GATO BARBIERI — Fenix (review)

GATO BARBIERI — Fenix album cover Album · 1971 · Latin Jazz Buy this album from MMA partners
4/5 ·
Abraxas
Who would have thought that the powerful, soul-blowing, but rather underground music of Pharoah Sanders and the like would reach Argentina, the farthest south country on America (it's also a continent, you know)?

By the late 60s and early 70s this "hippie jazz" movement I like to call was having a high point, Alice Coltrane, Liston Smith, Michael White, etc, were releasing peace-minded music with jazz tinges, very religiously inspired. But what was going on in Argentina? Historically, we were still in a big crisis, full of terror and repression, soon to be replaced by the military dictatorship (by 1974). Artists of all kind usually traveled to Europe, although rock and folk bands were having their heyday back then, with a wild youth.

It's the case of Gato Barbieri, tenor saxophonist, who brings the peace and relentless energy of Pharoah to Latin America. Fenix, from 1971, fuses vast latin percussion (unlike Sanders' african inclination) with big and powerful sax melodies that veer towards free jazz. But alike his inspiration, Sanders, he doesn't often get into atonal or chaotic moments. But I'm not trying to make Barbieri sound as a Sanders-clone, he does imitate that fat, fuelled, resounding sax of the latter, but I think Gato grooves quite more and has that latin feel, that makes him sound more pleasant for the unaccustomed ear.

If you're interested in either latin jazz or "hippie jazz", Fenix is a must-have. Just in case you didn't notice, Lonnie Liston Smith is playing keys, Ron Carter on bass, Vasconcelos on percussion, there's even Lenny White on drums! Yep, this is a stellar session with excellent tenor sax on the front and lots of percussion backing up.
Share this review
more

Review Comments

Post a public comment below | Send private message to the reviewer
Please login to post a shout
js wrote:
more than 2 years ago
Yeah I like this album too, nice review.

Review Index

Member Zone

Username:
Password:
Stay signed in

Jazz Subgenres

Artists Alpha-index

JMA TOP 5 Jazz ALBUMS

Rating by members, ranked by custom algorithm
Albums with 30 ratings and more
A Love Supreme Post Bop
JOHN COLTRANE
Buy this album from our partners
Kind of Blue Cool Jazz
MILES DAVIS
Buy this album from our partners
The Black Saint and the Sinner Lady Progressive Big Band
CHARLES MINGUS
Buy this album from our partners
Blue Train Hard Bop
JOHN COLTRANE
Buy this album from our partners
My Favorite Things Hard Bop
JOHN COLTRANE
Buy this album from our partners

New Jazz Artists

New Jazz Releases

Cabaret Eclectic Fusion
MARIUS NESET
Buy this album from MMA partners
Living Ghosts Post-Fusion Contemporary
MICHAEL WOLLNY
Buy this album from MMA partners
Live at Donte's, Vol. 1 Vocal Jazz
MIKE CAMPBELL
Buy this album from MMA partners
Sunday Afternoon Fusion
FURIO DI CASTRI
Buy this album from MMA partners
São Paulo Creative 4 : Supernova Avant-Garde Jazz
IVO PERELMAN
Buy this album from MMA partners
More new releases

New Jazz Online Videos

Sunday afternoon
FURIO DI CASTRI
snobb· 6 hours ago
Harmônicos
FABIANO DO NASCIMENTO
js· 20 hours ago
Con Alma
GENE BERTONCINI
js· 23 hours ago
Our Walk (Live)
BEN MARKLEY
js· 1 day ago
Solar (feat. Vicente Archer & Otis Brown III)
JERRY LÉONIDE
js· 1 day ago
More videos

New JMA Jazz Forum Topics

More in the forums

New Site interactions

More...

Latest Jazz News

members-submitted

More in the forums

Social Media

Follow us
Follow us on Twitter Become a Facebook fan RSS Feed