The Anthill - Anteater's Reviews of the Curious & Obscure (lyrics, ticket)

Anteater · 11-30-2009, 05:48 PM

Jeremy Steig - Firefly (1977)

Track Listing

1. Firefly (11:55)
2. Living Inside Your Love (5:49)
3. Everything Is Coming To The Light (3:00)
4. Hop Scotch (7:27)
5. Sweet Hour Of Prayer (2:04)
6. Grasshopper (5:17)

Underrated to an extent that I find unbelievable at times, Jeremy Steig is an American flautist who has been doing music in various jazz circles since the early 60's to the present day despite the fact that up until the 1990's or so half his face was paralyzed due to a motorcycle accident he had when he was only 19.

Although this guy has collaborated with a variety of interesting figures, from Bill Evans to Denny Zeitlin to Eddie Gomez, it was this 1977 work that marked a major change in focus on Steig's part, taking his remarkable ability into a late 70's funk/soul context. Not only that, but he got one of the smoothest sounding female vocalists from that period, Googie Coppola, to front the whole thing. But if that was not the icing on the cake, jazz producer extraordinaire Creed Taylor was the one who mixed this in studio, resulting in some real fiery ear candy that literally leaps from your speakers.

Plenty of highlights and oodles of excitement are in abundance within the confines of Firefly, reaching a crescendo on the three minutes of bliss that is 'Everything Is Coming To The Light", but the deliciously funky title suite and Shaft-esque tribal workout "Grasshopper" give plenty to chew on as well.

Although I can't find any vids to illustrate just how wonderful and rhythmic this album is, I feel that Jeremy Steig, and in particular Firefly, deserve a place in the collection of anyone looking for that buried jewel somewhere in that mines of funk and jazz forgotten by time.

Search this one out folks or drop me a line whenever. Killer grooves and flutage are just a PM or download away!