Sold Date: January 20, 2023
Start Date: January 17, 2023
Final Price: $19.99 (USD)
Bid Count: 1
Seller Feedback: 74
Buyer Feedback: 0

GARY BARTZ NTU TROOP RARE MINT WHITE LABEL UNPLAYED PROMO OF "JU JU STREET SONGS".
Juju Street Songs Excerpts From Review  

by Alex Henderson

In the late 1970s, Gary Bartz's work became quite commercial. But earlier in the decade -- when the alto and soprano saxophonist led his Ntu Troop -- he was more ambitious. Recorded in 1972, Juju Street Songs is among the risk-taking efforts that came from the Ntu Troop. This ambitious LP finds Bartz drawing on a variety of influences -- everything from 's modal post-bop to world music to the electric fusion that  and  were providing at the time. The term world music, of course, can mean a lot of different things; for the Ntu Troop, it means a strong Middle Eastern/Arabic influence on the moody "Teheran" and more of an Afro-Caribbean outlook on the exuberant "Africans Unite." Bassist ' "Bertha Baptist," meanwhile, is a jazz-funk gem that drummer  interpreted on his Earthmover LP of 1976. Although very jazz-oriented, Juju Street Songs is well aware of what was happening with R&B in the early 1970s. "I Wanna Be Where You Are" was a hit for  back when the  were still calling themselves the , but Bartz gives the soul-pop tune a serious makeover and demonstrates that it can work well as instrumental jazz. And 's "Black Maybe," which features  on vocals, lends itself equally well to a jazz interpretation. If you want to hear how much Juju Street Songs differs from the commercial stuff that Bartz offered in the late 1970s, just play "I Wanna Be Where You Are" which Bartz seriously interprets! Excellent from start to finish, this LP captures Bartz at the height of his creativity.

Of note: some light ring wear on the front cover and embossed promo imprint in upper left corner of rear cover.