Cue Gato

The album on which a fire-breathing revolutionary transformed himself into a smooth Latin love man, under the guidance of producer Herb Alpert and associate producer Michelle (Mrs. Gato) Barbieri. The rhythm tracks are tight and funky in a facile '70s fuzak sort of way, and Jay Chattaway's CTI-inspired orchestrations sound dated and corny. The arrangements conspire to stifle the Third World scream in Barbieri's raw and impassioned tenor sax tone. Yet he still manages to mate the steamy temperament of the tango with upscale funk on covers of Santana's "Europa" and Marvin Gaye's "I Want You." –Rick Mitchell

In 1973, Argentinean saxophonist Gato Barbieri contemplated a move to a more commercially viable, accessible sound, one that appealed to both North and South American audiences. He moved from the jazz vanguard toward it's exotic center (and finally into the commercial world altogether) with a number of records, including this one, which explored the various rhythms, melodies, and textures of Afro-Cuban and Latin American sounds. Bolivia features Barbieri immediately prior to his Impulse recordings that resulted in the celebrated four-chapter Latin America series. […] - Read full review by Thom Jurek at Allmusic

The second entry in Gato Barbieri's series of Impulse albums dealing with Latin America picks up where the first one left off, and in its way, follows its format closely yet not without some key differences. Based on the critical reviews of Chapter One: Latin America, he was emboldened to take some new chances on this, Chapter Two: Hasta Siempre (which translates to "As to Always.") The album was recorded between Rio de Janeiro and Los Angeles with the set's final cut recorded in Buenos Aires, Barbieri's homeland. […] by Thom Jurek

Chapter Three: Viva Emiliano Zapata is the third of the four excellent "chapters" in saxophonist and composer Gato Barbieri's four-part "Latin America" series for Impulse, and released in 1974 with the core of a band he would use for his live outing on Chapter Four: Alive in New York. […] by Thom Jurek

Taken from three nights of recording in February of 1975, Gato Barbieri's Chapter 4 is a continuation – albeit in a concert setting – of the music explored on his first three chapters for Impulse. Finally available on CD this set includes three Barbieri compositions, including the four-part suite "La China Leonicia" and his ubiquitous "Milonga Triste." The band here includes percussionist Ray Armando, bassist Ron Carter, multi-instrumentalist Howard Johnson (here on tuba, flügelhorn, and bass clarinet), pianist Eddie Martinez, guitarist Paul Metzke, and Brazilian drummer Portinho. […] by Thom Jurek

Gato Barbieri - Che Corazón (1999) {Columbia CK 69690}
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© 1999 Columbia / Sony Music | CK 69690
Jazz / Smooth Jazz / Latin Jazz / Jazz-Pop / Saxophone

When Gato Barbieri re-emerged on Columbia in 1997 after a long hiatus from recording, long-time followers wondered whether he would record straight-ahead jazz or embrace the type of lush pop-jazz he had recorded for A&M in the late 1970's. The distinctive tenor saxman opted to go the commercial route, but he kept his dignity intact. 1997's Que Pasa picked up where Barbieri's A&M output left off, and he has a very similar CD in Che Corazon. With guitarist Chuck Loeb producing, he delivers another album of sleek, romantic mood music.

Taken from three nights of recording in February of 1975, Gato Barbieri's Chapter 4 is a continuation – albeit in a concert setting – of the music explored on his first three chapters for Impulse. Finally available on CD this set includes three Barbieri compositions, including the four-part suite "La China Leonicia" and his ubiquitous "Milonga Triste." The band here includes percussionist Ray Armando, bassist Ron Carter, multi-instrumentalist Howard Johnson (here on tuba, flügelhorn, and bass clarinet), pianist Eddie Martinez, guitarist Paul Metzke, and Brazilian drummer Portinho.

The Third World is the initial session that mixed Gato Barbieri's free jazz tenor playing with Latin and Brazilian influences. It's also the album that brought Barbieri positive attention from the college crowds of the late '60s. He would expand on this musical combination with his next few Flying Dutchman releases as well as his first recordings for the Impulse! label. The records made between 1969 through 1974 find Barbieri creating a danceable yet fiery combination of South American rhythms and free jazz forcefulness. Strangely, once Barbieri signed with A&M, he began making commercial records geared to fans of Herb Alpert, sounding nothing like his earlier albums.

Gato Barbieri - Fiesta Caliente! - Live '76 (2016) {Hi Hat ‎HHCD3060}
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© 1976, 2016 Hi Hat ‎| HHCD3060
Jazz / Latin Jazz / World Fusion / Jazz-Pop / Saxophone

Gato Barbieri live at Paul's Mall, Boston in 1976. Gato Barbieri left his native Argentina for Europe in 1962. By the end of the decade he was based in America, and established as one of the world's leading jazz-fusion saxophonists and composers. Best-known for his classic score for Last Tango In Paris (1972), he also recorded many albums, finding his greatest success with Caliente! in 1976. The superb performance here was broadcast on WBCN-FM that October, and finds him at the peak of his powers. It's presented here together with background notes and images.

Gato Barbieri is the second Argentine musician to make a significant impact upon modern jazz — the first being Lalo Schifrin, in whose band Barbieri played as a teenager. His story has been that of an elongated zigzag odyssey between his homeland and North America. He started out playing to traditional Latin rhythms in his early years, turning his back on his heritage to explore the jazz avant-garde in the '60s, reverting to South American influences in the early '70s, playing pop and fusion in the late '70s, only to go back and forth again in the '80s. North American audiences first heard Barbieri when he was a wild bull, sporting a coarse, wailing John Coltrane/Pharoah Sanders-influenced tone.