The Section -

The Section was an American jazz-rock/funk quartet with Danny Kortchmar, Leland Sklar, and Russ Kunkel, all prolific bicoastal session players. They made the 1972/73 Warner albums The Section and Forward Motion, concluding with the 1977 Capitol release Fork It Over.

Members: Danny Kortchmar (guitar), Leland Sklar (bass), Craig Doerge (keyboards), Russ Kunkel (drums)

Background

The Section formed in 1971 when guitarist Danny Kortchmar, bassist Leland Sklar, drummer Russ Kunkel, and keyboardist Craig Doerge converged in the touring band behind James Taylor.

Kortchmar came from New York, where he formed the King Bees and played with Taylor in the Flying Machine, an ill-fated folk-rock quartet documented on the 1971 Euphoria release 1967. He followed with a four-month Fugs stint and formed The City, a folk-rock trio with Carole King and Charles Larkey. The City made the 1968 album Now That Everything’s Been Said on Ode Records. Kortchmar and Larkey continued in Jo Mama for a two-album Atlantic run.

Sklar began classical piano lessons at age five and switched to upright bass at twelve under teacher Ted Lynn. He attended San Fernando Valley State College and played with Wolfgang, whose rehearsal circle brought him into contact with Taylor, who recruited Sklar around 1970 for an engagement at the Troubadour in Los Angeles.

Kunkel moved to Los Angeles in 1966 and joined Things to Come. The group spent a nineteen-week run at the Whisky a Go Go in summer 1968, after which Kunkel worked with Kingston Trio alumnus John Stewart. Producer Peter Asher recruited Kunkel from the Stewart circle for Sweet Baby James, Taylor’s 1970 solo breakthrough.

Doerge came to Hollywood from Ohio in the late 1960s and composed songs with Judy Henske. He played on Permanent Damage by Zappa groupies The GTOs and joined Henske and Jerry Yester in Rosebud.

Taylor initially toured with Sklar, Kunkel, Kortchmar, and pianist Carole King, who left the road band after her 1971 solo breakthrough Tapestry. Sklar, who knew Doerge from sessions for Tom Jans and Mimi Fariña, recommended the keyboardist as King’s replacement. The four musicians developed instrumental pieces through post-soundcheck jams on the Taylor tour. They cassette-taped one jam as the basis for ten ensuing months of rehearsals.

Taylor named their act The Section, which secured a Warner Bros. deal and entered Clover Recorders with engineer Robert Appère for the self-titled debut.

Discography: