Bobbi Humphrey Fancy Dancer (Blue Note Classic Vinyl Series) 180g LP

Bobbi Humphrey was one of the most prominent stars on the Blue Note roster of the 1970s. The flutist debuted on the label in 1971 with Flute In, the first in a run of six creative and highly enjoyable albums. On her breakout 1973 album Blacks and Blues, Humphrey hooked up with the forward-thinking producer Larry Mizell to create a jazz-funk classic that expanded her audience. It proved to be a winning combination, and the two joined forces again on Satin Doll the following year. Their third and final collaboration would be on the great 1975 album Fancy Dancer. Humphrey's alluring flute dances through vibrant and ingenious arrangements by Larry and Fonce Mizell that skillfully wove together a broad range of influences from across the spectrum of black music. The set featured standout tracks like the Latin grooves of "Uno Esta," the laid-back jam "You Make Me Feel So Good," and the album's expansive closer "Please Set Me At Ease," which the innovative hip-hop beatmaker Madlib memorably remade on his 2003 Blue Note remix album, Shades Of Blue.

This Blue Note Classic Vinyl Edition is all-analog, mastered by Kevin Gray from the original master tapes, and pressed on 180g vinyl at Optimal.

Recorded at their Sound Factory studio in Los Angeles, Fancy Dancer is a seamless collection of seven tracks that cruise the distance across soulful fusions of funk, Latin grooves, electric jazz, and gauzy vocal choruses that offer a hint as to what the underground dancefloor scenes of Los Angeles and New York were offering in at the predawn of the disco era. Humphrey's flute playing feels effortless as she hovers around and plays through the layers of spacy keyboards, shimmering rhythmic pulses, and seductive textures provided by lilting voices, hand percussion, and breaks.

...emblematic of a period when many jazz artists were making peace with the rise of funk/soul/R&B and incorporating those sounds into their work. Flute player Bobbi Humphrey went right to the source with Fancy Dancer, working with producers Larry Mizell and Chuck Davis. With their instrumentation and songwriting help, Humphrey was able to gambol her solos atop disco-leaning grooves that are thick with clavinet trills and Chuck Rainey's succulent basswork.