Charlie Mariano - Reflections

barabara sounds sez:

Charlie Mariano laying down some very righteous lines in modal mode with his Finnish cohorts. This has to be one of my favorites from his later albums. It kicks in right from the start of Glenford Crescent and doesn't let go. Bonus points because it features the great Sabu (well, on 5 of the tracks anyway). Dusty rates it plenty too...

dusty groove sez:

A great set of fusion tunes – recorded by American Charlie Mariano, in the company of a very hip Finnish ensemble! This 1973 gem features some of Charlie's best work of the decade – freewheeling but never too out and with none of the rock flourishes that sometimes mar his other work at the time. The group is all-great too – with… Sabu Martinez on congas and percussion! Tracks have a tight jazzy bounce – with some choppy funky moments, and other nice modal grooving ones – and titles include "Spanish Dance No 2", Brother Muthalah", "Blue in Green" and "Rambling".

personnel:

Charlie Mariano - alto & soprano sax, nagaswaram; Eero Koivistonen - tenor & soprano sax; Jukka Tolonen - electric guitar; Olli Ahvenlahti - piano, electric piano; Esko Linnavalli - piano; Pentti Hietanen - piano; Pekka Sarmanto - acoustic bass; Heikki Virtanen - electric bass; Esko Rossnell - drums; Reino Laine - drums; Sabu Martinez - congas, percussion

tracks: 

Glenford Crescent; Naima; Brother Muthaiah; Spanish Dance No. 2; Blue In Green; Thiruvarankulam; Chile; Rambling.  

trivia:

Recorded in Helsinki, March 1974.

Ever wondered what a nagaswaram is and what it looks like? Check this out here...

And if you've ever wondered what they listen to all the way up there in the far north of Europe... head on over to Hoochiecoochieman's blog and check out some of his amazing mixes. Lots of great j-jazz there too!