Hubert Laws on CTI Records – a mighty great thing, as you'll
hear on these three vintage albums for the label! First up is Crying Song, a
landmark record – the first album that flutist Hubert Laws cut for CTI, and the
beginning of a very important partnership with the label! The record is a
sublime exploration of sound and space – very different than Laws' 60s Latin
sides for Atlantic, and handled in a baroque mode that has his flute drifting
over a mixture of organ, piano, and rhythms augmented with strings – easy and
jazzy in the same moment, with a hip sophistication that points the way towards
a new flute sound in the 70s! Titles include "Crying Song", "Listen
To The Band", "Cymbaline", "Feelin Alright",
"I've Gotta Get A Message To You", "La Jean", "Love Is
Blue/Sing A Rainbow", and "How Long Will It Be".
Afro Classic is
an amazing album – and the cornerstone of the CTI sound! The record's an
incredibly baroque set of tracks from funky flautist Hubert Laws – featuring
arrangements from Don Sebesky that mix complicated lines on flute with electric
piano from Bob James, into a swirling mass of sound that's warm, soulful, and
fuzzy. The record's incredibly hip – and even on material like "Theme From
Love Story", "Fire & Rain", and "Passacaglia In C
Minor", Laws and the group soar away into another plane of being! Jazz
flute and CTI were never the same after this album!
Rite Of Spring is a
groundbreaking record from flautist Hubert Laws – a mixture of classical themes
and jazz, handled with an airy CTI approach – and set to arrangements by Don
Sebesky that are simply mindblowing! The album's a wonderful example of the way
that CTI really pushed the boundaries of instrumental expression in the 70s –
taking Laws wonderfully breathy work on flute, and mixing it with some
well-crafted backings that also feature electric piano by Bob James, bass by
Ron Carter, and percussion by Airto and Jack DeJohnette. The larger group is
handled by Sebesky, who really brings some magic to the record – a sense of
sound, space, and timing that's still a heck of a lot more mature and
sophisticated than most instrumental recordings coming out today! Titles
include "Syrinx", "Rite Of Spring", "Brandenburg
Concerto No 3", and "Pavane". ~ Dusty Groove
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