There is and always will be some allure around the myth of James Brown. His wild side obviously sparked some stories - real or not. Over time, as he slowly devolved into a troubled man, his talent didn't dissipate and neither did his ability to pick out talent and mold individuals into something incredible. The stories involving Brown's strict policies regarding his band - which probably match any trumped up Zappa tale - culminated in fines and the like. But to his credit, it worked. There aren't too many other musical bodies of work that are universally revered in the way that the Brown catalog is - Bob Marley, maybe. But that's about it

Prior to cementing the line up for the JB's during the '60s - and before his cultural cache had been determined - Brown didn't have the monetary ability to hire anyone that he pleased and certainly not some high priced players. During the '50s, with his band the Flames, Brown apparently switched of instrumental duties with several other singers in his employ. Eventually, his group would make enough cash to hire some regular players in order for Brown to concentrate on his dance moves and the like. It's a good thing that happened too. What would Brown's legacy be without the splits?

Amongst the many folks that came and went through the ranks of not just the JB's, but the Flames as well, was a saxophonist named J.C. Davis. Discovered by Brown during the latter portion of the '50s, Davis was a utility man that sported a great deal of talent. While the Flames' first disc, Please, Please, Please counted Kenny Burrell as a player, it wasn't until the following album - Try Me! - that Davis would perform with the group. Between '58 and '61 Davis would serve the Flames as band leader until departing to work with Etta James amongst other folks.

Eventually, during the late '60s, Davis retired from touring and settled back in Columbus, Ohio. He wouldn't head out on the road again, but during that decade he would record a few sides with a funky jazz group under his own name. The bulk of those recordings were set down in May of '69 and languished in a weird collector purgatory for a few decades until Quannum reissued the selections under the title of A New Day! The Complete Mus-I-Col Recordings.

Since the Bay area label released those tracks, the disc has subsequently gone out of print. But thanks to the digitized label honchos over at Anthology Records, the album is again available - only as a download, of course.

That fact shouldn't dissuade any groove seeking audiophiles, though. The work represented here is as strong musically as anything that the Flames every did and even gets into JB's territory at some points. The instrumentals come off a bit better that the vocal numbers, but even those tracks have some inherent charm. Considering the part that Davis played in Brown's early group as well as the work on this disc, it's shocking that his name isn't better known. But here's his chance. Again.