Further distanced in time from John Coltrane’s spiritual new-jazz and the influential second Miles Davis quintet, Doug Carn showed a close affinity with r&b when recording his fourth and final Black Jazz album Adam’s Apple. Sharing his interest in r&b was a platoon of committed, resourceful jazz musicians including young star-in-the-making Ronnie Laws, who’d worked with Earth, Wind & Fire before that band’s big commercial breakthrough. Of the others, ace guitarists Nathan Page and Calvin Keys had acquired intimacy with the soulful properties of African-American music of the time performing with the premier jazz organist Jimmy Smith.

Personnel:

Bass [Acoustic]: Gerals Brown

Bass [Fender]: Darrel Clayborn

Congas, Percussion: Big Black

Drums: Harold Mason

Guitar: Calvin Keys, Nathan Page

Keyboards: Doug Carn

Producer: Dick Schory, Gene Russell

Saxophone: Ronnie Laws

Tambourine: Thurman Green

Vocals: Doug Carn, John Conner, Joyce Greene