(Eumir) Deodato – Love Island (1978)

1978’s Love Island found Deodato in pretty much the same space he’d been for much of the decade, concocting his own ineffable brew of fusion and funky disco, with the help of friends and cover songs along the way. Love Island finds him unleashing yet another passel of songs which are all pleasant to the ear, if not completely fresh — what makes it most interesting is that it could almost be considered a concept album, every song title apparently revolving around jungle tropics, warm winds, sandy beaches, and, more likely than not, a few beauties bearing cocktails to complete the picture. The album kicks off with “Area Code 808,” which places the initial action in Hawaii, a twitchy extended fusion revolving around quite a nice funk bassline. The remainder of the set carries on from there, with the groove ebbing and flowing from the punchy “Whistle Bump” to the pleasant and decidedly mellow strains of “San Juan Hut,” and on to the title track.

It is unfortunate hindsight alone, and no fault whatsoever of Deodato’s, that it conjures up nothing so much as scenes from The Love Boat. Damn pop culture. Also of note is “Tahiti Hut,” co-written by Deodato and Earth, Wind & Fire’s Maurice White, and buoyed by guest appearances by three more EW&F members: Verdine White, Freddie White, and the percussive genius of Philip Bailey. A pleasing piece of easy listening, Love Island probably won’t thrill the pants off anyone but the most rabid fan. By this late in the decade, one had kind of heard it all before. But if you should need to hear it all again, Love Island sounds great when the sun is shining. (Amy Hanson)

Personnel:
Ray Armando (percussion)
Larry Carlton (guitar)
Joe Correro (drums)
Eumir Deodato (keyboards, percussion, whistle, synthesizer, vocals)
Jimmy Maelen (percussion)
Pops Popwell (bass)
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Philip Bailey (percussin on 03.)
George Benson (guitar on 05.)
Charlie Conrad (percussion on 01.)
Gordon Edwards (bass on 06.)
Victor Feldman (percussion on 05. + 07.)
Ray Gomez (guitar on 01.)
Rick Marotta (drums on 06.)
Harvey Mason (dums on 01. + 07.)
Al McKay (guitar on  0 + 08.)
Erica Norimar (vocals on 05.)
George Parrish, Jr. (guitar on 01.)
Tony Price (tuba)
John Tropea (guitar on 06., 07, + 08.)
Freddie White (drums on 03.)
Verdine White (bass on 03.)
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flute:
Jerry Dodgion – Joel Kaye – Romeo Penque – Wally Kane
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french horn:
Brooks Tillotson – Jimmy Buffington
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trombone:
Gerry Chamberlain – Sam Burtis – Wayne Andre
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trumpet:
John Gatchell, Randy Brecker, Bob Millikan
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violin:
Charles Lisbove – Charles McCracken
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violin + cello:
Charles Lisbove, Charles McCracken, Irving Spice, Jesse Levy, Kermit Moore, Max Pollikoff, Michael Comins, Michael Spivakowsky, Paul Winter, Richard Sortomme, Sandra Billingslea, Selwart Clarke, Stanley Pollock, Tony Posk

Tracklist:
01. Area Code 808 (Deodato/Parrish, Jr.) 5.46
02. Whistle Bump (Deodato) 4.33
03. Tahiti Hut (Deodato/White) 4.28
04. San Juan Sunset (Deodato) 4.16
05. Love Island (Deodato) 6.41
06. Chariot Of The Gods (Starr/Mancha) 3.09
07. Piña Colada (Deodato) 5.56
08. Take The A Train (Strayhorn) 3.49

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Various Artists – Jazz Fusion (1996)

Jazz fusion, fusion, or jazz rock is a musical genre that developed in the late 1960s from mixing funk and rhythm and blues rhythms with the electric instruments, amplified sound, electronic effects and playing styles of rock music together with jazz’s complex time signatures (which were derived from non-Western music) and jazz’s complex chord progressions and altered and extended chords. Fusion musicians typically create extended instrumental compositions based around a melody and a chord progression and lengthy solo improvisations. Fusion songs use brass instruments such as trumpet and saxophone as melody and soloing instruments. The rhythm section typically consists of electric bass (in some cases fretless), electric guitar, electric piano/synthesizer (in contrast to the double bass and piano used in earlier jazz) and drums. As with jazz forms that preceded fusion, all of the instruments–including the rhythm section instruments–are used as soloing instruments and all demonstrate a high level of instrumental technique.

The term “jazz-rock” is often used as a synonym for “jazz fusion” as well as for music performed by late 1960s and 1970s-era rock bands that added jazz elements to their music. It is different from the UK Canterbury Scene’s progressive rock (“prog”) and other forms of prog-jazz fusion, in which extended prog instrumentals use improvisation and take on a jazz-influenced feel. After a decade of popularity during the 1970s, fusion expanded its improvisatory and experimental approaches through the 1980s, in parallel with the development of a radio-friendly style called smooth jazz. Experimentation continued in the 1990s and 2000s. Fusion albums, even those that are made by the same group or artist, may include a variety of musical styles. Rather than being a codified musical style, fusion can be viewed as a musical tradition or approach. (by wikipedia)

And this is just a sampler with Jazz Fusion … maybe it´s time for you to discover this kind of music … certainly not the worst idea. ! Most of the tracks were recorded during the Seventies … a golden decade for Fusion Jazz !

Tracklist:
01. George Benson: Take Five (1974) (Desmond) 3.43
02. Herbie Hancock: Watermelon Man (1974) (Hancock) 5.00
03. Earth Wind & Fire: Love Music (1978) (Scarborough) 3.57
04. Astrud Gilberto: Zazueira (1971) (Ben) 3.42
05. Keith Jarrett: Common Mama (1972) (Jarrett) 8.12
06. Ned Doheny: To Prove My Love (1976) (Doheny) 4.50
07. Ramsey Lewis: Tequila Mockingbird (1977) (Dunn) 5.27
08. George Duke: Look Waht You Find (1979) (Duke) 4.46
09. Deodato: Super Strut (1973) (Deodato) 4.58
10. Stanley Clarke: Rock N Roll Jelly (1979) (Clarke) 2.36
11. Hubert Laws: Family (1980) (Laws) 7.30
12. Lee Ritenour: Theme From Three Day Of The Condor (1976) (Grusin) 4.07
13, Bill Withers: Use (1985) (Withers) 3.49
14. Santana: Tales Of Kilimanjaro (1981) (Santana/Peraza/Rekow/Pasqua) 3.29
15. Weather Report: Black Market (1976) (Zawinul) 6.14
16. Grover Washington Jr.: Love Like This (1992) (Roman/Cox) 4.49

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