Legwork is an album by American jazz flautist Jeremy Steig released on the Solid State label in 1970.[2][3][4] Solid State Records was formed as a jazz label by Sonny Lester, Phil Ramone and Manny Alban. Their first recording listed was Alban's Brass On Fire (SS-18000). Solid State's second last recording was Legwork.
| Legwork | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
.jpg) | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 1970 | |||
| Recorded | February 11, 1970 | |||
| Studio | New York City | |||
| Genre | Jazz-funk[1] | |||
| Length | 42:04 | |||
| Label | Solid State SS 18068 | |||
| Producer | Sonny Lester | |||
| Jeremy Steig chronology | ||||
| ||||
Steig's artwork is used to great effect on the gatefold format LP.
Reception
edit| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic |   [5] |
Allmusic's Wilson McCloy said: "Legwork has long been a "rare-groove" collectors' favorite, and for good reason. The versatile Eddie Gomez lays down funky and compelling grooves throughout on acoustic bass while not hesitating to swing when necessary, walking his bass lines over Don Alias' sometimes sparse yet authoritative drumming. Steig utilizes a seemingly endless array of flute techniques, soaring above and interacting with the rhythm section. On several tracks he uses overdubbing effectively, calling and responding to his own lines. The whole album is truly eclectic, spanning funk, exotic ostinatos, blues, Miles Davis' "Nardis," and freer excursions ... Legwork remains one of the high points of Steig's recorded work".[5]
Nat Hentoff in his liner notes says, "As a long-time appreciator of the vaulting energy and irrepressible creativeness that are to me synonymous with Jeremy Steig, I find this album especially regenerating."
The song, Howlin' For Judy, was later sampled by the Beastie Boys and, ironically, made more money for him than anything he ever did.[6]
Track listing
editAll compositions by Jeremy Steig except where noted
- "Howlin' for Judy" – 4:38
- "Permutations" (Steig, Eddie Gómez) – 8:00
- "Hot-Head" (Steig, Gómez, Sam Brown, Don Alias) – 8:50
- "Alias (a li' as)" (Steig, Gómez, Alias) – 4:18
- "Nardis" (Miles Davis) – 11:02
- "Piece of Freedom" (Steig, Gómez) – 6:02
Personnel
edit- Jeremy Steig – flute
- Eddie Gómez − bass, electric upright bass
- Don Alias – drums
- Sam Brown – guitar on "Hot-Head"
- Technical
The venerable Nat Hentoff did some superb liner notes for the album
- Sam Feldman, sound engineer at Bell Sound Studios did the mastering and post production
- Frank Gauna - art direction
- Jeremy Steig - artwork
References
edit- ^ Gorton, TJ (July 30, 2018). "BeatCaffeine's 100 Best Jazz-Funk Songs". BeatCaffeine. Archived from the original on August 25, 2018. Retrieved September 18, 2021.
- ^ Jazzlists: Solid State 18000 series LP discography, accessed April 18, 2018
- ^ Jeremy Steig discography, accessed April 18, 2018
- ^ Eddie Gómez discography, accessed April 20, 2018
- ^ a b McCloy, Wilson. Legwork – Review at AllMusic. Retrieved April 18, 2018.
- ^ Sunderland, Celeste (April 2004). "Profiles". All About Jazz. Retrieved July 19, 2024.