Stolen Moments with Gato Barbieri

Whilst listening to jazz on Youtube, as one is wont to do in the evening, we came across a live performance of Oliver Nelson's "Stolen Moments" featuring Gato Barbieri. As one might expect, it is a rousing performance of the standard. Several years ago, we knew a man who played this song on his flute at least once a week...

The Best of Gato Barbieri: A Personal List

Over two months after his Gato Barbieri's death, I am still awe-struck by his music, particularly his output in the 1960s and 1970s. Barbieri was, in my humble opinion, one of the most intriguing jazz musicians in the avant-garde and Latin Jazz worlds. This is part of the reason Eric Dolphy and Archie Shepp, among others, intrigue me, since they straddled the jazz avant-garde and bop worlds. Bringing South American indigenous instrumentation and even, at least a few times, the tango, into his jazz vocabulary was a bold risk. I believe that somewhat raucous and unruly combination of styles, sounds, and musicians usually succeeded, especially with the accompaniment of polished musicians like Lonnie Smith. Furthermore, prior to going his own way in the 1970s, Barbieri proved himself more than capable in avant-garde circles in Europe, even collaborating with Don Cherry and Abdullah Ibrahim with spectacular results, not to mention his presence in seminal works by Carla Bley and Charlie Haden. Unfortunately, after 1975, Barbieri's commercial route lessened my interest in his music, but that fiery, passionate voice of his remained ever-present in his later musical forays. So, in light of his passing, here is a personal "Best of Gato Barbieri."

1. Complete Communion by Don Cherry for an introduction to Barbieri's work with a fellow jazz legend. Cherry's long composition is suite-like and fueled by Eddie Blackwell's busy drumming (at times hinting at Cherry's interest in "world music", but perhaps sounds a little too similar to Ornette Coleman's work at times, especially around 13 or 14 minutes in). After ten minutes into this rather lengthy composition, El Gato gets his time to shine and it's stunning, as well as a second solo later. In the past, I have compared Barbieri's saxophone style to Pharoah Sanders, but he's in a category of his own. 

2. Nunca Mas for the pathos of Barbieri's tenor and the bandoneon of Dino Saluzzi. I have yet to hear a better, sweeter tribute to Barbieri's native Argentina. Saluzzi's bandoneon sounds perfectly at home while Gato wails his heart out. Barbieri also recorded a version of this with a similar large ensemble featuring a variety of South American instruments, almost matching "Encuentros" in its intensity. 

3. Lluvia Azul is worthwhile just to hear Barbieri's passionate take on more conventional Latin Jazz. While not likely to shock fans of his earlier music with the 1960s "New Thing" in jazz, all the pieces come together beautifully here: percussion, lilting piano, an organized ensemble, and non-static, surprising directions that gradually build themselves into something larger than the sum of all its parts. Barbieri's supported by an excellent horn section. Barbieri also recorded this live.

4. Encuentros, an aptly titled song, is what led me to think of Barbieri as the "Pharoah Sanders" of Latin Jazz or Latin America. Combining Brazilian rhythms in a large ensemble playing numerous native South American regions, "Encuentros" brings together Brazil and Spanish-speaking South America, Afro-Latin America and indigenous influences in a way I have never heard elsewhere. Gato was at the intersection of the "Third World" quite literally, in this musical tribute to Latin America.

5. Maria Domingas was written by Jorge Ben, my favorite Brazilian singer. Naturally, I adore Gato's take on a classic in Brazilian samba, plus Lonnie Liston Smith and Stanley Clarke to keep things grounded. Gato even tries a little singing in that utterly unique, yodel-like manner Jorge Ben does. Brilliant.

6. Yesterdays has been a favorite ever since hearing Billie Holiday emote the standard. Gato does it justice while Lonnie Liston's comping and Ron Carter on bass don't hurt. Playing standards in a Latin vein does not always succeed, but this is one of the successful examples, especially in the combination of Gato's softer, sentimental side with unbridled passion and vibrato.

