Kudu

Kudu on vinyl: CTI’s soul sister label

In short: Kudu was the sister label of CTI: Creed Taylor founded it in 1971 for music between jazz and soul. Kudu stood for the soulful, danceable side – with electric piano, strings and plenty of groove. Grover Washington Jr. became a star here. The Vinyl Room currently has 19 Kudu records.

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Kudu first pressings

Jazz-funk & soul jazz

Soul & rhythm & blues

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→ CTI Records · Grover Washington Jr. · Hank Crawford · Jazz on vinyl

What makes Kudu special?

Saxophonist Grover Washington Jr. released his debut album as a leader, “Inner City Blues”, on Kudu in 1971; we also have “Soul Box Vol. 2” and “Feels So Good”. Alto saxophonist Hank Crawford, formerly in Ray Charles’ band, is here with “Don’t You Worry ’Bout A Thing”, “I Hear A Symphony” and “Tico Rico”.

Singer Esther Phillips had a disco hit with “What A Diff’rence A Day Makes”; we also have “Performance”, “For All We Know” and “Capricorn Princess”. Guitarist Eric Gale with “Forecast” and Grant Green with “The Main Attraction” round out the picture.

FAQ

What’s the difference between Kudu and CTI? Both belonged to Creed Taylor; CTI stood more for jazz, Kudu for the soulful, danceable side.

Who was Kudu’s most important artist? Grover Washington Jr. is often named; he recorded his first albums as a leader here.

What is “What A Diff’rence A Day Makes”? An old jazz standard that Esther Phillips turned into a disco hit on Kudu in 1975.

What do you have on Kudu? Seventies jazz-funk and soul jazz – 19 records in all.