"I agree with everything the last (and only unfortunately at this time) reviewer wrote. I just received this as a Christmas present from my sister and brother-in-law who have no clue about Jazz music let alone even heard of Gato. Their reasoning being was 'to add a little Latin to my collection'. What a gift! What a discovery! Talk about a guy getting lucky, this stuff is unbelievable to say the least. I know that this sounds like a lot of hyperbole, but you just gotta listen to it to understand. I can't believe this isn't on CD yet. Oh well, one man's loss is another man's... I would definitely recommend purchasing this on-line if you have a record player and can at least hear it on vinyl. Hopefully someday someone will come to their senses and get this thing re-released. It's absolutely awesome!!! I would love to hear the story of how he put this all together, his motivation for doing so, how long it took, etc... So if there are any Jazz Aficinados out there who happen to know the history of this magnificent piece of work, please let me know. I still can't believe I was this lucky. Before I owned this album I liked Gato. Now I love him. I couldn't imagine being a big fan of Gato's and not owning this. I own three other Gato CD's (including his famous 'Caliente') and this is my favorite of the four."
Great album, finally on CD!
C. Oberst | Arlington, VA United States | 02/15/2009
(5 out of 5 stars)
"I simply can't recommend this album strongly enough to anyone who likes Latin-influenced jazz, and thankfully it is finally available on CD. Gato's integration of jazz with South American musicians and styles is wonderful and muy caliente! The CD sounds great, with these great, layered arrangements crisply and fully audible. And Gato's playing here is as good as anything else he ever did. Very passionate and melodic, but with lots of edge to it.
Both this and Gato's final album for Impulse, "Chapter Four: Live in New York", are now available domestically on CD, but the middle two 'chapters' are not, unfortunately. You can get "Chapter Three: Viva Emiliano Zapata" on CD in a very expensive Japanese mini-sleeve edition. It's nice, but it would be nicer if Verve would re-release all four albums domestically."
One Of The Cat's Best
ungawa | Los Angeles, CA United States | 12/08/2003
(5 out of 5 stars)
"As of this writing [7 December 2003] this monumental work is still out of print....hopefully the folks at ¡mpulse! [or whoever currently holds the rights to it] will see fit to re-release this great record. With a large group of great, professional South American musicians that I had never heard of before buying this album [circa 1974] or since, it has never ceased to blow my mind - and I'm still listening to my old, original vinyl LP!!! Andes mountain flutes and zamponas, Chinese flavors, Indian feelings and of course, above all Gato's passionate tenor sax....call or write your congressperson or other influence peddler....if and when this becomes available on compact disc GRAB IT!!!!!"
There is no other...
Clarence Simpson | New York, NY | 01/12/2009
(5 out of 5 stars)
"There is no other Gato album that can out do Chapter One. I bought this "LP" when it was originally released. It is just superb... no other words are necessary
CSimpson"
RAW
Jonathan Ntuk | 05/12/2009
(5 out of 5 stars)
"I found this in the dollar bin at a local record shop. I looked at the cover. He looked confident, bold. The back was stylish too, I thought "if they capture any of ths grit & colour in sound it should be good". The song titles grabbed my attention too. I didnt even realize it was a gatefold cover till I got home and was already floating thru the Andes.
I had no prior knowledge of Barbieri when I bought this. And it was a dollar. You cant possibly beat the deal I got, but if I had known exactly what it sounded like before buying I'dve been willing to pay 50 times that price.
Musically, it is in my top 5 jazz albums ever. Its just raw unbridled emotion. I guess it plays by some kind of rules but when I listen to this I dont think jazz....I think this man is in pain. And it certainly is about one man GATO. The other players are superb, but are a dynamic framework that launch gato to greater heights and resonate his emotional journey. You really cant ignore his voice on this album. A true leader
So my questions were all answered. Its positively as colourful and brash as the artwork. South America, jazz music, and stylistic fusion thru a VERY UNIQUE LENS. I give it an upthumb...and I reckon its well worth your time /money too