Morgenstern, Dan. [Record Review: Quincy Jones: Gula Matari] Down

liner note, Cannonball Adderley makes QUINCY JONES reference to an old Quincy Jones LP, This NO.1 STUDIODRUMMER • 'GULA MATARI-A&M SP 3030: B~idge Over ls How I Feel About Jazz. I almost wish Troubled Water; Gula Matari; W alkm'; Hum· he hadn't-I'd never trade it in for this. WRITES min'.. M Personnel: Snooky Young, Danny oore, It had a version of Walkin' on it, too, and Freddie Hubbard, Ernie Royal, Marvin Stamm, I hauled it out-it cuts the new one to A "NOW"DRUM BOOKI trumpets, fluegelhorns; Wayne Andre, Al Grey, Would you like to know the drum licks Benny Powell, Tony Studd, trombones; Jerom_e shreds. But then, that's just the opinion used on the Bill Cosby TV Show Glen Richardson, soprano saxophone; Hubert I:aws, of an old jazz fogey. If you're into the Campbell Show, Joe Cocker's hit "Feelln' tenor saxophone, flute; Pepper Adams, baritone Alright", and other hits from a drummer saxophone; Danny Bank, baritone and bass saxo now bag, this album ~s certainly abov 7 the who is creating them? Paul is your mant phone; Herbie Hancock, Bob James, Bob),y Scott, average fare, and will more than likely keyboards· Eric Gale, guitar; Toots Thiele~ans, guitar, ha~monica, whistling; Milt Jackson, vibra please you a lot. The recording is superb harp· Don Elliott, bass marimba (crack 2 only); and captures all the colors and nuances. NO.1 SOULDRUMS Ray 'Brown, bass; Ron C:1rcer, Richard Davis, bass ( track 2 only); Ma1or Holley, bass '!-nd -Morgenstern voice solos; Grady Tate, drums; Warren Smit~. byPAUL HUMPHREY Jimmy Johnson, percussion; four cellos; Valerie Learn how to really use that high hat, Simpson, vocal solos; four female voices; Jones, snare and bass drum from the "best" in arranger-conductor. recording. Rating:*** DAVE MASON Don't lick your chops over the brilliant ALONE TOGETHER-Blue Thumb BTS 19: 0 NO. 1 SOULDRUMS ................. $3.50 Only You Know and I If.now; Ca11:t,Stop Worry Soul, Country, Motown, Gospel, Pop-Rock, Latin• jazz names listed above; aside from glimpses ing Can't Stop Lovmg; JVa1tm on You; Rock, Fills of Bags, Richardson, Grey, Hancock, Gale, Shduldn't Have Took More Than You Gave; and Thieleman's and Holley's patented fun, World in Changes; Sad and Deep as You; Just a Song; Look at You Look at Me. you'll not hear any heavy solo outings. Personnel: Dave Mason, Leon R_ussell, Jim This is an arranger's date, and most of Capaldi, John Simon, Jim Keltner. Jnn Gord'?n, Chris Ethridge, Carl Radle, Larry Knechcel, Mi~e the kicks come from Jones' ~killful and de Temple, John ~arbaca, D~laney & Bonnie Bramlet, Rita Coohdge, Claudia L_ennear, _Don Preston, Jack Sorci, L_ou C_ooper, Mike Coohdge, Bob Norwood, unspecified cnscruments and vocals. Racing: * * * * * Looks like a mud pizza-that is, by some special process, the record plastic has been swirl-colored a sort of odd beige with scattered shocks of black and grey and pink. But beyond such commercial con trivance luckily lies good music. Mason here proves conclusively that his association with Traffic was hardly as a tagalong, especially in view of the relative excellence of this LP and the new and often imaginative deployment of his troops. dreadful John Barleycorn Must Die by The pseudo-African title track, especially, Traffic-sans-Mason. Of course, Mason here MEETJOE PASS! abounds in unusual combinations: growl is not exactly all solo, but appears in com The Award-winning man with the flute a la Esy Morales over bass marimba, pany with that coterie of down-home rock Guitar who has written THE BOOK: two double basses, and, later, voices and sters who consistently guest on each other's cellos, leading to Jackson's vibes and some albums, notably Delaney & Bonnie and JOEPASS GUITAR STYLE potent Thielemans harmonica. At the end the indefatigable Leon Russell. Hence, per A GREAT Guitar book containing Theory, of this 13-minute excursion in exotica, Arpeggios, Scales, Chord Progressions, haps, the title. Mason did, however, com Chord substitutes, Technique Exercises, Richardson's soprano swirls over a brassy pose all the songs, and they are certainly Solos, Everything for improvising and .