Gato Barbieri - Chapter Four, Alive In New York 1975

The satisfying set begins with Barbieri’s “Milonga Triste,” a melancholy tango that showcases the leader’s sensual sound swathed in an opulent textural tapestry of interwoven rhythms and tones (enriched by Johnson’s superb bass clarinet backgrounds). The album’s centerpiece, “La China Leoncia,” an extended four-part suite by Barbieri, is constructed similarly, but unfolds even more dramatically. It begins with the composer’s poetic recitation over an airy backdrop of fluttering tuba, keyboards and percussion, seamlessly segueing into the second section, which opens with Martinez’s processional piano and gives way to Carter’s insistent bass line and Barbieri’s flamenco-inspired handclapping. Then the tenor enters, gradually building in dynamics until it shrieks and squeals fervently in the third section. Metzke’s cavaquinho-styled strumming opens the final movement, where Portinho’s drumming and Johnson’s flugelhorn push the leader’s high-energy horn.

The penultimate “Bahia” spotlights Barbieri hearkening to Coltrane’s ‘50s persona in the opening strains of a beautiful ballad (over the lush cushion of Johnson’s tuba) and moving on to the master’s uninhibited ‘60s tone (mingled with a Rollins-esque coarseness) later in the song. The final selection, the leader’s “Lluvia Azul,” a pretty melody first heard in a Chico O’Farrill arrangement on the previous Chapter Three: Viva Emiliano Zapata, features the whole band in an Afro-Cuban styled descarga jam that was quite novel at the time.

Review from allaboutjazz

Recorded Feb. 20-23, 1975 at The Bottom Line, NYC
Released in 1975 on ABC/Impulse ASD-9303

1 Milonga Triste (Manzi) 6:00
2 La China Leoncia, pts. 1-4 (Barbieri) 15:37
3 Bahia (Barroso) 10:18
4 Lluvia Azul (Barbieri) 9:10

Gato Barbieri - tenpr sax, guitar
Howard Johnson - flugelhorn, tuba, baritone sax clarinet, percussion
Eddie Martinez - piano
Paul Metzke - guitar
Ron Carter - bass
Portinho - drums
Ray Armando - congas, percussion