Airto Moreira
Fingers
CTI Masterworks
www.ctimasterworks.com

Jackie Cain & Roy Kral
A Wilder Alias
CTI Masterworks
www.ctimasterworks.com

Joe Farrell
Outback
CTI Masterworks
www.ctimasterworks.com

Randy Weston
Blue Moses
CTI Masterworks
www.ctimasterworks.com
By George W. Harris

CTI Masterworks is getting real serious about reissuing their material, all four of these are on cd for the very first time. Going esoteric, or scraping the bottom? Too soon for the latter, my friend.

At this time in his career, Airto was only known by his first name and was THE percussionist of the jazz/fusion movement of the early 70s. This 1973 release features him leading a Brazilian team that leans heavily on vocals, sometimes with lyrics, as on the funky title track, or wordless with the lovely Flora Purim. Rock was definitely a factor to deal with in this decade, and they answer it with tunes like “Wind Chant” and “Romance Of Death.” The most exciting piece, “Tombo in 7/4” is a roller coaster tour de force that shows what can go right when divergent musical styles cooperate.

You could count the number of singers that survived the Swing Era on your big toe. Jackie Cain and Roy Kral sang with Charlie Ventura’s band in the late 40s, and road through every style, including rock, up through the 80s. No small accomplishment, let me tell you. This ’74 release has them adapting to the burgeoning rock and funk of the era by mixing their jazz roots with some pop and experimental sounds. No standards here; the team of Kral on piano with Harvie Swartz/b, Steve Gadd/dr, Roy Pennington/vibe, Hubert Laws/fl and Joe Farrell/ts-fl go from modal sounding (“Waltz For Dana”) to bop infected “Niki’s Song.” The closing tour de force “Good And Rich” mixes vocal sounds with some ambitious musicianship that holds up impressively 40 years down the stretch. An impressive fight against the gauntlet of mindless pop songs.

Poor departed Joe Farrell; he was an incredible musician, master at tenor, soprano and flute, and a first call guy for bands like Elvin Jones, Return to Forever or The Thad Jones/Mel Lewis Orchestra. He just never got the accolades he deserved, and died way too young in ’86. I saw him with Eddie “Lockjaw” Davis in an empty club back then, and it was one of the musical highlights of my listening life. Here, he’s perfectly matched with Elvin Jones/dr, Chick Corea/p, Buster Williams/b and Airto Moreira/perc for four stretched out tunes. The fascinating and mysterious title track has Farrell taking you on an adventurous journey with his flute and piccolo, while “Bleeding Orchid” has Corea displaying some marvelous work behind Farrell’s gentle flute. The closing “November 68th” has some marvelous mood changes, with Jones getting some time to stretch out between Farrell’s tenor and flute work. Ambitious, up to the moment artistically, and yet completely accessible. Where did stuff like this ever go?

Did Randy Weston title his album in response to Isaac Hayes’ Black Moses? Tough call, but Weston did have issues with the final product here. Most known as a solo artist or trio leader, Weston let arranger Don Sebesky loose here, with the core team of Billy Cobham/dr and Ron Carter/b augmented by Freddie Hubbard/tp, Grover Washington Jr/ts, Huber Laws/reeds and a entire orchestra. The end results are exhilarating, with Weston’s North African melodies mixing superbly with the horns and brass to create a delicious couscous of a meal. Washington and Hubbard are inspired throughout, with the former sounding like an exploding volcano on “Night In Medina” while Hubbard throws out “Hi Fly” quotes on “Ganawa” and plays like the cock of the walk on “Ifrane.” You feel like Weston’s taking you on a whirlwind tour through the narrow and windy streets of Fez, with each turn bringing you new sounds, sights and scents. Get this one NOW!