ProJazz.net

“Known previously for his tenure behind R&B legend Ray Charles, trumpeter Billy Brooks proved himself an uncommonly skilled practitioner of jazz-funk with his solo debut Windows of the Mind. “Forty Days” (later sampled to potent effect by A Tribe Called Quest) remains a textbook example of the form, combining Brooks’ sun-kissed lead performance with a jigsaw rhythm that’s as persuasive as they come. The entire LP is a fecund source for killer breaks and samples, but simply dismantling this music for spare parts is a disservice to artist and listener alike — Brooks is a gifted composer with a knack for melody as well as groove, and while Windows of the Mind delivers on the physical promise of funk, it meets the intellectual demands of jazz as well.” – Jason Ankeny/AllMusic.

Track listing:
A1 Rockin Julius (Roger Hamilton Spotts) 3:40
A2 Cooling It (H. B. Barnum) 4:45
A3 The Jagged Edge (Ronald P. Rogers) 3:42
A4 The Speech Maker (Roger Hamilton Spotts) 5:21
A5 Black Flag (Ray M. Jackson) 3:45
B1 Good News Blues (Julius E. “Billy” Brooks, Nolan Davis, Roger Hamilton Spotts) 2:54
B2 Shetter Cheeze (Lonnie Shetter) 4:31
B3 C.P. Time (Roger Hamilton Spotts) 4:39
B4 Fourty Days (Julius “Billy” Brooks, Raymond M. Jackson) 6:17

Personnel:
Alto Saxophone – John Stevens , Lonnie Shetter
Alto Saxophone, Tenor Saxophone – Tom R. Vigil
Baritone Saxophone – Bill Carter
Bass – Larry Gales
Bass, Bones – Ken Sawhill
Cornet – Michael J. Conlon
Drums – Clarence Johnston
Effects [Echo Plex] – Billy Brooks (tracks: A4)
Guitar – Jeff Lee
Soloist – Billy Brooks (tracks: A1)
Soloist [Alto] – Lonnie Shetter (tracks: A3)
Soloist [Cornet] – Mike Conlon (tracks: A4, A5)
Soloist [Electrics] – Billy Brooks (tracks: A4, A5, B1)
Soloist [Flute] – Lonnie Shetter (tracks: A5)
Soloist [Guitar] – Calvin Keyes (tracks: A2, A3, B3), Jeff Lee (tracks: B4)
Soloist [Skoonum Horn] – Billy Brooks (tracks: A4, A5, B3)
Soloist [Tenor] – Clifford Solomon (tracks: B2), Herman Riley (tracks: B1, B4), Wilbur Brown (tracks: A2)
Tenor Saxophone – Cliford Solomon, Herman Riley, Wilbur Brown
Trombone – Al Hall (2), Benny Powell (tracks: B3), Britt Woodman (tracks: A1 to B2, B4), Buster Cooper, Mihran Vartan, Ray Jackson
Trumpet – Al Gottlieb, Bob Comden, Mike Artega
Trumpet, Producer – Billy Brooks

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Label: Crossover Records ‎– CR 9003
Format: Vinyl, LP, Album
Country: US
Released: 1974
Genre:
Jazz, Latin, Funk / Soul
Style:
Soul-Jazz, Fusion, Jazz-Funk, Latin Jazz