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The emergence of the CTI label in the 1970s gave jazz some of its most beautiful album cover art and a decided tilt toward what has now become known as ‘smooth’ jazz. Jazz was rendered funkier, with a confectioner’s glaze, and ultimately commodified as a pop style.
So why was I so excited to learn of the resurrection of the CTI label and to get my hands on Hubert Laws’ dalliance with classical music, Rite of Spring? Because, first, Laws was one of the preeminent flutists in jazz, and he beautifully rendered four classical pieces. Second, his admix of classical and jazz transcended cliche and struck a chord in the listener that prevails today.
Rite of Spring is a compelling event even thirty years after its original issue. It is not a pop recapitulation of classical music, but a portrayal of classical music that hews to the original and then remakes it without losing the composer’s intent/essence.
As to the balance of the CTI catalog, I urge caution. Despite a remarkable bevy of musicians—Milt Jackson, Paul Desmond, Chet Baker, Jack DeJohnette and Ron Carter—it is as if they were caught in musical indiscretions (or what we might call "compromising positions"). My advice here is to be cautious—selective purchasing can guarantee exceptional art, the best example being the planned reissue, in June, of Freddie Hubbard’s "Red Clay." And my hope is that the reissues will include the few more adventurous CTI gems, those made without regard to pop potential—Joe Farrell’s "Joe Farrell Quartet" with guitarist John McLaughlin and pianist Chick Corea; and Hubbard’s flaming masterpiece "Straight Life."
— Jules Epstein, February 2002
Release Date: 5 February 2002
Rite of Spring (Epic/Legacy-CTI)
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last update 21 March 2002