Catalyst (band)

Infobox musical artist
Name = Catalyst


Img_capt =
Img_size =
Landscape =
Background = group_or_band
Birth_name =
Alias =
Born =
Died =
Origin = Philadelphia, Pennsylvania flagicon|USA
Instrument =
Voice_type =
Genre = Funk
Jazz fusion
Occupation =
Years_active = 1970?-1976
Label = Muse Records
Cobblestone Records
32 Jazz
Associated_acts =
URL =
Current_members =
Past_members =
Notable_instruments =

Catalyst was a funk/jazz quartet from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, whose material presaged the work of later jazz fusion artists. [http://wc03.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=11:0iftxqt5ldje~T1 Catalyst] at Allmusic.com] The group encountered regional success in the 1970s and have become more widely known since the re-release of their material on CD.

History

The group was discovered by producer Skip Drinkwater, who signed them to Muse Records after hearing them play at a club in West Philadelphia. Drinkwater produced their debut self-titled LP, released in 1972 with the following personnel: Eddie Green (keyboards, vocals), Sherman Ferguson (percussion), Odean Pope (saxophone, flute, oboe), Al Johnson (bass). The group received little label support for major tours and so spent most of their playing time in the Philadelphia and New York areas. The group recorded and released a second album in 1972 on Cobblestone Records, entitled "Perception"; by this time, bassist Johnson had left the group to join Weather Report, and was replaced by Tyrone Brown.

Garnering comparisons to John Coltrane, Weather Report, and Return to Forever, [ [http://www.allaboutjazz.com/php/article.php?id=3513 The Funkiest Band You Never Heard] . Douglas Payne, April 1, 1999. Accessed September 7, 2007.] a cult following had grown up around the band by this time, who returned in 1974 with "Unity", again on Muse. The album featured Billy Hart in addition to its core members. 1975's "After a Tear and a Smile" would be the group's final release; poor album sales and disenchantment with the industry led the group to disband in 1976.

Following their time with Catalyst, Green played with Pat Martino and MFSB, and both Pope and Brown began playing gigs with Max Roach; Pope also played with the Saxophone Choir. Ferguson later played with Pharaoh Sanders, Bud Shank, and Kenny Burrell.

In the 1990s, the Muse catalog was acquired by Joel Dorn's 32 Jazz label, which released some of Catalyst's work on a 1998 compilation album. Fan interest led to their entire four-album discography being released as a 2-CD set, entitled "The Funkiest Band You Never Heard".

"Ain't it the Truth" was covered by Uri Caine (keyboards), A.Thompson (Drums, from The Roots), and Christian McBride (bass), on their album "The Philadelphia Experiment".

Discography

*"Catalyst" (Muse, 1972)
*"Perception" (Cobblestone, 1972)
*"Unity" (Muse, 1974)
*"After a Tear and a Smile" (Muse, 1975)
*"The Funkiest Band You Never Heard" (32 Jazz, 1999)

References