Mike Selesia - 1976 - Flavor

Mike Selesia 

1976

Flavors

01. MR P.C.

02. Brute Strength

03. Yusefs Way

04. Silvers Serenade

05. Castle Spook (Part 1)

06. Eastern Raga

07. Flavor

08. Castle Spook (Part 2)

Flute, Soprano Saxophone, Tenor Saxophone – Mike Selesia

Bass Guitar, Congas, Drum [Belly Drum] – Bruce Preston

Congas, Timbales, Cowbell, Percussion – Sam Salgado

Drums – Al Santana

Vibraphone, Tenor Saxophone, Drums, Percussion, Autoharp – John William Malott (tracks: A5, B3)

Guitar – Joe Kurpell (tracks: A2, A4, A5, B2, B5), Nick Cisco (tracks: A1, A3, A4)

Organ – Lloyd Earhart (tracks: A5, B3)

Piano – Mike Selesia (tracks: B3)

Piano, Organ – Lloyd Earhart

Saxophone – Bruce Preston (tracks: A5, B3)

Strings – Lloyd Earhart (tracks: A5, B3)

Tambourine [Tamboura] – Ruth Selesia (tracks: B1)

"This Album is a product of musical workshops twice a week for an extended period of time. Experimentation through concentration and the proper flow of energy has helped capture the improvisational themes on the album. Virtuous musical tones, ideas and rhythms are available to the listeners and performer of modern day music. these compositions are but a few of my musical ideas. I hope this album pleases the listener as it has enlightened and captured me. Many thanks for my musicians and their efforts of creativity. Happy listening Mike Selesia

Art by Malott

Special thanks to Engineer Chuck Leary and Asst Lauri Meagher"

Fresno, CA based jazz musician Mike Selesia (who plays sax and flute) presented this fascinating hybrid of early 60s Coltrane, early 70s Miles Davis, Ravi Shankar and Jimi Hendrix. Album starts with the former and gradually moves to the latter. By the end we have an almost Kosmische Krautrock type sound, something that would have been comfortable on the Ohr and Brain labels. Wild fuzz guitar, fluttering flute, sitar & tamboura, hand percussion, haunting voices and reckless experimentation. As if the drugs kicked in about half way. Excellent album.

This is a cool jazz album all the way around. From the black and white hand-drawn to the fact that it came out of Fresno, California (not exactly a hotbed for jazz) to the handful of styles present (straight ahead, funky, free, and even a raga), this record’s got it going on. High-quality musicianship and some far-out stoner tracks make this album stand head and shoulders above most of its private peers. Original very limited issue (rumor has it that only 300 were pressed). This album was a very limited press that was handed out at their shows and sold to local record stores. Only together for nine months, Mike Selesia (who plays Sax and Flute) and the band recorded this album in one day presented this fascinating hybrid of early 60s Coltrane, early 70s Miles Davis