Yusef Lateef - 'Eastern Sounds'

'Eastern Sounds' from 1962, is one of those albums that transcends its genre and becomes a timeless classic.  This is a stirring, meditative musical excursion of sound, that could be considered a precursor of the so-called "world music", or even a more nuanced, textured, and varied early new age recording, without the negative baggage of that now almost nearly forgotten musical genre.

Yusef had been exploring these kinds of sounds on previous albums as a leader, most notably on 'Prayer to the East' from 1957, but 'Eastern Sounds' brings together all the elements that make Lateef’s take on jazz sound work so well.  While the album starts off with the subtle swing of “The Plum Bossom” and readings of the love themes of the epic films 'Spartacus' composed by Alex North and 'The Robe' composed by Alfred Newman, it’s the other six tracks that reflect more of the contemplative side of this groundbreaking album.

Yusef is supported by the rhythm section of Barry Harris on piano, Lex Humphries on drums, and Ernie Farrow on bass. Farrow also plays rabat (spelled various other ways through history), which is a lute-like instrument that blends perfectly with Lateef’s work here on tenor saxophone, oboe, and especially the Chinese globular xun, which is a type of flute.

This is one of those jazz albums that can be appreciated by even non-jazz fans for its sheer beauty. It also is a must-have for any jazz fan.

For the freeload, tell us about an album you like that has multiple genres.