insighl&souiaii continued cashboxI album reviews POP PICKS NEW YORK-KOOL & THE GANG: COSMIC COMMUNION .101 WHILE WE'RE STILL YOUNG-Wayne Newton A group of seven energetic young self-taught musicians, who hail from the 4 E W i O N .. WAYNE 1006 Jersey City, New Jersey, area and who also came out of Lincoln High School Chelsea For his LP on the label, Wayne takes a to as the Jersey third with the last of them emerging as late as '69, are often referred slightly different approach. Without sacrificing City Seven by their friends and fans, and collectively and more commonly known the commerciality of the sessions one bit, as Kool & The Gang. The Gang members are: Dennis (D.T.) Thomas, vocals, alto produce. Wes Farrell has given him a less sax, flute and percussion (he is also the groups manager); Robert Bell (Kool), frantic and more contemplative setting for bass and vocals; Ronald Bell, tenor sax, alto flute, sop. sax, and vocals; Rick some of the tune here. The arrangements take West, piano, arp syn., soloist, clarinet and vocals; George Brown, drums, per- their time, and are not dominated by a beat. cussion; Claydes Smith, guitar, acoustic guitar; Robert "Spike" Mickens, trumpet, Titled after his new single, the album also a version "Danny Boy" and a very flugel horn, percussion and vocals. includes of strong entry in "We Didn't Know The Time Of Each member of the group is dedicated to a 'musical journey', a journey, not Day." Album makes for even better listening only revealing the beauty in music, but also, building toward musical formats than his previous efforts. that would, "expand into the minds of the listeners, sending out musical vibra- tions that would make the audiences minds come to a state of mental arrest", according to Robert (Kool). He also said that they do have rehearsals, but a great deal of time is used for studying such things as what the universe is all about. JACKSON HEIGHTS-Verve V6-5089 questions of metaphysics and religion. These influences are readily apparent in When people, asked for their opinion of an their expressed comments. They prefer to be called "universal musicians." One album, tell you "It takes some getting into," it usually means they don't care to bother. Hon- can also get the feeling of spontaneity in their music. They have written things estly, those words are the first impressions collectively and their attempts at progression are even apparent within one LP. here; but there's so much offered on the initial Jazz has an impact on the group. Art Blakie, Miles Davis and Coltrane were the listening, that the subsequent apathy never greats that Dennis (D.T.) cut his teeth on, and D.T.'s father turned him onto has a chance to ensue. Take for instance the Charlie Parker. He served as the inspiration for D.T. to start playing. track "Bebop"-it's either about a train an- thropomorphized as a woman who may or When he was ten years old, Ronnie Bell made a set of drums out of some may not be an actress, about a possible ac- old paint cans. As he listened to records, Ronnie would work out pat- rhythmic tress who is metaphored into a train or simply by on terns beating the cans. During his elementary school years, Ronnie attend- a devilishly clever excuse to reprise Rosemary ed music classes. He played the trombone for a couple of years and then went to Clooney's "Mambo Italiano" in the chorus. the sax. His brother Robert (Kool) has strong feelings about pre -destiny. Kool Group leader is former Nice -member (along attributes the direction the group is going and the moves they are making to a with Keith Emerson) Lee Jackson. The ultimate fated plan. Kool said, "Music in school can be a real hang-up. Everything is so in FM programming. cut and dried, it can do a thing to the emotions, and it often takes some time to get the mind and the emotions onto the self -expressive course". GENTLE GIANT-Columbia KC 32022 College students are generally rated as a hip group of record buying fans. This big boy lives in a mythical land border- (Labels are now aware of this.) Groups like Kool & The Gang are way up there as ing on Yes and the Mahavishnu Orchestra. one of the popular dance bands working the college circuit. But, the college fan Their four albums released in England have doesn't automatically run out to buy their favorite artist's release. The record brought them to the forefront of the new rock. here, and it should build has to be damn good. Kool & The Gang who record for De -Lite Records are