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JAZZ
RAGA
Gabor Szabo
Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey: August 4, 1966
Gabor Szabo (g, sitar overdubbed); Johnny Gregg (b); Bernard
"Pretty" Purdie (d).
a. (90601) Comin' Back
(G. Szabo/C. Otis) - 1:55
same, except Gabor Szabo
(g).
b. (90602) Sophisticated Wheels
(Gabor Szabo) - 3:52
same, except Gabor Szabo (g,
sitar overdubbed).
c. (90603) Krishna
(Gabor Szabo) - 3:122
d. (90604) Summertime
(G. Gershwin/D. Heyward) -
2:28
e. (90605) Caravan
(D. Ellington/J. Tizol/I. Mills) - 2:58
f. (90606) You Are My Sunshine (Davis/Mitchell)
Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey: August
17, 1966
Gabor Szabo (g, sitar overdubbed); Bob Bushnell (g); Johnny
Gregg (b); Bernard "Pretty" Purdie (d).
g. (90607) Mizrab
(Gabor Szabo) - 3:32
same, except Gabor Szabo
(g, vcl, sitar overdubbed).
h. (90608) Search for Nirvana
(Gabor & Alicia Szabo) - 2:07
i. (90609) Walking on Nails (Gabor Szabo) - 2:46
same, except Gabor Szabo
(g, sitar overdubbed).
j. (90610) Paint It Black
(M. Jagger/K. Richard) - 4:40
same, except Gabor Szabo
(g).
k. (90611) Ravi (Gabor
Szabo) - 2:59
same, except Gabor Szabo (g,
sitar overdubbed).
l. (90612) Raga Doll
(Gary McFarland) - 3:42
Note: (1) Cover
painting by Gabor Szabo. (2) Impulse master listings indicate
"Comin' Back" was initially titled as
"Gabor's Gabor," "Sophisticated
Wheels" as "GS Modal," "Krishna"
as "A" and "Ravi" as
"Sitar."
Issues: a-e &
g-l on
Impulse A(S)-9128, Impulse IP-9128 [R2R], HMV (E) CLP(CSD)-3614.
Singles: j (2:36 edit) & b (2:35
edit) also on Impulse 45-257 [45].
Samplers:
a also on Impulse ASH-9272-3 titled THE DRUMS (issued 1974)
(as by Bernard
"Pretty" Purdie with Gabor Szabo). b also on Impulse A(S)9173
titled THE
BEST OF GABOR SZABO
(issued 1968), Stone (It) 9551 [CD] titled THE MOOD MOSAIC: THE HASCISCH
PARTY, Motor (Ger) 564 931-2 [CD] titled MOJO CLUB VOL. 8 - LOVE THE ONE
YOU'RE WITH (issued 1999), Hitland (It) 3073172LP, Hitland (It)
3073172CD [CD] titled MONDO BOSSA O' QUATRO and Irma (It) 514711-1, Irma (It) 514711-2
titled ASIAN LOUNGE VOL. 2 (issued 2003). b & l also on Impulse
(E) IMP-12412 [CD] titled CALIFORNIA
DREAMIN' - JAZZ EXOTICA (issued 1999). c also on Impulse AS9204-2
and MCA 2-4155 titled GABOR SZABO: HIS GREAT HITS
(issued 1971). d & g also on Boutique (Ger) 440 068 848-1,
Boutique (Ger) 440 068 8484-2 [CD] titled PSYCHEDELIC JAZZ - 16
SMOKIN' TUNES and Boutique (Ger) 06007 5307428 [CD] titled
PSYCHEDELIC JAZZ (JAZZ CLUB). d, g & j also on
Impulse (Jap) SR 3008 titled GABOR SZABO.
e also on MCA
29065 titled MEMORABILIA (issued
1982) and Impulse 314 547 963-2
[CD] titled IMPULSIVELY ELLINGTON (issued 1999). g also on
Impulse (E) 5604012 [CD] titled THE IMPULSE ALBUM (issued
2000) and Impulse B0005282-02 [CD] titled
IMPULSIVE! UNMIXED. g (remixed by Prefuse 73) also
on Impulse B0004966-02 [CD] titled IMPULSIVE! REVOLUTIONARY JAZZ
REWORKED and Pier 1 Imports B0006931-02 [CD] titled COCKTAILS.
g & l also on
El (E)
ACMEM148 [CD] titled SKETCH FOR SUMMER. h also on Impulse
AS-9204-2 and MCA 2-4155 titled GABOR SZABO: HIS
GREAT HITS (issued 1971) and Purple Lantern PL009 [CD] (?)
titled ELECTRIC PSYCHEDELIC SITAR HEADSWIRLERS VOL. 9 (titled
"In Search Of Nirvana"). i also on Impulse [no.?] titled HOW
TO ENJOY COLLEGE ON IMPULSE, Nava Rasa NR-1001 titled JOURNEY TO A
HIGHER KEY: THE BEST OF SITAR PSYCHEDLIA VOLUME 1 (issued
1998) and Family (E)
9821016 [CD]
titled THE TRIP CREATED BY TIM LOVE LEE (issued 2004). j also on Impulse A(S)-9173 and
Columbia (E) SMC-74551 titled THE BEST OF GABOR SZABO
(issued 1968).
Producer: Bob Thiele
Engineer: Rudy Van Gelder
Notes: Nat Hentoff
COVERS: "Mizrab,"
perhaps Gabor Szabo's finest composition, was covered by the Sansara
Music Band (Lars
Farnlof, Bernt Rosengren, Bobo Stenson, Thomas Ostergren, Sabu
Martinez) on its 1976 album PLAYS
THE MUSIC OF LARS FARNLOF (Mirrors (Jap) MICD-016 [CD],
Discunion (Jap) DUJ-024 [CD]) under the title "Gabor's Elephant
Dance". "Mizrab" was also performed
as a preface to John Coltrane's "India" in 1994
by the PSYCHEDELIC GUITAR CIRCUS
(Rykodisc RCD10347 [CD]), a guitar collective featuring Henry
Kaiser (el-g), Steve Kimock (el-g), Harvey Mandel (el-g);
Freddie Roulette (el-lap steel g, vcl), Bob Bralove
(key), Bobby Vega (b) and John Hanes (d). Their beautiful
version of "Mizrab" resembles the eclectic
elegance of Szabo's "Flowers and Love,"
featured on Steve Allen's SONGS FOR GENTLE PEOPLE and the rhythmic basis for Szabo's later
performances of "Mizrab." Lee Ritenour, who Szabo once
introduced to Lena Horne as a replacement, also covered the song on
his August 2002 release, RIT'S HOUSE (GRP 314 589 825-2 [CD]).
Dan Sperber and Luke Casey also covered "Mizrab" with
unique majesty on their 2003 disc, RELAXOMATIC PROJECTIONS
(Antenna (NZ) 038 (5418602) [CD]).
A brilliant, much-derided record
featuring Szabo’s distinctive guitar and his
overdubbed, out-of-tune sitar playing. Too easily
dismissed, JAZZ
RAGA contains some of
Szabo’s very best guitar work: enchanting
single-line runs mixed with jangled chords, repetitive
riffs/drones and memorable, melodic solos. The short
tunes (most under four minutes each) include Szabo
staples like "Mizrab" and "Comin’
Back" and bring out Szabo’s ability to
effectively compress good ideas. Funk drummer Bernard
Purdie contributes successfully to the percussive groove
and even the odd-sounding sitar isn’t as obtrusive
as is often suggested. While still not available on CD, JAZZ RAGA was most recently notable as the
inspiration behind Beck's excellent ODELAY.
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