Yusef Lateef
's music from the early '70s commands large doses of both appeal and skepticism. At a time when funk and fusion were merging with the intensely volatile and distrustful mood of the U.S.,
Lateef
's brand of Detroit soul garnered new fans, and turned away those who preferred his earlier hard bop jazz or world music innovations. Thus
The Gentle Giant
is an appropriate title, as
's levitational flute looms large over the rhythm & blues beats central to the equation.
Kenny Barron
's Fender Rhodes electric piano is also a sign of the times, an entry point introducing him to the contemporary jazz scene, and on that point alone is historically relevant. The post-
Bitches Brew
, pre-
Weather Report
/
Headhunters
time period is to be considered, and how this music put
in many respects to the forefront of the movement. While inconsistent and at times uneven, there's more to praise than damn in the grooves and unique musicianship he offers with this small ensemble of focused and singular-minded players. At once funky and cool,
Barron
's
"Nubian Lady"
sets the tone out of the gate, the tune totally trumping
Herbie Mann
Memphis Underground
Push Push
style. The similar-sounding
"Jungle Plum"
is more danceable, simpler, and less attractive. While
"Aftican Song"
is also in this vein, it is less about the continent in the title as it is reflective of the era, and a slower number. Perhaps that actual title and the sleigh bell-driven
"Below Yellow Bell"
could have been reversed, for it is more Afrocentric, with
's wordless vocal counterpoint closer to sounds of the savanna over a baroque rhythm & blues.
"Hey Jude,"
under-produced to the point of inaudibility at the outset (the caveat given is "do not adjust the playback level on your audio equipment, readjust your mind"), busts out on the incessantly repeated "na na" chorus with
the Sweet Inspirations
doing the honors. The other tracks lay low, as
and
Al "Tootie" Heath
's flutes and
Kermit Moore
's cello go into late-night mode for
"Lowland Lullabye,"
"The Poor Fisherman"
explores the leader's interest in Asian sounds with call and response, and
"Queen of the Night"
is a two-minute shortie with
Eric Gale
's modulated guitar mixing up meters of 4/4 and 3/4 in a slightly macabre way. This recording was produced in the middle of
's commercial crossroads phase that started with the
Atlantic
label issue
Yusef Lateef's Detroit
in 1969 and ended in 1977 with the
CTI
release
Autophysiopsychic
. Though these tracks are potent reminders of how jazz was willfully being manipulated by the record companies --
Creed Taylor
in particular -- this album is clear evidence of how great a musician
was, but not in the context of his best music. ~ Michael G. Nastos