7. La China Leoncia Arreo La Correntinada Trajo Entre La Muchachada La Flor De La Juventud is another number bringing to mind Pharoah Sanders or the "world music" phase of other spiritual and free-jazz artists of the 1970s, especially in Barbieri's shrieks and weeping saxophone. Again, unlike most Latin Jazz, "Amerindian" insturments like the charango and drums are used with special effect. Unlike my "Encuentros," this isn't cluttered, either.

8. Vidala Triste makes the list for featuring significant vocals from Gato and prominent acoustic guitar in a simple yet mysterious romp.

9. Brasil is propelled by Nana Vasconcelos playing his heart out on berimbau and Smith's piano chops. This is not your lounge-jazz bossa nova at all, which is refreshing, since the song builds up slowly from the slower tempo to a frenetic pace while Gato soars, alluding to his freer period while remaining melodious.

10. Yo Le Canto A La Luna, by Atahualpa Yupanqui, is another lyrical tribute of sorts to Argentina and one of the great songwriters who honored indigenous heritage. Jazzy accompaniment by Smith, Barbieri's smooth singing is not bad at all, either. For an idea of the source material, Yupanqui's is a great place to start.

11. Carnavalito is another Brazilian-flavored song, but does not comprise on Gato's tenor driving the entirety of the song, including higher register skronk calling back to his 1960s days. Vasconcelos is back on berimbau, a deceptively simple while Gato straddles between jazz avant-garde and Latin Jazz.

12. Cancion del Llamero/Tango is noteworthy as an early foray into Latin music, or Gato standing at the corner of the Third World. Featuring Charlie Haden on bass, The Third World captures Barbieri in a transitional phase, but it's hauntingly beautiful. The trombone is awkward, but gives it a multilayered texture. Anastasio Quiroga's original version, just vocals, is equally beautiful. The "Tango" part of the equation sounds like Piazzolla's Prepárense, which was also recorded by Barbieri several years later, again. It's a pity the two never recorded together.

13. Fiesta is where Barbieri went for a more commercial sound, embracing funk, soul, and popular music. While an entertaining number, and musically speaking, more interesting than a lot of popular music of the disco era and beyond, it's just not the Gato whose earlier work speaks to me. This, oddly, sounds like like Harlem River Drive with a Latin beat.

14.  El Arriero, composed by Yupanqui, is a rollercoaster ride with a brilliant percussion section backing Barbieri with some dissonant squeals and honking.

15. Parabola, by Alan Shorter, brother of Wayne Shorter, wrote a fascinating song that, well, like a parabola, moves up and down. Muhammad Ali, not the boxer, drums assertively over walking bass and Barbieri's solo takes my breath away. Although this kind of composition sounds like something Grachan Moncur III would have written, the sidemen make it unique, especially Muhammad Ali's propulsive polyrhythms.

16. India for its austere beauty. Written by a Paraguayan, Gal Costa also sang the song.

17. Girl in Black (Para Mi Negra), the highlight for the soundtrack of Last Tango in Paris. Sensual, lush soundscape again reflecting the influence of the tango. Oliver Nelson, who I love for his 1960s classic exploring the blues, did an excellent job arranging this.

18. Hotel Overture, from one of Carla Bley's ambitious projects in the 1970s, is a favorite for Barbieri's brief yet soul-stirring solo in a cacophonous overture for Bley's lofty jazz opera. With a whiff of Ellington and Mingus, Bley's jazz orchestra's are usually rewarding. Carla Bley is rightfully highly regarded as a composer and arranger, but sometimes a little goes a long way for those unable to listen to the entirety of Escalator Over the Hill. This overture will suffice.

19. Latinoamérica is just an adorable Brazilian-influenced tribute to Latin America. A "cute" Latin Jazz song like Charlie Parker's Little Suede Shoes or Marion Brown's La Placita, this is another avenue for Gato's sensitive, emotionally restrained side to express itself with enough cavaquinho to last a lifetime.

20. El Gato because I am a cat lover and a fan of Oliver Nelson. Barbieri is, as one might expect in a song named after him, introspective while Nelson's horn arrangement responds to his call. Nelson's solo is less adventurous, within the bop realm, yet interesting to hear the contrast in Gato's tenor versus his alto.

