YUSEF LATEEF — Psychicemotus

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3.77 | 6 ratings | 2 reviews

Album · 1965

Filed under Post Bop
By YUSEF LATEEF

Tracklist

A1 Psychicemotus 5:05
A2 Bamboo Flute Blues 4:10
A3 Semiocto 4:28
A4 Why Do I Love You? 6:27
B1 First Gymnopedie 3:28
B2 Medula Sonata 6:35
B3 I'll Always Be In Love With You 4:39
B4 Ain't Misbehavin' 4:45

Total Time: 39:40

Line-up/Musicians

Bass – Reggie Workman (tracks: A1 to B3)
Drums, Percussion – James Black (tracks: A1 to B3)
Flute, Saxophone [Alto] – Yusef Lateef (tracks: A1 to B3)
Piano – Georges Arvanitas

About this release

Impulse! – AS-92 (US)

Recorded 22 July, 1965 at Van Gelder Studio, Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey

Thanks to snobb for the updates

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Mssr_Renard

This one may not be the best and most adventurous album of Lateef, but it sure is one of his most coherent.

A mostly mellow affair, with some hardbop thrown in the mix (the heavy and intense Semiocto), but like I said it's mostly modal jazz and ballads. But Yusef really knows how to blow a ballad. There are also a blues-piece and a wonderful adaption of my favorite composition in the world (Satie's Gymnopedie). Inn this version we have the flute playing the melody, and the rhythmsection (piano, drums and bass) filling in the gaps. Great playful drumming by James Black.

The most out-there composition is Medula Sonata, wich is a joy to listen to. A lot of percussion and great saxophone-playing and lot of dissonants make this composition the only real free-ish song on this album.

There is also a solo-piece by pianist Georges Arvanitas at the end of Side B, wich is a nice addition and a surprise to my ears. I have not heard of Arvanitas before, but he has a nice flowing playing-style.

There's is no oboe on this album, just tenor saxophone, flute and bamboo-flute. But that's okay. This album is definately a great Lateef-album and also a great Impulse!-album. I can strongly recommend this one.

1 year ago
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Sean Trane

Between Yusef’s better known Prestige label era (where he recorded his most famous Eastern Sounds) era and his next Atlantic label days, Lateef spend a couple of years on the seminal Impulse label, and the present Psychicemotus is (I believe) his second last for the orange house. Released in 66, the album was recorded in the summer of 65 with the inevitable Reggie Workman on bass and more importantly Franco-Greek pianist Georges Arvanitas

The opening title track is a very interesting modal piece that can recall Trane’s Africa/Brass album with some Sun Ra-like percussions that give it a slightly dissonant flavour courtesy of Arvanitas’ piano. Bamboo Flute is (as you’ll guess) a slow blues with a bamboo flute. Logical enough, uh?? Semiocto is definitely more Trane-ian, and has Yusef going wild on his sax, while dummer Black solos briefly.

On the flipside, the jazzified Satie piece Gymnopédie features some quiet flute over gentle piano. The following Medula Sonata sounds like Yusef also listened to Debussy or Sibelius. Arvanitas’ piano dominates the closing reprise Ain’t Misbehaving.

While the present album has excellent moments, compared to what else was going on the Impulse label, Yusef’s album might not merit the “!’ on the label logo on the front sleeve. Indeed, the “New Thing” appears only as a “thingette”.