Little Motor People Explained

Little Motor People
Type:	Album
Artist:	Hank Roberts
Cover:	Little Motor People.jpg
Released:	1993
Recorded:	December 1992 Bauer Studios, Ludwigsburg
Genre:	Jazz
Length:	61:08
Label:	JMT JMT 514 005
Producer:	Stefan F. Winter
Chronology:	Hank Roberts
Prev Title:	For Three Strings and Orchestra
Prev Year:	1992
Next Title:	22 Years from Now
Next Year:	1997

Little Motor People is the third album led by cellist Hank Roberts which was recorded in late 1992 and released on the JMT label.^{[1] [2]}

Reception

AllMusic awarded the album 4 stars.^[3] The LA Times' Bill Kohlhaase noted "the highlight here is Roberts' five-part suite "Saturday/Sunday" with its acoustic sensibilities and smart interplay between Roberts, pianist Django Bates and percussionist Arto Tuncboyaciyan. Moving easily between jazz rhythms, tribal beats and classically influenced passages, the piece marks Roberts as a composer willing to overlook the usual boundaries between jazz and progressive music".^[4]

Track listing

All compositions by Hank Roberts except as indicated

1. " Saturday/Sunday" - 18:58
2. "Over the Rainbow" (Harold Arlen Yip Harburg) - 4:30
3. "Only Minutes Left" - 4:47
4. "My Favourite Things" (Oscar Hammerstein II, Richard Rodgers) - 3:19
5. "Little Motor People" - 10:07
6. "Donna Lee" (Charlie Parker) - 3:04
7. "Black as a Sunny Day" (Django Bates, Hank Roberts) - 2:33
8. "Autumn Leaves" (Joseph Kosma, Johnny Mercer, Jacques Prévert) - 5:29
9. "30's Picnic" - 8:40

Personnel

• Hank Roberts - cello, vocals, jazz-a-phone fiddle
• Django Bates - piano, synthesizer, tenor horn
• Arto Tunçboyacıyan - percussion, vocals

Notes and References

1. http://www.hankrobertsmusic.com/discography/ Hank Roberts discography
2. Shimada, T., JMT label discography, accessed November 14, 2014
3. http://www.allmusic.com/album/little-motor-people-mw0000107027 Allmusic listing
4. Kohnlhaase, B., LA Times Review, December 1, 1993