EP

Here at Jazzman we work 24/7 to uncover the world's rarest and best soul, funk 'n jazz. We find new things all the time, but it's not often that we come across a completely unknown album of such high quality as that recorded by the Bill Swift Trio + 1. For this 12" EP we've selected the best songs – two stunning Aretha Franklin covers and an original slice of real deal funky soul that immediately encourages comparison to the great Spanky Wilson and Marlena Shaw. And all from a humble lounge trio from Texas!

The Bill Swift Trio + 1 were a supper club act who played in a couple of small nightclubs in Fort Worth, Texas in the '60s through to the '80s. Unless you happened to have been at local hang-outs the Casa Del Sol or the Town Pump at the time, it is unlikely that you would ever have heard of them – the band never travelled past their own city limits.

There are countless privately pressed LPs and 45s from similar lounge acts such as this that look promising but contain little of interest – this is not one of those. Funded by a Californian airline pilot who was passing through town and who was impressed enough with the band's performances to bankroll a studio session, in 1972 the trio teamed up with their regular singer Drenda Barnett to cut a whole LP. Consisting mainly of covers of current pop and RnB hits, with a few originals thrown in for good measure, the LP was pressed to sell at gigs, but unfortunately there wasn't enough money to print any covers. A few copies were sold off the bandstand, but a coverless album is never easy to sell, and most ended up discarded or forgotten. Now newly discovered, the amazing sound of the Bill Swift Trio and their amazing vocalist Drenda Barnett has finally reached the ears of the world!