Masterjam

Masterjam
Studio album by Rufus & Chaka
Released	November 1979
Genre	Funk/Soul
Length	39:31
Label	MCA MCA 5103
Producer	Quincy Jones
Rufus & Chaka chronology
Numbers (1979) Masterjam (1979) Party 'Til You're Broke (1981)
Chaka Khan chronology
Chaka (1978) Masterjam (1979) Naughty (1980)

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
Allmusic	[1]
Robert Christgau	(B-) [2]
Rolling Stone	(not rated) [3]

Masterjam is the eighth studio album by funk band Rufus (billed as Rufus & Chaka), their debut on the MCA Records label following their purchase and dissolution of ABC Records, released in 1979.

History

Masterjam which was produced by Quincy Jones was the band's fourth album to top Billboard's R&B Albums chart and also reached #14 on Pop. The album includes the singles "Do You Love What You Feel", their fourth #1 hit on the R&B Singles chart and also #30 on Pop, "Any Love" (US R&B #24, 1980) and "I'm Dancing for Your Love" (US R&B #43, 1980). In 1979, Chaka Khan found solo success with the release of the album, Chaka, and its parent single, "I'm Every Woman", which became her signature song years before "I Feel for You".

However, Khan wanted to remain a member of her long-standing band Rufus, a group she had joined in 1970 at seventeen as a background vocalist, and had later gained the lead vocal spot from another woman, two years later. Since their 1973 debut, Khan had led on most of the group's songs. While Ron Stockert, an earlier member, had added vocals to the debut and their follow-up, Rags to Rufus, Stockert left after complaining of their label's focus on Khan, and Tony Maiden would begin to lead on more songs as the seventies drew to a close, Khan's presence continued to boost the group.

For their first album with MCA Records, which had absorbed ABC Records a year before, the group enlisted Quincy Jones to help them with the record. The group, while still with Khan, was now starting to record without her, while Khan was starting to express a view of going solo for good while still performing with the group onstage. Despite this, the album became a success upon its release. Following Masterjam Chaka Khan recorded her second solo album Naughty and Rufus Party 'Til You're Broke, both released in 1980. Khan reunited with the band again in 1981 for the recording of Camouflage.

Track listing

Side one
No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"Do You Love What You Feel"	David Wolinski	4:27
2.	"Any Love"	Wolinski,	4:50
3.	"Heaven Bound"	Bill Meyers, Billy Durham, Lorrin Bates	3:45
4.	"Walk the Rockway"	Tony Maiden	4:04

Side two
No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
5.	"Live in Me"	Rod Temperton	3:54
6.	"Body Heat"	Quincy Jones, Bruce Fisher, Leon Ware, Stan Richardson	5:45
7.	"I'm Dancing for Your Love"	Wolinski, John Robinson, Patti Austin, Peggy Jones	4:31
8.	"What Am I Missing?"	Chaka Khan, Mark Stevens	4:03
9.	"Masterjam"	Temperton	3:34

Personnel

• Chaka Khan – lead vocals, background vocals
• Tony Maiden – guitar, vocals
• Kevin Murphy – keyboards
• John "J.R." Robinson – drums, percussion
• Bobby Watson – bass
• David "Hawk" Wolinski – keyboards
• Seawind – horns
• Jerry Hey, Gary Grant, Larry Hall – trumpet, flugel horn
• Kim Hutchcroft, Larry Williams – saxophone, flute
• Bill Reichenbach Jr., Lew McCreary – trombone
• Louis Johnson, George Johnson, Richard Heath – percussion, handclapping

Production

• Quincy Jones – producer
• Bruce Swedien – audio engineer, mixing
• Jerry Hey, Bill Reichenbach Jr. – string arrangements
• Sidney Sharp – strings concertmaster
• Rufus – rhythm arrangements
• Rod Temperton – rhythm arrangements, vocal arrangements
• Chaka Khan, Tony Maiden – vocal arrangements

Charts

Album

Year	Album	Chart positions[4]
		US	US R&B
1979	Masterjam	14	1

Singles

Year	Single	Chart positions[5]
		US	US R&B	US Dance
1979	"Do You Love What You Feel"	30	1	5
1980	"Any Love"	102	24
	"I'm Dancing for Your Love"	—	43	—

Later samples and covers

• "Do You Love What You Feel"
  • "Rockin' and Rollin'" by Cam'ron from the album Confessions of Fire
  • "Some Shit I Used to Do" by Poison Clan from the album Poisonous Mentality
• "Any Love" - covered by some dance/electronica musicians:
  • Kevin Bryant (1995)
  • DJ Memê Orchestra featuring Rachel Claudio (2009)

See also

• List of number-one R&B albums of 1979 (U.S.)

References

1. ^ Elias, Jason. "Masterjam". Allmusic. http://www.allmusic.com/album/r178844/review. Retrieved 2011-10-11. 
2. ^ Christgau, Robert. "Masterjam review". Robert Christgau. http://www.robertchristgau.com/get_album.php?id=7692. Retrieved 2011-10-11. 
3. ^ Shewey, Don. "Masterjam review". Rolling Stone. http://web.archive.org/web/20080817174217/http://www.rollingstone.com/artists/rufus/albums/album/106972/review/5940525/masterjam. Retrieved 2011-10-16. 
4. ^ "US Albums Charts > Rufus". Allmusic. http://www.allmusic.com/artist/p5319/charts-awards/billboard-albums. Retrieved 2011-10-19. 
5. ^ "US Singles Charts > Rufus". Allmusic. http://www.allmusic.com/artist/p5319/charts-awards/billboard-singles. Retrieved 2011-10-19. 

External links

• Masterjam at Discogs