[.ca] Eastern Sounds

The Best:
Besides the album with Monk and coltrane this has to be my personal favorite. At first my parents played it in the car and i started to really enjoy it. This is my favorite Yusef Lateef album becasue of the exotic Oriental sound, and also becasue of "The Love song from spratacus" is has a very exotic and romantic sound that keeps plaing is my head. I also enjoyed the song Snafu which is more energetic and more jazzy then the other tracks. This is for any serious jazz fan and it is a must have for any jazz library.

Jazz to burn incense by...:
Yusef Lateef's Eastern Sounds is a classic album from the 1960's that was a firm favourite with both jazz fans and flower children. In fact, I first encountered it when it was given to me by a hippy chick who performed wonderfully sensuous ad-lib dances to it. But it remains a jazz album with a nicely exotic flavour and it has been re-mastered to sound better than ever. Lateef plays a variety of reed instruments backed by a traditional rhythm section of piano/drums/bass. The music ranges from originals to a couple of film themes which, in Lateef's hands, become minor revelations. In fact, my favourite track is his version of the Love Theme from Spartacus - partly for the way that Lateef manages to turn the oboe into a seductive jazz instrument, but mostly for Barry Harris's lyrical piano that effortlessly fuses progression and melody. Indeed, Harris was a major factor in the success of this album and his talent deserved much wider recognition. Still, Eastern Sounds remains Lateef's moment - and an incredibly shining moment it is. The music is as fresh and refreshing today as it was on the day it was recorded. And it will appeal to many people who do not normally consider themselves to be jazz fans. Listeners who already know Lateef will need little convincing to buy this CD. I would recommend it to everyone - to be listened to in a relaxed environment of candles and incense.

Haunting and Beautiful:
This recording has held up so well over time due to the wonderful musicianship of Lateef and Barry Harris. There is indeed an "eastern" feel to Lateef's playing here but the jazz quartet format is still rooted in post -bop improvisation. Lateef is able to evoke emotion from each instrument he plays and the ballads are some of the most soulful and beautifully played to be found anywhere. At times his playing reminds me of Coltrane's softer side. Overall this is a CD to enjoy again and again.

Carried away by eastern mystique:
I've been searching for this remarkable album for some time, and it has been worth all the effort. A totally unique and exotic jazz album, "Eastern Sounds" captures the sensuality of oriental music at its seductive best. Of course, the zenith of this album is reached with "Love theme from 'Spartacus'", with its haunting, romantic melody that stays with you forever. This album is now a prized member of my already extensive collection.

At last I found it!:
This whole CD is absolutely wonderful. The Eastern timbred melodies are so hauntingly beautiful that they strike the very core of one's being. "Love Theme from Spartacus" is one of my all time favorite Jazz recordings ever, and I was so pleased to find it on this CD after searching for over 20 years in record stores around the world. Everyone should have this CD in their collection, if only to listen to that one song over and over and over and over again!

• Plum Blossom
• Blues for the Orient
• Ching Miau
• Don't Blame Me
• Love Theme from "Spartacus"
• Snafu
• Purple Flower
• Love Theme from "The Robe"
• Three Faces of Balal