Pure brilliance from the
brief flowering of Richard Davis as a leader - that great time when he was
stepping out of his role as a sideman in the 60s, and making some really
wonderful 70s albums for Muse! This album's got a really well-crafted feel - a
spiritual, somewhat mellow approach that's laidback, and nicely understated -
drawing strongly on Richard's work with other great players over the years, yet
never pushing its own presence too strongly. The group features Chick Corea on
piano, Sam Brown on guitar, Sonny Brown on drums, Frankie Dunlop on percussion
and Bill Lee as a second bassist. Corea's piano is nicely restrained, and he
gives the set a good mellow edge, but the real highlight is the writing - as
Bill Lee contributed an entire set of beautiful compositions that stand among
his best work from the 70s. Tracks include "The Rabbi", "Oh My
God", "Juan Valdez", "Baby Sweets", and
"Monica". ~ Dusty Groove, Inc.
This album runs in a similar
vein to that of "Dealin'" and "Harvest", whereby Davis
continues to explore the use of bowing an arco bass across an assortment of
compositions. According to one reviewer: "But the preponderance of arco
bass makes the music a bit too bottom-heavy. The same can be said of the
selections from “With Understanding”. The band is better, however. It includes
Chick Corea, at a time when the pianist wasn't playing a great deal of acoustic
music. Unfortunately, the piano is not recorded very well. Sam Brown's acoustic
guitar adds a nice dimension, and Bill Lee again plays second bass but is
utilized with more subtlety. Lee's three originals, "Monica,"
"The Rabbi," and "Baby Sweets," are varied and
rewarding." ~ David R. Adler [cduniverse.com].
Muse Records,
MR 5083, 1975
Recorded November, 1971, New
York City
Musicians:
Richard Davis - Bass
Chick Corea - Piano
Sam Brown - Guitar
Bill Lee - Bass
Sonny Brown - Drums
Frankie Dunlop - Percussion
Tracks:
A1. Dear Old Stockholm
{Traditional} (5:36)
A2. Monica {Bill Lee} (4:05)
A3. Oh My God {Nadi Koma}
(9:31)
B1. The Rabbi {Bill Lee}
(7:17)
B2. Baby Sweets {Bill Lee}
(6:14)
B3. Juan Valdez {Bill Lee}
(5:04)
Credits:
Producer - Larry Fallon
Executive Producer - Joe
Fields
Engineer - B. Arthur
Liner Notes - Doug Ramsey
Art Direction, Photography - Hal Wilson
