Basra (album)

Basra
Studio album by
Pete La Roca
ReleasedOctober 1965[1]
RecordedMay 19, 1965
StudioVan Gelder Studio, Englewood Cliffs, NJ
GenreJazz
Length40:43
LabelBlue Note
BST 84205
ProducerAlfred Lion
Pete La Roca chronology
Basra
(1965) 		Turkish Women at the Bath
(1967)

Basra is the debut album by drummer Pete La Roca, recorded in 1965 and released on the Blue Note label.[2]

Background and recording

Bassist Steve Swallow recounted that he and La Roca had taken LSD prior to traveling to recording engineer Rudy Van Gelder's New Jersey studio for the session.[3] He also said that Van Gelder threatened to end the session after pianist Steve Kuhn started manually plucking the piano strings.[3]

Reception

The Allmusic review by Scott Yanow stated: "It is strange to realize that drummer Pete La Roca only led two albums during the prime years of his career, for this CD reissue of his initial date is a classic".[4]

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Allmusic[4]
The Penguin Guide to Jazz Recordings[5]
Down Beat[6]

Track listing

All compositions by Pete La Roca except as noted

  1. "Malagueña" (Ernesto Lecuona) - 9:01
  2. "Candu" - 6:45
  3. "Tears Come from Heaven" - 5:00
  4. "Basra" - 9:58
  5. "Lazy Afternoon" (John La Touche, Jerome Moross) - 5:31
  6. "Eiderdown" (Steve Swallow) - 4:28

Personnel

References

  1. ^ Billboard Oct 2, 1965
  2. ^ Blue Note Records discography accessed November 23, 2010
  3. ^ a b Iverson, Ethan (April 7, 2021). "Chronology: Steve Swallow Remembers Pete La Roca". JazzTimes. Retrieved April 24, 2021.
  4. ^ a b Yanow, S. Allmusic Review accessed November 23, 2010
  5. ^ Cook, Richard; Morton, Brian (2008). The Penguin Guide to Jazz Recordings (9th ed.). Penguin. p. 1302. ISBN 978-0-141-03401-0.
  6. ^ Down Beat: December 30, 1965 vol. 32, no. 27