03. Neptune Rising / A Butterfly Impaled on a Dart (Solo for Viola) 7:09
04. Giraffes We Ride Through Lightning Spilling 2:07
05. Nature Spirits 5:57
06. Silver Drum / Daleth 5:54
07. Incantation for the Death of Self 2:17
08. Euphoric Bells / Druid Dance 5:25
09. Space Needle Suicide 3:55
10. The Mermaid's Purse 3:03
11. Sleazy Sue 4:01
12. Aperture 3:34
13. Soft Fist / Cleopatra Music / Harbinger 12:09
14. Outer Tiger / Days (Reprise) 6:02
Live archive release. The Entourage Music and Theater Ensemble uses saxophone, keyboards, percussion, viola, recorder, guitar, drums and thumb piano to explore an"experimental-spiritualistic environment" and builds improvised soundscapes reflecting techniques from many sources, including Noh Theater, Balinese Theatre and traditional and avant-garde Western multimedia.
In 1976 the Entourage Music and Theatre Ensemble reached a creative zenith. The nomadic troupe had just released The Neptune Collection, its iconic second album for Moses Asch’s Folkways Records, and decided to present the music to audiences across the rust belt in its most miasmic, elemental form. Extended stretches of full-group improvisation mingled with folk-tune like melodies during these performances, which featured multiple dancers spontaneously interpreting the music, at times in elaborate costume. Like contemporaries Popol Vuh, Sandy Bull, and Don Cherry, Entourage fused jazz and strains of traditional music from around the world to form a singular, kaleidoscopic vision of musical liberation. The Mermaid’s Purse: Live at Chatham College, 1976 is the most complete, best-preserved audio recording of these performances, featuring music from across the Entourage catalog. It is being released for the first time 45 years after its recording, and features liner notes by lone surviving member Wall Matthews.
Smithsonian Folkways has been serving up a wealth of archival material and reissues from the largely undersung Entourage Music Ensemble of late. Following the reissue of their debut and 2nd albums — an eponymous debut and The Neptune Collection — the label have dug up one of the most complete recordings of the group in the live setting. Like Don Cherry’s Organic Music Theatre, the Entourage group blended mediums and cultural touch points. The performances were as likely to touch on jazz, folk, and Eastern traditional structures as they were to incorporate poetry and multiple dancers spontaneously interpreting the music, at times in elaborate costume. While the latter might not come through in the recordings here, The Mermaid’s Purse: Live at Chatham College 1976 does present the band at its most well preserved in terms of capturing a live performance. The audio is pristine and finds the band folding in works from their two records along with improvisations that skew through psychedelic folk and free jazz territories.
The set is ecstatic, chaotic but carved from a studied sense. The pieces push from squall, a tornado in miniature, to plaintive folk. The title track, perhaps, exemplifying this most completely. The voices and horns die down, and a picked blues bends its way through the calm eye of Entourage’s storm. The theatrics arc throughout this performance, with the first half all tempest and tumult, while the second starts with a bit of serenity before letting the strings clamp down an anxious intensity. The group’s output was in dire need of a re-release, but this album is pure frosting on the campaign’s credibility. Finding the band in their element, blissful and blistering all at once.
Joe Clark - E-flat and B-flat Soprano Saxophones, Acoustic Piano, Electric Keyboard and Gong
Wall Matthews - Acoustic and Electric Guitars, Electric Keyboard, Dulcimer and Temple Bells
Rusti Clark - Viola, Acoustic Guitar, Gong, Bird and Rabbit
Michael Smith - Assorted Percussion Instruments
Recorded at Silver Springs, Maryland, May 1975
An epigraph to the liner notes of The Neptune Collection, the second album by the Entourage Music and Theatre Ensemble, reads, “We are a group flexible in size and temperament. Our purpose is to create original works in a collective manner. We utilize music, dance, poetry, and theatre skills.” Plainly stated, this dictum represents the core of the dynamic, multi-medium approach the group employed in the mid-70s when the album was recorded. The music on The Neptune Collection traces through-lines between jazz, folk music, and various forms of traditional music from around the world, and is a precursor to the expansive sounds of Six Organs of Admittance, Bill Orcutt, and Sun City Girls. This is curious music, lithe and free, but endlessly listenable.
In his review of The Neptune Collection, Russell Shaw of Crawdaddy! magazine wrote, “When Michael Smith of Entourage accentuates the eerie “Druid Dance” with a series of fists, knuckles, and finger pops, he becomes the device the pacing is voiced through. All this is part and parcel of the framework in which Entourage operates; an often sinister, but more often frighteningly intricate series of compositions adaptable for dance purposes. On their own, without visual aid, the recordings are awesomely imagistic; a maelstrom of impressions..”
In New London, Rusty Clark and Matthews were sharing an apartment and working on the music that would become the group's second album, The Neptune Collection. Its most famous track, "Neptune Rising," was composed during this time. It was sampled by Kieran Hebden for Four Tet's 2003 single "She Moves She." Hebden's sample was initially uncleared, but not for lack of trying. Matthews discovered its use from Laurie Cameron, who danced with the Entourage Music & Theatre Ensemble between 1976 and 1978. She'd recognized it when one of her students used Four Tet's single in a performance. The copyright settlement netted Entourage more money than any of the group's original recordings.
Joe Clark went back to Asch and Folkways in 1975. The label boss offered a budget of $300 for a second Entourage album -- The Neptune Collection. Performances by the group often included modern dancers. After the second album's release, a permanent trio of dancers, Ara Fitzgerald, Cameron, and Wendy Goldman were recruited. This version of Entourage performed across the United States. Shortly after the tour's completion, Fitzgerald left to pursue a solo career, and Martha Moore and Cindy Alper joined the group. Based on the strength of their recordings, choreographer Murray Louis commissioned Entourage to compose a score for the Royal Danish Ballet's production of a new version of Cleopatra. Entourage utilized electronics and a large variety of percussion instruments to create music that was darker and more atmospheric than anything they'd done before. In 1977, the Entourage Music & Theatre Ensemble were commissioned to create a series of works commemorating the Bicentennial Highway in Nebraska. That event was made into a half-hour film for NETV called A Ceremony of Dreams with an accompanying soundtrack. While they carried on for a time afterwards, the group informally called it quits. It was officially over when Joe Clark died of pancreatic cancer in 1983. Rusty Clark was killed in an auto accident three years later. Michael Smith was also claimed by cancer in 2006, while former bassist Plumeri was murdered during a home invasion in 2016. Matthews is the lone remaining founding member of the Entourage Music & Theatre Ensemble; he is the group's historian and legacy holder. In 2018, he teamed with Josh Rosenthal's Tompkins Square label to collate a three-CD/one-LP box set entitled Entourage: Ceremony of Dreams, that presented the group's recordings outside their two Folkways albums.
01. Piece For E-Flat Soprano Saxophone, Guitar, And Thumb Piano 4:12
02. Jattle Boxes... 2:02
03. Composition For Viola, Electric Keyboard, & Percussion 3:57
04. Michael's Song 8:00
05. Solo For Electric Viola 2:42
06. Giraffes... 3:45
07. Percussion Dance 4:59
08. Episode 1:19
09. Silver Drum 5:25
Drums, Percussion\, Thumb Piano – Michael Smith
Soprano Saxophone, Keyboards, Piano, Percussion – Joe Clark
Viola, Recorder, Guitar, Percussion – Rusti Clark
The Entourage Music & Theatre Ensemble was a visionary group of musicians and dancers from Baltimore, Maryland. Though they likely had no idea, they were musical contemporaries of LaMonte Young's Theatre of Eternal Music, Terry Riley, Oregon, Harold Budd, Steve Reich, John Cale, and Brian Eno. The group developed a musical style based on the flow of energy and the dream state experience. They employed long, improvised acoustics and later, electronic works. While they performed as a unit, their music was often used as live accompaniment for avant-garde theater and dance troupes.
The outfit was founded in 1970 by musical director, saxophonist, and pianist Joe Clark, a conservatory-trained musician who had played in the U.S. Navy Band with Wayne Shorter. Clark held the Saturday after-hours slot at the Bluesette Nightclub, where he played an RMI Electra-piano in addition to black lacquer soprano and sopranino saxophones. He presided over an ensemble that included guitarist Wall Matthews, whose work was equally influenced by folk and jazz à la Bert Jansch and Davy Graham, a rock rhythm section, a self-taught conguero, a street poet, and a second pianist who also wailed/sang. Clark was also musician-in-residence for the Dance Department of Bennett College in Millbrook, New York. Eventually, the strain of commuting ended the first incarnation of Entourage.
While in Millbrook, Clark assembled a trio that included violinist and guitarist Rusty Clark and jazz drummer Michael "Smitty" Smith, the latter had played with Mose Allison, Steve Kuhn, and bassist Terry Plumeri. This ensemble recorded the first of their two albums for Moses Asch's Folkways label with 1973's Entourage Music and Theatre Ensemble.
On his own, Matthews had written several pieces he hoped to record, and he wanted Joe Clark for the sessions. Clark agreed and brought some of the recordings that would end up on that first album, including "Piece for E-flat Soprano Saxophone, Guitar, and Thumb Piano," with Rusty Clark on guitar. Shortly after the debut album was completed, Clark had an idea for yet another version of Entourage, conceived when he relocated to New London, Connecticut to accept a teaching job at Connecticut College.
The Entourage Music & Theater Ensemble created a free, fluid, often dark-droning precursor to ambient music. Joe Clark's vision encouraged and included artists of diverse personal and musical backgrounds; he allowed them free play within the collaborative ensemble experience. In its infancy, the group's sound was chaotic and kinetic: It was music that challenged audiences and players alike. But as personnel shifted, the music matured into a nearly seamless musical flow that reflected the shared inspirations of nature, physical movement (dance), and an undefined but unmistakable spirituality. Entourage developed an approach steeped in jazz, folk, blues, classical, and world music roots, but freed of most of its identifiable elements. The group's performances also included dancer/choreographers. Combining music and dance was purposeful -- it intended to create an immersive dream state for listeners.
Essential springtime listening – total gooseflesh, honestly. regardless of how much of this was improvised, this recording still feels very communal – you can tell these musicians are very comfortable playing with each other.
This one is a must for anyone who was once swept up by italian minimalists like Luciano Cilio, Lino Capra Vaccina or Giusto Pio, but it also has the same balance of ruminative textures and playful, folky experiments with tape delay and space overall that draws me to john cale's productions on Desertshore or don cherry's more spiritual work of the 70s (i'm thinking Organic Music Society in particular).
If this record is for you, it's definitely for you
15. Oh Dear, What Can The Matter Be (Take 2) (02:51)
Acoustic Guitar, Vocals – Terry Callier
Bass – John Tweedle, Terbour Attenborough
This deluxe reissue features unreleased tracks and bonus tracks. Almost a lost album, The New Folk Sound of Terry Callier encompasses Terry's blue's voice and jazz, soul, gospel music fusion. The New Folk Sound of Terry Callier conveys the promise and power of Callier in his earliest days.
For far too long, folk-jazz mystic Terry Callier was the exclusive province of a fierce but small cult following; a singer/songwriter whose cathartic, deeply spiritual music defied simple genre categorization, he went all but unknown for decades, finally beginning to earn the recognition long due to him after his rediscovery during the early '90s. Born in Chicago's North Side -- also home to Curtis Mayfield, Jerry Butler, and Ramsey Lewis -- and raised in the area of the notorious Cabrini Green housing projects, Callier began studying the piano at the age of three, writing his first songs at the age of 11 and regularly singing in doo wop groups throughout his formative years. While attending college, he learned to play guitar,
In 1964, Callier met Prestige label producer Samuel Charters, and a year later they entered the studio to record his full-length bow, The New Folk Sound of Terry Callier; upon completion of the session, however, Charters traveled to Mexico with the master tapes in tow, and the album went unreleased before finally appearing to little fanfare in 1968. Undaunted, Callier remained a fixture of the Windy City club scene, and in 1970 he and partner Larry Wade signed on with his boyhood friend Jerry Butler's Chicago Songwriters Workshop. There they composed material for local labels including Chess and Cadet, most notably authoring the Dells' 1972 smash "The Love We Had Stays on My Mind." The song's success again teamed Callier with Stepney, now a producer at Cadet, and yielded 1973's Occasional Rain.
Despite earning strong critical notices and building up a devoted fan base throughout much of urban America, Callier failed to break through commercially, and after 1975's I Just Can't Help Myself he was dropped by Cadet; in 1976, he also suffered another setback when Butler closed the Songwriters Workshop. Upon signing to Elektra at the behest of label head Don Mizell, Callier resurfaced in 1978 with the lushly orchestrated Fire on Ice; with the follow-up, 1979's Turn You to Love, he finally cracked the pop charts with the single "Sign of the Times," best known as the longtime theme for legendary WBLS-FM disc jockey Frankie Crocker. He even appeared at the Montreux Jazz Festival. However, when Mizell exited Elektra, Callier was quickly dropped from his contract; after a few more years of diligent touring, he largely disappeared from music around during the early '80s; a single parent, he instead accepted a job as a computer programmer, returning to college during the evenings to pursue a degree in sociology.
Although he had essentially retired from performing, Callier continued composing songs, and in 1991 he received a surprise telephone call from fan Eddie Pillar, the head of the UK label Acid Jazz. Pillar sought permission to re-release Callier's little-known, self-funded single from 1983, "I Don't Want to See Myself (Without You)." Seemingly overnight, the record became a massive success on the British club circuit, and the singer was soon flown to Britain for a pair of enormously well-received club dates. In the coming months, more gigs followed on both sides of the Atlantic, and in 1996, Callier even recorded a live LP, TC in DC. In 1997, he teamed with British singer Beth Orton, another of his most vocal supporters, to record a pair of tracks for her superb EP Best Bit; the next year, Callier also released his Verve Forecast debut Timepeace, his first major-label effort in close to two decades. Lifetime followed in 1999, and two years later came Alive, recorded live at London's Jazz Cafe. Callier returned in 2002 with Speak Your Peace and 2005 with Lookin' Out. In May of 2009, Hidden Conversations, co-written and produced by Massive Attack, was released on Mr. Bongo in the UK; a release in the United States followed in the fall of 2010. Two years later, however, he died from cancer in Chicago on October 27, 2012. Terry Callier was 67 years old. Hidden Conversations, co-written and produced by Massive Attack, was released on Mr. Bongo in the UK; a release in the United States followed in the fall of 2010. Two years later, however, he died from cancer in Chicago on October 27, 2012. Terry Callier was 67 years old. Hidden Conversations, co-written and produced by Massive Attack, was released on Mr. Bongo in the UK; a release in the United States followed in the fall of 2010. Two years later, however, he died from cancer in Chicago on October 27, 2012. Terry Callier was 67 years old.
Recorded in 1965 at the height of the folk revival, Terry Callier's debut album, marked him as an important new voice. His approach to traditional material was comparable to that of other African-Americans like Paul Robeson or Josh White, but evidence of his originality can be heard on every song on this rerelease, including three that are issued for the first time. Callier's guitar work was quite adventurous by folk standards, incorporating chord voicings one might expect to hear in a modern jazz context. He was also a powerful vocalist with a flair for drama that could evoke Odetta at her best. Recent years have seen Callier return to performing and recording after a long hiatus, a development as welcome as it is overdue.
"The New Folk Sound of Terry Callier was not released until 1968, about three years after the project was originally completed; while the long delay almost certainly crippled the momentum of Callier's fledgling career, the impact on the music itself was at most minimal -- while not the singer's best album, it's his most timeless and inviting, adhering closely to the folk stylings addressed by the title while largely ignoring the mystical jazz dimensions which texture his later material. on traditional tunes like "900 Miles" and "Cotton Eyed Joe"; while Callier's spiraling acoustic guitar lines and the use of two bassists (Terbour Attenborough and John Tweedle) reflect his admiration of John Coltrane,New Folk Sound is for the most part stark and simple, possessed of a subtle grace which spotlights his remarkably moving vocals to excellent effect -- it's a debut which holds all the promise fulfilled by his classic recordings for Cadet."
Great sound on this sixties Prestige/jazz LP. From the beginning on Terry was a lounger; but only in the nineties people discovered that he really was. His musical style is hard to describe: bit of folk, bit of jazz & bit of soul. In the UK they didn't know how to categorise his music and put it under soul/lounge. That was goodluck for Terry, because he became hip in the UK and played with new bands, which carried him on hands (as we say in Holland). I like this record very much: it's very sensible played & sung and has a jazz feel about it. Terry gives old tradional songs a fresh treatment even in the year 1966.
03. Joy Unlimited - All Heaven and All Earth are Silent 8:22
04. Virus - Mary Meets Tarzan 1:05
05. Dies Irae - Silent Night 5:38
06. Libido - Come on Everybody 6:38
07. Ardo Dombec - Heavenly Rose 3:52
08. Dies Irae - Shepard's Song 0:22
09. Ardo Dombec - Open Your Door, Open Your Mind 2:08
10. Virus - X-mas Submarine 3:26
11. Flute & Voice - Ecce Navicula 4:05
"Heavy Christmas" is a christmas-themed krautrock sampler put out in 1971 on the Pilz label, the home at the time of bands such as Dies Irae, Virus, Joy Unlimited and Rufus Zuphall. Expecting such a thing to be possibly a little more than embarrassing, It really is a surprisingly excellent collection of German prog, most of which is exclusive to this record.
One of the odder relics of the Krautrock heyday of the early '70s, Heavy Christmas found itself reissued in 1997 as part of the overall revival of the said sound. Originally released in 1971, it featured both new and traditional Christmas songs interpreted by seven different acts, most of whom contribute two tracks each. None of the featured acts are among the upper tier of Krautrock acts -- and it would have been quite something to hear the likes of Can, Kraftwerk, and Guru Guru do Christmas songs! -- but the end results have their high points. If any bands would be points of inspiration, Amon Duul II and Faust would probably be them; most of the acts here have the nutty playfulness of the first, touched here and there by the sheer cut-up chaos of the second. Compared to both, though, groups like Libido and Virus are much more straightforward. Libido itself gets in two of the representative songs: "Evolution," starting with a weird, ragged chorus and getting in some heavy drum slams and crazed guitar wah-wah action; and the rockin' good times of "Come on Everybody," apparently the album's single. Virus has its own fine winner, "X-Mas Submarine," with a stuttering keyboard line and fantastic guitar soloing its high points. Joy Unlimited's contribution is a doozy, a lengthy number called "All Heaven and Earth Are Silent" which sounds like a mix of stoner folk, pomp-rock instrumentals, and a strung-out Up With People. In perhaps the most entertaining trip-out, Dies Irae rips through an instrumental version of "Silent Night" with a snarling electric guitar taking the totally unlikely lead, alternating between full propulsion and calmer moments. Solo act Marcel delivers "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen" with a nicely airy vocal, while his backing musicians crank the amps and add violin to boot.
Trombone – Paul Faulise (tracks: A1, A3 to B1, B3)
Trombone – Tommy Mitchell (tracks: A1, A3 to B1, B3)
Drums – Bill Hart (tracks: A2, B2, B4)
Drums – Grady Tate (tracks: A1, A3 to B1, B3)
Flugelhorn – Joe Newman (tracks: A1, A3 to B1, B3)
French Horn – Don Corrado (tracks: A1, A3 to B1, B3)
French Horn – Earl Chapin (tracks: A1, A3 to B1, B3)
French Horn – Jim Buffington (tracks: A1, A3 to B1, B3)
French Horn – Morris Secon (tracks: A1, A3 to B1, B3)
Guitar – Kenny Burrell (tracks: A1, A3 to B1, B3)
Guitar – Quentin Warren (tracks: A2, B2, B4)
Harp – Margaret Ross (tracks: A1, A3 to B1, B3)
Organ, Leader – Jimmy Smith
Percussion – George Devens (tracks: A1, A3 to B1, B3)
Trombone – Chauncey Welsh (tracks: A1, A3 to B1, B3)
Trombone – Jimmy Cleveland (tracks: A1, A3 to B1, B3)
Trumpet – Bernie Glow (tracks: A1, A3 to B1, B3)
Trumpet – Danny Stiles (tracks: A1, A3 to B1, B3)
Trumpet – Ernie Royal (tracks: A1, A3 to B1, B3)Trumpet –
Joe Wilder (tracks: A1, A3 to B1, B3)
Tuba – Harvey Phillips (tracks: A1, A3 to B1, B3)
The cover of Jimmy Smith's 1964 Christmas album, the organist is decked out in a Santa suit behind the wheel of a red sports car with a tree and presents in tow. The irreverent and fun photograph is a good primer to the contents inside, for this is no hackneyed rundown of a group of well-worn holiday favourites. Instead, Smith puts a soulful and exciting stamp on each track, along with the help of arrangers Billy Byers and Al Cohn.
As was usual practice for many of Smith's Verve albums, he is joined on five numbers by a large brass orchestra. For the album's remaining three songs, he uses his working band of guitarist Quentin Warren and drummer Billy Hart.
Christmas Cookin' is divided evenly between secular Christmas songs and traditional carols. On "Jingle Bells" and "Santa Claus is Comin' To Town" with his trio, Smith establishes lightly swinging grooves and resists the temptation to indulge his virtuosity. Arranger Billy Byers creates a Count Basie-feel for "The Christmas Song," and casts Irving Berlin's "White Christmas" as a bossa nova. Both feature brief solos by Smith, but the tracks mainly mine the melodies of two of the most enduring standards of the holiday season.
Surprisingly, it is when Smith tackles the religious songs of Christmas that he really lets loose. The album's opener, "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen," is as far removed from serious church music as can be imagined. Billy Byers has the brass band first play the tune in a classical style which leads into an explosive entrance for Smith. The band repeats the melody, but this time as if it was intended to be used as background for a television crime drama. Then, Smith plays a greasy three-chorus solo with increasingly intense and forceful punctuations by the orchestra, who then carries the tune to a sparse conclusion, ending with only one trumpet. It is, without a doubt, the highlight of the album. Smith's trio tackles the number as well and their interpretation pales in comparison.
"We Three Kings (of Orient Are)" and "Silent Night" are also both unexpected twists on the usual holiday carol. Both feature very solemn introductions by the orchestra before Smith takes over and injects a jazz swagger to each. It is hard to believe that "Silent Night" could ever swing as much as it does here.
In addition, the 1992 CD reissue adds two other holiday-themed tracks from Smith's years at Verve: "Baby, It's Cold Outside" with Wes Montgomery and "Greensleeves" from the album Organ Grinder Swing.
This Christmas jazz album has five selections in which organist Jimmy Smith is joined by a big band arranged by either Billy Byers or Al Cohn. The remaining selections feature Smith with a variety of trios; guitarist Wes Montgomery is heard on “Baby It’s Cold Outside” one of two “bonus” cuts taken from other sessions that help to fill up this otherwise brief set. Smith is fine on “Jingle Bells“, “Santa Claus Is Coming to Town” and two versions of “God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen” and, even if nothing all that unusual occurs, the performances can serve as high-quality background music during the Christmas season.
Just love it, a holiday must. Comes automatically in your library on the Amazon Music player, so I can listen to it any time on my computer, as I am right now. Heavy rotation during the holidays, it never loses its appeal. Definitely a hint of humor here and there, just wonderful. But also some serious/fun Hammond B-3 jazz.
01. Deck The Halls / Bring A Torch, Jeannette, Isabella 4:03
02. God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen 3:06
03. I Can Tell When Christmas Is Near 3:02
04. I Believe In Christmas Eve 2:03
05. The Christmas Song (Merry Christmas To You) 3:27
06. Jingle Bells 2:47
07. It's Christmas Time 3:27
08. Go Tell It On The Mountain 3:45
09. Away In The Manger / Coventry Carol 2:23
10. Peace On Earth (Good Will Toward Men) 3:03
11. The Day That Love Began 3:53
12. A Child Is Waiting 2:42
Two of the hard and fast rules of the music business holiday season are that you know you’ve made it is when you’re asked to record a Christmas album; and that most festive songs are recorded at the height of summer, or certainly not when there’s any snow or tinsel in sight.
Motown was never backward in getting the label’s big stars into the studio to make a Yuletide disc, and the Miracles had that honor bestowed on them for the first time when Christmas With The Miracles was released in 1963. Featuring their versions of such chestnuts (roasting on an open fire) as “Winter Wonderland”, “Let It Snow” and “White Christmas”, the album made Billboard‘s special Christmas charts several times through the 1960s.
By 1970, it was time for another seasonal offering from Smokey Robinson and the group, and on November 23 that year, The Season For Miracles was new in record stores. This was less two months after the group, by now featuring Smokey’s name above the title, had released their latest studio LP, A Pocketful Of Miracles. In a relentless schedule of productivity that, in turn, was just five months after the group’s preceding concept album of love songs, the April release What Love Has… Joined Together.
This time, the group set about such favourites as “God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen”, “Jingle Bells” and “The Christmas Song (Merry Christmas To You)”, this last with old friends the Temptations. There were also some newer selections, including two holiday offerings written by Stevie Wonder, “I Can Tell When Christmas Is Near” and “It’s Christmas Time”. The album spent the 1970 Christmas season on the dedicated Yuletide chart, reaching No.13.
03. The Temptations– Rudolph, The Red Nosed Reindeer
04. Diana Ross & The Supremes– My Favorite Things
05. Smokey Robinson & The Miracles– Deck The Halls/ Bring A Torch, Jeannette, Isabella
06. The Jackson 5– I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus
07. Stevie Wonder– Ave Maria
08. The Temptations– Silent Night
09. Michael Jackson– Little Christmas Tree
10. Smokey Robinson & The Miracles– God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen
11. The Jackson 5– The Christmas Song (Merry Christmas To You)
12. Diana Ross & The Supremes– Joy To The World
13. The Temptations– The Little Drummer Boy
14. Diana Ross & The Supremes– Silver Bells
15. Stevie Wonder– Someday At Christmas
16. The Jackson 5– Frosty The Snowman
17. Smokey Robinson & The Miracles– Jingle Bells
18. The Temptations– My Christmas Tree
19. Diana Ross & The Supremes– White Christmas
20. Stevie Wonder– One Little Christmas Tree
21. The Jackson 5– Give Love On Christmas Day
22. Smokey Robinson & The Miracles– It's Christmas Time
23. Diana Ross & The Supremes– Children's Christmas Song
24. The Jackson 5– Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas
CD reissue has additional track by Marvin Gaye ("I Want To Come Home For Christmas").
Every holiday season, I marvel that every record collector - hell, every person - on the face of the planet doesn't own A MOTOWN CHRISTMAS. A remastered, expanded (25 tracks!), budget-priced version of a 1973 two-LP set, this CD contains highlights from a variety of Christmas albums and singles released by the Detroit-based rhythm & blues label during their "Golden Decade" from 1962 to 1971
A Motown Christmas is simply magnificent, but it tends to gather dust in record store bins. Perhaps this is because oldies radio stations play the same handful of Motown songs over and over and over, obscuring the fact that the label was an incredibly inventive and prolific hit factory for more than a decade. Containing nearly all the best Christmas tracks from Motown's vaults, A Motown Christmas qualifies as a consumer's delight, and it is far superior to the rest of Motown's many other various artist Christmas packages, which tend to be brief and random in their selection (more below). I recommend it without reservation.
The important thing to remember about Motown's Christmas songs is that they were more Motown than Christmas, translating the big beat and pop savvy of Hitsville USA into yuletide cheer. To name just a few of the highlights: the Temptations' lush "Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer;" the Jackson Five's frenetic "Santa Claus Is Coming To Town;" and Stevie Wonder's earnest "Someday At Christmas." In addition, two tracks are otherwise hard-to-find: Michael Jackson's "Little Christmas Tree" (recorded specifically for the original 1973 LP), and Marvin Gaye's gently pacifist "I Want To Come Home For Christmas" (recorded but not released in 1972, then added to the CD reissue). Even at their most maudlin - the Supremes tracks, for instance - these songs are hipper than almost anything else released for the holidays throughout the 60's and early 70's.
As mentioned, A Motown Christmas culls tracks from a variety of sources. These include six full-length albums, all of which yield their own rewards. Foremost among them is the Temptations' mighty Christmas Card (1970) and the Jackson 5's wonderful Christmas Album (1970). Smokey Robinson and the Miracles contributed two solid albums, Christmas With The Miracles (1963) and A Season For Miracles (1970), followed by lesser efforts from the Supremes (Merry Christmas, 1965) and Stevie Wonder (Someday At Christmas, 1967). Even further, Motown released a handful of non-LP Christmas singles and a 1968 compilation entitled Merry Christmas From Motown. Collectors should note that the latter album was repackaged (literally - the record label remained unchanged) in 1970 as Christmas Gift 'Rap, and then it was reissued on CD in 1993 in a rather bowdlerized version.
And, that's a bunch of Christmas records, despite the fact that such Motown stalwarts as Gladys Knight, the Four Tops, and Marvin Gaye never released formal Christmas albums - not, at least, during Motown's fabled Golden Decade, if at all. Which is to say, a lot of great music remains beyond A Motown Christmas - some of it never even officially released.
Thankfully, the label eventually unleashed a motherlode of such rare treasures, both as bonus tracks on individual CD reissues and on subsequent compilations. The first - and still the greatest - such anthology was CHRISTMAS IN THE CITY (1993). Consisting exclusively of elusive Detroit pearls, it's a collector's delight. Among the highlights: the Motown house band (aka the Funk Brothers), romping through "Winter Wonderland;" Kim Weston's chimerical "Wish You A Merry Christmas;" an unreleased Supremes track better than anything on their Merry Christmas album; and no fewer than four Marvin Gaye cuts, including his lovely "Purple Snowflakes."
In 2001, the astute marketing department at Motown took the best cuts from Christmas In The City, added a few more rarities, and tossed in some leftovers from their catalog. They released this hodgepodge as A MOTOWN CHRISTMAS VOL. 2. The inclusion of such heretofore unreleased cuts as the Funk Brothers' "Xmas Twist" (credited to the Twistin' Kings) and the Supremes' "O Holy Night" (featuring a rare Florence Ballard lead vocal) make Motown Christmas Vol. 2 more attractive (not less) to major Motown fans (like me). But, the overall quality cannot compare to the original collection - especially to casual fans. And, at a mere 14 tracks (compared to 25 on the first volume), Motown Christmas Vol. 2 smacks of exploitation. If, like the first volume, Motown Christmas Vol. 2 had been stretched to 25 tracks, consumers could have purchased nearly the complete Motown Christmas catalog in two easy steps.
Instead, Motown Christmas Vol. 2 functions as an imperfect - though perfectly enjoyable - sequel to the 1973 masterpiece. Still, the two discs combined contain about two-thirds of the Motown Christmas songs I consider "essential," and I purchased well over ten CD's to collect them all. Most people have better sense....
But what of all those other Motown Christmas albums - the dozens upon dozens of choices you'll encounter when flipping through the CD racks or browsing sites like Amazon? Motown, you see, has become a master of catalog exploitation, shoddily packaging brief bits of their rich legacy for impulse purchase nearly everywhere - from record stores to truck stops. Take, for instance, the widely distributed, 12-song 20th Century Masters: The Best Of Motown Christmas (2003) (and its 2005 sequel). Those are twelve great songs, but they'll cost you about the same as the 25 great songs on the original Motown Christmas. So, buyer beware.
Still, Motown's Christmas legacy is almost as deep as it is broad. All those myriad collections are mined from the same rich vein, and at least one, A MOTOWN CHRISTMAS CAROL (1995), rises nearly to the level of the original Motown Christmas. Consisting of 19 songs (mainly traditional Christmas carols) interspersed with spoken greetings from Hitsville's brightest stars, A Motown Christmas Carol proves what the label can do when they, well, try. Here, they even threw in a previously unreleased Supremes track (later added as a bonus track to the girls' Merry Christmas) to induce holiday rapture in Diana Ross' legions of fans.
All the same, it's no substitute for A Motown Christmas. Besides, at the risk of repeating myself, each individual piece of the Motown Christmas catalog has wonderful moments not included on Motown Christmas or similar albums. For instance, the Miracles' "Christmas Everyday" (1963) - one of the best original Motown Christmas songs - is available only on discs such as the group's highly recommended Our Very Best Christmas (1999). Translated, that means I bought them all. A Motown Christmas will suffice for almost everyone else....
