Magic Touch is the first studio album by guitarist Stanley Jordan, released in 1985 by Blue Note Records on vinyl; a CD edition was issued in 1990.[1] Jazz fusion guitarist Al Di Meola produced it.[2] The record spent 51 weeks at No. 1 on Billboard's jazz chart,[3] and went gold almost 20 years after its release.[4] It earned Grammy nominations: Best Jazz Instrumental Performance, Soloist and Best Jazz Fusion Performance, Vocal Or Instrumental.[5]
| Magic Touch | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 1985 | |||
| Studio | Song Shop Studio, New York City | |||
| Genre | Smooth jazz, jazz fusion | |||
| Length | 53:52 | |||
| Label | Blue Note | |||
| Producer | Al Di Meola, Christine Martin | |||
| Stanley Jordan chronology | ||||
| ||||
Artistry
editProducer Al Di Meola granted Stanley Jordan had a "phenomenal" approach to guitar tapping, taking it "into another dimension." He pointed out, though, that Jordan's style was closer to a keyboardist than a guitarist, owing to the fact he doesn't use picks or strum chords either.[6]
Critical reception
edit| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [7] |
Daniel Gioffre at AllMusic awarded Magic Touch 4.5 stars out of 5, calling it "An instant classic, and one of the definitive moments of modern jazz guitar." He listed "Eleanor Rigby", "The Lady in My Life", "Freddie Freeloader", "'Round Midnight", and "A Child Is Born" as highlights.[7]
Track listing
editAll tracks are written by Stanley Jordan, except where noted
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Eleanor Rigby" (John Lennon, Paul McCartney) | 7:01 |
| 2. | "Freddie Freeloader" (Miles Davis) | 6:09 |
| 3. | "'Round Midnight" (Thelonious Monk) | 5:08 |
| 4. | "All the Children" | 5:03 |
| 5. | "The Lady in My Life" (Rod Temperton) | 6:26 |
| 6. | "Angel" (Jimi Hendrix) | 4:14 |
| 7. | "Fundance" | 2:35 |
| 8. | "New Love" | 5:38 |
| 9. | "Return Expedition" | 8:03 |
| 10. | "A Child Is Born" (Thad Jones) | 3:35 |
| Total length: | 53:52 | |
Personnel
edit- Stanley Jordan – guitar
- Onaje Allan Gumbs – keyboard
- Wayne Braithwaite – bass
- Charnett Moffett – bass
- Peter Erskine – drums
- Omar Hakim – drums
- Al Di Meola – cymbals
- Sammy Figueroa – percussion
- Bugsy Moore – percussion
Production
- James Farber – engineer
- Kenny Florendo – assistant engineer
- Al Di Meola – producer
- Christine Martin – producer
References
edit- ^ "Jordan, Stanley biography". Blue Note Records. Archived from the original on June 8, 2011. Retrieved August 12, 2015.
- ^ Ferguson, Jim (February 1986). "Leaving fusion behind: Al Di Meola redefines himself". Guitar Player. Vol. 20, no. 2. Cupertino, CA. p. 63. ISSN 0017-5463.
- ^ Kritzer, Jamie (24 January 2015). "STANLEY JORDAN: JAZZ INNOVATOR". News & Record. Retrieved 20 September 2024.
- ^ "RIAA - Gold & Platinum Searchable Database" (To access, enter the keywords "Stanley Jordan"). RIAA. Retrieved 20 September 2024.
- ^ "Grammy Award nominees – Stanley Jordan". Grammy.com. Retrieved 20 September 2024.
- ^ Ferguson, Jim (February 1986). "Leaving fusion behind: Al Di Meola redefines himself". Guitar Player. Vol. 20, no. 2. Cupertino, CA. p. 81. ISSN 0017-5463.
- ^ a b Gioffre, Daniel. "Stanley Jordan - Magic Touch". AllMusic. RhythmOne. Retrieved May 31, 2020.
External links
edit- Stanley Jordan Magic Touch album review at Guitar Nine