Search - Stanley Black :: Intimate Percussion / Exotic Percussion

Over rated Black album 2 stars for Exotic, 5 for intimate

Brian H. Williams | Manteca, CA United States | 06/30/2007

(3 out of 5 stars)

"As an unabashed lover of Stanley Black, I was sorely disappointed by Exotic Percussion. After all, it was the largest selling album of his career. It is excellently produced, however. Phase 4 at its best. But unfortunately, Black's arrangements are WAY over the top and gimicky. Take his updated arrangement of Jungle Drums. The chorus and echoing percussion just make it weary. Compare this arrangement to his original arrangement for the Music of Lecuona. The original arrangement has it all over this over engineered version! So it's seems that Black was writing the arrangements to show off the new Phase 4 recording technique. There is one track however that is excellent. The Jobim song Felicidade. Strangely, the song is called Adieu Tristesse on this album. I have NEVER seen referred to it as this anywhere else. This arrangement of this song is excellent. Not as good as Edmundo Ros, his version is without question the best ever recorded, but Black's version is very enjoyable and has some similar traits to Ros' version. So it's stands to reason that the best song on this album, coincidentally is the ONLY song not arranged by Black. Now the second half of this album, recorded a year earlier with Black's small group and piano, is excellent. This is the Black we all know and love. An enjoyable album of standards with great arrangements. So if you see this used cheap, it's worth picking up, just skip every song on the first half, except track 3, and enjoy the second half."