Note: the CD I listened to was the 1999 Rudy Van Gelder Edition with 4 bonus tracks.
Stone cold classic. A fantastic album, worthy of all the praise and inspiration (read: plagiarism) that goes to it and comes from it. Silver wrote a fantastic suite of songs, plays like a man on a swingin', groovy mission, and the rest of the band tries to keep up.
Original liner notes by Leonard Feather and 1999 reissue liner notes by Bob Blumenthal.
Reviews/ratings:
- Stereo Review: "further variations in the style that has lately become increasingly mechanical with Silver."
- Downbeat (★★★★): "the prevailing mood, regardless of tempo, is one of complete relaxation and joy."
- The Penguin Guide to Jazz (5th ed., 2000): ★★★★
- The Rolling Stone Jazz & Blues Album Guide (1999): ★★★★
- The Virgin Encyclopedia of Jazz (1999): ★★★★★
In 1999, this album was inducted to the Grammy Hall Of Fame. uDiscover Music ranked this album at #13 on its list of The 50 Greatest Blue Note Albums, calling the album "an enduring monument to Silver’s genius." And in 1987, this album was selected by Blue Note as one of the 25 Best Albums on the label.
Album chart peaks:
- US Billboard Top 200: #95
- Billboard R&B: #8
Tracks: My picks today are the title track, the laid back Calcutta Cutie, and the tranquil Lonely Woman.
Bonus tracks: The four bonus tracks include another arrangement of Que Pasa? plus three other tunes that are all very good, they just wouldn't fit in with the motifs that appear throughout the original cuts. Smart to leave them off. I think I'm going to start listening to RVG reissues with bonus tracks in two sittings: one with the album's original tracks as intended, then come back a bit later and listen to the bonus tracks. If nothing else, it's something new to try.
Personal Memory Associated with this CD: I chose this CD today because my father was born on January 11. Today he would have turned 87.
Previously revisited for the blog:
Blowin' the Blues Away (1959)
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