Gato Barbieri

Capsule Info: Recorded in Italy in 1960, released on CD (repackaged?) in 1998, I've seen but not heard this.

Don Cherry: SYMPHONY FOR IMPROVISERS
Blue Note 1966. Produced by Alfred Lion.
Track list Symphony for Improvisers Nu Creative Love What's Not Serious Infant Happiness Manhattan Cry Lunatic Sparkle Plenty Om Nu Musicians Don Cherry, cornet Leandro 'Gato' Barbieri, tenor sax Pharoah Sanders, tenor, flute Karl Berger, vibes, piano Henry Grimes, bass Jenny Clark, bass Edward Blackwell, drums

Capsule Info: An avant-garde summit.

Don Cherry: COMPLETE COMMUNION
Blue Note 1966. Produced by Alfred Lion?
Track list Complete Communion And Now Golden Heart Remembrance Elephantasy Our Feelings Bishmallah Wind, Sand and Stars Musicians Don Cherry, cornet Gato Barbieri, tenor sax Henry Grimes, bass Edward Blackwell, drums

Capsule Info: I've not heard this.

Gato Barbieri: IN SEARCH OF MYSTERY
ESP Records 1967. Produced by Gato Barbieri.
Track list In Search of the Mystery Michelle (1-2) Obsession No. 2 Cinematheque Musicians Gato Barbieri, tenor sax Sirone (Norris Jones), bass Calo Scott, cello Bobby Kapp, drums

Capsule Info: I've not heard this in years. I remember it to be quite screechy in that way only ESP Records can be. Not necessarily a bad thing, mind you.

Gato Barbieri: OBSESSION
Affinity 1967. Produced by ?
Track list Obsession Michelle Musicians Gato Barbieri, tenor sax Jenny Clark, bass Aldo Romano, drums

Capsule Info: I've not heard this.

Gary Burton: A GENUINE TONG FUNERAL
1967, reissued on One-Way. Produced by Brad McCuen.
Track list The Opening The Survivors Grave Train Death Rolls Morning Silent Spring Mother Of The Dead Man Some Dirge The New Funeral March The New National Anthem The Survivors Musicians Gary Burton, vibes Leandro 'Gato' Barbieri, tenor sax Carla Bley, piano, organ, cond Larry Coryell, guitar Steve Swallow, bass Lonesome Dragon, drums Steve Lacy, soprano sax Mike Mantler, trumpet Jimmy Knepper, trombone Howard Johnson, tuba, b sax

Capsule Info: More of the Bley/Mantler avant garde bigband thing; fronted by Gary Burton. Gato's in the horn orchestra. This stuff is ok but if Gato had stayed doing this kind of music I wouldn't have done a website page on him.

Gato Barbieri and Dollar Brand (Abdullah Ibrahim): CONFLUENCE
Arista/Freedom 1968. Produced by ?
Track list The Aloe and the Wild Rose To Elsa Hamba Khale! Eighty First Street Musicians Gato Barbieri, tenor sax Dollar Brand (Abdullah Ibrahim), piano, cello

Capsule Info: I've not heard this in years.

Michael Mantler: THE JAZZ COMPOSER'S ORCHESTRA
1968 JCOA Records/ECM. Produced by Michael Mantler.
Track list Communications #8 Communications #11 other cuts without Barbieri Musicians Don Cherry, cornet Gato Barbieri, tenor sax Carla Bley, piano Andrew Cyrille, drums Charlie Haden, bass Reggie Workman, bass Richard Davis, bass Ron Carter, bass Alan Silva, bass plus full horn section (Pharoah Sanders, tenor sax appears on cut w/o Barbieri)

Capsule Info: Creative music; one of the classic avant garde big bands.

Gato Barbieri: TWO PICTURES: YEARS 1965--1968
1968 Liuto Records. Music by Piero Umiliani.
Track list Una Bella Grinta Ballata Della Bassa Padana Lontananza E Sequenza Free Theme Ballata Della Bassa Padana Hammond Blues Sleep Now Little One Solitudine Piano Bossa Nova Free In Minore Solitudine Sotto Il Tallone Musicians Gato Barbieri, tenor sax unavailable

Capsule Info: I've not seen this.

Alan Shorter: ORGASM
Verve 1968. Produced by Esmond Edwards.
Track list Parabola Joseph Straits Of Blagellan Rapid Outeroids Orgasm Musicians Alan Shorter, flghorn, trumpet, tambourine Leandro (Gato) Barbieri, tenor sax Charlie Haden, bass Reggie Johnson, bass Muhammad Ali, drums Rashied Ali, drums

Capsule Info: Wayne Shorter's brother's solo album, out yet accessible. Gato sounds great although his own voice is not yet there, and the "third world" component is still missing.

Gato Barbieri: THIRD WORLD
Flying Dutchman 1970/BMG 1995. Produced by Bob Thiele.
Track list Introduction Cancion del Llamero Tango Zelao Antonio das Mortes Bachianas Brasileiras Haleo and the Wild Rose Musicians Gato Barbieri, tenor sax, flute, vocal Charlie Haden, bass Lonnie Liston Smith, piano Beaver Harris, drums Richard Landrum, percussion Rosswell Rudd, trombone

Capsule Info: Well established by now as one of those 1960s tenor sax screechers--albeit with a very distinctive voice--this seems to be the album in which Gato forged his own true identity. The latin influences surface; the percussionists increase in importance; Lonnie Liston Smith's piano is thunderous, and all of a sudden here's the Gato Barbieri I love the best. This is the first of a cycle of albums for former Impulse! producer Bob Thiele's Flying Dutchman label. These albums are all wonderful.

Charlie Haden: LIBERATION MUSIC ORCHESTRA
Impulse! Records 1970. AS-9183. Produced by Charlie Haden.
Track list The Introduction Song Of The United Front El Quinto Regimiento Los Cuatro Generales Viva La Quince Brigada The Ending To The First Side Song For Che War Orphans Drinking Music/Interlude Circus '68 '69 We Shall Overcome Musicians Don Cherry, cornet, flutes Gato Barbieri, tenor sax, clarinet Carla Bley, piano Andrew Cyrille, drums, perc Charlie Haden, bass Dewey Redman, sax Perry Robinson, clarinet Mike Mantler, trumpet Paul Motian, drums, perc Bob Northern, horns, perc Howard Johnson, tuba Sam Brown, guitars, thumb piano

Capsule Info: Resurrecting music from the right side (or should I say Left side?) of the Spanish Civil War, Charlie Haden's late'60s political statement expressed through the medium of avant garde bigband. OK for bigband music. Nice 20-bit CD.

Gato Barbieri: EL PAMPERO
Flying Dutchman 1971/BMG 1995. Produced by Bob Thiele.
Track list El Pampero Mi Buenos Aires Querido Brasil El Arriero Musicians Gato Barbieri, tenor sax, vocal Chuck Rainey, bass Lonnie Liston Smith, piano Pretty Purdie, drums Sonny Morgan, congas Nana Vasconcelos, berimbau, perc

Capsule Info: Recorded live at Montreux in 1971. This album features Nana Vasconcelos on the berimbau, a percussion instrument associated with Capoeira, the martial art of Afro-Brazilian candomble.

Gato Barbieri: BOLIVIA
Flying Dutchman 1971/BMG 1995. Produced by Bob Thiele.
Track list Merceditas Eclypse Michellina Bolivia Ninos Vidala Triste Musicians Gato Barbieri, tenor sax, flute, vocal Lonnie Liston Smith, piano Stanley Clarke, bass Airto Moreira, drums, perc John Abercrombie, guitars Pretty Purdie, drums Jean-Francois Jenny Clark, bass Mtume, congas Gene Golden, congas Moulay Ali Hafid, dumbeg

Capsule Info: Lots of percussion and experiments with native rhythms like his later work for Impulse!.

