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*...and proud of it!*
...and proud of it!
Studio album by J.J. Jackson
Released	1970
Studio	Island, London
Genre	Soul-jazz
Label	Perception Records
Producer	Lew Futterman
J.J. Jackson chronology

...and proud of it! is the fifth and final album released by singer J.J. Jackson, and is also his third album recorded in the United Kingdom. The album was released by Perception Records in 1970.

History and critical reception

...and proud of it! was recorded during the latter part of 1970. While produced by Jackson's longtime producer Lew Futterman, the album was largely a project of keyboardist Chris Parren, later associated with The Strawbs, among other bands,^[1] and trombonist John Bennett, who had developed his reputation as a jazz musician, with Kenny Ball and his Jazzmen.^[2] Jackson's own writing contributions to the album were comparatively minor, though he continued to be credited as arranger, as was the case with all of Jackson's previous albums and most of Jackson's singles.

Bennett had worked with Jackson on his previous album, J.J. Jackson's Dilemma, released earlier in 1970. ...and proud of it! included other musicians from those earlier sessions, though key band members Dick Morrissey, Terry Smith and Dave Quincy were absent. The three had left to co-found the band If, at the suggestion of Jackson producer Lew Futterman, who also became the group's manager.^[3] Parren and Bennett, along with Terry Smith and Dick Morrissey, had also worked with Jackson earlier in 1970 on To Seek a New Home, an album by Brother Jack McDuff,^[4] recorded in England at Island Studios,^[5] where ...and proud of it! was also recorded. Jackson had previously worked and recorded with McDuff when the two were in America.^[6]

The single from the album was "Nobody's Gonne Help you (Less'n You Help Yourself)",^[7] with "Help Me Get My Grits", from the British version of J.J. Jackson's Dilemma, as the B-side.^[8]

Track listing

A1 Yellow Wednesday (Parren, Bennett) 5:48
A2 Mag Bag (Parren, Bennett) 5:05
A3 On The Horn Of Dilemma (uncredited) 8:25
A4 The Lioness Has Shed Her Mane (Parren, Bennett) 4:37
B1 The Carrot (Parren, Bennett) 5:28
B2 I'm Going Through Changes (Jackson, Parren, Stone) 3:53
B3 Circles (uncredited) 3:56
B4 Nobody's Gonna Help You (Less'n You Help Yourself) (Jackson, Stone) 4:32^[7]
B5 Indian Thing (Jackson, Steele, Grigson) 6:28^[9]

Credits

Arranged by J.J. Jackson
Percussion, Piano – J.J. Jackson
Trombone – John Bennett
Organ – Chris Parren
Bass – Jeff McCarthy
Drums – Philip Leaford
Guitar – Kevan Fogarty
Tenor Saxophone, Flute, Alto Flute – Norman^[10]
Baritone Saxophone – Dick Parry
Trumpet – George Barker
Trumpet - Roy Edwards
Engineer – Frank Owen^[11]
Recorded at Island Studios
Producer – Lew Futterman

References

^ Parren worked as a member of The Strawbs, among other bands. He was also a member of the backup band playing and recording with Jim Capaldi. See Part 4: Don't Say Goodbye; strawbsweb. Retrieved November 24, 2017 and Band memberships - Chris Parren; The Musicians' Olympus. Retrieved 2017-11-27.
^ Profile of John Bennett; Kenny Ball Jr. and His Jazzmen. Retrieved November 19, 2017.
^ Chris Welch, A Biography of If, from the liner notes of Europe '72; Tony Hunt, "Tribute pages to the band If". Retrieved November 20, 2017.
^ Credits - To Seek A New Home; Discogs. Retrieved November 23, 2017.
^ Credits - To Seek A New Home; MusicBrainz. Retrieved November 23, 2017.
^ For example, Jackson is credited as an arranger and conductor on two McDuff albums, A Change Is Gonna Come and Tobacco Road, both released in 1966 and recorded in America.
^ ^a ^b Album credits Jackson and an unknown "Stone" as co-writers. Single release solely credits Jackson. See Label particulars of "Nobody's Gonna Help You (Less'n You Help Yourself); 45cat. Retrieved November 27, 2017.
^ List of Perception Records single releases; Soulful Kinda Music. Retrieved November 13, 2017.
^ Unclear whether this is a direct lift from Jackson's previous album, J.J. Jackson's Dilemma, given that the length of both versions is identical.
^ Assumed to be Norman Leppard, who had worked with Jackson earlier in 1970 on Brother Jack McDuff's album, To Seek a New Home. Leppard had also been a member of the band One, with Kevan Fogarty.
^ The principal engineer at Island Studios.