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"…Shadows You Can't
Conceal…"
As a fan of Seventies
Jazz-Funk and Jazz-Fusion - I must admit to lack of knowledge on this one and
it's a gem I’ve been missing out on.
This July 2008 CD remaster of
"Faces In Reflection" by GEORGE DUKE on Verve Originals B0011514-02
(Barcode 600753095591) is a straightforward reissue of a rare Jazz-Fusion album
originally released 1974 in Europe on BASF and June 1974 in the USA on MPS
Records/BASF MC 22018 (it had no British release).
It's also part of Universal's
'Originals' CD series. All of these discs are remastered, housed in card
digipaks with original artwork reproduced on the outer and inner flap (usually
no booklet) and are pitched at mid-price. The series is extensive - over 120
titles covering Jazz, Funk, Soul, Latin, Big Bands and Fusion albums across the
multinational’s vast array of labels. But the big news for fans here is the
superlative new sound…
KEVIN REEVES has handled the
mastering and it’s a fabulous job done - the sound quality is 'so' good. Being
Fusion and filled with keyboard flourishes and jazzy drum patterns – the
remastering needed to enhance the playing – and it has. "Piano Solo No.
1+2" for instance has slight hiss – but it’s not dampened out nor
compressed – it’s allowed to breath – and lovely for it. You really hear the
musicianship. JOHN HEARD is the Bass player and NDUGU the Drummer – all other
instruments are by GEORGE DUKE.
1. The Opening
2. Capricorn
3. Piano Solo No. 1+2
4. Psychosomatic Dung
5. Faces In Reflection No.1
(Instrumental)
6. Maria Tres Filhos
7. North Beach
8. Da Somba
9. Faces In Reflection No.2
(Vocal)
Reeves has an impressive
track record – he’s remastered the beautiful "What Color Is Love"
album by Terry Callier (also in the "Originals" series), the Hip-O
Select reissue of Barry White's "I've Got So Much To Give" from 1974,
Volume 2 of the Smokey Robinson series, the "United Artists
Collection" double for Gordon Lightfoot and two fantastic Crusaders albums
"Pass The Plate" (1971) and "Images" (1978) – I've reviewed
the lot and his work is exceptional on all of them.
Musically "Faces In
Reflection" is a little Todd Rundgren's Utopia (the 1974 debut), a little
Frank Zappa, some Mahavishnu Orchestra and a whole lot of keyboard fusion. It's
fast and some would say excessively so in places, but it’s better than that.
"North Beach" sounds very Brian Auger with its echoed-keyboards and
funky feel. The beautifully mellow "Capricorn" has brought customers
to our counter enquiring after it on more than one occasion - while the slightly
Latin feel of Milton Nacscimento's "Maria Tres Filhos" is an album
highlight for me.
Most of the cuts are
instrumentals and thankfully there are no self-indulgent 18-minute workouts on
here (the longest track is 6:25) and better for it. "Faces In Reflection
No.1" is very musical and sounds like something out of a movie soundtrack.
One or two tracks have vocal rapping alongside the soloing, but only one has
words - the album finisher "Faces In Reflection No.2" (lyrics above).
A bit of an unknown then that
deserves better frankly – and I urge to check it out. Recommended…
A List Of Some Of The
Titles In Universal's ORIGINALS CD Series
Record Labels covered include
Verve, Mercury, Fontana, A&M, Chisa, Blue Thumb, Kudu, ABC, Philips,
Impulse etc…
1. New Orleans Nights - LOUIS
ARMSTRONG and the ALL STARS (1950)
2. Satchmo At Pasadena -
LOUIS ARMSTRONG and the ALL STARS (1951)
3. A Tear To A Smile - ROY
AYERS UBIQUITY (1975)
4. Change Up The Groove - ROY
AYERS UBIQUITY (1974)
5. He's Coming - ROY AYERS
UBIQUITY (1971)
6. Lifeline - ROY AYERS
(1977)
7. Ubiquity - ROY AYERS
(1971)
8. Vibrations - ROY AYERS
(1977)
9. Virgo Red - ROY AYERS
(1973)
10. You Send Me - ROY AYERS
(1978)
11. Chapter One: Latin
America - GATO BARBIERI (1973)
12. Chapter Three: Viva
Emiliano Zapata - GATO BARBIERI (1974)
13. Chapter Two: Hasta
