Search - Yusef Lateef :: Before Dawn

Lateef - "Before Dawn" - Lost classic.

Dr.D.Treharne | 08/04/1998

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Isn't it strange that so many lost classics are coming back into the fold, albeit for a very limited period? With both Pacific Jazz and Verve Elite editions that seems to be the case, but let's focus on one title from the latter category.Multi-reedist Yusef Lateef made one album for Verve, the 1957 lost classic "Before Dawn". Why has it taken so long for a wonderful, flawless and together record like this to be reissued? (A good answer? Because the jazz community are a still a small colony of ants compared to the generous amount of Kenny G. fanatics that exist.) And this is a fantastic record! Great company, including trombonist Curtis Fuller, pianist Hugh Lawson, bassist Ernie Farrow and drummer Louis Hayes. Together sound and compositions, including serious workouts like "Passion" and "Constellation", groove tunes like the Latin-influenced "Chang Chang Chang" and exotic reflections like the title track. It's an overall varied! variety that makes for one damn solid record.Yet people will cower when they see the price tag, the packaging and the "limited edition" status. But this is Yusef Lateef! An American original! Throw out all the rules and shell out the bucks. You won't regret it. No, sir. No ma'am."

If it's available - buy it!

Dr.D.Treharne | Exeter, Devon, United Kingdom | 10/24/2001

(5 out of 5 stars)

"It really is difficult to know why this was the only album that Lateef produced for Verve. It catches him at the very best of his playing, and matched with Curtis Fuller also at the top of his form. The result is a varied album with a rhythm section of Hugh Lawson (piano) Ernie Farrow (bass) and Louis Hayes on drums, that never gives anything but the most full-hearted support to the enterprise. Lateef's flute playing on "Open Strings" is counterpointed by Lawson switching to Celeste.It's a vibrant track that shows off the leaders flute playing to good advantage. Even more enervating is "Before Dawn",where Lateef plays arghul and Farrow the rabab to produce a oriental variety and sound. The two standout tracks for me are "Passion" where the sax playing is mixed well forward and Fuller takes an excellent solo. As good, but different, is the bands version of Charlie Parkers "Constellation". This album could suprise even those who think they know Lateef's playing really well. If this appears again as being available new buy it. If not, snap up any used copies that surface. It's that good!"

A True Forgotten Gem

Richard B. Luhrs | Jackson Heights, NY United States | 03/26/2002

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Listening to Yusef Lateef's tenor sax work on BEFORE DAWN, and on many of his other great sets from the fifties and early sixties, it's difficult indeed to understand how he could have remained in such relative obscurity through those years even with such shining lights as Sonny Rollins and John Coltrane on the scene. That he remains pretty well outside the mainstream jazz pantheon to this day is likewise a surprising and disappointing state of affairs. In any case, this album, which as far as I know has once again become unavailable after being reissued in a limited edition some five years ago, offers a far more compelling argument for Lateef's inclusion in the Saxophone Hall of Fame than anything I or anyone else might write. With seven of the eight titles being originals, it also offers a fine taste of his compositional skills, which have likewise been unduly overlooked by much of the jazz world. From the lilting beauty of "Love Is Eternal" to the gritty workouts on "Pike's Peak" and "Twenty-Five Minute Blues," the up-on-your-feet cacophony of "Chang Chang Chang" to the early Eastern experimentation of the title track, this is Lateef the tenorman at his absolute best. We are also treated to a standout flute performance on "Open Strings," with pianist Hugh Lawson switching to celeste to further enhance the atmosphere. By turns intelligent, warm, humorous and impassioned, this is one of the finest 1950s jazz albums I've heard - and I've heard a lot of them. If you can find this one, I'd strongly suggest adding it to your collection."