Summer Breeze
The Isley Brothers, 1973, from 3 + 3. Solo by Ernie Isley.
Ernie Isley turns the soft-rock hit into a showcase for his sustained, fuzz-heavy outro solo.
The Isley Brothers took Seals and Crofts' gentle soft-rock hit and reworked it as a lush soul ballad, then handed the ending to Ernie Isley. His outro solo is thick with fuzz and seemingly endless sustain, long notes that hang in the air and bend slowly upward while the band keeps the groove soft underneath. The contrast between the velvet arrangement and that searing tone is the whole point. Ernie's Hendrix-influenced sound became a signature of the Isleys' 1970s records, and this track is one of the clearest showcases for it. Listen for the notes he holds almost to breaking point, and how he lets them decay rather than rushing to the next phrase.
Summer Breeze by The Isley Brothers is featured in our Funk & Soul (#6) list. The solo is played by Ernie Isley and the song was released in 1973.
In our lists
Sources
Who played the guitar solo on Summer Breeze?
Ernie Isley played the solo on The Isley Brothers's Summer Breeze (1973).