''Joy of Cookin is an album by American jazz flautist Joe Thomas recorded in 1972 and released on the

Groove Merchant Groove Merchant was an American jazz and R&B record label during the 1970s. It was run by producer Sonny Lester and distributed by Pickwick Records. Notable artists included Chick Corea, O'Donel Levy, Buddy Rich, Jimmy McGriff, Lonnie Smith a ...

label.Jazzlists: Groove Merchant Records 500 Series
accessed April 17, 2018
accessed April 17, 2018

Reception

Allmusic AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online database, online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on Musical artist, musicians and Mus ...

's Jason Ankeny said: "While not reaching the same heights of Joe Thomas' previous ''Ebony Godfather'' LP, the aptly titled ''Joy of Cookin boasts a comparable deep-fried funk flavor, fusing the style and sensibility of blaxploitation-era soundtracks with the formal ingenuity of jazz. Horace Ott's big, bold arrangements nicely complement Thomas' sweet, fluttery flute, which navigates in and out of the melodies with the grace of a monarch butterfly".

Track listing

All compositions by Joe Thomas except where noted # "Joyful, Joyful" (Joe Thomas, Horace Ott) − 4:20 # "Down Home" (Horace Ott) − 4:37 # "Chile Con Carmen" − 4:45 # " Thank You (Fall Etin Me Be Mice Elf Agin)" (

Sly Stone Sylvester Stewart (March 15, 1943 – June 9, 2025), better known by his stage name Sly Stone, was an American musician, songwriter and record producer. He was the frontman of Sly and the Family Stone, playing a critical role in the development ...

) − 3:32 # "Soul Sermon" − 4:05 # "Mike" − 5:06 # "Dr. Ritota" − 4:40

Personnel

* Joe Thomas –

flute The flute is a member of a family of musical instruments in the woodwind group. Like all woodwinds, flutes are aerophones, producing sound with a vibrating column of air. Flutes produce sound when the player's air flows across an opening. In th ...

Horace Ott Horace Ott (born April 15, 1933) is an American jazz and R&B composer, arranger, record producer, conductor and pianist. He is noted for his work since the late 1950s with a wide variety of artists, including The Shirelles, Don Covay, Nina Si ...

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arranger In music, an arrangement is a musical adaptation of an existing composition. Differences from the original composition may include reharmonization, melodic paraphrasing, orchestration, or formal development. Arranging differs from orchestrat ...

conductor Conductor or conduction may refer to: Biology and medicine * Bone conduction, the conduction of sound to the inner ear * Conduction aphasia, a language disorder Mathematics * Conductor (ring theory) * Conductor of an abelian variety * Cond ...

(tracks 1-3) * Ernest Royal – trumpet (tracks 1-3) *

Garnett Brown Garnett Pompilius Brown (January 31, 1936 – October 9, 2021) was an American jazz trombonist who worked with The Crusaders, Herbie Hancock, Lionel Hampton, Earth Wind and Fire and others. Born in Memphis, Tennessee, he graduated from the U ...

− trombone (tracks 1-3) *

Seldon Powell Seldon Powell (November 15, 1928 – January 25, 1997) was an American tenor saxophonist and flautist whose work spanned multiple genres, including jazz and rhythm and blues. Background Powell worked with Tab Smith (1949), Lucky Millinder (194 ...

–

tenor saxophone The tenor saxophone is a medium-sized member of the saxophone family, a group of instruments invented by Adolphe Sax in the 1840s. The tenor and the alto are the two most commonly used saxophones. The tenor is pitched in the key of B (whi ...

(tracks 1-3) *Arthur F. Clarke (tracks 1-3),

Billy Phipps Billy Phipps (25 December 1931 – 3 December 2011) was an American jazz baritone saxophonist and composer who contributed to the development of a wide range of jazz styles including hard bop, soul jazz, Latin jazz, and primitive. Career Phip ...

(tracks 6 & 7), Robbie Porter (tracks 4-7) –

baritone saxophone The baritone saxophone (sometimes abbreviated to "bari sax") is a member of the saxophone family of instruments, larger (and lower-pitched) than the tenor saxophone, but smaller (and higher-pitched) than the bass saxophone, bass. It is the lowe ...

* Jiggs Chase −

organ Organ and organs may refer to: Biology * Organ (biology), a group of tissues organized to serve a common function * Organ system, a collection of organs that function together to carry out specific functions within the body. Musical instruments ...

Jimmy Ponder Jimmy Ponder (May 10, 1946 – September 16, 2013) was an American jazz guitarist. Career When Ponder's brother entered the military, he left his guitar, and Ponder picked it up. In his early teens he received lessons from the guitarist in a ban ...

(tracks 4-7), David A. Spinozza (tracks 1-3) – guitar *Gordon H. Edwards – bass (tracks 1-3) *

Bill LaVorgna William A. LaVorgna (1933–2007) was an American traditional pop and jazz musician (drums) who for many years was musical director for American actress, dancer and singer, Liza Minnelli. Life and work LaVorgna took up the drums as a child. H ...

(tracks 1-3), Kenny Pollard (tracks 4-7) – drums * Gordon Powell −

congas The conga, also known as tumbadora, is a tall, narrow, single-headed drum from Cuba. Congas are stave (wood), staved like barrels and classified into three types: quinto (drum), quinto (lead drum, highest), tres dos or tres golpes (middle), an ...

(tracks 1-3)

References

{{Authority control Groove Merchant albums Joe Thomas (flautist) albums 1972 albums Albums produced by Sonny Lester Albums arranged by Horace Ott Albums conducted by Horace Ott