david mccallum - "the edge" (MP3)

i've only recently cottoned onto the genius that is david axelrod thanks to the recent capitol compilation, compiled by stones throw head honcho egon. the recordings from the 60s and 70s show a fantastic combination of jazz, funk and soul and have been pushed through numerous samplers by many 90s crate diggers including mos def, lauryn hill and madlib. however, my personal favourite axelrod sample is taken from the piano line from "the human abstract", which can be heard perfectly augmenting the dark atmosphere running throughout dj shadow's epic "midnight in a perfect world".

this track is taken from a recording done in 1966, in which mccallum (taking a break from playing a russian spy in tv thriller "the man from u.n.c.l.e.") teamed up with axelrod to record the album "music : a bit more of me", which has since gone on to become a cult classic. axelrod said that working with mccallum finally provided him with the ability to "fuse rhythm and blues into jazz and classical music", and this track is perhaps best known for providing the sample for the ubiquitous dr dre hit "next episode". enjoy!

oh and by the way, mark's teeing up a great saturday night preview. it was all ready to go, but wouldn't you know, it got lost in the vast wilderness of the internet. stay tuned ...