Siempre - GATO BARBIERI (1973)
14. Ruby. Ruby - GATO
BARBIERI (1977)
15. Tropico - GATO BARBIERI
(1978)
16. Basie Land - COUNT BASIE
(1963)
17. On My Way & Shoutin'
Again - COUNT BASIE (1963)
18. Intimacy - WALTER BEASLEY
(21 October 2008)
19. Just Kickin' It - WALTER
BEASLEY (1989)
20. Walter Beasley - WALTER
BEASLEY (1987)
21. I Got A Woman And Some
Blues - GEORGE BENSON (1970’s material, 1984)
22. Shape Of Things To Come -
GEORGE BENSON (1969)
23. Soul Finger - ART BLAKEY
and the JAZZ MESSENGERS (1965)
24. Bobo Motion - WILLIE BOBO
(1967)
25. The Brazilian Scene -
LUIZ BONFA (1965)
26. Braziliana - LUIZ BONFA
and MARIA TOLEDO (1965)
27. Return Of The Brecker
Brothers - THE BRECKER BROTHERS [Randy and Michael] (1992)
28. Just Between us - NORMAN
BROWN (1992)
29. Jazz Samba – CHARLIE BYRD
(1962)
30. Occasional Rain - TERRY
CALLIER (1972)
31. What Color Is Love -
TERRY CALLIER (1973)
32. Children Of Forever -
STANLEY CLARKE (1973)
33. A Love Supreme - JOHN
COLTRANE (1964)
34. Ascension - JOHN COLTRANE
(1965)
35. Crescent - JOHN COLTRANE
(1964)
36. Impressions - JOHN
COLTRANE (1961)
37. John Coltrane And Johnny
Hartman - JOHN COLTRANE and JOHNNY HARTMAN (1963)
38. The John Coltrane Quartet
Plays... - JOHN COLTRANE QUARTET (1965)
39. Kulu Se Mama - JOHN
COLTRANE (1965)
40. Live At Birdland - JOHN
COLTRANE (1963)
41. Meditations – JOHN
COLTRANE (1965)
42. New Thing At Newport -
JOHN COLTRANE and ARCHIE SHEPP (1965)
43. Images - THE CRUSADERS
(1978)
44. Old Socks, New
Shoes...New Socks, Old Shoes - THE CRUSADERS (1970)
45. Pass The Plate - THE
CRUSADERS (1971)
46. Ascenseur Pour L'echafaud
- MILES DAVIS (1957)
47. A Dream Fulfilled – WILL
DOWNING (1991)
48. Come Together As One –
WILL DOWNING (1989)
49. Faces In Reflection –
GEORGE DUKE (1974)
50. I Love The Blues, She
Heard My Cry - GEORGE DUKE (1975)
51. Duke Ellington Meets
Coleman Hawkins - DUKE ELLINGTON and COLEMAN HAWKINS (1962)
52. Duke Ellington & John
Coltrane - DUKE ELLINGTON and JOHN COLTRANE (1963)
53. Plays The Theme From
V.I.P. & Others – BILL EVANS (1963)
54. Out Of The Cool - GIL
EVANS ORCHESTRA (1961)
55. Octet - MAYNARD FERGUSON
(1955)
56. Ella In Hamburg (Live) -
ELLA FITZGERALD (1961)
57. Ella In Hollywood - ELLA
FITZGERALD (1961)
58. Porgy & Bess - ELLA
FITZGERALD and LOUIS ARMSTRONG (1957)
59. At The Shrine – STAN GETZ
(1954)
60. Big Band Bossa Nova -
STAN GETZ and GARY McFARLAND (1962)
61. Dynasty – STAN GETZ
(1971)
62. Getz/Gilberto – STAN GETZ
and JOAO GILBERTO (also features Astrud Gilberto) (1963)
63. Getz/Gilberto No.2 – STAN
GETZ and JOAO GILBERTO (1964)
64. In Stockholm (Live) -
STAN GETZ (1956)
65. Jazz Samba Encore! – STAN
GETZ (1963)
66. Sweet Rain - STAN GETZ
(1967)
67. Stan Getz With Guest
Artist Laurindo Almeida – STAN GETZ and LAURINDO ALMEIDA (1963)
68. Jazz Giants '58 - STAN
GETZ, GERRY MULLIGAN, HARRY EDISON, LOUIS BELSON and The OSCAR PETERSON TRIO
(1958)
69. Swing Is Here - TERRY
GIBBS (1960)
70. A Certain Smile, A
Certain Sadness - ASTRUD GILBERTO and WALTER WANDERLEY (1966)
71. The Astrud Gilberto Album
- ASTRUD GILBERTO (1965)
72. Look To The Rainbow -
ASTRUD GILBERTO and GIL EVANS (1966)
73. The Cool World - DIZZY
GILLESPIE (1964)
74. Dizzy Gillespie Goes
Hollywood – DIZZY GILLESPIE (1963)
75. Dizzy On The French
Riviera - DIZZY GILLESPIE with CHRIS WHITE, RUDY COLLINS, LALO SCHIFRIN and LEO
WRIGHT (1962)
76. I Just Dropped By To Say
Hello - JOHNNY HARTMAN (1963)
77. Used To Be Duke - JOHNNY
HODGES and his ORCHESTRA (1954)
78. Lady Sings The Blues -
BILLIE HOLIDAY (1956)
79. The Artistry Of Freddie
Hubbard – FREDDIE HUBBARD (1962)
80. At The Museum Of Modern
Art – MILT JACKSON (1970s)
81. Treasure Island - KEITH
JARRETT (1974)
82. Rio Revisited - ANTONIO
CARLOS JOBIM and GAL COSTA (1989)
83. Quincy Jones Explores The
Music Of Henry Mancini - QUINCY JONES (1964)
84. The Quintessence - QUINCY
JONES ORCHESTRA (1962)
85. You've Got It Bad Girl -
QUINCY JONES (1973)
