CHANGE OF TUNE
We reached #25 in the RPJR series! Time for something different. We thought it would be fun to make a change to the type of music I review. Same formula; RAW PICKS, I review. Initially, we’ll do this for the next 5 picks. Hope you’re enjoying the reviews.
Today we are venturing into R&B / smooth jazz. This review record was picked by Ren, a new member of the RAW MUSIC Store team. I had the pleasure of meeting him Tuesday last week on what I think was his first day 🙂 — he is a long time saxophone player and knows his music. I enjoyed talking with him and I’m sure he’ll do great. Next time you’re in the store say hi, if you have not already…
LP REVIEW: JEFF LORBER, PRIVATE PASSION, WARNER BROS, P-13370, JAPAN ISSUE, STEREO, DIGITAL RECORDING (1986)
ARTIST
David Lorber is an American keyboard player, guitarist, composer, mixing engineer, and record producer. He was born on November 4, 1952 in Philadelphia. He is also the owner of JHL Sound studio.
His own group ‘The Jeff Lorber Fusion’ was pioneering the post-fusion sound of contemporary jazz, pushing the music into the pop/R&B realm, combining fusion and pop but still sounding improvisational and jazzy. There is an article in Jazztimes that’s worth reading as it gives you a more complete picture of Jeff Lorber, his own influence on the music scene, and the people who influenced him.
On this review album, he is accompanied by two singers, Karyn White and Michael Jeffries.
LABEL
Warner Records hardly needs an introduction. One of the giants in the music industry with an iconic logo.
Founded in 1958 by Jack Warner as a soundtrack factory for Warner Bros. movie studios, Warner Bros. Records and its family of subsidiary labels, which includes Reprise Records, Sire Records, Maverick Records, Warner Nashville, Warner Jazz, Warner Western, and Word Label Group. They cover the full spectrum of musical genres. After more than 60 years of using the Warner Bros. name and logo, the label was rebranded in May 2019 to simply Warner Records.
Most vinyl- and audiophiles know that Warner is using various record pressing plants and this always creates complications in the hunt for the best pressing – as well as variation in the price of originals 🙂 We all know that the vinyl quality tends to vary depending on where records are pressed. The most well-known facilities are Columbia Records Pressing Plant, Santa Maria & Columbia Records Pressing Plant, and Terre Haute.
MUSIC
This was a fun diversion from the standard jazz fare. Brought me right back to the 80s, cheesy cover and all! :-). Do you know what it reminded me of?….Remember Jody Watley and the group Shalamar? One of the albums I played a lot at that time was Friends. (I linked you to their major hit)
That’s the vibe on this Jeff Lorber record. A trio style with male and female singers, synths, good production, and an attractive groove. Lorber does some nice keyboard work on this album. In fact, the instrumentals are the strongest tracks in my view (Jamaica, Kristen, Sand Castles, Midnight Snack).
Unfortunately Karyn White ain’t no Jody Watley and Mike Jeffries, not sure what to say, but he ain’t no Howard Hewett, so in the final conclusion this Lorber effort is no “Friends‘ either.
Don’t get me wrong, it’s an OK album with some good hooks but with less than stellar singers, I have a sense that it was not Jeff’s best work or perhaps put in a different way, not his passion (pun intended). And that’s an observation I think Jeff Lorber might even share with me. I checked out various articles and interviews with him and I came away with the impression that he was not too happy with the album, despite its commercial success. Apparently, he was not at ease with being a sideman on his own record. Eventually he even took a hiatus from music before returning in 1993.
I listened to snippets of his pre- and post-Passion albums – they are pretty good btw – and they do sound different, more jazzy fusion, so perhaps he felt he was straying away from his roots too much. Complete guess on my part and I could be totally wrong. Whatever may be, have a listen to the youtube stream. You might very well like it.
YOUTUBE LINK
You can listen to the entire album right here:
RAW MUSIC STORE
This 80 AED LP is not available on the RAW MUSIC Website so this is a good excuse to get yourself over to the store, meet Ren & Sam and talk Fusion. This is a digital recording from the time when people thought CDs sounded better than LPs so this LP sounds like a CD :-)!
PERSONNEL
- Jeff Lorber – synthesizers (1, 2, 9), programming (1, 2), synthesizer programming (3-9), guitars (3)
- Carl Sturken – synthesizers (1, 2), programming (1, 2), synthesizer programming (6), guitars (6)
- Robbie Buchanan – synthesizer programming (4)
- Larry Carlton – guitars (3)
- Dann Huff – guitars (4)
- Buzz Feiten – guitars (5, 7, 8, 9)
- Brock Walsh – drum programming (9)
- Freddie Hubbard – flugelhorn (5)
- George Howard – soprano saxophone (7)
- Karyn White – lead vocals (1, 2, 4), backing vocals (1, 2)
- Michael Jeffries – lead vocals (4, 6, 8), backing vocals (6)
- Evan Rogers – backing vocals (1, 2, 4, 6, 8)
- Bunny Hull – backing vocals (4, 8)
TRACKS
A 1. Facts Of Love 4:32
A 2. True Confessions 4:16
A 3. Jamaica 4:09
A 4. Back In Love 4:10
A 5. Kristen 5:18
B 6. Private Passion 4:18
B 7. Sand Castles 5:34
B 8. Keep On Lovin’ Her 5:01
B 9. Midnight Snack 5:21