21. Last Tango In Paris Jazz Waltz stands out from the famous soundtrack for it's clave rhythm and overt jazz character.

22. Michelle as an early example of Gato's 1960s avant-garde years and a lovely tribute to his wife. Just a trio with bass and drums, allowing Gato to blow us away in a free-jazz song that is still structured and accessible, albeit 19 minutes too long for some ears.

23.  Viva la Quince Brigada from Liberation Music Orchestra's suite of Spanish Civil War songs is a showcase for Gato. Haden, Bley, Don Cherry, and just about everyone else participated in this landmark recording of left-wing, anti-imperialist jazz.

24. What Will be Left Between Us and the Moon Tonight? is similar to Hotel Overture and is unmistakably Carla Bley, but from her Tropic Appetites. Barbieri, or "Unidentified Cat," solos over what would not have been out of place on some of his own Latin American-inspired records from the same era as this exotica suite encompasses various African, Indian, Asian and Latin moods.

Lee Morgan's Delightfulee

1. "Ca-Lee-So" - 5:34 is a fun, funky and cute track, especially the piano lines. The title, presumably a reference to calypso music, can be heard in the bassline, the head, and the rhythms. Joe Henderson’s well-placed, Caribbean-esque and joyous, upbeat solos are another plus. Definitely an adorable little ditty here, and a highlight on the album. Morever, it’s nice to hear McCoy Tyner’s piano on this Calypso-inflected tune, which can also be clearly seen as a playful tune with the pun (an allusion to Lee’s Christian name) because he is usually associated with the “serious” or spiritual work of Coltrane. Tyner retains his characteristic left hand block chords and right trigger fingers, until the song repeats the joyful theme.

2. "Zambia" - 6:33, despite the title’s allusion to an independent African nation, does not sound very “African.” Thus, though trying to be “Afrocentric” and assert a connection to Africa, something Lee has done with “Mr. Kenyatta” or “Afreaka,” “Zambia,” though featuring some “Latin” influences in Billy Higgins’ drumming, is too standard or stereotypically Morgan. Henderson, however, really flies high on his solo and hints at the post-bop world of the mid-1960s. Higgins also lays down the up-tempo swing hard on this, while Morgan and him play call-and-response for a while. Unfortunately, it sounds too much like “Calling Ms. Khadijah,” a number penned by Morgan for Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers or even his “Kozo’s Waltz,” also recorded with Blakey.

3. "Yesterday" (Lennon, McCartney) - 5:49 is the worst track on the album, with Morgan and a big band orchestrated by Oliver Nelson endeavoring to do justice to a classic song by the Beatles. Adding a light samba rhythm, the band plays the melody faithfully, but it just does not add up right. It sounds pathetic, almost Churchlike (as in an hymn) and the horn arrangements do not represent the song’s light, earnest hope as well as a very simple, sparse arrangement would. It was a nice attempt, though, and I admire Oliver Nelson’s work, especially The Blues and the Abstract Truth’s “Stolen Moments.”

4. "Sunrise, Sunset" (Bock, Harnick) - 6:17 continues the big band recordings, doing an interesting version of a song from Fiddler on the Roof, which, when compared to “Yesterday,” works well and surpasses the original music. The saxophone solo (sounds like Wayne Shorter?) uniquely carries the song, as well as McCoy Tyner’s lilting, dark-edged piano’s sinister sound. Higgins on the drum carries it well, and Tyner’s piano, once again, and the full band joins in at times where it sounds very much like the arrangements for John Coltrane’s larger band ensembles in Africa/Brass or Ole Coltrane. Perhaps the presence of Tyner and his unique piano stamp of approval is what truly reminds me of Coltrane’s larger ensemble work, though, especially since his solo contains his left hand block chords and soulful, piercing, right. Indeed, this song, actually sounds like a song from Africa/Brass, such as “Greensleeves” or “Song of the Underground Railroad.”