I wrote this article - the first draft of it, anyway - around the turn of the 21st century. Thereafter, Motown, as had long been their habit, continued to exploit their catalog, and it's worth noting that I am just skimming the cream off the top. There are dozens - perhaps hundreds - of Motown Christmas albums on the market, especially in Europe where "Tamla" is practically a holy sacrament. Still, along the way, the label pulled some impressive tricks out of their bag. In 2009, Motown released The Ultimate Motown Christmas Collection, a 2-CD, 51-track compilation that pulls tracks from virtually every album described herein. It's great, though less so than it first appears. For starters, 16 of those tracks are brief "season's greetings" from the label's roster - charming but inconsequential. Mainly, however, there's just no matching the distilled brilliance of the original Motown Christmas. Unless....
If you're not a "collector" in the pure, obsessive sense of the word, then you'll appreciate Classic Motown Christmas (2014), an eleven "disc" digital download featuring just about every holiday track the label has ever released - including the complete original Motown Christmas. You can't hold it in your hands, but Classic Motown Christmas will provide literally hours of listening pleasure. (Sadly, the label later deleted the download, though the package remained available for streaming.)
Of course, Motown didn't cease to exist after their "Golden Decade." The Temptations recorded another holiday record, Give Love At Christmas (1980), and the Four Tops finally waxed theirs - Christmas Here With You - in 1995. Gladys Knight and the Pips recorded nary a noel note for Motown, but they ultimately recorded two Christmas albums after they left the label for greener pastures (read more).
But, more to the point, Motown continued to sign and record young artists during the decades that followed. In 1989, the label put together MOTOWN CHRISTMAS ALBUM: CHRISTMAS CHEERS FROM MOTOWN, a brand new collection mingling stars from their current roster (The Boys, Johnny Gill) with stars from their glorious past (Temptations, Smokey Robinson). More than 30 years later, a completely fresh batch of artists recorded an EP called A MOTOWN HOLIDAY (2020), and the following year the label expanded it into an album, CHRISTMAS WITH MOTOWN, drawing on catalog recordings going as far back as the 1960's.
Anyway, Christmas Cheers From Motown and A Motown Holiday have their moments, and I certainly won't stand in the way of progress. But, they serve mainly to remind us of what once was, and what would never again be - that Motown once was a sound, and not merely a record label.
This is such a fun and joyeous album. Virtually every song is terrific with my personal favorites being Miss Diana Ross and The Supremes’ version of “My Favorite Things,” Stevie Wonder’s “What Christmas Means to Me” which was unfortunately used in an Old Navy commercial a few years ago, and all the Smokey Robinson songs. Of course, it’s alway fun to hear young Michael Jackson alongside his brothers and remember how he was before he turned into the King of Weird. However, I think Miss Diana Ross’ “Children’s Christmas Song” to be the weakest song, but it’s followed up by a pretty decent “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas” by the Jackson 5 featuring Jermaine on lead which ends by going into an early 70’s style version of “We Wish You a Merry Christmas!” with the Jackson brothers wishing “everybody a Merry Christmas and a GROOVY New Year!”
10. All I Want For Christmas Is My Two Front Teeth
11. Winter Wonderland
12. Silent Holy Night
13. For Auld Lang Syne
It’s all about those honeyed harmonies on this winning collection of festive favorites from a classic vocal group. Drawing on doo-wop, soul, and blues, The Platters’ voices melt into each other over sighing strings on dreamy versions of “White Christmas,” “Silent Night,” and “Auld Lang Syne.” Their massed singing sounds weightless and angelic, seamlessly meshing even when they ratchet up the tempo and start swinging on “Santa Claus Is Comin’ to Town” and “Jingle Bell Rock.”
Old-school doo wop and R&B enthusiasts should note this baker’s dozen of seasonal offerings from the incipient incarnation of the Platters. The quintet serves up distinct and soulful interpretations of well-known selections, such as the buoyant opening “Jingle Bell Jingle” and a heartfelt stirring rendition of “White Christmas“, boasting a signature Buck Ram string arrangement. More in the spirit of the genre is the appropriately ebullient “Santa Claus Is Coming to Town“. The yuletide novelty “All I Want for Christmas Is My Two Front Teeth” is likewise a standout, featuring a lighthearted lead from Zola Taylor. Standing in contrast is the affectively sublime “Silent Night” which is one of the effort’s finest moments, as well as “Auld Lang Syne” and a heartfelt “I’ll Be Home for Christmas“.
Ram’s combination of intimate orchestration and warm inviting vocals has never sounded better. His influence similarly stretches into a pair of original compositions. “Christmas Time” is a waltz ballad that feels right at home in the Platters’ canon beside the likes of “Twilight Time” and “Smoke Gets in Your Eyes“. Ram’s “Come Home for Christmas” is languid and laid-back, with a smoky debonair lead from tenor Tony Williams. Of the uptempo numbers, “Jingle Bell Rock” captures the essence and innocence of the era.
Backing Vocals – Debra Carter, Harvey Jones, Linda Jones
Bass – Ray Griffin
Drums – Steve Potts
Guitar – Thomas Bingham
Keyboards – Jesse Butler
Guitar – Moses Dillard
Synthesizer – Carl Marsh
Vocals – Al Green
Pure, loving, and honest. Those words describe the spirit of this holiday–and the voice of this soul music giant. Al Green, who became an ordained minister many years ago, could be expected to put his all into songs of praise such as “O Holy Night” and “Silent Night” .
On this collection, however, he gives equal time to more modern holiday favorites, lingering languidly over the melodies of numbers such as “I’ll Be Home for Christmas” and “Winter Wonderland“. The sounds are sweeter than the candy canes.
Although seasonal albums can be ponderous affairs, Rev. Al Green made sure that wasn’t the case on this mid-’80s work. He attacked traditional carols, hymns, and holiday material with the same devotion as he did soul anthems and gospel classics. Even if you’re not a fan of holiday albums (and I for one am not), this deserves high praises.
You’d think this would be a match made in heaven – the joy of Christmas mated with the ecstatic soul of AL GREEN. Instead, this is a tepid, disco-tinged affair of dubious merit. This is not surprising, perhaps, since the record was cut several years after Green’s creative peak on Memphis-based Hi Records in the early 70’s, when he cut such soul classics as “Let’s Stay Together” and “You Ought To Be With Me.” Most crucially, Green waxed his Christmas album sans the spark and percolating arrangements formerly provided by bandleader and svengali Willie Mitchell. You see, listening to Al Green without Mitchell’s support and inspiration is like watching Mario Andretti behind the wheel of a Toyota Corolla – he can only go so fast and so far. Still, Rev. Green is full of fire on at least a few cuts, making this worth the effort for serious soul buffs and committed Christmas fanatics – and I qualify on both counts.
