hypersongs

Eastern Sounds

A quartet record of originals and film themes, with the xun on the opener.
Yusef Lateef, 1961

Lateef played flute, oboe, tenor saxophone and the xun, which the liner notes call a Chinese globular flute; Barry Harris played piano, Ernie Farrow bass and rabaab, and Lex Humphries drums. It was the 16th album of his career in about five years, per Jazz Journal. Many sources date the release 1961 and Wikipedia April 1962. Daniel Spicer wrote in PopMatters in 2006, giving 9 of 10, that it was a quiet and tentative opening of the door that would be blasted wide in years to come, and that the Spartacus and Robe themes were probably a slight concession to commerciality at the label's request. AllMusic gave five stars. The 2006 Prestige reissue had the Rudy Van Gelder treatment, and Craft Recordings issued a one-step vinyl edition mastered by Bernie Grundman from the original stereo tapes.

Track listing

  1. The Plum Blossom5:03
  2. Blues for the Orient5:40
  3. Ching Miau3:20
  4. Don't Blame Me4:57
  5. Love Theme from Spartacus4:15
  6. Snafu5:42
  7. Purple Flower4:32
  8. Love Theme from The Robe4:02
  9. The Three Faces of Balal2:23

More from Yusef Lateef

Prayer To The East (1957), Jazz For The Thinker (1957), Jazz Mood (1957), Jazz And The Sounds Of Nature (1958), Before Dawn: The Music Of Yusef Lateef (1958), Lateef At Cranbrook (1958), Other Sounds (1959), The Centaur And The Phoenix (1960), Cry! – Tender (1960), The Three Faces Of Yusef Lateef (1960), Lost In Sound (1962), Into Something (1962), Jazz 'Round The World (1964), 1984 (1965), Psychicemotus (1966), A Flat, G Flat And C (1966), The Golden Flute (1967), The Blue Yusef Lateef (1968), The Complete Yusef Lateef (1968), Yusef Lateef's Detroit Latitude 42° 30' Longitude 83° (1969), The Diverse Yusef Lateef (1970), Suite 16 (1970), The Gentle Giant (1972), Hush 'N' Thunder (1973), Part Of The Search (1974), 10 Years Hence (1975), Club Date (1976), The Doctor Is In ...And Out (1976), In A Temple Garden (1979), In Nigeria (1985), Yusef Lateef's Little Symphony (1987), Concerto For Yusef Lateef (1988), Nocturnes (1989), Meditations (1990), Metamorphosis ∞ (1993), The African-American Epic Suite For Quintet And Orchestra (1994), Fantasia For Flute (1996), Atlantis Lullaby - The Concert From Avignon (2024)

Sources

  1. Eastern Sounds, Wikipedia
  2. Yusef Lateef, Eastern Sounds, PopMatters (2006-09-08)
  3. Yusef Lateef, Eastern Sounds, Jazz Journal (2023-09-02)