•• turmoil, and Major Holley adds some charming, by far the best of the current EAR TRAINING! I LEONARD FEATHER (Author of Encyclopedia of Jazz) says: well-placed arco bass-voice unison grunts in this genre-country-blues-rock ( or some "Anything Joe writes is of inestimable before the theme returns and fades out. thing like that). value to the player and student." LOUIE BELLSON says: "Joe Pass plays in my Very effective, very well done, but definite Striking an even balance between bal band-he's the greatest! This book :fills a ly smacking of Hollywood, where Quincy lads and cookers, Mason's voice rides tough need for all guitar players." HERB ELLIS has been doing right well, thank you. says: "Pass is a Gas! This book is over but always comfortably above some ulti due for all players." Bridge brings on the currently favored mate bedrock rhythm, generally accented Dealer Inquires Invited. gospel-like black female voices, handled by responsive guitar and piano lines (likely □ JOEPASS GUITAR STYLE $5.95 tastefully, Miss Simpson sings very well by Russell and Knechtel), particularly the by JOEPASS and BILL THRASHER indeed, and should be a good bet for an long, twisting guitar feature, Look at You. album of her own. The track's jazz content The appeal of the music is thus truly fes is slight, but it's good commercial soul tive, the stuff of meadows in spring with By CAROL KAYE music a la 1970. good people-and this observation is by W alkin' carries the strongest echoes of no means frivolous, for the sound through Quincy Jones' big band days, including the 0 HOWTO PLAYELECTRIC BASS out the album evokes for me every happy (The Professional's Book) .........••.• . $3.50 trademarked flutes-muted brass voicings, afternoon I've spent dancing and loving D 2 Practice LPs for above book ......... •$3.50 but during almost eight minutes, it gets 0 ELECTRICBASS LINES NO. 1 (Soul, Boogaloo, and breathing delicious air in open fields. into a lot of other things, too. Solos by Latin-Rock, Double-Stop) ............•. $2.00 Really, I would be hard-pressed to offer D 2 Practice LPs for above book ....•.... •$3.50 Jackson, Laws, Richardson, and Hancock 0 NEW: ELECTRICBASS LINES NO. 2 (How to song-by-song dissection, inasmuch as the ( on electric piano) are all good, and Ray Sight Read Boogaloo, New Rock Lines, Funky pleasant atmosphere of the album is so Duets, Recorded lines) ............... $2.50 Brown is the title incarnate. 0 NEW: PERSONALLYYOURS (The Complete Guide constant-but favorites are surely the pithy H ummin\ an attractive Nat Adderley for the String Bass Player on Electric) Fingering, World in Changes with a quick and swing Theory of Creating Soul & Rock Bass Lines, r&b-cum-jazz line, brings the voices on Problems Solved in all situations, Loads of Pie• ing organ spot; Mason's single Only You again: fe~rur~s some expe;t brass playing, tures, What it's like in the Studios) ..... $2.50 Know, and the softest piece of the date, 0 CAROLKAYE COURSE. Complete learning package and 1s highlighted by Th1eleman's guitar featuring 15 easy detailed les~ons, above 4 books, Can't Stop Worrying. and-whistling and Holley's bass-and-voice 3 Practice Cassettes (1 Rhythm). Quality mate Alone Together once again affirms that rial to give you a Professional touch .• . $29.50 unison b_its, plus ~ po!ent Al Grey plunger GWYNPUBLISHING CO. solo. Dig Toots gmtar work· whistling amid the deluge of faddist offal and plain P.O. Box 1015, Camarillo, Calif. 93010 aside, he's a bitch. ' bad pop music there exists a minority of Calif. add 5% sales tax. creative and evocative artists-even though, Foreign (and Canada) add $1.50 Despite all the production values and Foraign Air add $2.75 Books; $5.50 Records talent involved here, the net result is curi as in the unique instance of Mason's LP Sorry, No C.O.D.s ously lacking in depth. In his excellent device, the starting grooves are hidden by the pizza mud. -Bourne .

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