Now, let’s be clear – Al Green has recorded only one Christmas album, and all the albums listed below – and many more online – contain roughly the same music. Over the years, Green’s original 1983 recordings have been reissued numerous times by numerous labels in almost as many configurations.
The album was originally released by gospel label Word Records in 1983 as White Christmas on white vinyl with an all-white cover! In 1986, Word reissued White Christmas on CD through Sony with a conventional new cover, then it was reissued in England as The Christmas Album about ten years later.
What an extraordinary voice Letta Mbulu has and the two openers (especially "Afro Texas") are thrilling inviters for a quite unknown album and singer. Everything here smells to early/middle 70's, the loud brass section, the afro-funk and soulful expression, even a tearful ballad ("Saddest Day" is exactly what it is) in a Roberta Flack manner (anyway the least interesting track on the album). She's wonderful when she sings in her native language and she could be considered a kind of african Aretha Franklin. A voice to be rediscovered now
One of the hippest albums ever cut by Letta Mbulu – a perfect mix of her Soweto roots and the funky styles of her adopted California home! The album’s the only one that Mbulu ever recorded for Fantasy Records – and the style brings together those great sing-song vocal modes perfected on her 60s records, with some of the funky jazz elements that were bubbling in the Fantasy scene during the years of Cannonball Adderley and David Axelrod!
No surprise, both Cannonball and Nat Adderley appear on the record, and the set’s produced by their own company – with lots of great early arrangements from the great Wayne Henderson. Some of the best tracks have a spacious groove that leaves plenty of room for funky basslines
The regality of Letta Mbulu is never lost on anyone in her presence. The legendary jazz singer has never been one to shy away from her dreams, and her warmth and sophistication have ensured her illustrious career’s longevity. Mbulu was born and raised in the township of Soweto, where she started singing in her early teen years. While still a teenager, she toured the country with the South African musical production of King Kong, later extending to Europe.
As the apartheid regime loomed over people of colour in the 1970s, Mbulu went ito the United States. Where, in exile, she continued to pursue music. She toured with jazz alto saxophonist, Cannonball Adderly, and also went on to join forces with American singer, Harry Belafonte. Together they went on several world tours. Her main musical influences became folk, American Jazz and Brazilian music.
Mbulu met and married South African musician, Caiphus Semenya, with whom she has recorded a number of hit songs. While in exile, she released numerous albums from 1967 to 1983, which all achieved relative success. Songs like “I Need Your Love,” “Buza,” and “Everybody Sing Along” are soulful tributes to her heritage. “There’s Music in the Air” is definitely a fan favourite and an example of how powerful a musical instrument of nature Mbulu is.
Mbulu also ventured into acting while in America, starring in the film Roots, for which she received an Emmy Award. Her other screen credits include A Warm December and The Color Purple. She also collaborated with the late icon, Micheal Jackson on his song “Liberian Girl”, one of many milestones in her career.
She is a founding member of the organisation, South African Artists United (SAAU), which produced thepolitical and historical musical, Buwa, with Mbulu in the leading role. Upon her return to South Africa in 1992, Mbulu and her husband produced the hit album, "Not Yet Uhuru", which received critical acclaim and connected her to South African audiences.
In 2001, Mbulu received a South African Music Award for her lifetime achievement in the music industry. Her home in Orlando East, Soweto is decorated with a Johannesburg Heritage Site Blue Plaque to honour her legacy and contribution to the SA jazz scene. Her joyful, memorable songs are magnificent examples of African-American soul, and she continues to wow audiences as she and her husband perform at various local festivals.
Following two artistically successful but commercially disappointing LPs under the auspices of the legendary producer/arranger David Axelrod, South African transplant Letta Mbulu joined fellow exile Hugh Masekela's new Chisa label. (She'd recently appeared on the Masekela-produced Africa '68 album.) On Letta, Masekela (along with co-producer Stewart Levine) opted for earthier, more direct arrangements than the texture-heavy (and occasionally overly exotic) orchestrations favored by Axelrod. Like her earlier albums, Mbulu sings in English and various South African tongues, but the music -- owing to Masekela's production -- is far earthier. The horns are full and present, unlike Axelrod's Los Angeles soundstages, and the grooves are distinctly African. On the opening "Mahlalela" (Lazy Bones), a chorus of a cappella voices leads into an R&B-influenced Afro-groove, as Mbulu settles into a more "traditional" pop vocal. The rest of the disc -- penned mostly by Mbulu's husband, Caiphus Semenya -- is propelled by an experienced gravitas, and sold by Mbulu's voice, which is classic R&B: capable and convincing, with not a little naïve sweetness. "I Need Your Love" is a catchy unheard classic, getting over -- like Letta as a whole -- with an easygoing perfection.
As soon as you see the striking photo of Letta on the cover you know you're holding a very special piece of wax in your hands, and for me this is definitely her best album (and that's saying something considering the quality of her other lps) The songs cover the full range of emotions from the joyus 'Use Mncane (Little One)' to the sensual opener 'Mahlalela (Lazy Bones)' but it's Jigijela (Don't Throw Stones) that absolutely kills me...it tells the story of township youths retaliating with stones against armed apartheid forces when they know they don't stand a chance... when it hits you this is one of the most emotionally charged songs of all time. One day someone will use this song in a film and there won't be a dry eye in the cinema.
Sublime album from a singer who deserves to be far better known... One of my desert island discs. This needs to be reissued now!
It's music like this that reminds you it's good to be alive!
Guitarist Jack Wilkins' debut on producer Bob Shad's Mainstream label lay gathering dust for almost forty-five years before being reissued on CD by Solid Records in 2017. That disc, and now WeWantSounds' 2018 vinyl edition, have restored to general circulation an album that can be filed alongside such mid-twentieth century jazz-guitar gems as Johnny Smith's Moonlight In Vermont (Roost, 1956), Wes Montgomery's Incredible Jazz Guitar (Riverside, 1960) and Grant Green's Idle Moments (Blue Note, 1964), from each of which Windows suggests Wilkins drew inspiration.