well This is their second upon the reputation engendered by their first. aware of the importance of recorded material and live performances. They have The six -man group consists of three Shulman been successfully getting their message across. brothers (Derek, Philip and Raymond) who all If you wish to do yourself a soul -favor, Check out Kool & The Gang. They will contribute to the composing of their inventive acquaint you with their version of a cosmic communion. don drossell material. All the signs of the new music (moog, violin, sax, vibes) are here in the right places. NEW YORK: JOFFREY BALLET (from page 22) rock ballet. It seems rather appropriate that in this day and age, one has to go to such an establishment to see something built upon what you used to see at any sock hop or dance. There is very THEY LOVE ME, THEY LOVE ME NOT-Genya little organized body movement left in our society GENY* RAVAh Ravan-Dunhill DSX-50143 that is associated with response to rock music. There's that general gyration that The original female dynamo from Ten Wheel we go through when it's party time in the home or in the aisles of a concert- Drive has her second solo outing here, the but very little that can be called graceful at the most or dashing at the worst. first for the label. Co -produced by Jim Price Social dancing has gone the way of the big name button, poni tails and greasy and Joe Zagarino (with two cuts by Jimmy kid stuff. Miller), we now hear Genya with wall-to-wall band includes Jim Well, someone named Twyla Tharp arrangements. The basic (a most respected choreographer/dancer Price, Jim Horn and Bobby Keys. Much mate- and head of her own Foundation), saw fit to take on the task of balleting the rial from Price, and contributions from Red - Beach Boys, using the old steps from American Bandstand as well as from the bone's Vegas brothers, Clapton-Whitlock and classical ballet dictionary. Different it was. How successful as a ballet, we are King Peasure. The monster cut is "Missy (Mis- probably not the best people to judge. But the tape that presented an alleged ter)" which should see the raves coming from "ten year history" of the group's music, we feel more than qualified to beg to both AM & FM listeners. differ with. The] Lou Me For starters, the choice of material was inexcusably unrepresentative of the Beach Boys' true contributions to rock. Many of the featured songs (like "Alley Oop," "Devoted To You" and "Papa Ooh Mau Mau") are only associated with swamm JAZZ PICKS the group tangentially. Of their original biggies, only "Little Deuce Coupe," "Don't Go Near The Water" and "Wouldn't It Be Nice" are included on the 15 -song tape Hubbard-CTI 6018 in any semblance of their untampered-with SKY DIVE-Freddie selves. "Honda" is played against It is the black progressive FMer more than itself on two speakers about twenty seconds out of phase, and the speed is in- any other kind of station that is responsible creased to Chipmunks dimensions midway through the number. "Cuddle Up" for the surge in jazz LP sales that the market serves as the frame of the ballet, primarily because its sweetness and light prob- is currently experiencing. And CTI is certainly ably reminded David Horowitz (the prepetrator of the taped score) of a traditional getting a huge piece of the action -filled pie. ballet when he first heard it. The latest LP to be picked up by the general public is Freddie Hubbard's 18 -piece ensemble Yes, we know. We have opened up an artistic can of worms here, fit for a which highlights the master's trumpet as well wriggle of a debate. Is it not the prerogative of the artist to select elements from as Ron Carter's bass, George Benson's guitar, which he makes his own world sensible to his own psyche? True, but to a point. the percussion of Ray Barretto and Airto and Is this supposed to have anything to do with the Beach Boys or isn't it? If the the flutes of Hubert Laws. Four works here: ballet is merely a personal impression of what the Beach Boys music means to the two originals by Hubbard, a Bix Beiderbecke artist who fiddled with it, then have we not the right to question that impression ("In A Mist") and a singularly polished version on our own level of sensibility? of "The Godfather." We might have been able to let this whole issue ride, were it not for the fact that for most of the ballet, there's something vying for your attention which has JAZZ NUMBER II-Ray Charles featuring The nothing at all to do with ballet.