Nat Adderley Septet - "Don't Look Back" (1976)

'Home' excerpt


'Don't Look Back' excerpt



'K High' excerpt

Bacoso says: 
From the slamming opener "Funny Funny" to the super funky "K High" to the great title track "Don't Look Back" by Harold Vick this one swings like a mutha. All killer - No filler!

Simon says : 
This Nat Adderley album - recorded for SteepleChase the day after the first anniversary of his brother Cannonball's death - initially drew my attention because it had a version of Harold Vick's "Don't Look Back", my favourite Strata-East album. This version of the track is more uptempo, fitting in with the joyous, funky vibe that permeates this album, and was to continue even more in a funkerly direction in Adderley's followup "Hummin", featuring the same lineup (which I've lost! Who has it?)Nat Adderley is in fine form on the cornet, but this is very much a group effort with solos shared around. NeverEnoughRhodes regular Onaje Allan Gumbs provides two piano tracks, showing signs of the "happy pill" Brazilian harmonies that were to increase in his writing over the next few years. Elsewhere he's providing great rhodes work and some funky clavinet on drummer Buddy Williams' track "K High". I wonder if "K High" meant the same thing in 1976, or if Williams was still just funked out from the sessions on Cedar Walton's "Animation"?

Saxaophonist John Stubblefield, who was to take Onaje Allan Gumbs with him on his debut album "Prelude" a few months later, gets to really break out on "Don't Look Back". Both Gumbs brothers and drummer Williams would go on to appear on Stubblefield's second album "Midnight Over Memphis" in 1978.

But the real revelation here is multi-wind player Ken McIntyre, who plays five instruments on the album and wrote the beautiful slow track "Home", my personal album highlight, presented here in two separate takes. It was also the title track of his 1975 album "Home". McIntyre recorded a series of interesting and varied albums for Steeplechase in the 70s - I'd recommend giving the 'ol Rapidshare a workout and grabbing the McIntyre albums "Hindsight"   ; "Introducing the Vibrations" and "Chasing the Sun".  Hope you enjoy this album!

TRACKLIST
1. 'Funny Funny' - (Adderley) 6:10
2. 'K. High' - (Williams) 9:31
3. 'Just a Quickie - (Gumbs) 4:50
4. 'I Think I Got It' - (Gumbs) 6:58
5. 'Home' - (McIntyre) 6:30
6. 'Don't Look Back' - (Vick) 7:30
7. 'Home (Take 1)' - (McIntyre) 6:54

MUSICIANS

Nat Adderley - cornet
Fernando Gumbs - bass
Onaje Allan Gumbs - acoustic and electric piano
Ken McIntyre - alto sax, oboe, bassoon, flute, bass clarinet
John Stubblefield - tenor sax, soprano sax
Ira Buddy Williams - drums
Victor See Yuen - congas, percussion

SteepleChase Records.
Recorded August 9, 1976

LINKS IN COMMENTS

..... but here's more by Nat Adderley from Planet Blog :

"Introducing Nat Adderley" (1955) at Musica Desde Las Antipodes
"Thats Right!" (1960) at Sic Vos Non Vobis
"Naturally" (1961) at Dark Blue Notes
"Autobiography" (1965) at Musica Desde Las Antipodes
"You, Baby" (1968) - Call It Anything
"Calling Out Loud" (1968) - Call It Anything
"Soul Zodiac" (1972) - My Jazz World
"Double Exposure" (1975) - My Jazz World
"Hummin" (1976) - anyone got it ?
"The Old Country" (1990) at Musica Desde Las Antipodes / alternate
"Talkin' about You" (1990) at Musica Desde Las Antipodes
"Work Song - Live at Sweet Basil" (1990) at Dark Blue Notes
"Autumn Leaves - Live At Sweet Basil" (1990) at Dark Blue Notes
"Good Company" (1994) at Musica Desde Las Antipodes / FLAC

Thanks also to El Reza, swboy, My Favourite Sound, Pharoah's Dance, Call It Anything, My Jazz World and Vanish Your Self (links in post) , and of course the Mighty Bacoso.

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