Passion, is the word that can be used to describe the music of jazz/jazz fusion guitarist, Joe Beck, and this passion is put right out, poured out in his 1975 record "Beck", a few of the tracks which have already been shared in audio/video form here on the blog. This particular record has been revised in it's title, to include the credits of alto saxophone legend, David Sanborn, who's equally intense playing style is showcased along with Beck on the recording, taking his sax playing to the soaring heights of the pop jazz success he'd have in the 1980s and '90s, and showing it in a major way, after an earlier effort in which he played in the horn section for the Paul Butterfield Blues Band at their performance at the Woodstock Festival in 1969.
Six years later, he would collaborate with Joe Beck, a man who had tried his hand at playing alongside other artists, and for whatever reason, it just didn't quite work out for him, being a sideman to other jazz stars, most notably, Miles Davis. Of these dates, and the music business, he was quoted as saying, "the gigs I played with Miles, were awful. Just the worst. I absolutely hated them." Beck had worked in New York in the music business between 1963 and 1970, doing a lot of jingles for TV commercials, and at some point he just got so frustrated and wasn't going anywhere, he said, "forget it. I quit." Of this time period away from the music biz, he said, "I just went away for about three years, going to milk cows for a living."
By 1975, he came back, with a renewed vigor, and recorded this masterful record, "Beck" then of course, renamed "Beck & Sanborn" to note David's brilliant alto sax contribution. The rest of the band on this record, and the production/engineering staff, are stellar industry veterans as well. Creed Taylor, founder and producer at CTI Records, produced the album. Rudy Van Gelder recorded and engineered the record at his namesake studio in New York City. A number of band members contributed compositions to the record. Most notably, Joe Beck himself, keyboardist Don Grolnick, and Gene Dinwiddle, a composer and tenor saxophonist who, though he did not play on the record, still had writing credits.
The man who brought all of this together, was producer for CTI Records, his namesake jazz label, Creed Taylor. Other artists on his label at the time, are legends in their own right, who recorded with Taylor at the helm. Artists such as George Benson, Stanley Turrentine, Hank Crawford, Hubert Laws, Freddie Hubbard, Johnny Hammond, Ron Carter, and a duo record featuring the talents of both Chet Baker and Gerry Mulligan, from a concert at Carnegie Hall.
Back to the Beck/Sanborn project. A whole bunch of great musicians are in the backing band here, that Taylor as the producer, surely had in mind. There's a whole string section of violins and cellos, and there names will come at the credits towards the end of the review. The main band centers around Joe Beck on lead guitar, Steve Khan on rhythm guitar, David Sanborn on alto sax, Don Grolnick on keyboards (predominantly, beautifully played parts on a Rhodes electric piano with a phaser pedal), Will Lee on bass, and on drums and percussion, Chris Parker and Ray Mantilla respectively.
Ray Mantilla, of course, would go on to have the band Space Station, featuring another sax legend, the late, great, Steve Grossman on tenor. But, you've seen that if you've checked out the most recent Spotify Sunday listing. The Beck & Sanborn record is so well recorded. Taylor and van Gelder along with the musicians on the sessions knew what they wanted to do. This reissue recording also includes two unreleased tracks that didn't make the cut for the original 1975 recording, as this reissue was released for the CTI on CD series.
Of course, the 1975 original would have been on LP record, and on two sides. All of the tunes stand out, but the CD reissue includes two cuts that weren't on the original LP, the funky, "Ain't It Good" and and uptempo, "Spoon's Theme". The highlights on the record as it was originally are track two, "Cactus" later covered by funk/jazz guitar standout, Hiram Bullock, with his own great rendition in the '80s, the bluesy lament "Texas Ann", and "Red Eye". "Red Eye" is a personal favorite track on the recording, with equal parts laid back, chill out mellowness, and a joyfully ascending chorus. Beck's guitar, Sanborn's sax, and Grolnick's Rhodes meld together to tell a story or paint a vivid musical portrait.
That said, there are no real central focal points for tracks on this recording. It is one of those where you turn it on and just immerse yourself in it. It's what an album should be, no matter the kind of music. Every track is a jewel, with something to offer. A great intro as well, for those who have yet to hear of David Sanborn's work, even though his career has lasted now for well over five decades. Joe Beck died in 2008 of lung cancer, and he made sporadic recordings after this one, including a live 1980 record with Red Mitchell, "Empathy" that was listed in the Spotify Sunday catalog dedicated to his music.
But, it is "Beck & Sanborn" that is his defining work, that has stood the test of time, for 45 years.
The track listing:
Jesse Levy, Charles McCracken, & George Ricci
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