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FEMME
FATALE Gabor Szabo Fidelity Recording Studio; Studio City, California: March 27, 1979 Leon Bisquera (key); Gabor Szabo, James Harrah (g); David Roney (el-b); Hugh Moran (d); Everette Bryson (perc). Fidelity Recording Studio; Studio City, California: June 6, 1979 Lawrence Sonderling, Bobby Dubow, Ken Yerke, John Wittenberg, Sheldon Sanov, Carol Shive (vln); Pamela Goldsmith, Arthur Royval, Michael Nowak (viola); Ronald Cooper, Ray Kelley (cello); Josephine Dapar, Ralph Mullins, Jean DelCrosso (copyist); Frank Cole (contractor); David Campbell (arr, cond). Fidelity Recording Studio; Studio City, California: June 12, 1979 Gary Grant, Jerry Hey (tp, flhrn); William Reichenbach (tb); Kim Hutchcroft, Larry Williams (reeds); Josephine Dapar, Suzanne Ruffalo (copyist); David Campbell (arr, cond).
Fidelity Recording Studio; Studio City, California:
March 30, 1979
Fidelity Recording Studio;
Studio City, California: June 30, 1979
Fidelity Recording Studio; Studio City, California
Gabor Szabo (g); Chick Corea (p).
Released in 1981 on Pepita Records (a "popular" division of the state-owned label, Hungaroton), FEMME FATALE was originally recorded in 1979 for Atlantic Records, which rejected it. The melodic date has its share of interesting moments - even though more material from these sessions probably exists. "Out of the Night" intriguingly pairs Szabo with pianist Chick Corea for a sparkling duet performance and the Flamenco fusion of Szabo's excellent Return To Forever-like "A Thousand Times" stands up well enough to have become a staple of the guitarist's live performances. Szabo's melodicism is especially apparent on Jobim's "Zingaro" and the pretty "Serena" as well. Recorded more than three years before his death, FEMME FATALE is Szabo's last known recording, though he was said to have recorded during his 1981 stay in Hungary. But it is an especially pleasing, if too brief, effort gleaming with the guitarist's appealing melodic skill. One can only hope the 1999 CD release of FEMME FATALE -- nicely remastered and packaged with original cover art, new notes, a Fillmore poster reproduction and other neat tidbits gathered from the stuff you're reading now -- will allow more to hear this often entrancing music. |
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