Vinyl Vault — John Klemmer, “Constant Throb”

The featured album this week on the Vinyl Vault will be John Klemmer’s “Constant Throb,” released in 1972 on the Impulse! Label. For those familiar with Klemmer’s later albums where he pioneered a softer sound that formed the first murmurings of smooth jazz, much of “Constant Throb” will come as a bit of a surprise. On this album, Klemmer channeled John Coltrane and all his intensity with a little Lonnie Liston Smith thrown in for good measure.

Klemmer played both tenor and soprano saxophones and had begun experimenting with the echoplex which was a key ingredient in his later, softer sounds. He also played electric piano and piano percussion. Klemmer was joined on the album by Mike Wofford on electric keyboards, Shelly Manne on drums, Don Menza on alto flute and bass clarinet, Wilton Felder on bass, and several others.

It was probably no coincidence that this album, which so closely mirrored much of Coltrane’s work, was recorded on Coltrane’s record label: Impulse!

Join Geoff Anderson on Tuesday, June 13 at 8:30 pm for the Vinyl Vault on KUVO JAZZ.

Stay connected to KUVO’s programs and our community! Sign up for the Oasis E-News today!