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Nathan Davis: Suite for Dr Martin Luther King
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The essence of the music is improvisation and jazz but it contains elements of soul, funk, R&B, spoken word, gospel and blues. The emotional essence is hope, infused by grief, anger and sadness. All these different styles and emotions fit together quite harmoniously producing a coherent whole. This is primarily due to the quality of the complex compositions and the virtuosity of the musicians involved. Davis plays a number of reed instruments on the record but solos mainly on soprano sax. His solos alternate with the expressive narration of Donald M. Henderson, the ensemble playing of the first rate orchestra and, on one cut, the ethereal vocals of Brenda Joyce. The music sounds fresh and unpredictable and has not dated at all, nor have the emotions they evoke.
Pony Canyon's CD reissue of this long forgotten gem has pristine sound and beautifully reproduced cover art and liner notes. Listening to this recording makes it hard to believe that Nathan Davis is not a more widely known and appreciated musician.
Track Listing
Introduction; Narration 1; Latin Happ'n; Narration 2; New Dues; I Believe In Him; Mean Business; Narration 3; Atlanta Walk; Narration 4; M.L.K.; Jesus Saves Us (Our Flight For Freedom); Funk-A-Dilly Molly.
Personnel
Nathan Davis
saxophoneNathan Davis: reeds; Lew Soloff: trumpet; Clyde Bellin: trumpet; Nelson Harrison: trombone; Daniel Poupard: trombone; Lee Gross: baritone sax; Frank Cunimondo: electric piano; Mike Taylor: bass; Joe Harris: drums; Steve Boyd: arp synthesizer, clarinet; Willie Amoaku: percussion; Eric Johnson: guitar; Donald M. Henderson: narrator; Brenda Joyce: vocal; Marilyn Davis: special effects.
Album information
Title: Suite for Dr Martin Luther King | Year Released: 2007 | Record Label: Pony Canyon