🎵 AotW AOTW: David Spinozza - SPINOZZA* (SP-4677)

[Captain Bacardi]

David Spinozza
SPINOZZA*
A&M SP-4677

Released 1978
Peaked at #16 on the Jazz Album chart (1978)

Format: Vinyl/8-Track/Cassette

Produced by Mike Mainieri and David Spinozza for Airborne Productions

Songs & Musicians:

• 1. Superstar (Leon Russell/Bonnie Bramlett) - 5:44[list:de803024ff]Arranged by David Spinozza and Mike Mainieri
  David Spinozza - Lead Guitar
  Joe Caro - Rhythm Guitar
  Anthony Jackson - Bass
  Rick Marotta - Drums
  Mike Mainieri - Polymoog Synthesizer
  Leon Pendarvis - Acoustic Piano
  Background Vocals: Luther Vandross, David Lasley & Diva Gray

2. On My Way To The Liquor Store (Leon Pendarvis) - 6:52

• Arranged by Leon Pendarvis
  David Spinozza - Electric Guitar
  Joe Caro - Rhythm Guitar
  Anthony Jackson - Bass
  Steve Jordan - Drums
  Mike Mainieri - Synthesizer
  Rob Mounsey - Electric Piano
  Leon Pendarvis - Acoustic Piano

3. Prelude To "The Ballerina" (David Spinozza) - 3:14

• Orchestrated and Conducted by David Spinozza
  Concert Master: David Nadien
  Violins: Sanford Allen, Guy Lumia, Gerald Tarack, Harold Kohon, Paul Gersham, Anahid Ajemian, John Pintavalle, Peter Dimitriades, Ora Shiran, Richard Hendrickson, Mathew Raimondi, Harry Lookofsky, Richard Sortomme, Lewis Eley, Tony Posk, Lucy Chapman Staltzman
  Violas: Barry Finclair, La Mar Alsap, Sue Pray, Emanuel Vardi, Selwart R. Clarke, Theodore Israel
  Cellos: Charles McCracken, Beverly Lauridson, Jesse Levy
  Bass: Michael Moore, Eddie Gomez
  Harp: Margaret Ross
  Trumpets: Alan Rubin, Randy Brecker*, Jon Faddis
  Trombones: Wayne Andre, Barry Rogers, David Taylor
  Tuba: Tony Price
  French Horns: John Trevor Clark, Sharon Moe*
  English Horns & Flute: George Marge*
  Flutes: George Young, David Tofani
  Background Vocals: Kim Carlson, Gordon Grody
  *Solos

4. The Ballerina (David Spinozza) - 5:35

• Arranged by David Spinozza
  David Spinozza - Vocal, Acoustic Guitar
  Warren Bernhardt - Acoustic Piano
  Anthiny Jackson - Bass
  Rick Marotta - Drums
  Gary Mure - Percussion
  David Carey - Percussion

5. Edge Of The Sword (David Spinozza/Mike Mainieri) - 4:59

• Arranged by Mike Mainieri
  David Spinozza - Lead Guitar
  Warren Bernhardt - Clavinet, Fender Rhodes & Synthesizer
  Joe Caro - Rhythm Guitar
  Anthony Jackson - Bass
  Steve Jordan - Drums
  Rubens Bassini - Percussion

6. Country Bumpkin (David Spinozza/Mike Mainieri) - 4:04

• Arranged by Mike Mainieri
  David Spinozza - Lead Guitar
  Joe Caro - Rhythm Guitar
  Anthony Jackson - Bass
  Don Grolnick - Acoustic Piano
  Leon Pendarvis - Electric Piano
  Rick Marotta - Drums
  Mike Mainieri - Percussion & Synthesizer
  Eric Weisberg - Banjo and Pedal Steel Guitar

7. Doesn't She Know By Now (David Spinozza) - 4:43

• Arranged by David Spinozza
  David Spinozza - Acoustic Guitar
  Anthony Jackson - Bass
  Rick Marotta - Drums
  Leon Pendarvis - Piano
  Michael Brecker - Tenor Sax solo
  Background Vocals: Luther Vandross, David Lasley & Diva Gray

8. Airborne (David Spinozza) - 5:33

• Arranged by David Spinozza
  David Spinozza - Lead Guitar
  Joe Caro - Rhythm Guitar
  Anthony Jackson - Bass
  Mike Mainieri - Vibes
  Rick Marotta - Drums
  Rob Mounsey - Electric Piano
  Kim Carlson - Scat Vocal
  Trumpets: Randy Brecker, Jon Faddis, Lew Soloff
  Trombones: David Taylor, Wayne Andre, Barry Rogers
  Saxophones: David Sanborn, David Tofani, George Young, Ronald Cuber, Michael Brecker

