Guitarist Harry Case is an unsung hero of the Atlanta funk scene of the 1970s and 80s. He was part of the band that issued the legendary material credited to drummer Steveland Milne’s Alias, Stevo, put together under the aegis of Calvin Arnold, with trumpeter Tommy Stewart in charge of musical arrangements. A full decade after the baffling and highly sought-after Musica Negra release, Case’s debut solo album, Magic Cat, was issued by Ichiban Records, the label established by the british blues and soul magazine founder, John Abbey, with his colleague Nina Easton, to showcase diverse forms of black music. On soave jazz tracks like Easy Vamp, Case displays the musical dexterity of George Benson, yet allows a touch of rough with the smooth, while Shake It and the title track use early beat-box drum machines. Case even tackles lead vocals on songs such as Niagara (A Jealous Man’s Dream). The albuem also features drummer / keyboardist Morris Ogletree, who played with Wynd Chimes and La Connection.
