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RUSHEN, PATRICE - REMIND ME (THE CLASSIC ELEKTRA RECORDINGS 1978-1984)
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Remind Me (The Classic Elektra Recordings 1978-1984)
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STRUT205LPB
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Vinyl record
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3x12" Collecrtion Of Hits - Disco , Soul, Dance - "Sophisticated dance music." That's how Patrice Rushen describes the music she and her contemporaries were making in the late '70s when she was signed to Elektra Records. The label was looking to flesh out its new pop/jazz division and Rushen, 23 years old and already a virtuoso jazz pianist and arranger, was ready to add pop to her expanding repertoire of musical styles. She explained her shift from technical jazz to pop in her appearance on Soul Train, saying she saw music's turn toward "getting back to the groove again," with the kind of dance-oriented rhythms and gyrating basslines of '60s funk getting new life at the dawn of the '80s.
Always the prolific composer, Rushen released five albums in her seven years at Elektra. A selection of these recordings have been rereleased on Remind Me: The Classic Elektra Recordings 1978-1984. The compilation features more than 90 minutes of Rushen's most radio-friendly R&B. Like her mentor, Quincy Jones, another multi-instrumentalist who burst into pop from the world of jazz, she used her skills to seek out the best collaborators to bring her compositions to life. With many of her songs calling for a full brass ensemble on top of percussion, backing vocals and the works, many pieces list over a dozen collaborators. Unlike Quincy, she was also the voice and the face of her own songs. It was on Patrice, the first album released by Elektra in 1978, that Rushen introduced her voice. "Music Of The Earth," originally released on Patrice and the first track on Remind Me, is a successful balancing act between Rushen's breezy doo-wopping, an indelibly funky guitar and a brassy melody. Rushen leaned further into pop with her 1979 release, Pizzaz, with catchy hooks and plenty of handclaps on highlights like "Haven't You Heard."
The '80s brought a marked difference in Rushen's sound, aligning with a wave of change for dance music at large. Synthesizers had been used since the '60s, but it was the dance music frenzy of the '80s that saw synths used in every recording studios. "I was looking at different ways to experiment with the sounds on my records. We now had synths readily available, which widened the palette and colours available to us," says Rushen, who often refers to music in chromatic terms. Straight From The Heart, released in 1982, features liberal use of synthesizers, always at the hands of Rushen herself. It's the album that propelled her into the limelight, earning her two Grammy nominations for "Forget Me Nots" and "Number One," both of which appear on this compilation. Despite not being universally loved upon release (neither secured the Grammy, and Village Voice critic Robert Christgau wrote it off with casual misogyny, referring to the work and artist alternatively as "one dancey vamp" and "nouveau ingenue"), this work has aged remarkably well. "Forget Me Nots" was heavily sampled by Will Smith on the theme song for 1997's Men In Black. Having your song hijacked by Smith and a CGI alien might feel like a blow to sophistication, but her repertoire outshines it. The compilation's dance tunes overshadow the slow jams, and these dance tracks—without a shred of irony—still slap.
Some fans insist Rushen would have reached Prince levels of fame had she continued making pop albums (she knew Prince personally, but the comparison also refers to their respective positions as musical auteurs). She notes that "it is very gratifying to have a hit, but much more gratifying when that song is based upon true feelings and personal satisfaction." After leaving Elektra in 1984, Rushen stepped away from the Billboard 100 spotlight, going back to jazz and beginning a university teaching career that continues to this day. But Rushen's pop culture reach extends further than her time at Elektra, as well as beyond Men In Black. "Remind Me," which lends its title to this compilation, also off of Straight To The Heart, has been sampled almost 100 ti
Always the prolific composer, Rushen released five albums in her seven years at Elektra. A selection of these recordings have been rereleased on Remind Me: The Classic Elektra Recordings 1978-1984. The compilation features more than 90 minutes of Rushen's most radio-friendly R&B. Like her mentor, Quincy Jones, another multi-instrumentalist who burst into pop from the world of jazz, she used her skills to seek out the best collaborators to bring her compositions to life. With many of her songs calling for a full brass ensemble on top of percussion, backing vocals and the works, many pieces list over a dozen collaborators. Unlike Quincy, she was also the voice and the face of her own songs. It was on Patrice, the first album released by Elektra in 1978, that Rushen introduced her voice. "Music Of The Earth," originally released on Patrice and the first track on Remind Me, is a successful balancing act between Rushen's breezy doo-wopping, an indelibly funky guitar and a brassy melody. Rushen leaned further into pop with her 1979 release, Pizzaz, with catchy hooks and plenty of handclaps on highlights like "Haven't You Heard."
