GATO BARBIERI — Fenix (review)

GATO BARBIERI — Fenix album cover Album · 1971 · Latin Jazz Buy this album from MMA partners
3.5/5 ·
Sean Trane
Generally reputed as one of Gato’s best album (along wit The Third World), Fenix is a typical early-70’s product, besides Gato and Vasconcelos, we find the great Lonnie Liston-Smith, Lenny White, Joe Beck and the inevitable Ron Carter. While Fenix is resolutely a Latin-America-axed album (all of the tracks are from the southern hemisphere), sonically-speaking, we’re in a typical early-70’s mostly-instrumental JR/F album that has a few ethnic twitches on some tracks, while others like Falsa Bahiana have a distinct bossa-nova nature. An interesting artwork, evoking the Tupac-Inca myth graces the front cover

Opening the album is the outstanding Tupac Amaru upbeat instrumental, where Beck’s glissando guitar and SLS’ Rhodes tickling are for the conga pairs, allowing Gato to glide effortlessly over the pack. The standard Carnavalito has a fairly Santana-esque feel, but Barbieri’s almost constant sax playing is walking away slightly from its model. The excellent Al Arriero features some vocals fairly low in the mix, and Gato’s sax reaches some screechy moment in the more dramatic moments. Vasconcelos’ birimbau brings a jungle feel (but more African than Amazonian, IMHO) on two or three tracks throughout the album, including the intro of the closing Bahia standard, a fitting exit to the album. However I find that Gato’s up-front sax can be saturating the album at places. After the bossa-esque Falsa and the slow syrupy (almost soppy) El Dia Que Me Quieras (where pianist SLS sounds a bit McCoy-esque) are the low-points of an otherwise good album.

While fairly interesting at times, Fenix is nowhere near the best JR/F albums of the era, partly because it lacks the energy and urgency of many of its contemporary competing albums. Still definitely worth investigating if you’re in the Latin-Fusion genre, though.
Share this review
more

Review Comments

Post a public comment below | Send private message to the reviewer
Please login to post a shout
No shouts posted yet. Be the first member to do so above!

Review Index

Member Zone

Username:
Password:
Stay signed in

Jazz Subgenres

Artists Alpha-index

JMA TOP 5 Jazz ALBUMS

Rating by members, ranked by custom algorithm
Albums with 30 ratings and more
A Love Supreme Post Bop
JOHN COLTRANE
Buy this album from our partners
Kind of Blue Cool Jazz
MILES DAVIS
Buy this album from our partners
The Black Saint and the Sinner Lady Progressive Big Band
CHARLES MINGUS
Buy this album from our partners
Blue Train Hard Bop
JOHN COLTRANE
Buy this album from our partners
My Favorite Things Hard Bop
JOHN COLTRANE
Buy this album from our partners

New Jazz Artists

New Jazz Releases

From the Mars Hotel : The Angel’s Share Jazz Related Rock
GRATEFUL DEAD
Buy this album from MMA partners
Maria Grand & Marta Sanchez : Anohin 21st Century Modern
MARIA GRAND
Buy this album from MMA partners
My Prophet Post-Fusion Contemporary
ODED TZUR
Buy this album from MMA partners
Relentless Big Band
FERNANDO HUERGO
Buy this album from MMA partners
Hope Fusion
SØREN LEE
Buy this album from MMA partners
More new releases

New Jazz Online Videos

Twilight
RANDY SCOTT
js· 16 hours ago
Trifecta - Beck and Call - official video (taken from The New Normal)
TRIFECTA
js· 1 day ago
Phoenix
GRÉGORY PRIVAT
js· 1 day ago
Karrin Allyson EPK for NEW Album "A Kiss For Brazil" Available May 17, 2024 ©Origin Records
KARRIN ALLYSON
js· 1 day ago
Bill Laurance & The Untold Orchestra - Bloom (Official Music Video)
BILL LAURANCE
js· 2 days ago
More videos

New JMA Jazz Forum Topics

More in the forums

New Site interactions

More...

Latest Jazz News

members-submitted

More in the forums

Social Media

Follow us
Follow us on Twitter Become a Facebook fan RSS Feed