The Leon Thomas Album
The Leon Thomas Album is the second album by American jazz vocalist and percussionist Leon Thomas recorded in 1970 and released by the Flying Dutchman label.[1][2][3]
| The Leon Thomas Album | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 1970 | |||
| Recorded | 1970 | |||
| Studio | New York City | |||
| Genre | Jazz | |||
| Length | 39:08 | |||
| Label | Flying Dutchman FD/FDS 10132 | |||
| Producer | Bob Thiele | |||
| Leon Thomas chronology | ||||
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Reception
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [4] |
| Christgau's Record Guide | A[5] |
AllMusic reviewer Thom Jurek stated: "On the follow-up to the mind-blowing Spirits Known and Unknown, singer, multi-instrumentalist, arranger, and composer Leon Thomas decided to take a different track. Far from the sparely orchestrated ensembles of the previous works, Thomas loaded this set with jazz luminaries ... Side one is the up-tempo jazz ride, as Thomas and company rip through a host of his own tunes ... The real gem on the album is "Pharaoh's Tune (The Journey)," which comprises all of side two ... It's a breathtaking ride made all the more so by the long, jazzed-out setup of side one. Why this guy wasn't huge is a mystery.".[4] Critic Robert Christgau said "He has literally expanded the musical possibilities of the human voice. He is as powerful a jazz/blues singer as Joe Williams or Joe Turner, both of whom he occasionally resembles, as inventive a scatter as Ella Fitzgerald ... I have to suspend my disbelief and recommend this record unreservedly to anyone with the slightest fondness for jazz".[5]
Track listing
All compositions by Leon Thomas except where noted
- "Come Along" (Leon Thomas, Neal Creque) − 3:02
- "I Am" − 3:17
- "Bag's Groove" (Milt Jackson, Ellen May Shashoyan) − 3:19
- "Um, Um, Um" − 11:35
- "Pharoah's Tune (The Journey)" (Leon Thomas, Pharoah Sanders) − 17:55
Personnel
- Leon Thomas − vocals, maracas, Thailand flute, Hindewe flute, Freedom flute (Ecuador), bells
- Ernie Royal − trumpet (tracks 1-3 & 5)
- Donald Smith (tracks 1-3 & 5), James Spaulding (tracks 4 & 5) − flute
- Sonny Morgan − bongos, African oboe
- Jerome Richardson − alto saxophone (tracks 1-3 & 5)
- Billy Harper − tenor saxophone (tracks 1-3 & 5)
- Howard Johnson − baritone saxophone (tracks 1-3 & 5)
- Arthur Sterling - piano
- John Williams Jr. − electric bass (tracks 1-3 & 5)
- Bob Cunningham − bass (tracks 4 & 5)
- Billy Cobham (tracks 1-3 & 5), Roy Haynes (tracks 4 & 5) − drums
- Gene Golden − bongos (tracks 4 & 5)
- Richie "Pablo" Landrum − congas
- Oliver Nelson − arranger, conductor (tracks 1-3 & 5)
References
- Jazzlists: Flying Dutchman 10100 series discography, accessed November 18, 2019
- Both Sides Now: Flying Dutchman Label Discography, accessed November 18, 2019
- Leon Thomas Select Discography 1: Recordings as a Leader, accessed November 18, 2019
- Jurek, Thom. Leon Thomas: The Leon Thomas Album – Review at AllMusic. Retrieved November 13, 2018.
- Christgau, Robert (1981). "Consumer Guide '70s: T". Christgau's Record Guide: Rock Albums of the Seventies. Ticknor & Fields. ISBN 089919026X. Retrieved March 16, 2019 – via robertchristgau.com.