Hubert Laws - Crying Song (1969/2016) [Official Digital Download 24bit/192kHz]

Hubert Laws is an American flutist and saxophonist with a career spanning over 40 years in jazz, classical, and other music genres. Considering the artistry of the late Eric Dolphy and the popularity of the late Herbie Mann, Laws is notably in the company of the most recognized and respected jazz flutist in the history of jazz, (also the most imitated). Laws is one of the few classical artists who has also mastered jazz, pop, and rhythm-and-blues genres, moving effortlessly from one repertory to another. "Crying Song" released on the CTI label featuring performances of popular music (including songs by The Beatles and Pink Floyd) by Laws recorded in Memphis with Elvis Presley's rhythm section and at Rudy Van Gelder's studio.

Hubert Laws occupies rather an ambivalent position in critical estimation. He was very unusual in concentrating on the flute but signing for Creed Taylor and his band of Memphis Soul specialists should have orientated him squarely in the vanguard of late 1960s Jazz. If the precedent was another elite flautist, Herbie Mann – who’d already had a hit single for Atlantic – then the decision was sound. But this album, made 1969, didn’t seem somewhat incongruous stylistically at the time – and he did, to many people – he certainly do today.

That’s not to denigrate Laws, whose tone is utterly ravishing throughout, but the attempt in the first album, Crying Song, to construct a pop album with fringe Memphis and Country Soul stylings was never going to satisfy the purists. Others, such as Keith Jarrett and Gary Burton, were naturally situated along Country Roads and their albums of the late 60s showed strong affinities for the genre within a broader musical context. But Laws’ first album, despite the presence of stellar sidemen such as Ron Carter, Billy Cobham, and on several tracks George Benson – along with a raft of other superb players – fails to cohere. Country Soul, the Monkees, mild Psychedelia, the Bee Gees and Lennon/McCartney with sitar impersonations; well, it’s a big ask for much of this to stand the sterner tests of time.

Tracklist:

01 - La Jean
02 - Love Is Blue / Sing A Rainbow
03 - Crying Song
04 - Listen To The Band
05 - I've Gotta Get A Message To You
06 - Feelin' Alright
07 - Cymbaline
08 - How Long Will It Be?
09 - Let It Be

Produced by Creed Taylor.
Recorded on July 23-24 (#1,2,4-6,9) at American Sound Studios, Memphis.
& September 23-24, 1969 (#3,7-8) at Van Gelder Studio, Englewood Cliffs.



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