Omniseek: Music: King Curtis

Curtis Mayfield, who died on Sunday at the age of 57, was a musician who brought rock, soul, gospel, and the blues together in unprecedented combinations. All of the appreciations of his music that I've read have emphasized his biggest hit: the 1972 movie soundtrack "Superfly," a rightly esteemed concept album that was a prime showcase for Mayfield's dreamy, delicate, high-pitched vocals as well as his way with melodic riffs for guitar, keyboards, and brass. (Listen to the title song of "Superfly" -- it's the careening horns that provide the tune's inescapable hook.)