Craft Recordings are delighted to announce the first ever vinyl reissue of JohnnyLythe's long-awaited soul-jazz gem People & Love. The latest release in Jazz Dispensary's prestigious Top Shelf series showcases the legendary vibraphonist's talents as a songwriter, musician and bandleader. He leads his fellow musicians through five great tracks, including extended, soulful covers ("People Make the World Go 'Round", "Where Is the Love?") and groovy originals ("Libra", "Tawhid", "Family"). The 1973 session also boasts an outstanding line-up, including Daahoud Hadi (formerly Butch Cornell) on electric piano and organ, Bob Cranshaw on electric bass and harpist Betty Glamann. As with all titles in the Top Shelf series, which reissues hand-picked rarities in the highest quality, People & Love by Kevin Gray was cut from the original tapes at Cohearent Audio and pressed on 180-gram vinyl at RTI. Johnny Lytle (1932-1995), who was described by the great bandleader Lionel Hampton as "The Greatest Vibes Player in the World", began his career as a drummer and played with greats such as Ray Charles, Gene Ammons and Jimmy Witherspoon before switching to vibraphone in the mid-1950s. By the end of the decade, he was leading his own group and caught the attention of producer and record executive Orrin Keepnews, who immediately signed the skilled musician. A consummate showman whose fast-paced performances earned him the title "Fast Hands", Lytle built up a significant following in the 1960s - recording for Keepnews' Jazzland, Riverside and Milestone imprints, among others. For the 1973 album People & Love (originally released on Milestone), Lytle drew inspiration from two popular songs of the time: "People Make the World Go 'Round" (made famous a year earlier by Philadelphia soul stars The Stylistics) and Roberta Flack and Donny Hathaway's 1972 hit "Where Is the Love." Lytle not only provided inspired interpretations of the two tracks, but also borrowed the songs' titles to name his own album. Keepnews, who produced People & Love, wrote in the album's original liner notes: "'People' and 'Love' are also words that seem to describe very well the kind of music Johnny Lytle has created here. Johnny has always been a particularly soulful musician whose playing has a high emotional content." Keepnews added that this particular album stands out among the vibraphonist's prolific catalog because Lytle moves away from the "hard-driving [and] rhythmic" playing for which he first became known. "A 'new' Lytle has gradually emerged, and on this record this warmer and deeper attitude takes over," the producer concludes. In the studio, Lytle employed a wide range of instruments played by such talented artists as Daahoud Hadi (formerly Butch Cornell) on electric piano and organ, Betty Glamann (harp), Bob Cranshaw (electric bass), Marvin Cabell (flute, saxophone), Josell Carter (drums) and Arthur Jenkins Jr. (congas). Together, they delivered a selection of thoughtful, extended jams, including a nearly 12-minute rendition of "People Make the World Go 'Round" and the nine-minute Lytle original "Libra. Other highlights include Hadi's "Tawhid" and Lytle's "Family" (which was sampled by Organized Konfusion in 1997). In a review, AllMusic praised, "Everyone knew [Lytle] was a soul man from the start, and on People & Love he dives deeper and deeper into the soul-jazz groove. The result is successful, to say the least... Any self-respecting soul-jazz or jazz-funk fan would probably pick up this title for the fantastic back cover alone. Fortunately, unlike so many other promising covers, the tunes inside are just as strong.