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1976
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"...Lucky
Southern..."
By 1972, Brazilian-born
superstar Percussionist AIRTO MOREIRA had already dropped two albums and
sessioned up to the wazoo before releasing his third platter "Free"
on Creed Taylor's CTI Records (engineered by the legendary Rudy Van Gelder).
"Free" had been preceded by his 1970 debut "Natural
Feelings" and its 1971 follow-up "Seeds On The Ground" – both
LPs originally on Buddah Records in the States.
In its tasty and eclectic
gatefold sleeve, the five songs of album number three also famously featured a
virtual who's who of quality Jazz types bringing up the improvisational rear -
Bassists Stanley Clarke and Ron Carter, Return To Forever's Keyboardist Chick
Corea and Horn Player Joe Farrell, Keith Jarrett on Keyboards, Hubert Laws on
Flute, George Benson on Guitar and the LP even boasted a Flora Purim
composition ("Flora’s Song") and two guest vocals from the great lady
(she became Airto's wife in the Sixties). Corea, Clarke and Flora Purim would
of course feature in the band Return To Forever, formed in 1972 after the
"Free" sessions. Prior to all this he'd played with Miles Davis on
seminal period albums like 1971's double album "Live-Evil" and would
re-join the mercurial trumpeter for 1973's "Black Beauty" and 1974's
"Big Fun. Heady stuff and wild days indeed...
Back to 2019 - England's
Beat Goes On Records (BGO) now give Moreira a long-overdue and stylish
three-onto-two CD reissue and remaster - lumping in Airto's celebrated 1972 CTI
set (three bonus outtakes from the sessions are included too) with two later
albums he did for Arista Records after he left CTI. Both of these had more of a
Latin and Samba influence than the improv Jazz of before - his 1975 set
"Identity" and 1976's "Promises Of The Sun". The first of
these "Identity" featured Herbie Hancock, Wayne Shorter and again
Flora Purim as guests whilst "Promises..." boasted talent like Vocalist
and Guitarist Milton Nascimento, Guitarist Toninho Horta and Keyboard whizz
Hugo Fattoruso. Here are the promising details...
UK released 11 January 2019
(December 2018 in the USA) - "Free/Identity/Promises Of The Sun" by
AIRTO on Beat Goes On BGOCD 1366 (Barcode 5017261213662) offers Three LPs with
Three Bonus Tracks Remastered onto 2CDs and plays out as follows:
Disc 1 (55:16 minutes):
1. Return To Forever [Side
1]
2. Flora's Song
3. Free [Side 2]
4. Lucky Southern
5. Creek (Arroio)
Tracks 1 to 5 are his third
studio album "Free" - released October 1972 in the USA on CTI Records
CTI 6020. Produced by Creed Taylor - Track 1 written by Chick Corea, 2 by Flora
Purim, 3 by Airto Moreira, 4 by Keith Jarrett and Track 5 by Victor Brazil.
BONUS TRACKS:
6. So Tender
7. Jequie
8. Creek (Arroio)
(Alternative Version)
Tracks 6 and 7 first
appeared on CTI CD Remasters in 1988 as session outtakes – Track 8 first
appeared on the 2003 'Master Series' CD Reissue and Remaster of
"Free" on CTI/Epic/Legacy 5127852. Track 6 written by Keith Jarrett,
7 by Moacir Santos and 8 by Victor Brazil
Disc 2 (73:24 minutes):
1. The Magicians (Bruxos)
[Side 1]
2. Tales From Home (Lendas)
3. Identity
4. Encounter (Encontro No
Bar)
5. Wake Up Song (Baiao Do
Acordar)/Cafe [Side 2]
6. Mae Cambina
7. Flora On My Mind
Tracks 1 to 7 are his
seventh album (sixth studio) "Identity" - released December 1975 in
the USA on Arista AL 4068 and April 1976 in the UK on Arista ARTY 119.
8. Batucada [Side 1]
9. Zuei
10. Promises Of The Sun
11. Candango
12. Circo Marimbondo
13. Le De Casa
14. Ruas Do Recife
15. Georgianna
Tracks 8 to 15 are his eight
album (seventh studio) "Promises Of The Sun" - released June 1976 in
the USA on Arista AL 4116
The card slipcase houses a
2CD jewel case and a 20-page booklet featuring new liner notes from CHARLES
WARING, a regular writer for BGO and one of Mojo’s Jazz reviewers. You get all
the album credits, photos and a very good history of his Jazz Fusion years at
CTI Records, his less successful Brazilian vs. Fusion rhythms with Arista only
to eventually sign to Warner Brothers in the late Seventies doing Jazz Funk and
trying to ride that very commercial wave.
Highlights on
"Free" include ten minutes of Fender Rhodes, doubled-up flutes, Samba
rhythms and Flora's ethereal vocals on the opening track "Return To
Forever" – not just the name of the band they’d formed but a song they’d
recorded prior to the "Free" sessions for ECM Records in February of
that productive year, 1972. Keith Jarrett contributes Acoustic Piano to Side
1's other sweetie - "Flora's Song" – aided very nicely by Hubert Laws
on Flute and Jay Berliner who classes up the overall feel with lovely Acoustic
Guitar. The album's title track opens Side 2 and lives up to its name with ten
and half minutes of free form (giggles and shouts ahoy from the players) whilst
Keith Jarrett provides "Lucky Southern" - two and half minutes of KJ
and George Benson trading guitar and piano solos. Return To Forever's Joe
Farrell gives you a muscular saxophone solo on the album closer "Creek
(Arroio)" while woodwinds keep it anchored. I have to say too that the
three Bonus Cuts are exactly that - bonuses - "So Tender" at five
minutes is Keith Jarrett on a beautiful sounding piano while "Jequie"
by Brazilian Saxophonist Macir Santos may only be three minutes, it still
allows guitarist Jay Berliner, Chick Corea on Piano and Flute player Hubert
Laws enough room for all three to impress.
By the time we jump past
three albums ("Fingers" in 1973, "Virgin Land" and "In
Concert" with Deodato both in 1974) – Airto arrives at 1975 and 1976 for
the "Identity" and "Promises Of The Sun" albums on Arista
Records with his home country and its Latin/Samba rhythms firmly in the
uppermost of his thoughts. Again there are genre-celebrity players on both
records - Airto producing "Promises..." with Flora to gain total
control when prior he’d used others. Without being overt, there is commerciality
to these records – both sensing the Jazz Funk wave sweeping across music and
into the mainstream. Airto even gets into some lurve vocals and deeply groovy
territory on the tribute tune "Flora On My Mind" - the passion
declarations amped up by Raul De Souza's trombone. Over on the almost
environmental "Promises Of The Sun" (the album's title track written
by and featuring Milton Nascimento) - Airto resorts to bird noises throughout
to a backdrop of soothing woodwinds and delicate guitar from Toninho Horta. And
on it goes...
In September 2002, the then
Brazilian President awarded Airto Moreira and his wife Flora Purim their
country's highest honour for lifetime achievements in music - the 'Order Of Rio
Branco'. And on the evidence presented here on this gorgeous sounding 2CD
reissue highlighting an array of musical styles - its hardly surprising.
Another winner from BGO...
