🎷 AotW: CTI Hubert Laws: Crying Song (CTI Records CTI 1002 / CTI 6000)

All the CTI releases
CTI 1002 album coverHubert Laws: Crying Song

CTI Records CTI 1002
Released 1970
(pictured top right)

CTI Records CTI 6000
Reissued 1971
(pictured middle right)
  • A1 - La Jean 2:30
  • A2 - Love Is Blue / Sing A Rainbow 3:20
  • A3 - Crying Song 4:50
  • A4 - Listen To The Band 3:20
  • A5 - I've Gotta Get A Message To You 3:05
  • B1 - Feelin' Alright? 2:30
  • B2 - Cymbaline 3:55
  • B3 - How Long Will It Be? 5:50
  • B4 - Let It Be 3:30
CTI 6000 album cover
Arranged By [Brass] – Glen Spreen (tracks: A1, A2, A4 to B1, B4), Mike Leech (tracks: A1, A2, A4 to B1, B4)
Arranged By [String] – Bob James (tracks: A1, A2)
Bass – Mike Leech (tracks: A1, A2, A4 to B1, B4), Ron Carter (tracks: A3, B2, B3)
Cello – Charles McCracken (tracks: A1, A2), George Ricci (tracks: A1, A2)
Design [Album] – Tony Lane (2) (tracks: A1, A2)
Drums – Bill Cobham* (tracks: A3), Gene Chrisman (tracks: A1, A2, A4 to B1, B4), Grady Tate (tracks: B2, B3)
Engineer – Rudy Van Gelder (tracks: A3, B2, B3)
Engineer, Music Director [Musical Director Of American Group] – Tom Cogbill* (tracks: A1, A2, A4 to B1, B4)
Flute – Hubert Laws
Guitar – George Benson (tracks: A3, B2, B3), Reggie Young (tracks: A1, A2, A4 to B1, B4)
Organ – Bobby Emmons (tracks: A1, A2, A4 to B1, B4)
Organ, Piano – Bob James (tracks: A3, B2, B3)
Photography By [Cover] – Price Givens (tracks: A1, A2)
Piano – Bobby Wood (tracks: A1, A2, A4 to B1, B4)
Producer – Creed Taylor
Saxophone – Art Clarke* (tracks: A1, A2, A4 to B1, B4), Seldon Powell (tracks: A1, A2, A4 to B1, B4)
Tabla, Other [Sand Blocks] – Ed Shaughnessy (track: B1)
Trombone – Garnett Brown (tracks: A1, A2, A4 to B1, B4), Tony Studd (tracks: A1, A2, A4 to B1, B4)
Trumpet, Flugelhorn – Ernie Royal (tracks: A1, A2, A4 to B1, B4), Marvin Stamm (tracks: A1, A2, A4 to B1, B4)
Violin – Avram Weiss (tracks: A1, A2), Gene Orloff (tracks: A1, A2), George Ockner (tracks: A1, A2), Lewis Eley (tracks: A1, A2), Matthew Raimondi (tracks: A1, A2), Max Pollikoff (tracks: A1, A2), Paul Gershman (tracks: A1, A2), Raoul Poliakin (tracks: A1, A2), Sylvan Shulman (tracks: A1, A2)

Recorded July 23 (A5, A4), 24 (A2, B1, A1, B4), 1969, American Sounds Studio, Memphis
Recorded September 23 (A3), 24 (B3, B2), 1969, Van Gelder Studios


Amazon product ASIN B00OR2I66M




 
Given what we've been discussing about the chronology of the A&M/CTi break and that this was recorded in 1969, I'm gonna guess that this was supposed to be SP-3026 and that A&M not only shelved it like George Benson's I GOT A WOMAN AND SOME BLUES, but rejected it in a way that rights to it reverted to Creed.

Also interesting that only three of the tracks were recorded at Van Gelder.
 
I had thought the same--it probably was intended for the empty A&M slot. It makes me wonder if A&M had eventually rejected signing a contract for Hubert Laws that late in the relationship. They may have intended to release something by placing it tentatively in the lineup, yet with Creed leaving to take the label independent, they might have decided to pass on the contract and have the new CTI sign him instead. As it was, Laws recorded more albums for CTI, with this one launching the series. A&M may not have seen Laws' future albums having much traction with their label. That's about all I can guess about it.

Taylor thought enough of the album that he reused the album to start the 6000 series only months later. The 1000 series is sort of an oddball, and only had five releases, some of them not that related to jazz at all. The 6000 series is where the real "CTI jazz" sound was born.
 
...and this LP is about as memorable as the at-the-time unissued Benson session.

Michael beat me to it on the conjecture.

I have Hubert's three Atlantic releases prior to this date. I find those LP largely rewarding. This LP, on the other hand, is disappointing to me. I've never owned it, but have auditioned it several times on YouTube (because I want to like it); yet, I just can't get past the overall vibe. Reviewing the credits I see part of the problem: Bob James. He does zero for me -- always has (e.g., when I saw him on Stonebone my heart sank. I was like, Oh, #$&%, that $#%&'s gonna %&#$ this date! ...and he nearly does.) For me the first two selections are the worst: James arranged the strings on those. As for the other two arrangers -- Spreen and Leech -- I never heard of them and just can't dig where they're at.
 
This album is sort of an outlier, as is the entire 1000 series. The series was geared more towards the pop/rock side than it was jazz, and this album sounds like a cursory rundown of current hits with a mixed bag of arrangers. It's not terrible but on the other hand, nothing really grips me on it--it's average at best. The only track I can really get into is "How Long Will It Be?" which is a Laws original, and is the only track on the album that reminds me this is a CTI record. The rest remind of what a major label often did with a jazz artist in the 70s--encouraging a mediocre album of the musician running down current hits, vs. just letting a musician be themselves. "Rocky II Disco," anyone?

I have mixed feelings about Bob James. Some of his music at times has been nothing more than an updated MOR style, yet I found he's had a good touch on other recordings. I like a lot of what he did on the Grover Washington Jr. Soul Box album, but the opening track ("Aubrey") was textbook Bob James--way too "pretty" to be on a jazz album. It's like "Angela" (aka the "Theme from 'Taxi'") except sappier, IMHO. At least with "Aubrey," "Masterpiece," Trouble Man," and other tracks make up for it. (I start playing the album at "Masterpiece," as a matter of fact.)
 
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