Details

Track Listing 1. Fireflies 2. Fiesta 3. Europa (Earth's Cry Heaven's Smile) 4. Don't Cry Rochelle 5. Adios (Part 1) 6. I Want You 7. Behind the Rain 8. Los Desperados 9. Adios (Part 2)
| Details | | Producer: | Herb Alpert | | Distributor: | Universal Distribution | | Recording Type: | Studio | | Recording Mode: | Stereo | | SPAR Code: | n/a |
Album Notes Personnel: Gato Barbieri (tenor saxophone); Eddy Martinez (keyboards); Don Grolnick (keyboards, synthesizer); Eric Gale, David Spinozza, Joe Beck (guitar); Gary King (bass); Lenny White (drums); Ralph McDonald, Cachete Maldonado, Mtume (percussion). Additional personnel: Marvin Stamm, Bernie Glow, Randy Brecker, Irvin Markowitz (trumpet); Wayne Andre, David Taylor, Paul Faulise (trombone); Alfred Brown, David Nadien, Charles McCracken, Theodore Israel, Matthew Raimondi, Harry Cykman, Harry Glickman, Alan Shulman, Max Ellen, Harold Kohon, Max Pollikoff, Harry Lookofsky, Paul Gershman (strings). Recorded at A&R Studios, New York. Believe it or not, this Argentinean-born saxophonist spent his early years playing in the jazz avant-garde with the likes of Don Cherry. But for all his freeform experiments, "The Cat" hit his stride with this pristine piece of seminal pop jazz. His emotional, warm-blooded playing, gritty-sweet tone and Latin-laced grooves slide down smooth and easy. Covers of Santana's "Europa (Earth's Cry, Heaven's Smile)" and Marvin Gaye's "I Want You" remain faithful to the originals' vibe, yet take on a seductive Spanish accent thanks to Barbieri's expressive tenor and a battery of Latin percussion. Elsewhere, hip-swiveling rhythms and tuneful arrangements of cuts like "Fiesta," Behind The Rain" and "Los Desperados" simply simmer. Drummer Lenny White kicks down a rock solid beat, percussionists Ralph MacDonald and Mtume add the spice that's funky & nice, and producer Herb Alpert (of Tijuana Brass, and the "A" in A&M Records) polishes the proceedings to a glossy sheen with colorful orchestrations and silky strings.
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