The Leon Thomas Album

The Leon Thomas Album is the second album by American jazz vocalist and percussionist Leon Thomas recorded in 1970 and released by the Flying Dutchman label.[1][2][3]

The Leon Thomas Album
Studio album by
Leon Thomas
Released1970
Recorded1970
StudioNew York City
GenreJazz
Length39:08
LabelFlying Dutchman
FD/FDS 10132
ProducerBob Thiele
Leon Thomas chronology
Spirits Known and Unknown
(1970)		 The Leon Thomas Album
(1970)		 Leon Thomas in Berlin
(1971)

Reception
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[4]
Christgau's Record GuideA[5]

AllMusic reviewer Thom Jurek stated: "On the follow-up to the mind-blowing Spirits Known and Unknown, singer, multi-instrumentalist, arranger, and composer Leon Thomas decided to take a different track. Far from the sparely orchestrated ensembles of the previous works, Thomas loaded this set with jazz luminaries ... Side one is the up-tempo jazz ride, as Thomas and company rip through a host of his own tunes ... The real gem on the album is "Pharaoh's Tune (The Journey)," which comprises all of side two ... It's a breathtaking ride made all the more so by the long, jazzed-out setup of side one. Why this guy wasn't huge is a mystery.".[4] Critic Robert Christgau said "He has literally expanded the musical possibilities of the human voice. He is as powerful a jazz/blues singer as Joe Williams or Joe Turner, both of whom he occasionally resembles, as inventive a scatter as Ella Fitzgerald ... I have to suspend my disbelief and recommend this record unreservedly to anyone with the slightest fondness for jazz".[5]

Track listing

All compositions by Leon Thomas except where noted

  1. "Come Along" (Leon Thomas, Neal Creque) − 3:02
  2. "I Am" − 3:17
  3. "Bag's Groove" (Milt Jackson, Ellen May Shashoyan) − 3:19
  4. "Um, Um, Um" − 11:35
  5. "Pharoah's Tune (The Journey)" (Leon Thomas, Pharoah Sanders) − 17:55

Personnel
  • Leon Thomas − vocals, maracas, Thailand flute, Hindewe flute, Freedom flute (Equador), bells
  • Ernie Royal − trumpet (tracks 1-3 & 5)
  • Donald Smith (tracks 1-3 & 5), James Spaulding (tracks 4 & 5) − flute
  • Sonny Morgan − bongos, African oboe
  • Jerome Richardson − alto saxophone (tracks 1-3 & 5)
  • Billy Harper − tenor saxophone (tracks 1-3 & 5)
  • Howard Johnson − baritone saxophone (tracks 1-3 & 5)
  • Arthur Sterling - piano
  • John Williams Jr. − electric bass (tracks 1-3 & 5)
  • Bob Cunningham − bass (tracks 4 & 5)
  • Billy Cobham (tracks 1-3 & 5), Roy Haynes (tracks 4 & 5) − drums
  • Gene Golden − bongos (tracks 4 & 5)
  • Richie "Pablo" Landrum − congas
  • Oliver Nelson − arranger, conductor (tracks 1-3 & 5)

References
  1. Jazzlists: Flying Dutchman 10100 series discography, accessed November 18, 2019
  2. Both Sides Now: Flying Dutchman Label Discography, accessed November 18, 2019
  3. Leon Thomas Select Discography 1: Recordings as a Leader, accessed November 18, 2019
  4. Jurek, Thom. Leon Thomas: The Leon Thomas Album – Review at AllMusic. Retrieved November 13, 2018.
  5. Christgau, Robert (1981). "Consumer Guide '70s: T". Christgau's Record Guide: Rock Albums of the Seventies. Ticknor & Fields. ISBN 089919026X. Retrieved March 16, 2019 – via robertchristgau.com.
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