Hailing from Indianapolis,
Ceasar Frazier was a funky soul-jazz organist who recorded several albums for the Eastbound/Westbound label family during the '70s. First making his mark in 1972 with one of saxman
Lou Donaldson's funkier bands,
Frazier cut his first album Hail Ceasar! later that year, which featured musicians commonly associated with the Prestige label's
jazz-funk outings --
Melvin Sparks (guitar),
Houston Person (tenor), and
Idris Muhammad (drums). The follow-up, Ceasar Frazier '75, featured the likes of guitarist
Cornell Dupree and drummer
Bernard "Pretty" Purdie; the album's key track, "Funk It Down," was later sampled by
jazz-obsessed hip-hoppers
Gang Starr for their "Ex-Girl to the Next Girl." In 1978,
Frazier resurfaced as a smooth
soul/
disco vocalist with the LP Another Life, and while he showed some affinity for the idiom, it failed to reinvent him as a commercial force outside the
jazz-funk marketplace. In addition to recording on his own,
Frazier also played keyboards in
Marvin Gaye's backing band. Thanks to the rare-groove revival, his rare original LPs now fetch generous sums on the collectors' market. ~ Steve Huey, All Music Guide
Green links represent an available CD.
Red links represent a CD that is not currently available.
Hail Ceasar!/'75