Tropea, John
Tropea
Rare & Collectible Vinyl Records

Sealed 1975 Heavy-Duty Laminated Gatefold Original. Either A Monarch Or Shelley Plant Pressing. Small Shrink Tear And Corner Rubs. “Tropea's Cast Of Studio Players Is A Who's Who Of The '70s, '80s, And '90s. The Core Band On This Funky, Squeaky Clean, Keyboard, Horn, And Guitar Driven Set Are Bassist Will Lee, Keyboardist Don Grolnick, Percussionist Rubens Bassini, And Drummers Steve Gadd And Rick Marotta -- One In Each Channel. Some Of The Guest Appearances Are Stellar: David Sanborn's Trademark Emotionally Rich Saxophone Is Heard On "Muff," And Bob Mintzer's Wonderful Flute Playing On His "Cisco Disco" (Which Is Truly Funk And Not Disco), And Deodato Plays Keyboards On The Beautiful "Dreams." There Is A Heavyweight Reed Section With Mintzer, Sanborn, And Michael Brecker Among Its Members And Horns That Include Randy Brecker, Sam Burtis, And Dave Taylor, To Name A Few. Yes, This Was The 1970s: There Are Strings With Gene Orloff Among Them. The Tunes? Hip, Funky Numbers Like "Tambourine," With A Restrained But Toothy Fuzz Solo By Tropea, Great Congas By Bassini, And A Well Balanced But Dynamic Horn Chart. "7th Heaven" Is A Smoother Workout, With Punchy Actual And Keyboard Basslines, With Great Breakbeat Work By Both Drummers. Despite Its Mid-Tempo Jaunt, The Thing Is Deep With Enough Of An Uptown Soul Chorus To Make It A Popular Stepper With The Club Crowd…….Tropea's Production Job Is Expert And Tight, But It's His Arrangements And Orchestrations That Are Really Impressive. The Opportunities For Excess Here With All These Superchopper Players Are Many, But Not Once Does Any Of This Album Lapse Into Mere Glossy Show And Sheen. This Is One Of The Truly Great Forgotten Jazz-Funk Sets Of The '70s.” Thom Jurek, AMG.