Norman Connors - 1973 - Dark Of Light

Norman Connors

1973

Dark Of Light

01. Dark Of Light 11:45

02. Butterfly Dreams 5:15

03. Laughter 2:55

04. Black Lightnin 11:50

05. Twilight Zone 1:30

06. Song For Rosa 2:00

Alto Saxophone – Gary Bartz

Bass – Buster Williams (tracks: A1)

Bass – Cecil McBee

Bass – Stanley Clarke (tracks: B1)

Bassoon, Alto Flute – Alfred Williams* (tracks: B1)

Congas – Lawrence Killian

Drums – Norman Connors

Electric Guitar, Acoustic Guitar – Ted Dunbar (tracks: A1)

Electric Piano – Elmer Gibson (tracks: B1)

Electric Piano, Piano – Herbie Hancock

Flute – Art Webb

Percussion – Gerald Roberts (tracks: B1), Henry Palmer (tracks: B1), Warren Smith

Piano – Alan Gumbs (tracks: B2)

Producer – Dennis Wilen, Skip Drinkwater

Strings – Gail Dixon*, Jerry Little, Pat Dixon

Tenor Saxophone, Soprano Saxophone – Carlos Garnett

Trumpet – Eddie Henderson

Vocals – Dee Dee Bridgewater, Ellen DeLeston, Michael Brown

Recorded at: The Hit Factory, N.Y.C. and Sigma Sound Studios, Philadelphia, Pa.

This is in the stone groove of earlier Connors delights -- New York club music, the nexus where disco and jazz collided and gave birth to a brassy sort of funk. Players abound here: Herbie Hancock, Cecil McBee, Gary Bartz, and Stanley Clarke, to name but a few. Soon after this, Connors had some hits and started making records he figured his "public" wanted to hear.

A real head-scratcher this one. I can't for the love of God understand why the people who arranged the woodwinds/horns opted for such slick scales for the solos on the opening track. Also, these friendly sounding scat vocalizations are eerily close to similar muzak that developed a major following in the smooth jazz circles much later than '72-'73. After the refreshingly nice classical guitar intro ends on "Dark of Light" we enter into short psychedelic bridge until Herbie unleashes the ominous surrealism from the Mwandishi period which is supported by the percussive tribalism of the bands dynamic rhythm section and suddenly BAM - to year 1978-80 where a crappy horn and soprano sax deliver wimpy lines for the masses. Just, Wow. The second track has been arranged in similar fashion and reminds me the smoother stuff that starts gradually appearing on Hancock's mid-seventies output, listenable, but leaves a mawkish aftertaste.

"Laughter" is a pretty decent odd-funk groove with no huge highs or lows, besides the catchy rhythms. Now the only reason why I'm still holding on to this one is the pseudo collaboration of Miles Davis and Pharoah Sanders on "Black Lightnin" which actually has some balls in its enrapturing sonic chaos. It's not as skronky as your usual Sanders track and blasts off effectively by the gonzo meter while the duo of trumpet and tenor sax wander around more avant-garde corners. Some Bitches Brew themed trumpet wails in the middle of the track support the abrasive arrangement with paranoid features until the elements eventually collide, crash and burn at the end of the track. Now that's an absolute winner as far as I'm concerned! Moments of occasional joy, but I was expecting a little less cheese in my sonic sandwich.

Early genius from drummer Norman Connors – a sensational bit of righteous soul jazz – right up there with the best work on Strata East and Black Jazz from the time! The sound here is full, soulful, and spiritual – as Connors heads up a large ensemble that includes luminaries like Herbie Hancock, Eddie Henderson, Gary Bartz, Carlos Garnett, Buster Williams, and Dee Dee Bridgewater – all working together in a formation that's free spirited, yet tightly unified – often at a level that's even stronger than their own recordings! The album mixes a few longer tracks with shorter numbers – in a mode that reminds us a lot of Garnett's classic Black Love album