Singerella: A Ghetto Fairy Tale

 

 

Create your own review

Saxophonist Bartz is one of the great post-Coltrane saxophonists. He made his professional name in New York in the early 60s before hooking up with McCoy Tyner later in the decade, and played with Miles Davis in the period immediately after the release o

Released in 1974, Singerella: A Ghetto Fairy Tale by Gary Bartz and his evolving Ntu Troop was a self-produced affair, and the first without vocalist Andy Bey. Bartz was exploring a CTI smooth groove aesthetic by this time, and was deeply invested in the funky side of jazz. There is no doubt that he took a hard turn toward jazz-funk's smoother soul side here, an approach that was cemented in the final mix by Larry Mizell, who, along with his brother Fonce, would become his producers for the remainder of the 70s. Bartz also changed his composition style for Singerella; these are, in large part, shorter, tighter, and feature quirky if readily accessible melodies. Some of these tracks continue to yield fine improvisational moves despite their heavy reliance on funk vamps.

This is true of the opener, "St. Felix Street," and the bookend closer, "Nation Time." Other tracks, such as the humorous "The Dozens Song," the driving "I Don't Care" (with a generous touch of the lyric influence and hipster vocal phrasing of Ben Sidran), and "Mellow Yellow" (not the Donovan tune), offer a grittier street-conscious side of the band, all the while keeping production on the slick side, featuring the infectious Fender Rhodes and keyboards laid down by Hubert Eaves, the razor-sharp guitar work of Hector Centeno, the cracking breaks of drummer Howard King, the tough in-the-pocket hand percussion of Kenneth Nash, and the punched-up accents of bassists James Benjamin and Maynard Parker. Bartz's own alto, soprano, and clarinet chops are in top shape. This is a curious record, an experiment (and partnership with Mizell) that would take shape further on 1975's The Shadow Do! and culminate in the excellent Music Is My Sanctuary in 1977. ~ Thom Jurek

By 1972 Ntu Troop was an official working band comprising Bartz, Andy Bey on electric piano and vocals, Stafford James on bass and Howard King on drums. They signed to Prestige and recorded their debut "Juju Street Songs" in October 1972, along with enough material to almost fill up their next album "Follow The Medicine Man". The spiritual and political were to the fore, but with new elements of commerciality in covers of Syreeta's `Black Maybe' and the Stylistics' `Betcha By Golly, Wow'. Keyboardist Hubert Eaves replaced Bey for two tracks recorded for their second album, giving the band a new edge. It was this line-up that recorded the "I've Known Rivers And Other Bodies" LP at the 1973 Montreux Jazz Festival which was a pretty free representation of the group's sound, although the amazing title track based around a Langston Hughes poem was instantly accessible.

This line-up's first full studio album "Singerella: A Ghetto Fairy Tale" was recorded later that year and saw the sound augmented by guitarists Hector Centeno and Maynard Parker and percussionist Kenneth Nash, with vocals handled solely by Bartz. Although the LP purports to have a narrative, it isn't essential to the listening experience. Songs such as `Dozens (The Sounding Song)', `Blind Man' and `Nation Time' speak of the black ghetto experience, while `I Don't Care' shouts out of alienation. The music and its execution are astounding. The opener `St Felix Street' is built on a funk rhythm, but not one that James Brown would recognise, with Eaves' complex yet fluid solo outshining even Bartz's own. Throughout the album Bartz plays twisting improvisational lines that build from short phrases into something far more profound and Eaves shines by turning 70s funk clichés into something fresh and exciting. The overall sound has a dense sense of rhythm that overcomes moments such as on `Lady Love' that veer towards incidental TV music. It's worth noting that the title track and `Nation Time' have a certain smoothness about them that suggests Bartz's Mizell Brothers-produced jazz funk masterpieces from later in the decade. It is probably no coincidence that "Singerella" was mixed by Larry Mizell, who was also involved in Bartz's final Prestige album "The Shadow Do!". (Dean Rudland)

1 St Felix Street
2 Dozens (The sounding song)
3 I don't care
4 Blind man
5 Singerella (A ghetto fairy tale)
6 Lady love
7 Mellow yellow
8 Nation time

Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review

› See the customer review...

 

Search Customer Reviews
Only search this product's reviews

Search Listmania!