5. "Nite Flite" - 7:38 features the old quintet again, and is a speeding train of jazz. Morgan blows away while Higgins plays a thundering, lightning-fast rhythm that reminds one of Max Roach’s “Freedom Day.” Higgins, however, keeps it from getting boring by adding Latinish touches while Henderson’s solo, appropriately fast and post-bop, adds some soul and hints at his later avant-garde, free jazz work. Tyner’s contemplative, spirited solo, so typical of his beautiful, one in a kind style, adds a complex layer of soul to the composition. He keeps it from getting old by throwing multitextured arpeggios and sounds with strong, hectic rhythms supplied by Higgins. As the title suggests, night is indeed flying by in this interesting, post-bop Morgan tune.

6. "The Delightful Deggie" - 6:38, the last of the quintet recordings on this release, is a deep, mid-tempo number recalling a once delightful, merry time. Henderson once again steals the show, with his solo, at one point sounding like “Haitian Fight Song,” plays around the waltz-like atmosphere of good times once had. Tyner brings in the blues, just as he so ardently accomplished with in various spellbinding renditions of Coltrane’s “Spiritual,” also a somber piece reflecting sadness, inner resolve, and spirit. Thus, despite leaning toward modal and avant-garde, Tyner never loses his grasp the blues, showing off his experience and talent by infusing the somber track with a touch of the blues. The number ends on a high note, with repetition of the deep theme of

7. "Need I?" - 7:11 Bonus track on CD is very boppish, recorded with the big band, although lacking the complexity and depth of the previous track, so it’s not a very smooth transition. It’s nice though, especially with Shorter on saxophone playing in the hard bop style he perfected under the tutelage of Art Blakey’s Jazz Messengers. Though never cooking as much as he did in, say, “Dat Dere,” him and Morgan keep things going with unnecessary accompaniment from the large ensemble’s additional horns. In my humble opinion, this would be one song better left out of the album or just recorded with the quintet. Philly Joe Jones does get some momentary shine for his drumming solos, though, as well as Tyner, going on a bluesy, beautiful romp.

8. "Filet of Soul (aka Hoppin' John)" - 8:30, another bonus track, sounds too much like an Oliver Nelson song with an additional slice of soul. In some ways, it’s very characteristic of Morgan’s work, since Blue Note was always pressuring him to compose funky soul-jazz and bop numbers that could be another hit after the amazing success of “The Sidewinder.” Shorter, per usual, slows things down and, with his introspective solo, retains the blues, adding in some short-lived howls and retained notes for the necessary bluesy element. The drummer, Jones, like Blakey does on similar recordings, keeps things flowing well, especially while Morgan takes over for his soulful solo. This minor blues theme, exemplified by Tyner’s accompaniment, sounds similar to some of Morgan’s blues-oriented outings with the Jazz Messengers until Tyner improvises pensive, reflective riffs layered with age or depth suggesting ancient sources. Alas, the big band arrangement detracts from what could have been a great song, with flutes and other horns until the bassist’s solo, which is middling, until the song ends, sounding somewhat, once again, like an Oliver Nelson number from The Blues and the Abstract Truth.

9. "Zambia" [Big Band Version] - 8:01 tries and succeeds to emulate the post-bop, “Kozo’s Waltz”-like delight of “Zambia.” Though the horns bring more textural layers of sound, and Shorter’s saxophone voice differs significantly from Henderson, using honking, almost atonal moments to express a post-bop soul, Morgan’s soloing phenomenal, and Tyner thoughtful. Jones, whose well-executed rhythmic fits of fancy, are well-placed, though hardly “Zambian” or “African” in sound, except for the Afro-Latin solo, actually make the song more stereotypically “African” than the quintet recording. It ends well though, with the additional horns providing a nice call-and-response to the soloists' exploration of the them, which is, in a sense, very African. 

10. "The Delightful Deggie" [Big Band Version], the final track, sounds much like the quintet version with annoying additional horn arrangements that, for me, distract from the melancholic tone poem. Tyner, who solos first, fortunately saves us, as well as Morgan. The drumming seems too loud, however, with Jones using too much forceful swing whereas Higgins, who could cook and swing just as hard, was better able to temper himself and let go. Once again, with Tyner, things turn out okay and Shorter makes everything okay in the end. Nevertheless, the big-band recording, like most of the other big-band renditions, pale in comparison to the quintet recordings, although none as much as “Yesterday.”