Gato Barbieri: FENIX
Flying Dutchman 1971. Produced by Bob Thiele.
Track list Tupac Amaru Carnavalito Falsa Bahiana El Dia Que Me Quieras El Arriero Bahia Musicians Gato Barbieri, tenor sax, flute, vocal Nana (Vasconcelos), perc, conga, berimbau Gene Golden, congas, drums Lenny White III, drums Joe Beck, guitar Ron Carter, bass Lonnie Liston Smith, keyboards

Capsule Info: Over persistant congas and wonderful piano, Gato's trademark sound is all over the place. Caribbean and Brazilian rhythms predominate. A great album.

Oliver Nelson: SWISS SUITE
Flying Dutchman 1971. Produced by Bob Thiele.
Track list Swiss Suite Stolen Moments Black, Brown and Beautiful Blues and the Abstract Truth Musicians Gato Barbieri, tenor sax Charles Tolliver, trumpet Eddie "Cleanhead" Vinson, alto sax Oliver Nelson, alto sax, arrangements, cond Stanley Cowell, piano Victor Gaskin, bass Bernard "Pretty" Purdie, drums Na Na (Vasconcelos), berimbau Sonny Morgan, congas Michal Urbaniak, tenor sax Bosko Petrovic, drums, vibes, tarabooka others incl full horn section

Capsule Info: Recorded live at Montreux, 1971, the same evening as Leon Thomas' GOLD SUNRISE ON MAGIC MOUNTAIN and Gato Barbieri's EL PAMPERO. The three Nelson standards don't feature Gato, but the side-long "Swiss Suite" features Gato soloing against a blaring orchestra in a work that covers the jazz spectrum from straight ahead blues to a conga-driven Afro-Latin smoker.

Theresa Brewer: SINGIN' A DOO DAH SONG
Flying Dutchman 1972. Produced by Bob Thiele.
Track list Vahevala other cuts not featuring Barbieri Musicians Teresa Brewer, vocal Frank Owens, piano Bucky Pizzarelli, banjo, guitar Joe Beck, guitar Richard Davis, bass Ted Sommer, drums Moulay Ali Hafid, dumbeg Airto Moreira, percussion Tasha Thomas, voice Marilyn Jackson, voice Carl Hall, voice Gato Barbieri, tenor sax Hubert Laws, flute

Capsule info: I guess if you're married to Flying Dutchman president Bob Thiele, as Brewer was, you can get whoever the heck you want on your record! So he gave her his whole stable. The liner notes suggest vocal legend Leon Thomas is also featured as percussionist on the song featuring Gato Barbieri as soloist. "Vahevala" is the Loggins & Messina pop tune, and Brewer renders it ingenuously.

Original Soundtrack: LAST TANGO IN PARIS
United Artists 1972/1973; Rykodisc/MGM 1998. Produced by Alberto Grimaldi.
Track list Last Tango In Paris--Tango Jeanne Girl In Black--Tango (Para Mi Negra) Last Tango In Paris- Ballad Fake Ophelia Picture In The Rain Return--Tango (La Vuelta) It's Over Goodbye (Un Largo Adios) Why Did She Choose You? Last Tango In Paris--Jazz Waltz The Last Tango In Paris Suite Musicians Gato Barbieri, tenor sax, voice Oliver Nelson, arrangements others credited only as "The Gato Barbieri Orchestra" probably including Lonnie Liston Smith, piano Nana Vasconcelos, berimbau, perc plus strings and horns

Capsule Info: Lush, moody film score finally available on CD with material restored from the film. Bertolucci's controversial soft-core porn gets a haunting backdrop and mood from Barbieri's compositions and solos. More accessible than his avant-gardish jazz recordings of the time this soundtrack helped make him a star. The emotional core of his playing remains.

Gato Barbieri: UNDER FIRE
Flying Dutchman 1973. Produced by Bob Thiele.
Track list El Parana Yo Le Canto A La Luna Antonico Maria Domingas El Sertao Musicians Gato Barbieri, tenor sax, flute, vocal Lonnie Liston Smith, piano Stanley Clarke, bass Airto Moreira, drums, perc John Abercrombie, guitars Roy Haynes, drums Mtume, congas Moulay Ali Hafid, dumbeg

Capsule Info: Says Gato Barbieri: "I sing sometimes, not because I like to sing but because the music needs singing. And when I scream with my horn, it's because the music needs screaming." Cool stuff. The groove in the last two cuts especially is wonderful.

Gato Barbieri: THE LEGEND OF GATO BARBIERI
Flying Dutchman 1973. Produced by Bob Thiele.
Track list unavailable Musicians see original albums

Capsule Info: A collection of cuts from THE THIRD WORLD, FENIX and EL PAMPERO.

Gato Barbieri: CHAPTER ONE: LATIN AMERICA
Impulse! 1973. Produced by Ed Michel.
Track list Encuentros India La China Leoncia Arreo La Correntinada Trajo Entre La Muchachada La Flor De La Juventud Nunca Mas To Be Continued Musicians Gato Barbieri, tenor sax, vocal Ricardo Lew, guitar Adalberto Cevasco, bass Dino Saluzzi, bandoneon many many others

Capsule Info: Recorded with a host of Argentine and Brazilian musicians and percussionists, this is the first of a quartet of albums exploring rhythm and Latin-American forms. The emphasis here is on percussive rhythms rooted in South American Indian culture: Andean world music wishes it had this much life. See also 1997 CD below "LATINO AMERICA."

Gato Barbieri: CHAPTER TWO: HASTA SIEMPRE
Impulse! 1973. Produced by Ed Michel.
Track list Encontros Latino America Marissea Para Nosotros Juana Azurduy Musicians Gato Barbieri, tenor sax, vocal Helio Delmiro, guitar Novelli, bass plus other Argentine and Brazilian musicians

Capsule Info: The second part of his Impulse! quartet, this one featuring more of a Brazilian feel than Andean.

Gato Barbieri: YESTERDAYS
Flying Dutchman 1974. Produced by Bob Thiele.
Track list Yesterdays A John Coltrane Blues Marnie Carinoso Musicians Gato Barbieri, tenor sax,vocal George Dalto, piano Ron Carter, bass Paul Metzke, guitar Pretty Purdie, drums Babafemi, congas Raymond Mantilla, timbales

Capsule Info: Gato begins to edge away toward jazzpop here, but these cuts really cook anyway. One of my favorite Gato albums, and I love the electric guitar work.

Gato Barbieri: CHAPTER THREE: VIVA EMILIANO ZAPATA
Impulse! 1974. Produced by Ed Michel.
Track list Milonga Triste Lluvia Azul El Sublime La Podrida Cuando Vuelva A Tu Lado Viva Emiliano Zapata Musicians Gato Barbieri, tenor sax, vocal Grady Tate, drums Ray Armando, perc Portinho, perc Ray Mantilla, perc Luis Mangual, perc Ron Carter, bass Paul Metzke, el guitar George Davis, guitars Eddie Martinez, keyboards Howard Johnson, tuba, flhorn plus others, horns

Capsule Info: Pulling back from the edge, Gato's third installment is full of Afro-Cuban style bigband jazz arrangements.

Gato Barbieri: EL GATO
Flying Dutchman 1975. Produced by Bob Thiele.
Track list El Gato# El Parana Merceditas Vidala Triste Ninos Musicians Gato Barbieri, tenor sax, flute, vocal Oliver Nelson, alto sax Hank Jones, piano David Spinozza, guitar Romeo Penque, flute, eng horn Ron Carter, bass Phil Bodner, flute Danny Bank, bass clarinet Airto Moreira, perc Pretty Purdie, drums plus original musicians on cuts 2-5

Capsule Info: A "best of" from Flying Dutchman to capitalize on his Impulse! success, the album also includes the previously unreleased extended (12:45) track "El Gato" featuring Oliver Nelson. This track cooks: wonderfully arranged, prominent percussion by Airto, terrific groove set by the guitar. (#Note that "El Gato", the one Gato track new here, has finally been reissued on CD as part of the 1999 compilation: GATO BARBIERI: THE BEST OF THE EARLY YEARS. See below.)

Various Artists: IMPULSE ARTISTS ON TOUR
Impulse! 1975 AS-9264. Produced by Ed Michel.
Track list Encuentros other songs not featuring Gato Musicians Gato Barbieri, tenor sax, voice Raul Mercado, wood flute Amadeo Monges, indian harp John Abercrombie, el guitar Quelo Palacios, guitar Isoca Fumero, charango Adalberto Cevasco, el bass Paul Motian, drums Domingo Cura, Indian drums Jorge, perc

Capsule Info: Live cut recorded at Montreux July 6, 1973 featured on compilation of live material from the Impulse! stable.

Gato Barbieri: CHAPTER FOUR: ALIVE IN NEW YORK
Impulse! 1975. Produced by Ed Michel.
Track list Milonga Triste La China Leoncia Baihia Lluvia Azul Musicians Gato Barbieri, tenor sax, vocal, perc Howard Johnson, horns, perc Eddie Martinez, el piano Paul Metzke, guitar Ron Carter, bass Portinho, drums Ray Armando, congas, perc

Capsule Info: Recorded live in New York City, at the Bottom Line, Feb 20-23. Reissued on CD in great sounding 20 bit in Japan, early 1999. Recorded in a fairly transitional style for Gato: the music is neither as edgy as his early 70s work nor commercial as his late 1970s material (of course the live recording helps THAT. Best cut is the 15 minute plus "La China Leoncia" which fairly smokes. A track also appears on the domestic Gato installment of "PRICELESS JAZZ," see below.

Gato Barbieri: CALIENTE!
A&M 1976. Produced by Herb Alpert.
Track list Fireflies Fiesta Europa Don't Cry Rochelle Adios, parts 1 & 2 I Want You Behind The Rain Los Desperados Musicians Gato Barbieri, tenor sax Lenny White, drums Gary King, bass Eric Gale, guitar David Spinozza, guitar Wah Wah Watson, guitar Joe Beck, guitar Eddy Martinez, keys Don Grolnick, keys Ralph MacDonald, perc Cachete Maldonado, perc Mtume, perc plus strings and horns

Capsule Info: So it doesn't make complete sense, but Impulse! and Flying Dutchman go belly up and Herb Alpert picks up the pieces and recreates Gato as a pop jazz guy. Well, it was probably a great career move.

Gato Barbieri: RUBY, RUBY
A&M 1977. Produced by Herb Alpert.
Track list Ruby Nostalgia Latin Reaction Ngiculela--Es Una Historia--I Am Singing Sunride Adios Blue Angel Midnight Tango Musicians Gato Barbieri, tenor sax, voice Lenny White, drums Gary King, bass Joe Caro, guitar David Spinozza, guitar Herb Alpert, trumpet Paulinho Da Costa, perc Eddy Martinez, keys Lee Ritenour, guitar Portinho, perc Cachete Maldonado, perc Ian Underwood, synth Eddie Guagua, bass Chuck Domanico, bass Joe Clayton, congas Bernard Purdie, drums Ian Underwood, synth plus strings and horns

Capsule Info: Of course this is very produced and denser than his earlier work, but it's still Gato's trademark sound. There's real emotion here even if the strings are sweeping in the background and studio musicians are edging out the more creative of Gato's associates.

Gato Barbieri: TROPICO
A&M 1978. Produced by David Rubinson & Friends, Inc.
Track list Poinciana (Song Of The Tree) Latin Lady Adoro Odara She Is Michelle Where Is The Love Evil Eyes Bolero Musicians Gato Barbieri, tenor sax Eddie Watkins, bass Leon Ndugu Chancler, drums Eddie Martinez, keys John Barnes, keys Wah Wah Watson, guitar Carlos Santana, guitar Bill Summers, bongo, perc Armando Peraza, bongos Jose Chepito Areas, timbales Lani Hall, vocal Greg Poree, guitar The Waters Family, bg vocals plus strings and horns

Capsule Info: This was the year that every jazz musician put a jungle scene on the cover of his or her album and played disco and what would later be called Quiet Storm. Lonnie Liston Smith did it. Deodato did it. Here Gato does it. If you hate that genre, you'll hate this; you can also like this just fine and still think Kenny G sux; it is, after all, no longer 1978.

Gato Barbieri: EUPHORIA
A&M 1979. Produced by David Rubinson & Friends, Inc.
Track list Theme From Firepower Sophia Carnavalito Boys Also Cry Gods And Astronauts (Errare Humanum Est) Secret Fies Speak Musicians Gato Barbieri, tenor sax rest to come

Capsule Info: I'm still waiting for this to come out on CD. The tracks I've heard anthologized on CD are not special; commercial A&M era material. I will be fascinated to see if the CD reissue when it arrives bears the photo on the reverse of the LP which shows, well, just what kind of a man Gato is. In much greater, um, outline than most jazz musicians.

Gato Barbieri: PASSION AND FIRE
A&M 19?. Various producers.
Track list I Want You Fiesta Europa (Earth's Cry Heaven's Smile) Poinciana (Song Of The Tree) Theme From Firepower She Is Michelle Ruby Speak Low Musicians Gato Barbieri, tenor sax see original albums

Capsule Info: A compilation of his A&M Records era material.

Gato Barbieri: GATO
1982 Musica Latina. Produced by Teo Macero, Jay Chattaway and Gato Barbieri.
Track list Bahia/Sweet Emiliano Retorno Alma Mowgli Memories Playtime Musicians Gato Barbieri, tenor sax,vocal Joe Beck, guitar Ryo Kawasaki, guitar Dave Spinozza, guitar Bill Washer, guitar Lincoln Gaines, bass Buddy Williams, drums Portinho, drums Warren Bernhardt, el piano Frank Ferrucci, piano Frankie Colon, congas Carol Steel, perc Guillermo Franco, perc

Capsule Info: Less slick than the A&M albums, pretty good for early '80s music, which was a bad period for just about everybody if you ask me. This album was also issued under the title BAHIA on the Fania label.

Frank Ferrucci: JEWEL EYES
1982 Wren Records. Produced by ?.
Track list unavailable Musicians Gato Barbieri, tenor sax Frank Ferrucci, keyboards Lincoln Goines, bass Portinho, drums Daniel Ponce, congas Ed Palermo, alto Bill Washer, guitar Richie Morales, drums Roger Squtero, percussion Terry Silverlight, drums

Capsule Info: I haven't seen this.

Gato Barbieri: GATO...PARA LOS AMIGOS
Dr. Jazz/Signature/Sony 1983/1989. Produced by Gato Barbieri and Teo Macero.
Track list Introduction, Llamerito y Tango Carnavalito Brazil Viva Emiliano Zapata Latino America El Arriero Bolivia Finale/Reprise Musicians Gato Barbieri, tenor sax, voice Bernard Pretty Purdie, drums other musicians unidentified

Capsule Info: A live date from 1981 with terrible liner notes, this sounds like it could have been recorded ten years earlier and, while not fabulous sound quality, is a great album. Not jazz pop at all!

Teo Macero: ACOUSTICAL SUSPENSION
Dr. Jazz 1984. Produced by Teo Macero.
Track list unavailable Musicians Gato Barbieri, tenor sax Teo Macero, tenor sax Lionel Hampton, vibes others unavailable

Capsule Info: I've not heard this.

Gato Barbieri: APASIONADO
Dr. Jazz 1985. Produced by Gato Barbieri, Teo Macero and Sergio del Neri.
Track list Latin Lovers Que Pasa Last Tango In Paris Terre Me Siente Angel Tiempo Buono Habanera Musicians Gato Barbieri, tenor sax, voice Joe Caro, guitar Minu Cinelu, perc Frank Ferrucci, synth Gary King, bass Eddy Martinez, keyboards Chris Parker, drums Bill Washer, solo guitar Pino Daniele, vocal, acoustic guitar

Capsule Info: Recorded in NYC in 1983, licensed in the US from Polygram-Dischi SPA (Italy); Pleasantly mellow album a la his A&M years but less slick and therefore a little more substantive.

Gato Barbieri: THIRD WORLD REVISITED
RCA 1988 reissue. Produced by Bob Thiele.
Track list Yesterdays A John Coltrane Blues Marnie Carinoso Brasil El Arriero Musicians Gato Barbieri, tenor sax,vocal plus see original albums

Capsule Info: A reissue of mid-'70s Gato: all of 1974's YESTERDAYS plus bits from EL PAMPERO.

AFRO CUBANO CHANT
Hip Bop Essence 1995. Produced by Lenny White.
Track list Cubano Chant Tanya Suave Mui Tarde Amor Los Dos Lorettas Nica's Dream Casablanca Musicians Gato Barbieri, tenor sax, voice Steve Berrios, perc Andy Gonzalez, ac bass Bob James, ac piano Mike Mainieri, vibes Lenny White, drums, timbales

Capsule Info: If Cal Tjader had made a record with Gato in the mid-1970s it would sound like this. Nicely rhythmic and acoustic set in a very straightforward Afro-Cuban jazz mode with none of the slickness or electronics that mar, say, 1997's QUE PASA. Gato sounds good, but this is very much a collaborative album and so his unique personality doesn't always rise to the surface. Don't let the presence of Bob James scare you...this is a really good record. "Casablanca" is absolutely haunting and Gato's playing is grainy and wonderful as ever.

Gato Barbieri: QUE PASA
Columbia/Sony 1997. Produced by Philippe Saisse.
Track list Straight Into The Sunrise Blue Gala Mystica Dancing With Dolphins Circulos Guadeloupe Cause We've Ended As Lovers Indonesia The Woman I Remember Granada Adentro Musicians Gato Barbieri, tenor sax, voice Philippe Saisse, keyboards, programming Poogie Bell, programming Jeff Golub, guitar Vanessa Falabella, bg vocals Eric Calvi, programming Ron Jenkins, bass Cyro Baptista, perc Anthony Jackson, bass Romero Lubambo, guitar Dennis Chambers, drums Mario Rodriguez, bass others

Capsule Info: Well there's no way to say it: this album sounds like it came out of a machine. The first time I heard it I didn't think I'd bother with it a second time. It was Gato so I did listen to it again, and now I don't hate all of it. But Phillippe Saisse's technical wizardry is no substitute for the chemistry of live musicians, and that hideous electronic percussion behind almost every song is relentlessly... boring. Some of this is pleasantly atmospheric background music and I actually like the cut "Granada". But Third World re-revisited it ain't.

Gato Barbieri: PRICELESS JAZZ COLLECTION #9
GRP 1997. Compilation produced by John Snyder.
Track list India Nunca Mas Marissea Para Nosotros Milonga Triste Cunado Vuelva A Tu Lado Lluvia Azul Musicians Gato Barbieri, tenor sax, vocal see original albums

Capsule Info: A compilation drawn from Gato's four Impulse! albums.

Gato Barbieri: LATINO AMERICA
Impulse! 1997. Produced by Ed Michel.
Track list Encuentros India La China Leoncia Arreo La Correntinada Trajo Entre La Flor De La Juventud Nunca Mas La China Leoncia Arreo La Correntinada Trajo Entre La Flor De La Juventud (alt tk) Nunca Mas (alt tk) Gato Gato To Be Continued Encontros Latino America Marissea Para Nosotros Juana Azurduy Latino America (alt tk) Mate Musicians Gato Barbieri, tenor sax, vocal Ricardo Lew, guitar Adalberto Cevasco, bass Dino Saluzzi, bandoneon Antonio Pantoja, Indian perc Lee Ritenour, guitar John Pisano, cl guitar Jim Hughart, bass Mayuto Correa, perc Escola de Samba do Niteroi, Brazilian perc Helio Delmiro, guitar Novelli, bass plus other Argentine and Brazilian musicians

Capsule Info: Stellar CD reissue of two of Gato's Impulse! LPs, with unreleased tracks, tracks restored to original extended lengths, and wonderful digitally remixing. The sound here is more three-dimensional, and the two-hour plus length allows complete submersion into Gato's politicized third-world vision. Fascinating liner notes by original producer Ed Michel.

