Tuesday 1 September 2009

Raul De Souza ”Don’t Ask My Neighbors”

Raul De Souza

Don’t Ask My Neighbors
( LP Capitol/EMI-Odeon Records, 1978 )
Catalog # 11774 or 064 85454

Tracklisting:
1 – Don’t ask my neighbors (Scarborough)
2 – La la song (H. Mason)
3 – Daisy mae (G. Duke)
4 – Beauty and the beast (W. Shorter)
5 – Fortune (M. Castles – Raul de Souza)
6 – Overture (M. Colombier)
7 – At the concert (M. Henderson)
8 – I believe you (D. Addrisi)
9 – Jump street (Raul de Souza)

Personnel & Credits:
Raul De Souza – Trombone
Airto Moreira – Percussion
Manolo Badrena – Percussion
Ronald Bautista – Guitar
Leon “Ndugu” Chancler – Drums
Sharon Hendrix – Vocals (bckgr)
Josie James – Vocals (bckgr)
Charles “Icarus” Johnson – Guitar
Icarus Johnson – Guitar
Azar Lawrence – Sax (Soprano), Sax (Tenor)
Bobby Lyle – Keyboards
Harvey Mason, Sr.- Drums
Byron Miller – Bass
Robert Popwell – Bass
Petsye Powell – Vocals (bckgr)
Delbert Taylor – Flugelhorn
George Duke Producer

Review:
Released in 1978, Don’t Ask My Neighbors was the second and last album that George Duke produced for Raul De Souza. For the most part, Duke serves the Brazilian trombonist well, but this vinyl LP isn’t without its flaws. Duke sometimes overproduces, and a few of the tracks are weak — especially De Souza’s disappointing versions of major R&B hits of the late ’70s. Instead of really interpreting the Emotions’ “Don’t Ask My Neighbors,” De Souza provides a pointless note-for-note cover and turns the song into elevator muzak. He doesn’t fare much better on Michael Henderson’s “At the Concert,” which is marred by robotic female background vocalists who insist on singing the chorus instead of getting out of the way and allowing De Souza’s trombone to be dominant. However, De Souza’s interpretation of Dorothy Moore’s “I Believe You” is decent, and he really lets loose on Wayne Shorter’s “Beauty and the Beast,” as well as jazz-funk smokers that include Duke’s “Daisy Mae” and his own “Jump Street.” Don’t Ask My Neighbors isn’t as strong as Sweet Lucy, the first album that Duke produced for De Souza, but it’s a generally enjoyable, if uneven, record that has more ups than downs.
By Alex Henderson (AMG)


Raul De Souza ”Colors” (1974)
Available at the fantastic Hot Beat Jazz Blog

Biography:
Boasting a distinctive and highly appealing tone, Raul de Souza was a Brazilian trombonist who kept busy in the ’70s but faded into obscurity in the ’80s. De Souza, although essentially a jazz artist, was quite versatile — he played his share of fusion, pop-jazz, and Brazilian jazz, but could also handle funk and disco. Born in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on August 23, 1934, de Souza was employed as a sideman by some of Brazil’s musical heavyweights in the ’70s, including Sergio Mendez, Flora Purim, Airto Moreira, and Milton Nascimento. The trombonist, who also appeared on ’70s albums by Sonny Rollins and Cal Tjader, signed with Capitol in 1976, and his first Capitol session, Sweet Lucy, was released the following year. Both Sweet Lucy and de Souza’s second Capitol date, Don’t Ask My Neighbors, were produced by George Duke. But de Souza changed producers on his next album, ‘Til Tomorrow Comes, which was produced by Arthur Wright and found the Rio native jumping on the disco bandwagon. Devoid of jazz, the 1979 release is pure disco. ‘Til Tomorrow Comes was his last album for Capitol — after that, he faded into obscurity. All three of de Souza’s Capitol albums are out of print, although his 1974 recording, Colors, is available as part of Fantasy’s Original Jazz Classics series.
By Alex Henderson (AMG)


Also ”’Til Tomorrow Comes” (1979) at My Jazz World Blog.

By Pier

1 comment:

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