Starcrost -

Starcrost was an American jazz-funk/soul band from Austin that released a self-titled album on Fable Records in 1976.

Members: Liza Farrow (vocals), John Mills (saxophone), Michael Mordecai (trombone), David Deaton (keyboards), Jim Spector (bass), Paul Pearcy (drums)

Background

Starcrost formed in 1975 when vocalist/pianist Liza Farrow and saxophonist/flutist John Mills united through Austin’s jazz scene. Farrow, a graphic designer who sang with Steam Heat on their 1975 album Austin Funk, connected with Mills, a University of Texas-trained saxophonist who performed with Bonnie Raitt and Aretha Franklin. Trombonist Mike Mordecai, a local player with Steam Heat and later founder of BBA Management, joined after jam sessions.

Bassist/vocalist Jim Spector and drummer/percussionist Paul Pearcy linked through Farrow’s circle. Conguero Quincy Jarmon and pianist/guitarist/vocalist David Deaton completed the lineup after local gigs. The septet performed at Austin clubs, building a following that led to a deal with Fable Records. They recorded their debut at Odyssey Sound Ltd. in 1975, following a 1975 single, “I’ve Got a Plan” b/w “Getting Going.”

Starcrost (the album)

Starcrost released their self-titled album on March 1, 1976, on Fable Records.

The album blends jazz-funk with soulful vocals and Latin-tinged rhythms, recorded by vocalist/pianist Liza Farrow, saxophonist/flutist John Mills (soprano saxophone, alto saxophone, tenor saxophone, flute), trombonist Mike Mordecai, bassist/vocalist Jim Spector, drummer/percussionist Paul Pearcy, conguero Quincy Jarmon, and pianist/guitarist/vocalist David Deaton. Mills wrote all eight songs.

Tracks divide into concise vocal-driven cuts and extended instrumental jams. “False Paradise” and “Funky Little Home” deliver tight horn-vocal interplay, “Catharsis” and “Flow” swing with contoured saxophone lines, “Quicksand” and “Da Ba O” pulse on brisk bass rhythms, “Grandfather Clock” and “Getting Going” stretch into layered horn-keyboard exchanges.

A1. “False Paradise” (2:25)
A2. “Catharsis” (3:52)
A3. “Quicksand” (4:57)
A4. “Grandfather Clock” (8:27)

B1. “Flow” (4:15)
B2. “Getting Going” (5:47)
B3. “Funky Little Home” (3:55)
B4. “Da Ba O” (3:31)

Sessions occurred at Odyssey Sound Ltd. in Austin with producers Patrick Rockhill and Mike Mordecai, engineers John Ingle and Larson Lundahl. Desmond Fletcher created back cover artwork; Ken Featherston provided front cover artwork; Mike Morgan and Terry Raines painted additional art; Jan Lewis and Liza Farrow handled design and layout; Damon Ginbey supplied photography.

Fable Records promoted Starcrost with “I’ve Got a Plan” (b/w “Getting Going”) in 1975.

Postlude

Starcrost disbanded after 1976. Vocalist/pianist Liza Farrow passed on July 3, 2020. Saxophonist/flutist John Mills became a professor at the University of Texas at Austin, leading the jazz-fusion ensemble Times Ten and recording with Lyle Lovett and Willie Nelson. Trombonist Mike Mordecai founded BBA Management and played with John Mills Times Ten. Drummer/percussionist Paul Pearcy backed The Dixie Chicks and Ray Wylie Hubbard. Jim Spector, Quincy Jarmon, and David Deaton pursued local Austin sessions.

Discography: