Leon Thomas Select Discography 1
Recordings As A Leader
Leon Thomas: SPIRITS KNOWN AND UNKNOWN--NEW VOCAL FRONTIERS Flying Dutchman 1969. Produced by Bob Thiele. CD Europe, 2002. Track list The Creator Has A Master Plan (Peace) One Echoes Song For My Father Damn Nam (Ain't Goin To Vietnam) Malcolm's Gone Let The Rain Fall On Me Musicians Leon Thomas, vocal, percussion Little Rock (Pharoah Sanders), sax Lonnie Liston Smith, piano Richard Davis, bass Cecil McBee, bass James Spaulding, flute, sax Richard Landrum, perc Roy Haynes, drums Capsule info: The version of "The Creator Has A Masterplan" is more vocally and lyrically developed (and much shorter) than the version sung with Pharoah Sanders, and much more mellow. Pharoah, credited here as "Little Rock" is featured on several cuts. Leon Thomas: THE LEON THOMAS ALBUM Flying Dutchman 1970. Produced by Bob Thiele. No CD. Track list Come Along I Am Bag's Groove Um, Um, Um Pharoah's Tune (The Journey) Musicians Leon Thomas, vocal, percussion, flutes Billy Cobham, drums Billy Harper, tenor sax Howard Johnson, baritone sax Jerome Richardson, alto sax Richie Pablo Landrum, congas Sonny Morgan, bongos, African oboe Ernie Royal, trumpet Donald Smith, flute Arthur Sterling, piano John Williams, Jr. el bass Gene Golden, bongo Bob Cunningham, bass Capsule info: Diverse as always Leon Thomas adds a soul-jazz vein to his Africanisms and consciousness jazz. More horn harmonies than on other of his albums. "Um Um Um" has a political rap not unlike Gil Scott-Heron. ("Um Um Um" was also recorded by Carlos Santana and Buddy Miles on their LIVE album as "Freeform Funkafide Filth"). "The Journey" cowritten by but not featuring Pharoah Sanders, is a side-long extended workout. H. Rap Brown and Leon Thomas: SNCC's RAP Flying Dutchman 1970. Produced by SNCC and Eddie Kramer No CD. Track list Damn Nam (Ain't Going To Viet Nam) Um, Um, Um H. Rap Brown Other Cuts Not Featuring Leon Thomas. Musicians Leon Thomas, vocals Harold "Jazzbo" Alexander, soprano sax, flute Lonnie L(iston) Smith, Jr., piano Jimmy Phillips, bass Alvin Queen, drums Richard "Pablo" Landrum, conga Sonny Morgan, bongos others Capsule Info: This must sound awesome: political rap (before there was such a thing) music from a singer and an activist. Leon Thomas' portion of this album was recorded live at the Fillmore East in 1970. (incomplete info; I haven't seen this). Various Artists: SUPER BLACK BLUES Vol. II Bluestime BTS-9009 1970. Produced by Bob Thiele. No CD. Track list Welcome To New York Disillusion Blues Damn Nam (Ain't Goin' To Vietnam) Other Cuts Not Featuring Leon Thomas. Musicians Leon Thomas, vocal Earl Creque, piano James Phillips, bass Pablo Landrum, conga Sonny Morgan, bongos Sherman Ferguson, drums Capsule Info: Recorded live at Carnegie Hall, May 1970. I haven't heard this. Leon Thomas: IN BERLIN WITH OLIVER NELSON: Recorded Live At Berlin Philaharmonic Hall Flying Dutchman 1971. Produced by Bob Thiele. CD Europe, 2002. Track list Straight No Chaser Pharoah's Tune (The Journey) Echoes Umbo Weti The Creator Has A Master Plan (Peace) Oo-Wheeee!! Hindewe Musicians Leon Thomas, vocal, percussion, flutes Oliver Nelson, alto sax Arthur Sterling, piano Guenter Lenz, bass Sonny Morgan, conga Lex Humphries, drums Capsule info: With sax legend Oliver Nelson as a featured soloist, Leon gives an exuberant display of his powers in a concert program featuring some of his best-known songs, and runs from the straight ahead "Straight No Chaser" to his wonderful "Umbo Weti," joyously full of percussion and vocal magic. Leon Thomas: GOLD SUNRISE ON MAGIC MOUNTAIN Mega/Flying Dutchman 1971. Produced by Bob Thiele. No CD. Track list The Honey Man Chains Of Love Cousin Mary Na Na Umbo Weti Musicians Leon Thomas, vocal, percussion Nana (Vasconcelos), percussion, berimbau Neal Creque, piano Cornell Dupree, guitar Victor Gaskin, bass Oliver Nelson, alto sax Sonny Morgan, conga David Lee, Jr., drums Capsule Info: Recorded live at Montreux in 1971, at the same concert of Gato Barbieri's EL PAMPERO. Side one is Leon Thomas shouting the blues and a Coltrane tune; side two is a joyous exploration of rhythm and Thomas's awesome vocal pyrotechnics: a yodelfest to African and Brazilian percussion. Leon Thomas: BLUES AND THE SOULFUL TRUTH Flying Dutchman 1973. Produced by Bob Thiele. CD, Europe (BMG France). Track list Let's Go Down To Lucy's L-O-V-E Gypsy Queen Love Each Other Shape Your Mind To Die Boom-Boom-Boom China Doll C.C. Rider Musicians Leon Thomas, vocal, percussion Neal Creque, keyboards Gordon Edwards, el bass Cornell Dupree, el guitar Pretty Purdie, drums John Eckert, trumpet Dick Griffin, trombone Pee Wee Ellis, tenor sax Cecil Payne, bar sax Tasha Thomas, vocals Lani Groves, vocals Carl Hall, vocals Hilda Harris, vocals Albertine Robinson, vocals Stanley Clarke, bass Donald Pate, bass John Blair, vitar Baba Feme, congas Jesse "Cheese" Kilpatrick, drums Larry Coryell, guitar Capsule info: Fine Thomas album heavy on blues and veering to pop a bit, but the 10-minute plus cover of Gabor Szabo's "Gypsy Queen" is incredible and worth tracking down. Leon Thomas: FULL CIRCLE Flying Dutchman 1973. Produced by Bob ThieleCD Europe, 2002. Track list Sweet Little Angel Just In Time To See The Sun It's My Life I'm Fighting For Never Let Me Go I Wanna Be Where You Are Got To Be There Balance Of Life (Peace Of Mind) You Are The Sunshine Of My Life What Are We Gonna Do? Musicians Leon Thomas, vocals Neal Creque, keyboards Richard Davis, electric bass Joe Beck, electric guitar Lloyd Davis, electric guitar Pretty Purdie, drums Jimmy Owens, trumpet Pee Wee Ellis, soprano sax Sonny Morgan, percussion Joe Farrell, flute Richard 'Pablo' Landrum, percussion Herbie Lovelle, drums Tasha Thomas, vocal Carl Hall, vocal plus strings Capsule Info: In covering some then-contemporary soul tunes and a Santana song, Thomas attempts a wider audience. The standout cuts on this varied album are the 10-minute "It's My Life I'm Fighting For" and 7-minute "Balance Of Life (Peace Of Mind)". The string-backed tunes are a bit sweet for my taste, but on these two extended numbers he is awesome. Leon Thomas: FACETS: THE LEGEND OF LEON THOMAS, AN ANTHOLOGY Flying Dutchman 1973. Produced by Bob Thiele. No CD. Track list The Creator Has A Master Plan (Peace) Welcome To New York China Doll Duke's Place L-o-v-e Disillusion Blues Song For My Father Boom-boom-boom Let The Rain Fall On Me Musicians Leon Thomas, vocal, percussion see individual albums for listings Capsule Info: A best-of featuring Leon Thomas' Flying Dutchman label work. Par for the course the material is split between his avant-garde yodelling and percussion, smooth singing, and straight-forward swinging blues. The album is an interesting slice of early 1970s consciousness, including the mystical-optimistic ("Creator"), period politics (defending rent control in "Welcome To New York"), shocking racial stereotyping oddly combined with a peace-and-love vibe ("China Doll") and more. Somebody really should put all his Flying Dutchman label albums out on CD. (Some of the blues cuts are or were, anyway) included on the Oliver Nelson CD anthology cited above). v/a: ANN ARBOR BLUES & JAZZ FESTIVAL VOL. 3 & 4 P-Vine 1973/1996. Produced by John Sinclair for Big Chief Productions CD Japan (2-disc set). Track list Love Each Other LT not featured on other tracks Musicians Leon Thomas, vocals, flute, perc on one cut Neal Creeque, piano unidentified bassist Steve Ellington, drums Sonny Morgan, perc Capsule Info: Recorded live in September 1973, Leon gives a spirited rendering of "Love Each Other" with a suitable peace/love vibe for the same early 70s festival that also features Sun Ra, the Revolutionary Ensemble, Infinite Sound, and a host of blues luminaries. Leone Thomas: THANK YOU BABY 1975 Don King/New Sounds Records. Produced by Leone Thomas and Jesse Baseman. No CD; 45rpm single. Track list Thank You Baby, parts 1 & 2 Musicians Neal Creque, piano Leon Thomas, vocal others not credited Capsule Info: A 7-inch single, I've only heard about this. Anybody have a copy? Was it part of an album? Does that exist?. Leon Thomas featuring Freddie Hubbard: A PIECE OF CAKE Palcoscenico 1979/80?. Produced by Augusto Brivic No CD. Track list Sunflower Let The Rain Fall On Me Boom! Boom! Boom! Yo-Yo Blues Night In Tunisia Cousin Mary Musicians Leon Thomas, vocals, perc Freddie Hubbard, trumpet, flugelhorn Hadley Caliman, tenor sax Billy Childs, keyboards Lawrence Allen Larry Klein, bass, electric bass Carl Burnett, drums Capsule Info: Recorded live in Nov. 1979. (incomplete info; I haven't seen this). Leon Thomas Blues Band: THE LEON THOMAS BLUES BAND Sony/Portrait 1988. Produced by Bob Thiele CD o/p USA & CD Japan. Track list Shake, Rattle And Roll School Girl Blues Flip Flop And Fly Everyday I Have The Blues Every Year I Have The Blues Next Time You See Me Blues Is The Blues, Is The Blues Duke's Place Musicians Leon Thomas, vocals Donald Smith, vocals Ernie Hayes, piano Houston Person, tenor sax Bernard Purdie, drums Gordon Edwards, bass Babe Clark, baritone sax Hugh McKracken, guitar & harmonica Melvin Sparks, guitar Capsule Info: Very straight ahead blues session; a bit bouncy for my taste. Leon only sings on three tracks. Gary Bartz & Leon Thomas: PRECIOUS ENERGY Mapleshade 1993. Produced by Pierre M. Sprey. CD. Track list Precious Energy You Treat Me Like A Yo-Yo Sunflowers Cousin Mary Woman Close Your Eyes Boom, Boom, Boom Musicians Gary Bartz, alto sax Leon Thomas, vocals Eddie Henderson, trumpet Rob Butta, piano Geoff Harper, bass Steve Johns, drums Capsule Info: Recorded live at Ethell's, in Baltimore, March 1987. They've all sounded better, but still a great record. Leon Thomas stretches out "Precious Energy" (recorded as "Sun Song" on a Pharoah Sanders album) to almost 13 minutes. Leon Thomas: U-TURN Produced by Pierre M. Sprey. yet unreleased. Track list Psalms Sometimes I Feel Like A Motherless Child/Oo-whee Hindewhe Willow Weep For Me U-Turn others Musicians Leon Thomas, vocals, perc sax piano African drummers bass Capsule Info: Recorded in the mid-1990s this album has yet to be released. It is, however, a deeply spiritual masterpiece. The extended arrangement of "Sometimes I Feel Like A Motherless Child/Oo-whee Hindewhe" soars, the old black spiritual weaving in and out of a fierce rhythm of pounding congas and Leon's transcendent vocal summoning of ancestral presence. The recitation of psalms and spoken meditations on life's journeys complete the picture. This album deserves to be released and take its place among the classics. Leon Thomas: ANTHOLOGY Soul Brother Records/Passion Jazz, 1998. Compilation producer not listed. CD. Track list Prince Of Peace* The Creator Has A Master Plan (Peace) Song For My Father Bag's Groove C.C. Rider China Doll Just In Time To See The Sun Shape Your Mind To Die It's My Life I'm Fighting For Balance Of Life (Peace Of Mind) Little Sunflower+ Sun Song# Musicians Leon Thomas, vocals, perc see original albums Capsule Info: A welcomed and highly-recommended CD compilation of Leon Thomas' recordings from 1969 to 1985. It features material from his Flying Dutchman solo albums, and from Pharoah Sanders' IZIPHO ZAM*, Louis Hayes' VARIETY IS THE SPICE+ and Pharoah's SHUKURU# albums as well. Thank the folks at Soul Brother Records for finally bring Leon's work into the digital age. Leon Thomas | Album Gallery | Concert | Thomas & Santana | Discography 1 | Discography 2 Ian's Guide | Artists | Links | Sitemap | About Us
Capsule info: The version of "The Creator Has A Masterplan" is more vocally and lyrically developed (and much shorter) than the version sung with Pharoah Sanders, and much more mellow. Pharoah, credited here as "Little Rock" is featured on several cuts.
Leon Thomas: THE LEON THOMAS ALBUM Flying Dutchman 1970. Produced by Bob Thiele. No CD.
Capsule info: Diverse as always Leon Thomas adds a soul-jazz vein to his Africanisms and consciousness jazz. More horn harmonies than on other of his albums. "Um Um Um" has a political rap not unlike Gil Scott-Heron. ("Um Um Um" was also recorded by Carlos Santana and Buddy Miles on their LIVE album as "Freeform Funkafide Filth"). "The Journey" cowritten by but not featuring Pharoah Sanders, is a side-long extended workout.
H. Rap Brown and Leon Thomas: SNCC's RAP Flying Dutchman 1970. Produced by SNCC and Eddie Kramer No CD.
Capsule Info: This must sound awesome: political rap (before there was such a thing) music from a singer and an activist. Leon Thomas' portion of this album was recorded live at the Fillmore East in 1970. (incomplete info; I haven't seen this).
Various Artists: SUPER BLACK BLUES Vol. II Bluestime BTS-9009 1970. Produced by Bob Thiele. No CD.
Capsule Info: Recorded live at Carnegie Hall, May 1970. I haven't heard this.
Leon Thomas: IN BERLIN WITH OLIVER NELSON: Recorded Live At Berlin Philaharmonic Hall Flying Dutchman 1971. Produced by Bob Thiele. CD Europe, 2002.
Capsule info: With sax legend Oliver Nelson as a featured soloist, Leon gives an exuberant display of his powers in a concert program featuring some of his best-known songs, and runs from the straight ahead "Straight No Chaser" to his wonderful "Umbo Weti," joyously full of percussion and vocal magic.
Leon Thomas: GOLD SUNRISE ON MAGIC MOUNTAIN Mega/Flying Dutchman 1971. Produced by Bob Thiele. No CD.
Capsule Info: Recorded live at Montreux in 1971, at the same concert of Gato Barbieri's EL PAMPERO. Side one is Leon Thomas shouting the blues and a Coltrane tune; side two is a joyous exploration of rhythm and Thomas's awesome vocal pyrotechnics: a yodelfest to African and Brazilian percussion.
Leon Thomas: BLUES AND THE SOULFUL TRUTH Flying Dutchman 1973. Produced by Bob Thiele. CD, Europe (BMG France).
Capsule info: Fine Thomas album heavy on blues and veering to pop a bit, but the 10-minute plus cover of Gabor Szabo's "Gypsy Queen" is incredible and worth tracking down.
Leon Thomas: FULL CIRCLE Flying Dutchman 1973. Produced by Bob ThieleCD Europe, 2002.
Capsule Info: In covering some then-contemporary soul tunes and a Santana song, Thomas attempts a wider audience. The standout cuts on this varied album are the 10-minute "It's My Life I'm Fighting For" and 7-minute "Balance Of Life (Peace Of Mind)". The string-backed tunes are a bit sweet for my taste, but on these two extended numbers he is awesome.
Leon Thomas: FACETS: THE LEGEND OF LEON THOMAS, AN ANTHOLOGY Flying Dutchman 1973. Produced by Bob Thiele. No CD.
Capsule Info: A best-of featuring Leon Thomas' Flying Dutchman label work. Par for the course the material is split between his avant-garde yodelling and percussion, smooth singing, and straight-forward swinging blues. The album is an interesting slice of early 1970s consciousness, including the mystical-optimistic ("Creator"), period politics (defending rent control in "Welcome To New York"), shocking racial stereotyping oddly combined with a peace-and-love vibe ("China Doll") and more. Somebody really should put all his Flying Dutchman label albums out on CD. (Some of the blues cuts are or were, anyway) included on the Oliver Nelson CD anthology cited above).
v/a: ANN ARBOR BLUES & JAZZ FESTIVAL VOL. 3 & 4 P-Vine 1973/1996. Produced by John Sinclair for Big Chief Productions CD Japan (2-disc set).
Capsule Info: Recorded live in September 1973, Leon gives a spirited rendering of "Love Each Other" with a suitable peace/love vibe for the same early 70s festival that also features Sun Ra, the Revolutionary Ensemble, Infinite Sound, and a host of blues luminaries.
Leone Thomas: THANK YOU BABY 1975 Don King/New Sounds Records. Produced by Leone Thomas and Jesse Baseman. No CD; 45rpm single.
Capsule Info: A 7-inch single, I've only heard about this. Anybody have a copy? Was it part of an album? Does that exist?.
Leon Thomas featuring Freddie Hubbard: A PIECE OF CAKE Palcoscenico 1979/80?. Produced by Augusto Brivic No CD.
Capsule Info: Recorded live in Nov. 1979. (incomplete info; I haven't seen this).
Leon Thomas Blues Band: THE LEON THOMAS BLUES BAND Sony/Portrait 1988. Produced by Bob Thiele CD o/p USA & CD Japan.
Capsule Info: Very straight ahead blues session; a bit bouncy for my taste. Leon only sings on three tracks.
Gary Bartz & Leon Thomas: PRECIOUS ENERGY Mapleshade 1993. Produced by Pierre M. Sprey. CD.
Capsule Info: Recorded live at Ethell's, in Baltimore, March 1987. They've all sounded better, but still a great record. Leon Thomas stretches out "Precious Energy" (recorded as "Sun Song" on a Pharoah Sanders album) to almost 13 minutes.
Leon Thomas: U-TURN Produced by Pierre M. Sprey. yet unreleased.
Capsule Info: Recorded in the mid-1990s this album has yet to be released. It is, however, a deeply spiritual masterpiece. The extended arrangement of "Sometimes I Feel Like A Motherless Child/Oo-whee Hindewhe" soars, the old black spiritual weaving in and out of a fierce rhythm of pounding congas and Leon's transcendent vocal summoning of ancestral presence. The recitation of psalms and spoken meditations on life's journeys complete the picture. This album deserves to be released and take its place among the classics.
Leon Thomas: ANTHOLOGY Soul Brother Records/Passion Jazz, 1998. Compilation producer not listed. CD.
Capsule Info: A welcomed and highly-recommended CD compilation of Leon Thomas' recordings from 1969 to 1985. It features material from his Flying Dutchman solo albums, and from Pharoah Sanders' IZIPHO ZAM*, Louis Hayes' VARIETY IS THE SPICE+ and Pharoah's SHUKURU# albums as well. Thank the folks at Soul Brother Records for finally bring Leon's work into the digital age.
Leon Thomas | Album Gallery | Concert | Thomas & Santana | Discography 1 | Discography 2 Ian's Guide | Artists | Links | Sitemap | About Us
Leon Thomas | Album Gallery | Concert | Thomas & Santana | Discography 1 | Discography 2
Ian's Guide | Artists | Links | Sitemap | About Us
Leon Thomas: SPIRITS KNOWN AND UNKNOWN--NEW VOCAL FRONTIERS