Yusef Lateef with Art Farmer - 1977 - Autophysiopsychic

Yusef Lateef with Art Farmer

1974

Autophysiopsychic

01. 'Robot Man 6:37

02. Look On Your Right Side 5:08

03. YL (Pronounced Eel) 7:56

04. Communication 9:21

05. Sister Mamie 10:06

Backing Vocals – Babi Floyd, Frank Floyd, Milt Grayson, Norberto Jones

Bass – Alex Blake (2) (tracks: B2), Gary King

Drums – Jim Madison*, Steve Gadd (tracks: B2)

Electric Violin – Noel Pointer (tracks: B2)

Flugelhorn – Art Farmer

Guitar – Eric Gale

Keyboards – Clifford Carter

Percussion – Sue Evans

Tenor Saxophone, Soprano Saxophone, Flute, Shanai, Lead Vocals – Yusef Lateef

Recorded at Electric Lady Studios, October 1977.

Autophysiopsychic is probably the single album that many Yusef Lateef fans either love or hate the most. Along with guest soloist Art Farmer on flugelhorn, guitarist Eric Gale, keyboardist Cliff Carter, drummer Jim Madison and bassist Gary King (except for "Sister Mamie," which features Steve Gadd and Alex Blake respectively), "Teefski" romps through five fat slices of original funk that have far more in common with the sounds of Chocolate City than with the bop sounds of 52nd Street. Autophysiopsychic is awash in the soft soul-funk-jazz sound typical of Creed Taylor's (CTI) productions in the 1970s. And even though the backing instrumentation and rhythms are not much more than mainstream R&B and funk shot through with a few oddities, Farmer and Lateef (on tenor and soprano saxes, flute and shanai) lay down solos that bite and swing so momentously that they provide musical merit to this entire project. Each seems to continually prod the other -- Lateef more robust and biting, Farmer more fluid and soft -- up to the next level. Their turns in "Robot Man" and "Look On Your Right Side" are particularly memorable, especially Farmer's closing solo in "Right Side," which seems to blend New Orleans swing with nursery-rhyme sing-song simplicity. Not the most typical album in Lateef's wide-ranging catalog, but certainly the most fun.

A strange bit of funk from Yusef Lateef – a bit of a change from his other 70s records, but pretty nice too! The record was recorded late in the CTI electric years – and it's got Yusef fronting a funky jazz group on five long tracks that have a decidedly R&B-ish current – that Kudu/CTI vibe, stretched out in arrangements by the great Dave Matthews – the maestro who maybe made the second greatest contribution to CTI charts after Bob James! Lateef plays tenor, soprano sax, flute, shenhai, and even vocalizes a bit – and Art Farmer also gets in lots of solos on flugel