ISAAC HAYES Black Moses and Juicy Fruit (Disco Freak) (Stax)

My sons know Isaac Hayes as the voice of Chef on “South Park” (including his well-publicized exit over a parody of Scientology that spawned an even more hilarious episode.) Of course, we all remember him for a run of hit singles and albums in the ‘70s. Black Moses was released in 1971 at the height of Hayes’ fame, after his work for the film “Shaft” made him a superstar.

Hayes, who died in August, specialized in taking hits from the Top 40 and making them his own, making great use of strings and horns. Thus he could cover “Never Can Say Goodbye” and succeed despite the popular Jackson Five version and tackle the Burt Bacharach-Hal David-penned “Close to You” and make you forget the Carpenters. Stax recreates the outrageous original two-LP set package, which folds out into a cross-shaped image of Hayes.

Also reissued Tuesday is Juicy Fruit (Disco Freak), an album recorded five years later that makes its debut on CD. This time around, Hayes wrote all the material himself, including the nine-minute-plus title track, which mixes trash-talking party talk with a horn-laced groove for three minutes before Hayes takes over the proceedings with a funky disco tune that epitomizes the era: “Juicy fruit sure is cute/in your sexy jumpsuit.” (Chef, please pass the cheese.) The album also features a healthy dose of old-school soul, including the ballad “Let’s Don’t Ever Blow Our Thing.” 

COUNT BASIE & HIS ORCHESTRA Live in Berlin & Stockholm 1968 (Impro-Jazz) (DVD)

COLEMAN HAWKINS In Europe: London, Paris and Brussels (Oh!vation) (DVD)

Jazz and blues artists have long been lionized more in Europe than in their native United States, as these two DVD concerts compiled from black and white performances taped for television underscore. The two performances on Count Basie’s Live in Berlin & Stockholm 1968 features the jazz icon leading an incarnation of his big band performing material written and/or arranged by Neal Hefti (“Whirly Bird”), Sam Nestico (“Lonely Street”) and Basie (“One O’Clock Jump.). Among the band members performing under the piano player’s guidance were guitarist Freddie Green, who had been playing with Basie since the ‘30s, and tenor saxophonist Eddie “Lockjaw” Davis. The 18 selections on this disc of previously unreleased material clock in at about 70 minutes.

Coleman Hawkins’ In Europe compiles more than two hours of performance footage recorded during the decade prior to his death in 1969. All of the material here feature the tenor saxophonist in small group settings. Accompanists from the various quartets and quintets presented include pianist Oscar Peterson, drummer Jo Jones and alto saxophonist Benny Carter. Selections include standards like “All of Me” and “Body and Soul” and the Hawkins’ original “Disorder at the Border.”

The video and audio on both these DVDs has been cleaned up, but you have to keep in mind that this material was recorded 40 years ago. The video can be somewhat soft, and the audio warbles occasionally. But the strength of these historic performances makes them worth the price of admission.

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