JOE FARRELL - ORIGINAL ALBUM CLASSICS: JOE FARRELL QUARTET / OUTBACK / PENNY ARCADE / UPON THIS ROCK / CANNED FUNK
A CTI
powerhouse – five full albums from reedman Joe Farrell, each packaged in a tiny
LP-styled sleeve! First up is Joe Farrell Quartet – a stellar session that's
easily one of the early high points for the legendary CTI label! Farrell bursts
forth as one heck of a soulful cat – working on these great modal grooves that
slide out wonderfully and really have a sense of flow – a style that's
different than Joe's later material, but equally powerful! Part of the strength
of the record comes from the lineup – a key quintet of like-mined up-and-comers
that includes Chick Corea on keyboards, John McLaughlin on guitar, Dave Holland
on bass, and Jack DeJohnette on drums – players who definitely know the farther
reaches of jazz, yet hang just on the inside here with Joe – providing some
amazing accompaniment for his lines on soprano, tenor, and flute. Titles
include "Molten Glass", "Song Of The Wind", "Motion",
"Follow Your Heart", and "Circle In The Square". Next is
Outback – a drawn-out quintet side, with Chick Corea on electric piano, Buster
Williams on bass, Elvin Jones on drums, and Airto on percussion. Farrell was
playing with Jones at the time, and the album's got some of their strong choppy
reed/percussion interplay – but with a sharpness and focus that you don't
always hear on Elvin's records! Tracks are all long – and titles include
"Outback", "Sound Down", and "Bleeding Orchid".
Penny Arcade has grooves so sharp you could cut your trousers on them!
Farrell's angular reed style is in perfect form here – grooving with a small
group that includes Herbie Hancock on piano, Joe Beck on guitar, Steve Gadd on
drums, and Don Alias on percussion – a combo that's got a harder, tighter feel
than most CTI groups – a key reason why Joe's records of this time are so
legendary! The album features a fantastic version of Stevie Wonder's "Too
High" – one that breaks all over the beginning with these riffs by
Farrell, then grooves into a CTI electric funk mode for about 13 minutes. All
tracks are long – and other tracks include "Hurricane Jane",
"Geo Blue", "Penny Arcade", and "Cloud Cream".
Upon This Rock is wonderful – and there's a lean, edgey groove to the set
that's totally great – a lot more bite than usual for CTI, thanks to these
wonderfully angular lines from Joe on tenor, soprano sax, and flute – backed up
with some wicked guitar work from Joe Beck, who really matches Farrell's energy
– in a core quartet with Herb Bushler on bass and Jim Madison on drums. One cut
features a guest group – with Herbie Hancock on piano, Steve Gadd on drums, and
Don Alias on percussion – and the album includes the massively break-heavy
title cut "Upon This Rock", plus "Seven Seas", "I
Won't Be Back", and "Weathervane". Last up is Canned Funk – a
record that's as fresh and freaky as the classic image on the cover! The
riffing rhythms get going right from the start – some amazing lines from a
rhythm combo that includes Joe Beck on guitar, Herb Bushler on bass, Jim
Madison on drums, and the mighty Ray Mantilla on percussion – adding in these
extra changes and fills that really get the tunes moving wonderfully –
providing a perfect platform for Joe Farrell's wonderful work on tenor,
soprano, baritone, and flute! The sax lines are as angular as the rhythms –
tight, choppy, and completely funky – no wonder the record's a CTI classic that
folks have dug for years! Tracks are all nice and long – and titles include
"Canned Funk", "Animal", and "Spoken
Silence". ~ Dusty
Groove
JOSE FELICIANO - THAT THE SPIRIT NEEDS / MEMPHIS MENU / COMPARTMENTS
A trio of
wonderful albums from Jose Feliciano – all brought together here in a single
set! First up is That The Spirit Needs – a sublime one from Jose! The record
pushes past the easy Latin pop style of the late 60s, and features Jose working
through hip rock tunes – both of his own creation, and by writers like Elton
John and Cat Stevens. The real highlight of the album is an incredible reading
of "Wild World" – done with a mix of fast guitar, strings, and even a
bit of Brazilian-tinged scatting that breaks down in the middle and always
makes us stop cold! The rest of the record's almost as good, and titles include
"Daytime Dreams", "Mellow Feeling", "Come Down
Jesus", "Pay Day", and "Only Once". Memphis Menue is
an excellent album from Jose Feliciano – recorded with a lot of Memphis soul
influences, as the title indicates, but still with that beautifullly jazzy
style that he was using in his earlier LA recordings. Steve Cropper helped
produced and arrange with Jose, and the Memphis Horns back up the group on a
number of tracks. The real charm, though, is Jose – whose breezy vocals and
sweet guitar work is right up there with his best work of the time, a sublime
mix of soul, strings, jazz, and Chicano grooves. Titles include "River
Song", "Magnolia", "One More Mile", "Never Leave
You", "It Doesn't Matter", "Where Is My Woman", and
"Movin". Compartments is sparklingly soulful work from Jose Feliciano
– a key early 70s effort, and one that shows the growing sensitivity in his
music – the move way past simple covers of other people's songs, even though
those were pretty great too! Jose's voice has gotten even more compelling in
the process, and he's also developing a bit as a songwriter too – most notably
on the album's title track, which was co-written with Bill Withers. Steve
Cropper helped produce, but the album's way more in Jose's bag than Cropper's –
and titles include a great version of "Yes We Can Can", plus
"Simple Song", "Compartments", "Sea Cruise",
"I'm Leavin", "Things Are Changin", "Peace Of
Mind", "Hey Look At The Sun", and "Don't Fail". ~ Dusty Groove
HAMILTON DE HOLANDA - WORLD OF PIXINGUINHA
A gorgeous
tribute to the genius of the great Pixinguinha – headed by bandolim player
Hamilton De Holanda, and featuring a top-shelf array of guests that includes
Richard Galliano, Chucho Valdes, Omar Sosa, Stefano Bollani, and Wynton
Marsalis! Given Pixinguinha's more familiar expressions on reeds – the approach
here is a really nice change, and quite different than other tributes to his
music over the years – very personal and poetic in the way that Hamilton
approaches the tunes, and given extra special inflections by the guests. Most
numbers are just duo tracks, without any larger instrumentation – which takes
the choro form to its roots, on titles that include "Naquele Tempo",
"Ingenuo", "Rosa", "Seu Lourenco No Vinho",
"Capricho De Pixinguinha", "Cancao Da Odalisca", and
"Um A Zero". ~ Dusty Groove
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