Gato Barbieri: GREATEST HITS (A&M BACKLOT SERIES)
A&M 1998. Various producers.
Track list Fiesta Ruby Theme From Firepower Behind The Rain She Is Michelle I Want You Poinciana (Song Of The Tree) Europa Speak Low Sunride Latin Lady Midnight Tango Musicians Gato Barbieri, tenor sax, vocal see original albums

Capsule Info: Updated and digitally remastered greatest hits collection from his four-album commercial A&M period material.

Remo Capra featuring Gato Barbieri: I'M JUST A MAN
Sony Music Special Products 1997. Produced by Teo Macero.
Track list I'm Just A Man Si A Veces Hablo De Ti La Belle Histoire D'Amour Musicians Gato Barbieri, tenor sax Remo Capra, vocals Richard Morales, drums Jos. A. Becj, guitar Armen Donelian, piano Lincoln Goines, bass Bill Washer, guitar

Capsule Info: Pleasant backing for set by European singer Remo Capra.

Gato Barbieri: CHE CORAZON
Columbia/Sony 1999. Produced by Chuck Loeb.
Track list Introduction Cristiano I Want You Seven Servants Blue Eyes Eclipse 1812 The Woman On The Lake Rosa Sweet Glenda Encounter Auld Lang Syne Finale Musicians Gato Barbieri, tenor sax, voice Will Lee, bass Lionel Cordew, drums Mike Ricchiuti, keys Sammy Figueroa, perc David Charles, perc Carmen Cuesta & Peter Valentino, bg vocals Mark Egan, bass Frank McComb, vocal Chuck Lobe, guitars, arr & cond orch others

Capsule Info: Gato's latest album is a sentimental tribute to the members of his family. While it avoids the worst pitfalls of the QUE PASA, with a somewhat more acoustic feel, it's still a slickly produced affair, owing much more to Gato's A&M period than his previous work. It's pleasant, atmospherically melancholy, and for my hyper critical ears (sorry, Gato), the only really painful thing here is the simply horrid whiny '90s style r&b vocal on the updated remake of Gato's remake of Marvin Gaye's "I Want You." That said Gato blows a lot harder than Pharoah Sanders does in these same 30 years later, and that does, I guess, account for something.

Gato Barbieri: THE BEST OF THE EARLY YEARS
RCA Victor/BMG Classics. Produced by Bob Thiele.
Track list Bahia Falsa Bahiana Bolivia Antonico El Die Que Me Quieras Eclypse/Michellina Yo Le Canto A La Luna El Gato Musicians Gato Barbieri, tenor sax, flute, vocal see original albums

Capsule Info: A surprising treat for the often dismal reissue world is this BMG compilation of Gato's Flying Dutchman works (1971-1973), happily including the heretofore unavailable on CD track "El Gato" tacked onto a mid 1970s compilation of the same name, see above. The CD clocks in at 53 minutes, which ain't so generous, but the sound is great, with depth that will reveal nuances the European CD reissues don't. "El Gato" is a must, which makes this CD one also.

Other recordings: A track by Gato appears on the 1975 LP compilation IMPULSIVELY (ABC Impulse!). Also extant but not seen by me (thanks to Lois Roe for info): 1970 GATO BARBIERI PLAYS OUT TRACK MUSIC BY PIERO UMIUANI (ITALY ??); 1965 GATO BARBIERI AND DON CHERRY, (DURIUM RECORDINGS, ITALY); 1976 GATO BARBIERI AND DON CHERRY (INNER-CITY RECORDS); tracks by Gato appear on the compilations: 1996 LATE NIGHT SAX (Polygram); 1996? IMPULSE JAZZ-A 30 YEAR CELEBRATION (UNI/GRP); FIRE INTO JAZZ: THE BEST OF IMPULSE! VOL.THREE; 1967 LATIN JAZZ (import: ESP); "Gato apparently made a classical recording around 1976 or so, with Lalo Schifrin's cousin Luis Enriquez Bacalov. It was called DESBANDES and was Vista TPL 1149 (Italy). In the interview in which he mentioned it, he said his part was improvised, which I would love to hear, but have yet to find. It's apparently not in print, but I'm hoping to find at least an old vinyl recording." Details on any of these or other recordings featuring Gato would be greatly appreciated.

A Jazz Supreme