Ron Carter – Spanish Blue (1975/2013) [Official Digital Download 24bit/192kHz]

Ron Carter – Spanish Blue (1975/2013)
FLAC (tracks) 24 bit/192 kHz | Time – 34:18 minutes | 1,25 GB | Genre: Jazz
Studio Masters, Official Digital Download | Front Cover | © CTI Records

One of the massive Ron Carter albums from the mid 70s – and a set of 4 open-ended modal tracks that hit a similar Latin/but not Latin approach as the tracks on Coltrane’s great Ole album. The group’s a small one – featuring Carter on bass, Billy Cobham on drums, Jay Berliner on guitar, Ralph MacDonald on percussion, Roland Hanna on piano, and Hubert Laws on flute. Laws’ playing is some of the best on the record – and his solos carry most of the songs nicely, a lot more nicely, in fact, than those on his own albums at the time. Leon Pendarvis makes a guest appearance playing electric piano on the cut “Arkansas”, which is a bit funky – and other tunes include “El Noche Sol”, “Sabado Sombrero”, and “El Noche Sol”.

Ron Carter’s offering here is a solid program that has two Spanish-flavored numbers and two traditional jazz compositions that feature five top-caliber musicians at their best. “El Noche Sol” is influenced by Anadalucian folk music, as is the slower, soulful “Sabado Sombrero”. Hubert Laws on flute is prominent on all four tracks and a highlight on the CD is the nifty solo work by drummer Billy Cobham on “So What”. The final track, “Arkansas”, so named for a child’s homework project, closes out the album. The CD would have benefitted from the inclusion of a few more numbers but the music is enjoyable and illustrates the group’s versatility in interpreting music forms different from what they were accustomed to playing.

70′s fusion-esque album by Ron Carter. It’s has a definite Jazz focus, but it also has a latin sound to it. The reason why I personally wouldn’t put it in the fusion category is because the instrumentation is pretty standard. Although this is Ron Carter’s album, it has a lot of excellent flute by the great Hubert Laws, which pretty much steers the album. This album is just a blip for Ron Carter, who has said to appear on over 2,500 albums, which is one of the most astonishing facts in all of music. This goes to show that Bassists are always in need, always have work, and are the backbone of music.

Tracklist:
01. Ron Carter – El Noche Sol (05:59)
02. Ron Carter – So What (11:26)
03. Ron Carter – Sabado Sombrero (06:18)
04. Ron Carter – Arkansas (10:34)

Personnel:
Ron Carter, bass
Hubert Laws, flute
Roland Hanna, electric piano, piano
Leon Pendarvis, electric piano
Jay Berliner, guitar
Billy Cobham, drums, field drum
Ralph MacDonald, percussion

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