Bleep

Press Release

Strut revisit the early years of Patrice Rushen’s time withElektra Records with the definitive 2LP edition of the ‘Patrice’album from 1978.

After a series of jazz funk albums on Prestige, Patrice moved toElektra as the label tapped into the burgeoning “sophisticatedR&B” market at the tail end of the disco era. “By this time ,I had already made some great in-roads, made some great friends and picked up valuable knowledge which definitely paid off in terms of the music and the way the records sounded,” Patrice remembers. As a brilliantpianist, songwriter and arranger from a young age, Rushen wasperfectly placed to bring the class and musicianship that thelabel needed and now also began to assume the role of leadvocalist for the first time. She enlisted the production prowessof high school friend Charles Mims, Jr. and long-time mentorReggie Andrews.

Recorded at the newly opened Conway Studios in L.A., ‘Patrice’,Rushen brought in heartfelt lyrics, vulnerability and messagesof hope into her music for the first time on yearning tracks like‘Didn’t You Know’ and ‘When I Found You’ alongside simplyforgetting your troubles on the singles ‘Hang It Up’ and 'Play!’.Clubs played an important part in the interest in her music.While her record label didn’t fully get behind her as an artistuntil the early ‘80s, influential club and black radio DJsconsistently supported her and recognised Patrice as a uniquetalent. ‘Music Of The Earth’ became an underground New Yorkclub favourite and Danny Krivit’s extended edit has endured inits own right, included here.

“So much of what happened with these records happened after they had come out, like years afterwards, as people discovered them,” reflects Patrice. “but with this album, all of the things that I wanted to do were possible without limitation - the recording, the writing, the execution with the musicians, the production. Everything was, “Okay, let’s do it. ”And we did it.

”This definitive reissue of ‘Patrice’ is released features bonus 12”versions of the album’s singles ‘Hang It Up!’ and ‘Play’, thepopular Danny Krivit re-edit of ‘Music Of The Earth’ and apreviously unreleased version of ‘Didn’t You Know’ from theoriginal session tapes.