Vinyl Vault: “Griffith Park Collection” 1982

This week’s Vinyl Vault features the “Griffith Park Collection,” a 1982 release with Chick Corea, Stanley Clarke, Lenny White, Joe Henderson and Freddie Hubbard. A couple months ago, the Vinyl Vault featured “Echoes of an Era” which is an album by the same band but also features Chaka Kahn on vocals. Immediately after the band recorded “Echoes,” they went right back in the studio and recorded “Griffith Park.” And, like “Echoes,” this one is entirely acoustic. The compositions, for the most part, were all new at the time and the performances were spontaneous and strong.

This is a hard to find album. Originally released on the Elektra/Musician label, it was reissued in 2008 on the obscure Wounded Bird label and never received a very wide distribution. This is a new acquisition to the Vinyl Vault, another album I picked up during my trip to the massive Amoeba Record Store in Hollywood last month. Check out the Vinyl Vault, Tuesdays at 8:30 during The Night Beat (8-10pm) on Jazz 89 KUVO and KVJZ; also kuvo.org.