Yusef Lateef - Blues In Space (LP)

• Yusef Lateef’s first LP as leader, originally issued on Savoy as Jazz Mood
• Includes 2 bonus tracks from the 1957 Van Gelder sessions

Description

Recorded in 1957 at Rudy Van Gelder’s studio, this debut album captures Yusef Lateef’s visionary approach to jazz, blending Middle Eastern instruments and textures with modern improvisation. Joined by Curtis Fuller, Hugh Lawson, Ernie Farrow, and Louis Hayes, Lateef demonstrates his pioneering world music sensibility, introducing the argol, rabat, and finger cymbals into a hard bop framework. This limited edition 180-gram vinyl reissue presents the complete original LP plus two bonus tracks from the same session, highlighting Lateef’s adventurous spirit at the very start of his career.

Tracklist

Side A

1. Metaphor (8:07)
2. Yusef’s Mood (8:34)
3. The Beginning (4:11)
4. Beauregard (3:35)*

Side B

1. Morning (10:37)
2. Blues In Space (7:05)
3. Space (5:55)*

*Bonus tracks

Personnel

• Yusef Lateef – Tenor saxophone, flute, argol, scraped gour
• Curtis Fuller – Trombone, tambourine
• Hugh Lawson – Piano
• Ernie Farrow – Bass
• Louis Hayes – Drums