Blues and the Soulful Truth
| Blues and the Soulful Truth | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 1973 | |||
| Recorded | November 13, 1972 | |||
| Studio | RCA Studio A, New York City | |||
| Genre | Jazz | |||
| Length | 39:08 | |||
| Label | Flying Dutchman FD/FDS 10155 | |||
| Producer | Bob Thiele | |||
| Leon Thomas chronology | ||||
| ||||
Blues and the Soulful Truth is an album by American jazz vocalist and percussionist Leon Thomas recorded in 1972 and released by the Flying Dutchman label.[1][2][3]
Reception
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [4] |
AllMusic reviewer Thom Jurek stated: "Blues and the Soulful Truth is among the artist's most enduring performances, either as a leader or sideman ... In sum, Blues and the Soulful Truth (Which does echo Oliver Nelson's Blues and the Abstract Truth in vision as well as title), is a tour through the depth and dimension of Thomas' mind-blowing abilities as a singer in a wide range of African American musical traditions, proving at the time, and now again, that he was far more than a free jazz singer. ... This album is a singular achievement, even among the fine recordings in Thomas' own catalogue, and should be considered first by those curious enough to look into his work -- you won't be disappointed no matter what you find, but this one will take you places you never anticipated going".[4]
Track listing
All compositions by Leon Thomas except where noted
- "Let's Go Down to Lucy" (Alfred Ellis, Leon Thomas) – 4:27
- "L-O-V-E" – 2:54
- "Gypsy Queen" (Gábor Szabó, George David Weiss) – 10:19
- "Love Each Other" – 3:16
- "Shape Your Mind to Die" (Neal Creque, Leon Thomas) – 5:22
- "Boom-Boom-Boom" (John Lee Hooker) – 4:52
- "China Doll" (Alfred Ellis, Jesse Kilpatrick, Leon Thomas) – 5:07
- "C.C. Rider" (Traditional) – 6:23
Personnel
- Leon Thomas − vocals, percussion, firecrackers
- Pee Wee Ellis – tenor saxophone, soprano saxophone, baritone saxophone, piano, organ, coat hangers, marimba, firecrackers, arranger
- Neal Creque - electric piano, piano
- John Eckert – trumpet (tracks 1 & 4)
- Dick Griffin – trombone (tracks 1 & 4)
- Cecil Payne – baritone saxophone (tracks 1 & 4)
- Cornell Dupree (tracks 1, 2 & 4), Larry Coryell (tracks 6 & 8) – guitar
- John Blair - vitar (track 5)
- Stanley Clarke (track 3), Gordon Edwards (tracks 1, 2 & 4) – electric bass
- Donald Pate – bass, electric bass (tracks 6 & 8)
- Bernard Purdie (tracks 1, 2, 4 & 6-8), Jesse Kilpatrick (track 5), Airto Moreira (track 3) – drums
- Baba Feme – percussion (tracks 5 & 7)
- Gene Golden – congas (track 3)
- Lani Groves (track 2 & 4), Carl Hall (tracks 2, 4 & 7), Hilda Harris (track 7), Albertine Robinson (track 7), Tasha Thomas (track 2 & 4) – vocals
- Lillian Seyfert, Tony May – firecrackers (track 3)
References
- ^ Jazzlists: Flying Dutchman 10100 series discography, accessed November 18, 2019
- ^ Both Sides Now: Flying Dutchman Label Discography, accessed November 18, 2019
- ^ Leon Thomas Select Discography 1: Recordings as a Leader, accessed November 18, 2019
- ^ a b Jurek, Thom. Leon Thomas: Blues and the Soulful Truth – Review at AllMusic. Retrieved November 13, 2018.