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Yusef Lateef — Nubian Lady
Album: The Gentle Giant
Avg rating:
7.2

Your rating:
Total ratings: 2241









Released: 1972
Length: 6:28
Plays (last 30 days): 1
(instrumental)
Comments (96)add comment
 deepwoodskev wrote:

Sorry. Every time.


A solid middle finger to all of the wine sniffers who thumbed down this.

Get a sense of humour
Started at 8, but had to bump to 9.  This is quite excellent!
A little like Issac Hayes
wait. people don't know what Nubian means?
[head/desk]
Sounds exactly like a smooth, hip track from "The Electric Company", complete with that jazzy Joe Raposo fusion sound. 
 
 
I mean you know that they're never going to put on Isaac Hayes or Donna Summer.
 deniseperry wrote:

Good stuff. Hesitant about the title of it…




What?
 Solanus wrote:
What's a Nubian? (It's a reference to the movie Chasing Amy.)(I had posted this same comment a few years back without the gif, but it somehow got deleted.)



I'm afraid Jay and Silent Bob did not originate the term, simply employed it. It pre-existed the film, although not often employed in conversation.
What's a Nubian? (It's a reference to the movie Chasing Amy.)(I had posted this same comment a few years back without the gif, but it somehow got deleted.)
 kcatalina wrote:

Liking this as I groove to it at my desk at work. Moved it a 10 because it mellowed me out.




I just bumped from 8 to 10!  
Liking this as I groove to it at my desk at work. Moved it a 10 because it mellowed me out.
This takes me to JFK to NYC... Early September... taxi window open... first visit.
An oasis of excellent music this Friday night. Whew! Wass hapnin?
Good stuff. Hesitant about the title of it…
Need some Herbie Mann "Push Push"
sorry I missed this groove back in the day
Not my most favorite Lateef but still lovely to hear him get airplay.  It's got that Creed Taylor sauce all over it which works sometimes. Anyway I always liked Lateef's incorporation of Afro-Arab references. A most underrated jazz man.
Wow! It's been 50 years since I last heard this. Still sounds great. Thanks, Bill, for the trip.
the man was a giant, wow
No less than a 9 for me! Outstanding!
 grousegrinder wrote:


I'm so certain this was played as background music on many 70's drama's as someone was following someone or driving to go somewhere important.


I'm thinking Bullitt. I need to look it up. Nope, just did. Bullitt was Lalo Schifrin
 Zep wrote:

Porn music WISHES.


Ha!
it's the bass line.
this is such a great radio station.  love it.
 deepwoodskev wrote:

Sorry. Every time.

Please remove this ridiculous clip.

 maxvonevil wrote:
This is SO 70's porn music.Nothing wrong with that. Just sayin' {#Drunk}


The gasping noises between riffs certainly don't reduce that impression.
Uh oh. 

In the words of George Costanza...

"I think it moved".  
 deepwoodskev wrote:

Sorry. Every time.


"Uuunh .... uuunh .... That's baby makin' music, that's what that is, UUUNH ..."
Multi-instrumentalists fascinate me. I was very good at one instrument, but trying to learn others was an exercise in frustration. Some people just have it in their genes I guess, sigh.
 maxvonevil wrote:


Meh. pretty much the age old discussion if fish smells like p.... or it's the other way around. 


You're sick! I like you 
 Queue wrote:

Those commenting on the breathing must not be listening when Bill plays Tull on RP.

It does seem to increase in volume throughout the track, but I suspect that's just normal when you're playing something for 6:23 without much in the way of rests.



I was about to say the same about Tull. Ian Anderson seems actually to make it a part of his performance. Complaining about breath sounds is like complaining about fret sounds, amp buzz, feedback, etc... Music is a creation of humans, it's not meant to be sterile and "perfect." Too many people these days are used to overproduced, digitally enhanced music.
 Zep wrote:

Porn music WISHES.


Meh. pretty much the age old discussion if fish smells like p.... or it's the other way around. 
That little laugh at the end tricked me into thinking we were about to hear Hungry Like the Wolf.
 Punkysoup wrote:
I like that you can hear the sharp inhales between the flute sounds. Feels strangely intimate...
 

Lateef is playing with a lot of power. It takes some air to get that big sound. I love it.
 maxvonevil wrote:
This is SO 70's porn music.Nothing wrong with that. Just sayin'
 
Porn music WISHES.
 deepwoodskev wrote:

Sorry. Every time.
 

I'm so certain this was played as background music on many 70's drama's as someone was following someone or driving to go somewhere important.
There's something to be learned from this:

The breathing sounds pretty natural :) Have a look at Jane Bunnett on Tiny Desk. She can hardly catch her breath after the first few songs on soprano sax the way she's going. Oscar Peterson used to "na na na na" to his playing on live recordings. 
Those commenting on the breathing must not be listening when Bill plays Tull on RP.

It does seem to increase in volume throughout the track, but I suspect that's just normal when you're playing something for 6:23 without much in the way of rests.
now THIS is some jazz I can dig.
and I do
The breathing is a little unusual, for sure. Definitely adds to the dramatic nature of the music :)
 Tjerome wrote:
Oh, that wonderful CTI sound and musicianship!
 