The cause of Windows' long spell in purgatory was that following Bob Shad's passing in 1985, Mainstream was acquired by Sony, who sat on it for decades. This despite the fact that Mainstream's spiritual-jazz / freedom-jazz catalogue is on a par with those of its contemporaries Strata-East, Impulse and Muse. Sony's inaction was a crime against jazz. Things only picked up when Shad's grandson, film-maker Judd Apatow, bought back the rights and licensed Solid's and WeWantSounds' reissue programmes.
Windows began to develop cult status with a new generation of listeners in 1993, when A Tribe Called Quest included a sample of the album's slow-funk Freddie Hubbard cover, "Red Clay," on Midnight Marauders (Jive). On the other tracks, Wilkins blends Johnny Smith's chordal improvising, Wes Montgomery's parallel-octave runs and the languorous single-note runs Green brought to ballads. The material includes Chick Corea's title track, Wayne Shorter's "Pinocchio" and John Coltrane's "Naima." The other two tracks, the furiously paced "Canzona" and gorgeous acoustic-guitar feature "Song For The Last Act," are originals by Mike Moore, bassist on the session.
Windows cannot be said to have broken any new ground, but it dug deep into previously charted territory and it still makes for glorious listening. Its reissue is a major event. So too are WeWantSounds' other Mainstream releases—Buddy Terry's Awareness (1971), Harold Land's A New Shade Of Blue (1971) and a couple of various artists compilations including the outstanding Innerpeace: Rare Spiritual Funk And Jazz Gems: The Supreme Sound Of Bob Shad (1971-1974). These discs have previously been reviewed here. Hopefully, many more reissues will follow.
In jazz, as with any creative endeavor, adverse circumstances occasionally precipitate unforeseen successes. Such was the case on the occasion of Windows, guitarist Jack Wilkins’ debut as a leader for the Mainstream label back in 1972. Absent a studio-present producer and saddled with an instrument that appeared the worse for wear along with an amp that proved too powerful for the recording space, Wilkins took matters into his own hands and opted for some quietly radical solutions. Bucking custom, he directed bassist Michael Moore and drummer Bill Goodwin to play as softly as possible and dialed down his own sound to a whisper. Headphones eliminated any auditory obstacles between the players and the resulting dynamic was one of close and detailed listening. Post-recording mixing took care of lingering dynamic discrepancies in the music for an album rich in detail and nuance.
Logistical headaches allayed, Wilkins was free to focus his faculties on playing in a program dominated by popular jazz tunes of the day starting with a lengthy sally through the knotty structures of Chick Corea’s title piece. An unaccompanied preface of ringing chords gives way to a lilting ensemble clip with Moore’s plump, electricity-enhanced strings buttressing the bottom end. Goodwin sticks mainly to cymbal accents as the leader veers between octaves and densely-deployed single notes, a clean sheen of amplification sheathing his patterns in a warm aural glow. Moore’s solo gets a bit muddy, the delicate harmonics lacing his lines blunted by his amp, but there’s no denying his digital dexterity or speed and Goodwin’s press roll-stamped accompaniment restores some crispness. Wilkins’ treatment of John Coltrane’s “Naima” trades usual velocity for a languorous crawl where Wilkins’ wry skill with octaves once again shines.
Moore contributes two pieces to the session with “Canzona” and the set closing “Song of the Last Act” going varying Latin routes. Wilkins’ strings sound almost acoustic on the former, his lively strums joining bells, shakers and brushes from Goodwin as a backdrop to the bassist’s fleet-fingered leads. The leader revives his amp for a solo steeped in samba drive and syncopation while his work on the latter resembles some convincing Spanish guitar. Also on the docket are the modal crowd-pleasers embodied in Wayne Shorter’s “Pinocchio” and Freddie Hubbard’s “Red Clay”, each given worthy workouts by the three that express fundamental allegiances while also casually breaking form. Wilkins’ date is definitely carries the trappings of its time, but does so while also avoiding the all too common excesses. The latter is almost certainly a byproduct of the backstory for a studio band forced to think on its collective feet throughout what could’ve been a fraught recording process.
Quite a slick jazz guitar album with a very moody night time vibe! Jack Wilkins' guitar is recorded in such a grainy and echoing way, which gives this feeling of being in an empty, dimly lit room. It's probably best known for the song "Red Clay", which was cleverly sampled by Q-Tip in A Tribe Called Quest's "Midnight Marauders" (another album with a great night life vibe!) that has a sick bass line and a hypnotic chord progression. The other songs still stand well on their own, such as the lethargic cover of Coltrane's "Naima", contrasting to the fast paced "Canzona". The songs aren't too long or too short and the whole album clocks in at around a half hour, delivering a solid debut for Jack Wilkins.
At the center of this album are the keyboards, a funkier electric setup at the start of the album and boppish acoustic later, the playing on these being rather "choppy" as the tempos often come close to what Keith Emerson used to practice in his days. The guitar playing of John Abercrombie doesn't really do much for me - the usual linear, arpeggiated licks through an occasional pedal. Yeah, never heard this approach before. The thing that differentiates this album are the cool scat vocals, all three tracks with the vocal arrangements "Scatbird", "Skeleton Dance" and "Latina" are my favorites here. "Skeleton Dance" in particular stands out with gorgeous floating melody lines and exceptional phrasing of Miles. The soloing on the track does seem a bit stretched though, they could've trimmed a few minutes from its 9 and a half minute span and it would've been even better IMO. The only fully electric track that does something for me is the intense modal jam of "Life Cycle", but again, I prefer the sharp and neurotic phrasing of Barry Miles on his Rhodes to the redundant fuzz guitar lines. Not essential material, but it has grown a lot on me since my first listen.
Barry Miles was considered a child prodigy: he began playing drums when he was three, piano at five and joined the Musicians Union when he was nine. Miles played drums professionally from the age of ten, including sitting in with the Woody Herman Orchestra. At age 12, he recorded his first album as a leader on drums, leading a sextet that included pianist Duke Jordan. As a teenager, he studied classical piano and soon switched instruments. Originally a bop-oriented player, Miles leaned towards fusion by the late 1960s, often playing electric piano and synthesizer. He led Barry Miles & Silverlight for several years (his sidemen at various times included Woody Shaw, John Abercrombie and Al DiMeola), worked as Roberta Flack's musical director in the early '80s to the mid-'90s, and became a studio musician in New York.
An overlooked gem from keyboardist Barry Miles -- and one of the most compelling early 70s sides on the Mainstream Records label! Barry's got a way of really making his keys sing out nicely -- playing both acoustic and electric piano with plenty of warm tones and gently flowing modes -- but never in a way that's too far out from jazz, or too smooth to be sleepy. The set features twin guitars from Pat Martino and John Abercrombie, both of whom underscore the chromatic nature of Miles' playing
