| Mudfoot | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 1986 | |||
| Recorded | June 11 & 12, 1986 | |||
| Genre | Jazz | |||
| Label | Black Hawk | |||
| The Leaders chronology | ||||
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Mudfoot is the debut album by the all-star jazz groupThe Leaders released on theBlack Hawk label in 1986. The album features performances byLester Bowie,Chico Freeman,Arthur Blythe,Cecil McBee,Kirk Lightsey andDon Moye.[1][2]
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [3] |
| Robert Christgau | A−[4] |
| Tom Hull – on the Web | A−[5] |
TheAllMusic review byScott Yanow states "it is an excellent effort. Two songs are group compositions (including the ad-lib 'Midnite Train'); Freeman provided a tribute toEric Dolphy ('Freedom Swing Song'); and the other selections include originals by Blythe and McBee, plusSam Cooke's 'Cupid' (which has a Freeman vocal). Worth searching for".[3]
Robert Christgau wrote: "Opening with a glorious and playful 13-minute blues and closing with a sweet and crooked 'Cupid'... this all-star blowing unit gets arty in between and also gets away with it... Familiar gambits all by now, but this kind of execution is what everybody who begins with them is hoping to end up with."[4]
Mike Joyce ofThe Washington Post commented: "All-star sessions are a commonplace in jazz... every so often an album such asMudfoot... comes along and makes the idea seem vital and exciting again... It's an impressive lineup, but the group's debut album succeeds primarily because the band is just that – a real band, not just a group of all-stars gathered for a hastily produced recording session."[6]
Pianist and composerEthan Iverson praised Blythe's "Miss Nancy," writing: "damn, does Blythe take a great solo on this song... It's all there: the honk, the surreal, post-Coltrane pentatonics, even nailing the hard parallel changes when needed. Yeah!"[7]
