IN CONCERT by MARVIN PETERSON & THE SOULMASTERS

Of all the Holy Grail LPs that Jazzman reissued so far, this is quite possibly the rarest of the rare, with a miniscule 50 copies of the original album having been pressed up 40 or so years ago. Check!Marvin "Hannibal" Peterson will be a familiar name to '70s jazz enthusiasts, but his career started with the Soulmasters in Texas back in the '60s. As bandleader and trumpeter, they were a popular outfit around the Texas nightclub circuit with their own brand of funky jazz, soul ballads and RnB showmanship. This album manages to squeeze in all three, including the extended funky jazz workout "Our Groove", the haunting ballad "Five Foot Even" and finishing off with a cracking version of James Brown's "I Can't Stand It".