Like It Is Yusef Lateef ( The Blue Yusef

A master of the tenor sax and myriad other woodwind instruments, Yusef Lateef is joined on this 1968 date by an allstar ensemble that features trumpeter Blue Mitchell, bassist Cecil Brooks, and guitarist Kenny Burrell. They delve into the spirituals on Juba, Juba, and the blues on Othelia, Back Home, and Six Miles Next Moon Cup is an impassioned AfroEurasian eclipse of the medieval plainchant and Filipino chant, while Get Over, Get Off, and Get On sounds like it could be a track from the original Shaft. The standout track is Like It Is, a hypnotic midtempo blues composition laced with strings, background vocals, and Lateef s exotic sax and bamboo flute. Here s further proof that this master s aural explorations broadened jazz and paved the way for world music s enduring popularity. Eugene Holley Jr.