Charlie Rouse - Bossa Nova Bacchanal - 200 Gram Vinyl Jazz Bossa LP
LP

Charlie Rouse - Bossa Nova Bacchanal


Label: Blue Note
Catalog#: BST 84119
Format: 200 Grm Vinyl, LP
New
Country: US
Released:
Genre: Jazz
Style: Bossa Nova

Tracklist

A1 Back To The Topics 3:55
A2 Aconteceu 3:00
A3 Velhos Tempos 4:45
A4 Samba De Orfeu 6:20

B1 Un Dia 5:55
B2 Meci Bon Dieu 5:50
B3 In Martinique 5:25

Credits
Bass - Lawrence Gales
Chekere - Garvin Masseaux
Conga - Potato Valdez
Drums - Willie Bobo
Guitar - Chauncey "Lord" Westbrook , Kenny Burrell
Tenor Saxophone - Charlie Rouse


It seems Charlie Rouse still doesn't get the respect he deserves, and that's a shame. Because he was the perfect sideman for Thelonious Monk, his own music often gets overlooked or underrated. The few albums he recorded as a leader during his tenure with Monk are varied and excellent. He had a distinctive, individual style and was fluent in different non-Monk contexts including the latin bag he explores here.

As the word "bacchanal" in the title suggests, this LP has a joyous, partylike atmosphere, somehow both relaxed and boisterous.

The mood reminds me more of Charlie Parker's "My Little Suede Shoes", Sonny Rollin's classic forays into calypso, or Dexter Gordon's "Soy Califa". This isn't strictly a bossa nova album anyway. The first and last songs on the original album are calypso tunes [which suit Rouse's style perfectly], and the haunting "Meci Bon Dieu" is a Haitian tune.

Make no mistake, Rouse knows what he is doing here. He both understands and appreciates the music. Leonard Feather says in the liner notes,"As befits the overall concept of bossa nova, Charlie plays with a remarkable blend of smoothness and assertion...and his sense of time is always acute and appropriate". Regularly navigating the rhythmic displacements and complexities of Monk's music couldn't have hurt.

The rhythm section sounds authentic because it is, and establishes a great groove with plenty of percussion. The guitarists both shine-Kenny Burrell is his usual impeccable self and Chauncey "Lord" Westbrook is colorful and pithy. I would have liked to hear more from them, but this is Charlie's show and he masterfully commands centerstage most of the time. His playing is great-running the gamut from bouyant and juicy exuberance to gorgeously wistful.


Charlie Rouse - Samba De Orfeu