Spellbinder (album) explained

Spellbinder
Type:	Album
Artist:	Gábor Szabó
Border:	yes
Released:	October 1966^[1]
Recorded:	May 6, 1966
Studio:	Van Gelder Studio, Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey
Genre:	Jazz
Length:	36:59
Label:	Impulse!
Producer:	Bob Thiele
Chronology:	Gábor Szabó
Prev Title:	Gypsy '66
Prev Year:	1966
Next Title:	Simpático
Next Year:	1966

Spellbinder is an album by Hungarian guitarist Gábor Szabó featuring performances recorded in 1966 for the Impulse! label.^[2] The album contains "Gypsy Queen" which was covered as a medley with Fleetwood Mac's "Black Magic Woman" by Santana on their 1970 Abraxas album. This album reached No. 140 on 1967/01/28 on Billboard 200.

Reception

The Allmusic review by Thom Jurek awarded the album 4½ stars stating "Szabo's read on jazz in the '60s was brilliant. He embodied all of its most popular aspirations with a genuine spirit of innovation and adventure. Spellbinder is a masterpiece".^[3]

Track listing

All compositions by Gábor Szabó except as indicated

1. "Spellbinder" – 5:30
2. "Witchcraft" (Cy Coleman, Carolyn Leigh) – 4:39
3. "It Was a Very Good Year" (Ervin Drake) – 2:47
4. "Gypsy Queen" – 5:13
5. "Bang Bang (My Baby Shot Me Down)" (Sonny Bono) – 2:28
6. "Cheetah" – 4:10
7. "My Foolish Heart" (Ned Washington, Victor Young) – 5:28
8. "Yearning" – 2:59
9. "Autumn Leaves/Speak to Me of Love" (Joseph Kosma, Jacques Prévert, Johnny Mercer/Jean Lenoir) – 3:35

Personnel

• Gábor Szabó – guitar, vocals
• Ron Carter – bass
• Chico Hamilton – drums
• Willie Bobo, Victor Pantoja – percussion

Charts

Album – Billboard

Notes and References

1. https://books.google.com/books?id=6SgEAAAAMBAJ&dq=G%C3%A1bor+Szab%C3%B3+spellbinder&pg=PA45 Billboard October 8, 1966
2. http://www.jazzdisco.org/impulse-records/catalog-9100-series/#a-9123 Impulse! Records discography
3. Jurek, T. Allmusic Review accessed March 31, 2011