The '80s brought a marked difference in Rushen's sound, aligning with a wave of change for dance music at large. Synthesizers had been used since the '60s, but it was the dance music frenzy of the '80s that saw synths used in every recording studios. "I was looking at different ways to experiment with the sounds on my records. We now had synths readily available, which widened the palette and colours available to us," says Rushen, who often refers to music in chromatic terms. Straight From The Heart, released in 1982, features liberal use of synthesizers, always at the hands of Rushen herself. It's the album that propelled her into the limelight, earning her two Grammy nominations for "Forget Me Nots" and "Number One," both of which appear on this compilation. Despite not being universally loved upon release (neither secured the Grammy, and Village Voice critic Robert Christgau wrote it off with casual misogyny, referring to the work and artist alternatively as "one dancey vamp" and "nouveau ingenue"), this work has aged remarkably well. "Forget Me Nots" was heavily sampled by Will Smith on the theme song for 1997's Men In Black. Having your song hijacked by Smith and a CGI alien might feel like a blow to sophistication, but her repertoire outshines it. The compilation's dance tunes overshadow the slow jams, and these dance tracks—without a shred of irony—still slap.
Some fans insist Rushen would have reached Prince levels of fame had she continued making pop albums (she knew Prince personally, but the comparison also refers to their respective positions as musical auteurs). She notes that "it is very gratifying to have a hit, but much more gratifying when that song is based upon true feelings and personal satisfaction." After leaving Elektra in 1984, Rushen stepped away from the Billboard 100 spotlight, going back to jazz and beginning a university teaching career that continues to this day. But Rushen's pop culture reach extends further than her time at Elektra, as well as beyond Men In Black. "Remind Me," which lends its title to this compilation, also off of Straight To The Heart, has been sampled almost 100 ti
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Last FM Information on Patrice Rushen
Please note the information is done on a artist keyword match and data is provided by LastFM.
Patrice Louise Rushen (born 30 September 1954) is an American jazz pianist, R&B singer, record producer, multi-instrumentalist, songwriter and music director.
At the 25th Annual Grammy Awards, her 1982 single "Forget Me Nots" received a nomination for Best Female R&B Vocal Performance, while the instrumental track "Number One" was nominated for Best R&B Instrumental Performance. Both songs appear on her seventh studio album "Straight from the Heart" (1982).
Since 2008, Rushen has served as an ambassador for artistry in education at Berklee College of Music. She was chair of the Popular Music Program at the USC Thornton School of Music from 2014 to 2024.
Rushen was born in Los Angeles, California, the elder of two daughters of Allen and Ruth Rushen. She began playing the piano at the age of three and was giving classical recitals by the age of six. During her teenage years, she attended Locke High School and later graduated from the University of Southern California with a degree in music.
At the age of 17, she won a competition that led to a performance with her band at the Monterey Jazz Festival. She subsequently signed with Prestige Records, releasing the albums "Prelusion" (1974), "Before the Dawn" (1975) and "Shout It Out" (1977). In 1978, she began recording for Elektra Records.
Rushen married Marc St. Louis, a concert tour manager and live show production specialist, in 1986. They have two children. The name of her publishing company, Baby Fingers Inc., derives from her nickname "Babyfingers", referring to her small hands. In 2005, she received an honorary Doctor of Music degree from Berklee College of Music.
In addition to her recording career, Rushen has worked as a composer for film, television and documentaries. She has also been a member of the jazz fusion group CAB and has worked as a music director for various television events, as well as for Janet Jackson’s "Janet World Tour".
Studio albums
Prelusion (1974)
Before the Dawn (1975)
Shout It Out (1977)
Patrice (1978)
Pizzazz (1979)
Posh (1980)
Straight from the Heart (1982)
Now (1984)
Watch Out! (1987)
Anything but Ordinary (1994)
Signature (1997)
Jazz Straight Up (2000)
Standards (2006) Read more on Last.fm. User-contributed text is available under the Creative Commons By-SA License; additional terms may apply.