Search - David Newman :: Captain Buckles

Captain Buckles falls into that category of solid Atlantic-label jazz albums from the late 1960s and '70s that have never made it to CD reissue--at least until now. The original producer of Buckles, Joel Dorn (also the mastermind behind Label M, which is making headway in reissuing a potpourri of important, long-neglected albums), is determined to rectify this situation. The music, featuring Newman's robust tenor sax and Blue Mitchell's soulful trumpet, fits perfectly into today's funky, jam-based, jazz. Heavily influenced by the "soul jazz" of Horace Silver, this set rests more on funk rhythms (courtesy of drummer Bernard "Pretty" Purdie) than on bebop or swing. For all that, Newman and Mitchell drive their horns primarily in the hard-bop vernacular, eschewing much of the free-jazz furor of the day. A plaintive version of the Beatles' "Something," sounds every bit like an early blueprint for smooth jazz, relying on Fathead Newman's vocalized, melodic sax, and Eric Gale's rock-tinged guitar. Might Atlantic have been looking for a young audience in the day? Ironically, what may not have succeeded in 1970 is highly likely to go big now, given the resurgence of funky jazz and the down-home quality of this unpretentious, earthy music (and that one nod to pop jazz). --Wally Shoup