · 1981 · 1982 · 1983 · 1984 · 1985 · 1986 · 1987 · 1988 · 1989
In 1973, Billboard published a Jazz Album list sporadically for the first three months of the year with 25 albums ranked. Beginning in April, a list of 40 albums was published every two weeks. Here’s a chart of the #1 jazz albums of 1973:
| Week Ending | Album | Artist(s) |
|---|---|---|
| January 13 | Chicago V | Chicago |
| January 27 | ||
| February 24 | Strange Fruit | Billie Holiday |
| March 24 | Prelude | Deodato |
| April 7 | ||
| April 21 | ||
| May 5 | ||
| May 19 | The 2nd Crusade | The Crusaders |
| June 2 | ||
| June 16 | ||
| June 30 | Black Byrd | Donald Byrd |
| July 14 | ||
| July 28 | ||
| August 11 | You’ve Got it Bad Girl | Quincy Jones |
| August 25 | ||
| September 8 | Black Byrd | Donald Byrd |
| September 22 | Soul Box | Grover Washington, Jr. |
| October 6 | 2 | Deodato |
| October 20 | ||
| November 3 | Black Byrd | Donald Byrd |
| November 17 | ||
| December 1 | ||
| December 15 | Spectrum | Billy Cobham |
| December 29 |
#1 Jazz Albums:
1970 · 1971 · 1972 · 1973 · 1974 · 1975 · 1976 · 1977 · 1978 · 1979
1980 · 1981 · 1982 · 1983 · 1984 · 1985 · 1986 · 1987 · 1988 · 1989
#1 Contemporary Jazz Albums:
1987 · 1988 · 1989
In 1971, Billboard published a Jazz Album list weekly for the first half of the year, then monthly for the remainder of the year. Twenty albums were ranked in each chart. Here’s a chart of the #1 jazz albums of 1971:
| Week Ending | Album | Artist(s) |
|---|---|---|
| January 2 | To Be Continued | Isaac Hayes |
| January 9 | ||
| January 16 | ||
| January 23 | ||
| January 30 | ||
| February 6 | ||
| February 13 | ||
| February 20 | ||
| February 27 | Miles Davis at Fillmore | Miles Davis |
| March 6 | To Be Continued | Isaac Hayes |
| March 13 | ||
| March 20 | ||
| March 27 | Bitches Brew | Miles Davis |
| April 3 | ||
| April 10 | To Be Continued | Isaac Hayes |
| April 17 | Bitches Brew | Miles Davis |
| April 24 | ||
| May 1 | To Be Continued | Isaac Hayes |
| May 8 | ||
| May 15 | Bitches Brew | Miles Davis |
| May 22 | ||
| May 29 | To Be Continued | Isaac Hayes |
| June 5 | ||
| June 12 | ||
| June 19 | ||
| June 26 | Second Movement | Eddie Harris & Les McCann |
| July | ||
| August | ||
| September | ||
| October | ||
| November | Shaft | Isaac Hayes |
| December |
#1 Jazz Albums:
1970 · 1971 · 1972 · 1973 · 1974 · 1975 · 1976 · 1977 · 1978 · 1979
1980 · 1981 · 1982 · 1983 · 1984 · 1985 · 1986 · 1987 · 1988 · 1989
#1 Contemporary Jazz Albums:
1987 · 1988 · 1989
