Time

by Larry Nozero, Dennis Tini

Overview

Larry Nozero's and pianist Dennis Tini's Time was the debut album for both; it's the final set released by Detroit-based Strata Records. The saxophonist and flutist possessed an elegant tone and authoritative command of jazz, soul, funk, classical, and rock. Nozero was also an influential educator for two decades at Wayne State University. He was passionate about Brazilian music, particularly the work of Antonio Carlos Jobim. His final album, Ruby & the Pearl in collaboration with jazz vocalist Shahida Nurullah, included two Jobim tunes, linking it to Time, which includes the two-part Jobim soundtrack composition "Chronicle of a Murdered House." Nozero died in 2005 from complications due to cancer at age 61. The Time lineup includes Tini on keys, drummer Danny Spencer, bassist Ron Brooks, conguero George Pardo, and chamber strings. It was produced by Charles Moore. Nozero composed one tune and co-wrote the spacy, vanguard "Two Worlds" with Tini. The keyboardist composed three individual works. Also included are innovative versions of the standards "All the Things You Are" and "Baubles Bangles and Beads." The opener, Tini's "Reflections of My Past," is introduced by chime-like chords on Rhodes piano before Nozero's flute articulates the melody backed by Brooks, Spencer, and Pardo. Strings enter in the second chorus, adding dimension to Nozero's gorgeous solo. "Tony" is an expressionist pairing of tenor saxophone and strings. Nozero's interaction is seamless as he responds to their restrained harmonics with soulful, imaginative, and bluesy blowing. The two-part "Chronicle of a Murdered House" is the album's hinge piece. Its first entry is incantatory with melodic saxophone, rolling tom-toms, ghostly bells, and a minimal bassline. Nozero's playing approaches Gato Barbieri's score for Last Tango in Paris. It serves as an intro to the second part, which weds samba, bossa, and hard bop as the jazz quintet interacts with a pillowy string section and Tini lays out a gloriously funky and warm Rhodes piano solo. Tini's "Tune for L.N." is wondrously funky yet elegant. The bumping bass, congas, and rimshot snares meet a raw, wordless vocalese under swirling, distorted Rhodes piano, soaring flute, and a deep, funky bassline in dialogue with both drummers. Tini's "Impressions of My Lady" is a vulnerable, evocative ballad with graceful, elegant, harmonic abstractions. The classical vocal intro to the standard "All the Things You Are" offers scatted vocalese and Tini's clavinet that sounds like a harpsichord. Immediately after, Nozero leads the band straight into high-flying bebop as he sprints through the melody and solo. Closer "Baubles Bangles & Beads" is initially unrecognizable. It's deeply funky, its melody gets striated under Tini's Sergio Mendes-esque piano vamp and samba-style vocalese. (Nozero played with Mendes for a time and absorbed his successful experiments in melding Brazilian music to pop, soul, and jazz.) Time is rightfully considered a Detroit jazz classic. After DJ Amir reclaimed Strata in 2012, the label's expanded reach transformed the album's availability; it's a highly sought-after, international jazz classic that sounds like no other recording from the era. ~ Thom Jurek

Product Details

Release Date:	06/21/2024
Label:	Bbe
UPC:	0197189330971
Rank:	70698

Tracks

Disc 1

1. Reflections of My Past
2. Tony
3. Chronicle of the Murdered House, Pt. 1
4. Chronicle of the Murdered House, Pt. 2

Disc 2

5. Tune for L.N.
6. Impressions of My Lady
7. All the Things You Are
8. Two Worlds
9. Baubles, Bangles & Beads

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Larry Nozero   Primary Artist,Sax (Tenor),Sax (Soprano),Flute,Reeds
Dennis Tini   Primary Artist,Voices,Clavinet,Keyboards,Synthesizer,Fender Rhodes,Featured Artist
Ron Brooks   Bass
Kathie Spratt   Violin
George Pardo   Congas
Lorraine Perlman   Violin
Muruga Sharma   Percussion
Pat Appleman   Cello
Zaida George   Violin
Halina Lis   Violin
Danny Spencer   Drums

Technical Credits

John Sinclair   Design,Liner Notes
Dennis Tini   Arranger,Composer
Bud Spangler   Engineer
George Forrest   Composer
Antonio Carlos Jobim   Composer
Frank Bach   Producer
Richard Becker   Engineer
Clyde Stringer   Photography
Charles Moore   Engineer,Producer,Remix Engineer
Alex Abrash   Transfers,Digital Remastering
Bob Dennis   Mastering
Joe Holdreith   Engineer,Technical Assistance
Bodie Cameron   Design
Darlene Pond   Assistant
Jack Prock   Special Assistance
Krista English   Studio Manager,Production Coordination
Peggy Taube   Assistant
Jerome Kern   Composer
Larry Nozero   Arranger,Composer
Oscar Hammerstein II   Composer
Jeff Steinberg   String Arrangements
Robert Wright   Composer
Leni Sinclair   Producer,Cover Photo,Photo Courtesy