9. High Button Shoes (Rob Mounsey) - 3:21

• Arranged by Rob Mounsey
  David Spinozza - Lead Guitar
  Warren Bernhardt - Acoustic Piano
  Anthony Jackson - Bass
  Steve Jordan - Drums
  Joe Caro - Rhythm Guitar
  Mike Mainieri - Xylophone
  Rob Mounsey - Electric Piano

[/list:u:de803024ff]

Recorded and Mixed at the House Of Music, New Jersey
Recording and Mixing Engineer: Jeffrey Kawalek
Assistant Engineer: Peter Roulinavage
Synthesizer Programming by Larry Fast

Strings and Horns recorded at A&R Recording, New York
Recording Engineer: Leanne Unger
Assistant Engineer: Olie Cotton
Musical Contractor: Christine Martin

This album was mixed using the Aphex Aural Exciter

Art Direction: Roland Young
Design: Phil Shima and Vigon/Nahas/Vigon
Photography: Gary Heery (Front Cover) and Lynn Goldmsith (Back Cover and Sleeve)

*David Spinozza appears courtesy of A&M Records, Inc.



Capt. Bacardi

 

[Dave]

*David Spinozza appears courtesy of A&M Records, Inc.

David Spinozza appearED courtesy of...

--...Turn to his Session Work behind Paul Williams, Guy Clark, Jim Carroll, Ron Davies, Burt Bacharach, Tim Weissberg, Steve Marriott, David Batteau, Gold, Tamiko Jones, and a whole lott'a others for A&M and other labels, alike...

Somewhere in "The A&M Land of Lost LP's" are yet more credits for this guy, if not at least one "attempt" at this sort of a project for Spinozza; maybe not...

Too heavy to back The Carpenters (despite demanding a hard rock-type solo on "Goodbye To Love") or Renée Armand, perhaps...? Well, so many sessions on the A&M Lot, so little time...

Fast-Forward then to years later at Spinozza's original studio stomping grounds in New York, then, coming off as Jazz, coming off as Rock, but at least coming off convincing us on this Solo Outing that he could make an album coming OUT up-front as good as what he could back-up while "behind the scenes"...

A bit run-of-the-mill in some places, a bit heavy-handedly backed up by Producer/Vibist Mike Mainieri (perhaps out of over-enthusiasm in mentoring this young talent) in that his output on Xylaphone and Vibes and even assisting our "leader" in the musical & orchestral arrangements tends to over-power "the man in front" if it was only to just coax out a lil' bit more expression out'ta "lil' Davey"...

But the experimentation...: Country Music... Singing (Especially David's Lead (Gasp! --Why?!) on "The Ballerina")... Leon Russell & Bonnie Bramlett's "Superstar"--(why not "A Song For You", too?!)... A "Concert Orchestra"... The Real Deep, Low Octaves on "On My Way To The Liquor Store"... The European-Sounding "Edge Of The Sword"... (which sounds a lot like Swedish guitarist Janne Schaffer and when Side 2 plays, I always have to make sure that IS an A&M Record on the turntable...!) And the creepy back-up singing on the R&B-esque "Doesn't She Know By Now"... Everything in this "mixed-bag" has been tried and that's enough to give our hot, new, young hero credit for...!



Dave

 

[Captain Bacardi]

An interesting mix of styles by guitarist David Spinozza. At first, this album seems to go nowhere, mainly because of the dreadful "Ballerina". The only saving grace on the first side is "On My Way To The Liquor Store". Fortunately, the second side of this LP makes it all worthwhile. Spinozza has a mix of jazz fusion, country and funk to make this a rather enjoyable listen. "Country Bumpkin" actually sounds like a tune that Stuff would do. Michael Brecker contributes a hot sax solo on "Doesn't She Know By Now". There's a bit of big band influence on "Airborne". For the most part this is a fun album to listen to, and a bit of a surprise that this album never made it to CD. 3 & 1/2 stars.



Capt. Bacardi

 

[Dave]

It really would'a made a good Japanese reissue and I can really picture it issued with an "OBI" strip, if not sold with the disc outside o' the case while all wrapped in the soft plastic casing...

I really could'a sworn I saw it that way in my dreams...


And despite how Sinozza's singing comes off a bit fey, "The Ballerina" is a fairly good song...



Dave

 

[LPJim]

Since this entry's already posted, we can move forward to "4678."
JB

 

[Bobbyvox]

I can't believe no one has mentioned David Spinozza's most famous work as a session man. I mean, the guy only worked with two ex-Beatles. And not just any two ex-Beatles... Helllllllo!!!!!! Paul McCartney hired David to play lead guitar on his RAM album in 1971. His work on that album is outstanding. Two years later, John & Yoko hired David to play on John's MIND GAMES lp and Yoko's FEELING THE SPACE lp. It's also been well established that he and Yoko were "seeing" eachother during J & Y's brief separation in 1974. The story goes that David encouraged Yoko to completely break from John since he was miles away in Los Angeles with May Pang. I know this is all ancient history, but his session work with these two legends has to be his top claim to fame.