Fuse One - The Complete Recordings (1989)

"These tunes are heard here for the first time on compact disc, in brand-new direct-to-digital remixes prepared specifically for this release by Creed Taylor."

Creed Taylor put together this collective for his CTI label, so it's basically an ad hoc supergroup recording session. As Taylor writes on the back CD insert:

Fuse One is conceived as a forum in which major contemporary musicians perform according to their own musical disciplines and interact without the constraints that accompany leader responsibilities. Each player brings in new compositions and ideas.

And while the pedigree is impeccable (production from Taylor and engineering from Rudy Van Gelder), the product is usually less than the sum of parts. In any case, this 1989 compilation on the Musicmasters label purports to be "The Complete Recordings," but there was a third album that Taylor and Van Gelder had nothing to do with, so we'll just conveniently ignore it exists for the purposes of this post.

I get a chuckle from the fact that, while he appears on only one of the eleven tracks, George Benson receives top billing on the CD cover. Because you know I'd design it the exact same way.

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FUSE ONE (1980)
7 tracks, 36 minutes

Enjoyable, but fairly generic, smooth jazz. In other words, 15 year old me in 1981 would have loved it. The material is 'over-arranged' in sharp contrast to Taylor's suggesting that the artists play without constraints. The lack of originality could be the reason why the album was largely ignored by critics other than a cursory Billboard review.

Joe Farrell - saxophones & flute (tracks 1, 3, 4, 5, 6)
John McLauglin - guitar (tracks 1, 3, 4, 5, 6)
Larry Coryell - guitar (tracks 2, 5, 7)
Ronnie Foster - keyboards (1, 3, 5)
Jorge Dalto - keyboards (track 2)
Victor Feldman - keyboards (tracks 3, 4)
Don Grusin - keyboards (track 6)
Jeremy Wall - keyboards (tracks 1-6, arrangements tracks 1-7)
Hugh McCracken - harmonica (track 7)
Stanley Clarke - bass (tracks 1, 3, 4, 6, 7)
Will Lee - bass (tracks 2, 5)
Lenny White - drums (tracks 2, 7)
Leon "Ndugu" Chancler - drums (tracks 1, 3, 4, 5)
Tony Williams - drums (track 6)
Paulinho DaCosta - percussion (tracks 1, 3, 4, 5, 6)
Roger Squitero - percussion (track 2, 7)

Album chart peaks:

• US Billboard 200: Did not chart
• Billboard Jazz: #9
• CashBox Jazz: #14
• Record World Jazz: #14

Tracks: Two compositions each from Clarke and McLaughlin, one each from Foster and Wall, plus a Latin arrangement of a tune by 19th century Czech composer Bedřich Smetana. The better tunes are Grand Prix (written by Foster), Sunshine (Clarke), and Double Steal (Wall).

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SILK (1982)
4 tracks, 34 minutes

This second album utilized arrangements by Leon "Ndugu" Chancler and the resultant R&B sound found more commercial success, yet was again ignored by the critics (except, of course, Billboard again). I enjoy this album more than the previous one.

Stanley Turrentine - tenor saxophone (tracks 8, 11)
Tom Browne - trumpet (tracks 8, 9, 11)
Wynton Marsalis - trumpet (tracks 9, 10)
Dave Valentine - flute (tracks 9, 10)
Eric Gale - guitar (tracks 8-11)
George Benson - guitar (track 11)
Stanley Clarke - bass (tracks 8-11), musical direction (tracks 8-11)
Marcus Miller - bass (tracks 9)
Ronnie Foster - keyboards (tracks 8-11)
Todd Cochran - keyboards (track 8)
Leon "Ndugu" Chancler - drums (tracks 8-11), arrangements (tracks 8-11)
Sammy Figueroa - percussion (tracks 8-11)
Manolo Badrena - percussion (tracks 9, 10)

Album chart peaks:

• US Billboard 200: #139
• Billboard Jazz: #14
• Billboard R&B: #44
• CashBox: #175
• CashBox Jazz: #16
• Radio & Records Jazz Radio National Airplay: #15

Tracks: Only four tracks here, all a bit longer than what was found on the previous album (7-9 minutes each). I'd rank them 1) Silk, 2) Sunwalk, 3) Hot Fire, and 4) In Celebration Of The Human Spirit.

Personal Memory Associated with this CD: None, but I really wished someone would have turned me to some Tom Browne albums when I was a teen.