Out of Print on CD - an avant jazz classic from 1957
Lil Mike | San Francisco | 03/03/2008
(3 out of 5 stars)
"Out of print on CD & vinyl these days, The Sounds of Yusef recorded for Prestige and released in Oct 1957 shows Lateef's blossoming interest in exploring the sounds of the East. This is a predecessor to his classic 1961 "Eastern Sounds" disc. My fave track is the adventurous and experimental "Love and Humor" with it's Chinese gong, Asian style flute lines played by Lateef and a passage of apparently non-traditional instruments like 7-Up bottles and the taught surfaces of balloons stroked til they create that high pitched squeaking kids seem to love way more than adults. Anyhow, it's not all like that, and any traditional jazz fans could still enjoy the melodious opener "Take the 'A' Train"."