Search - Yusef Lateef :: Three Faces of

Three Horned Wizard

Dr. Debra Jan Bibel | Oakland, CA USA | 09/01/2009

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Yusef Lateef, who performed world jazz fusion before there was such a category and whose album Eastern Sounds is a masterpiece of the genre, displays his versatility in this CD. When he plays the tenor saxophone, he is the hard bopper who plays with strength and certainty. His oboe work shatters sound preconceptions. This is not the sweet, soft symphonic oboe or the lyrical oboe of Oregon's Paul McCandless, but the double reed of world folk traditions, with energy and openness. Hearing the blues on oboe is a kick! Lateef's flute, on the other hand, is inner directed and more reflective. We hear suggestions of Lateef's religious commitment through Asian themes. The celeste (pre-Herbie Hancock's electronic equivalent) adds color to the meditation. From a quiet flute track, Lateef closes with the somewhat jarring Ma-He's Making Eyes at Me on saxophone, probably to remind all that he is still the Detroit jazzman who played with Roy Eldridge and Dizzy Gillespie. Yusef Lateef is supported on this ablum by Ron Carter on cello instead of his usual bass, of which Herman Wright does the honors. Keyboards are provided by Hugh Lawson. Drums (including timpani) are played Lex Humphries."