Patrice Rushen • Prelusion
Prelusion, generally acknowledged as being the album with its genes most firmly rooted in the jazz idiom and easily accessible, features a seven-piece ensemble comprised of bass, drums, flute/soprano sax, percussion, tenor sax, trumpet and trombone. Notable among the personnel are two renowned sidemen who are, regrettably, no longer with us: Joe Henderson on tenor sax and Oscar Brashear on trumpet. “Shortie’s Portion” leads off side one with a balls-to-the-wall jam with a frisky Rushen piano solo followed by Joe Henderson’s rousing tenor sax. Tony Dumas’s punchy bass drives this tune to high energy levels, with Oscar Brashear’s fiery trumpet solo contributing to the excitement. Rushen’s piano here is exemplary and underscores her future rise to prominence. The next track, “7/73,” has Rushen’s barely there, tinkle-like synth intro leading into a flute-and-bass duet that, in turn, leads into subdued soul jazz featuring the entire ensemble. After some tasteful drumming and tight ensemble playing, it drifts into more esoteric territory with adventurous solos from Hadley Caliman on flute and George Bohanon on trombone. Underlying all this is Rushen’s stunning electric piano. Her later solo, on acoustic piano, accented by Dumas’s bass, is a thing of beauty. At times during its 12:42 length, I found myself entering a dreamlike state as I closed my eyes, surrendering to the music. Side two opens with a jazz/funk outing, pulsing with energy, called “Haw-Right Now.” Henderson again solos in his inimitable style. Throughout the tune, the fluid bass of Tony Dumas inspires more of Rushen’s amazing electric piano. Next up, “Traverse,” featuring an intimate quartet composed only of acoustic piano, bass, drums and percussion, is an introspective tour through the heart of the song before it turns into a four-to-the-bar romp further demonstrating Ms. Rushen’s keyboard chops. Tony Dumas contributes a tasteful “blitz” bass solo, as percussionist Kenneth Nash and drummer Ndugu, with their feisty efforts, lend a festive air to the proceedings as the tune approaches its final bars. Finally, “Puttered Bopcorn” closes side two with a flurry of electronics. The play on words portends something unusual and that’s exactly what you get. Rushen turns to her bank of synths to bring new sonorities and a bit of humor to what is little more than a carefree riff. The horns sit this one out, but the drums and percussion earn their keep. Craft Recordings lives up to its usual exemplary
standards with this release, a product of their Jazz Dispensary Top Shelf Series:
perfectly flat, quiet, 180-gram vinyl, nestled in vinyl-friendly poly-lined inner sleeves,
pressed at RTI with mastering by Kevin Gray at Cohearent Audio. Gray has done a beautiful
job in mastering this album from 50-year-old tapes. His skills present sound that's as
good as you'll likely ever hear. The music will leave you in wonderment of just how much
talent the young Patrice Rushen had. |
ears before
she became a leading figure in the music industry, Patrice Rushen was a child prodigy on
piano, eventually earning a Master’s Degree in music from USC. After an appearance at
the 1972 Monterey Jazz Festival, she was signed by Prestige Records and began her
recording career with three almost entirely self-composed albums. Prelusion, her
debut album, is a dazzling release. The five tunes, with their DNA in soul jazz, were all
written and arranged by Ms. Rushen and belie the notion that such sophisticated music
could not come from a music student still in her teens -- 19 at the time of this
recording. When it hit the shelves, no one, including late bandleader Gerald Wilson,
writer of the album’s liner notes, knew she would become a major force in the music
industry, earning three Grammy nominations, impacting the rhythm & blues, disco and
jazz genres as a vocalist, composer, keyboardist, producer, hit maker, music director, and
educator.