Spirit of the Black Territory Bands explained
| Spirit of the Black Territory Bands |
| Type: | studio |
| Artist: | Johnny Otis |
| Cover: | Spirit of the Black Territory Bands.jpg |
| Released: | 1992 |
| Label: | Arhoolie[1] |
| Producer: | Johnny Otis, Tom Morgan |
| Prev Title: | Let's Live It Up |
| Prev Year: | 1991 |
| Next Title: | Otisology |
| Next Year: | 1995 |
Spirit of the Black Territory Bands is an album by the American musician Johnny Otis, credited as Johnny Otis and His Orchestra.[2] [3] It was released in 1992. The album is a tribute to the music of the territory bands of Otis's youth; Otis played with several such bands in the 1940s.[4] [5]
The album was nominated for a Grammy Award for "Best Large Jazz Ensemble Performance".[6] [7]
Production
The album was produced by Otis and Tom Morgan.[8] [9] Otis's son, Shuggie, played guitar and helped to arrange the songs. His other son, Nicky, played drums.[10] Otis employed a 10-piece horn section. The album was largely made up of Count Basie and Duke Ellington songs.[11] The album cover is a painting by Otis.[12]
Critical reception
The San Francisco Chronicle wrote that "the arrangements lay curling, fine-point filigree behind blasting individual efforts with a prevailing robust spirit that simply smokes."[13]
AllMusic deemed the album "competent but hardly thrilling." The Penguin Guide to Blues Recordings noted Otis's "continued engagement with jazz," and concluded that "it's unlikely that swing fans will be disappointed."[14]
Notes and References
- Book: Vacher, Peter. Swingin' on Central Avenue: African American Jazz in Los Angeles. September 17, 2015. Rowman & Littlefield.
- Ouellette . Dan . Johnny Otis . DownBeat . Mar 1993 . 60 . 3 . 14.
- News: Lowell Fulson & Johnny Otis To Headline Troyce Key Music Scholarship Fund Benefit . Oakland Post . 29 . 106 . 28 Apr 1993 . 9.
- News: Toombs . Mikel . Otis' drive: Keep black music alive . The San Diego Union-Tribune . March 20, 1991 . C1.
- News: Hale . Mike . Roots of Rhythm & Blues: Johnny Otis Plants His Feet and Makes Real an Old Dream . San Jose Mercury News . October 16, 1994 . Arts . 3.
- Web site: Johnny Otis . Recording Academy . 31 July 2022.
- Clark . Rick . Know Your Neighbors . Billboard . Mar 26, 1994 . 106 . 13 . 84.
- Book: The Encyclopedia of Record Producers . 1999 . Billboard Books . 600.
- Book: Otis, Johnny. Upside Your Head!: Rhythm and Blues on Central Avenue. November 19, 1993. Wesleyan University Press.
- Book: Lipsitz, George. Midnight at the Barrelhouse: The Johnny Otis Story. July 31, 2010. U of Minnesota Press.
- News: Jowers . Andrew . Shuggie Otis Back on the Blues Scene . The Press Democrat . 16 Nov 1994 . P1.
- Johnny Otis: Black by Persuasion . JazzTimes . 31 July 2022.
- News: Selvin . Joel . Johnny Otis and His Orchestra: Spirit of the Black Territory Bands . San Francisco Chronicle . Sunday Datebook . 39.
- Book: The Penguin Guide to Blues Recordings . 2006 . Penguin Books Ltd . 507.
