Gato Barbieri – Fenix

from Dusty Grooves

One of Gato’s best! The record’s neither too out, nor too poppy — and it has Gato playing with that incredible raspy tone of his, working over modal grooves laid down by a hip group that includes Lonnie Liston Smith on acoustic and electric pianos, Ron Carter on bass, Lennie White on drums, and additional percussion on most tracks. The tracks have a Latin finish to them, but they’ve also got a strongly pronounced soul jazz vibe — something that’s missing from lots of Gato’s other work, and which feels a lot here like some of Pharoah Sander’s best work for Impulse. Titles include "Tupac Amaru", "Bahia", "Falsa Bahiana", and "Carnavalito".