David Newman

The House of David was David "Fathead" Newman's comeback album of sorts, marking his first release after the end of his association with Ray Charles and a few years spent with his family in his hometown of Dallas. Organist Kossie Gardner, guitarist Ted Dunbar, and drummer Milt Turner support Newman's gritty "Texas tenor" sound, which captures the straightforwardness of R&B pop and the improvisational elements of jazz. Newman plays the flute on the spunky "Miss Minnie," but one of the most interesting songs on the album is the untypical rendition of a Bob Dylan tune, "Just Like a Woman." the artist's warm tenor lifts this song to angelic heights, and it's fathomed that he had only heard the song a few times before laying down this recording…

For this live concert recorded at the Caravan of Dreams in Fort Worth, a mostly all-star group of Texas jazzmen (plus pianist Ellis Marsalis from New Orleans) was gathered together. The music, which includes four blues and three standards among its nine selections, lacks any real surprises. Most of the numbers have solos by Fathead Newman on alto, James Clay's tenor, veteran baritonist Leroy Cooper, the lesser-known trumpeter Dennis Dotson and guitarist Cornell Dupree or Marsalis. In addition, the pianist gets a pair of solo features, and Newman is also heard on tenor and flute. Strangely enough, Fathead never gets around to dueling with Clay. Some better planning and the utilization of a few charts (rather than the funcitonal frameworks) would have elevated the pleasing date to a much higher level.

Our second album with David Newman, this animated feature follows in the footsteps of classics such as his "Anastasia" and "Ice Age". In style similar to Newman's "The Air Up There", this score features sweeping melodies, battling drums and an African choir. The album contains the complete orchestral score and is different from the previous European release inasmuch as it doesn't have the songs by Naturally 7 and Xavier Nadoo. Produced by David Newman and Robin Esterhammer.

David "Fathead" Newman - Fathead - Ray Charles Presents David Newman (1958) {2012 Japan Jazz Best Collection 1000 Series 24bit Remaster WPCR-27039}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 239 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 90 Mb
Full Artwork @ 600 dpi (png) -> 194 Mb | 5% repair rar | 24-bit remaster
© 1958, 2012 Warner Japan / Atlantic / Rhino | WPCR-27039 | Jazz Best Collection 1000 Series
Jazz / Hard Bop / Soul Jazz / Saxophone

Features 24 bit remastering and comes with a mini-description. David Newman's first album as a leader – recorded under the Ray Charles banner, and featuring Ray himself on piano! The set's a really surprising one – as it's much more jazz-based than we'd expect, given the Charles connection – and really steps out with some lively solo work that goes way past the usual Ray Charles groove. The group's a small one – with Newman on alto and tenor, Ray on piano, Bennie Crawford on baritone, and a young Marcus Belgrave on trumpet – and the tunes have a really solid soul jazz approach, one that sounds a heck of a lot more like a late 50s session for Prestige Records than it does for Atlantic!