Track Listing 1. Spellbinder 2. Witchcraft 3. It Was a Very Good Year 4. Gypsy Queen 5. Bang Bang (My Baby Shot Me Down) 6. Cheetah 7. My Foolish Heart 8. Yearning 9. Autumn Leaves / Speak To Me Of Love
| Details | | Contributing Artists: | Chico Hamilton, Ron Carter, Willie Bobo | | Producer: | Bob Thiele | | Distributor: | Universal Distribution | | Recording Type: | Studio | | Recording Mode: | Stereo | | SPAR Code: | n/a |
Album Notes Personnel: Gabor Szabo (vocals, guitar); Ron Carter (double bass); Chico Hamilton (drums); Willie Bobo, Victor Pantoja (percussion). Liner Note Author: Nat Hentoff. Recording information: Van Gelder Studios, Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey (05/1966). This superb Gabor Szabo date from 1966 is probably the highlight of the Hungarian guitarist's catalogue. With three percussionists behind him (including Chico Hamilton on drums--Szabo had previously played with Hamilton's band), and the venerable Ron Carter on bass, Szabo delivers on SPELLBINDER that rare combination of innovation and accessibility. Somehow, the Latin rhythms, Eastern modalities, understated funk, shimmering psychedelia, and even moments of tongue-in-cheek pop-- Szobo's ironic vocals on Sonny Bono's "Bang Bang (My Baby Shot Me Down)" would do Serge Gainsbourg proud--all merge seamlessly. Willie Bobo and Victor Pantoja provide a percolating bed of polyrhythms for Carter and Hamilton to move in and around. Yet it is Szabo's playing that dazzles most as he peels off spacious, sophisticated runs that sound like the love child of Charlie Christian and Ravi Shankar. From the slinky title track to the breezy groove of "Cheetah" to the aching balladry of "My Foolish Heart," SPELLBINDER makes good on its name, resulting in a progressive, hip, beautiful, and eminently listenable gem of '60s jazz.
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