Monk Higgins - Extra Soul Perception

Sax session man on records by Bobby "Blue" Bland, Barbara Acklin, the 5 Dutones, Charles Wright and the Watts 103rd St Rhythm Band, Alvin Cash, Otis Clay, and just about any soul artist who cut for Chess in the mid-'60s.

Milt Bland a.k.a. Monk Higgins is not what you would call a household name, but hip hop crate diggers know him well; his catalog's been sampled about 250 times! Higgins recorded as a bandleader for the Dunhill, United Artists, and Buddah labels, but without a doubt the most hotly sought after album he ever made was Extra Soul Perception, the one-off record he cut in 1968 for the Solid State label, the United Artists jazz imprint started by jazz arranger Manny Albam, producer Sonny Lester, and legendary engineer Phil Ramone.

Backed by a crack band consisting of guitarist Arthur Adams and drummer John Guerin (probably best known for his work on Joni Mitchell's Court and Spark) among other accomplished session cats, Higgins' warm, earthy tenor tackles a mixture of originals and funk-infused covers of songs like "Little Green Apples" and "Canadian Sunset," deftly threading the needle between commercial and uncompromising throughout.