86. Live At The Apollo – B.B.
KING (1990)
87. Arabesque - JOHN KLEMMER
(1977)
88. Barefoot Ballet - JOHN
KLEMMER (1976)
89. Goin' Latin - RAMSEY
LEWIS (1966)
90. The In Crowd - RAMSEY
LEWIS TRIO (1965)
91. Live At The Bohemian
Caverns - RAMSEY LEWIS TRIO (1962)
92. Home Is Where The Music
Is - HUGH MASEKELA (2LP set on 1CD) (1972)
Gary McFarland – see STAN
GETZ
93. Down Here On The Ground -
WES MONTGOMERY (1967)
94. Goin' Out Of My Head -
WES MONTGOMERY (1965)
95. Blues In Time - GERRY
MULLIGAN and PAUL DESMOND QUARTET (1957)
96. Lonesome Boulevard –
GERRY MULLIGAN (1990)
97. The Blues And The Obscure
Truth - OLIVER NELSON [featuring PAUL CHAMBERS, ERIC DOLPHY, BILL EVANS, ROY
HAYNES and FREDDIE HUBBARD] (1961)
98. In A Romantic Mood -
OSCAR PETERSON (1955)
99. Oscar Peterson Plays The
Jerome Kern Songbook - OSCAR PETERSON (1952)
100. Oscar Peterson and
Nelson Riddle - OSCAR PETERSON and NELSON RIDDLE (1963)
101. Oscar Peterson Trio +
One - OSCAR PETERSON TRIO and CLARK TERRY (1964)
102. Blues In the Closet –
BUD POWELL TRIO (1956)
103. Come Into Knowledge -
RAMP (1977)
104. Elis & Tom - ELIS
REGINA and ANTONIO CARLOS JOBIM (1974)
105. Quiet As It's Kept - MAX
ROACH (1960)
106. On Impulse! - SONNY
ROLLINS (1965)
107. Swing Street Café - JOE
SAMPLE and DAVID T. WALKER (1981) [Keyboardist and Guitarist with The
Crusaders]
108. Piano, Strings And Bossa
Nova - LALO SCHIFRIN (1962)
109. Everybody's Somebody's
Fool - LITTLE JIMMY SCOTT (1950s Material)
110. Let It Be Me (Live) -
NINA SIMONE (1987)
111. Hobo Flats - JIMMY SMITH
(1963)
112. Live At The Village Gate
- JIMMY SMITH TRIO (1963)
113. Who's Afraid Of Virginia
Woolf? - JIMMY SMITH (1964)
114. Sonny Stitt Sits In With
The Oscar Peterson Trio - SONNY STITT and OSCAR PETERSON (1957)
115. ...Plays The
Contemporary Music Of Mexico And Brazil - CAL TJADER (1962)
116. At Mister Kelly’s –
SARAH VAUGHAN and HER TRIO (1957)
117. All The King's Horses -
GROVER WASHINGTON, Jr. (1972)
118. A Secret Place - GROVER
WASHINGTON, Jr. (1976)
119. Feels So Good - GROVER
WASHINGTON, Jr. (1975)
120. Inner City Blues -
GROVER WASHINGTON, Jr. (1971)
121. Reed Seed - GROVER
WASHINGTON, Jr. (1978)
122. Soul Box - GROVER WASHINGTON, Jr. (1973)
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