You bet! Creed Taylor was a genius!
 haresfur wrote:
 
LOL! ...great group!
This is wonderful.

Might be interesting to hear something by Hannibal too.
Aka Hannibal Lokumbe, aka Marvin Peterson, he's a local cat who made it big. Recently he played Amazing Grace at a celebration-of-life for a dear neighbor who passed away suddenly. Unbelievable talent.
c.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hannibal_Lokumbe
As Salt 'n' Peppa noted "Damn... that sounds SEXY".
 markwsyred wrote:
The playing is fantastic. I was put off by the frequent sound of inhalation.

Before anyone comments, I know it would be impossible NOT to breath in while playing a wind/brass instrument, but I don't remember hearing it so loudly before. I had to stop listening to RP for a bit.
 
So you're saying you had to take a "breather" after enduring all the breathing? Kinda funny! LLRP!!
 saellig668552 wrote:
MOOOORE of such funky JAZZ please (also in this genre, the taste of Bill and Beca is impeccable)
 
TOTALLY agree - Bill...?!
Stone groove
I could imagine this in the cut/car scene of a 1970's "Peanuts" animated.   
MOOOORE of such funky JAZZ please (also in this genre, the taste of Bill and Beca is impeccable)
Oh, that wonderful CTI sound and musicianship!
 deepwoodskev wrote:

Sorry. Every time.
 

Too funny!!!    It's perfect.
I like that you can hear the sharp inhales between the flute sounds. Feels strangely intimate...
 deepwoodskev wrote:

Sorry. Every time.
 

Yup.. Was just thinking I should post the same thing... but you beat me to the punch
Some of us have been around long enough to 'experience' 70's porn shot on crappy 8mm with a wobbly soundtrack.
It's pornmusic alright {#Bananajumprope}{#Whipit}
Great chill jazz. Not sure why folks keep referencing porn music. This is just good flute and jazz beats. 
Didn't like the lyrics.... enjoyed the music... gave it a strong 7.
 maxvonevil wrote:
This is SO 70's porn music.Nothing wrong with that. Just sayin' {#Drunk}

 
I think I may know the movie!
brilliant, thanks for the introduction!
Smoke weed 
This is SO 70's porn music.Nothing wrong with that. Just sayin' {#Drunk}
quite an enjoyable sound  
Nice chill, urban vibe. Love the soul jazz of the late '60s/early 70s. Gimme a lil Gene Ammons, Jack McDuff, Charles Earland, Lou Donaldson and Jimmy Smith. 
Yeah, 70's Porn Music
Ditto! Hysterical!

Sorry. Every time.
What a performance. The bass line in this is out of control as well. {#Bananajam}
She doesn't need to fall...
 kcar wrote:



Tim Meadows and Monica Lewinsky in SNL skit
Now y'all know that Yusef wrote this for Leon Phelps, The Ladies' Man!

 

AWW YETH.



This is a *great* song!  Thank you.  Please, more jazz flute like this.

 DaveInVA wrote:
Sounds like a 70's TV show soundtrack.

   

raga wrote:

YES! {#Cool}
Try to compare this to actual TV show soundtrack... 

 

Tim Meadows and Monica Lewinsky in SNL skit "The Ladies' Man"
Now y'all know that Yusef wrote this for Leon Phelps, The Ladies' Man!


Yes; that particular cool, sedate, glibly hip early '70s vibe! Mom had flower-power stickers on her '72 Saab 96; Dad had a hippie beard.
Ope! Had me faked out on that first note. I thought it was someone covering Chuck Mangione's "Chase the Clouds Away."
Reminiscent of Herbie Mann's Push Push for me.
Edit: Just read the older posts and see that I am not alone.
I haven't heard this in a really long time, not since our record player died, only had it on vinyl. Thanks for playing it, thanks for the memories.
Super excellent piece!!!   (thought of Being There  : )

Original movie poster for Being There.jpg
Holy crap... is that Stringer Bell?
Diggin this on a rainy day.
Folks forget about all this great "fusion" stuff from back in the 70s. To a great extent, for those of us who grew up in NYC, this was our theme music.  
Cool. Reminds of the kind of incidental music they had on Vision On (BBC children's programme) in the 70s.

https://youtu.be/f0BXLKseP0Q

thanks for playing this


Funky yet mellow. Love the groove and flute. Fuzzy bass adds nice texture. Keys perfectly color the background. 
Very Lateefy.
Dig it.
Damn. That's funky. 
Very cool CTI-style jazz. 7.
Very cool.
 DaveInVA wrote:
Sounds like a 70's TV show soundtrack.

 
YES! {#Cool}
Try to compare this to actual TV show soundtrack... 
Exquisite.
quite cool man
Sounds like a 70's TV show soundtrack.
 davem wrote:
Shades of Herbie Mann - a little less of the jazz/improve, and a little more of the rhythm of rock, r&b, blues touch

 
They both played several of the same instruments, most notably the flute, and were contemporaries and label-mates.  Lateef got his start a little earlier, and didn't seem to have as much of that "smooth jazz" sound as Mann did.
Sweet memories arise with this album…didn't know he passed….will listen to the album now in his memory.
Thanks RP. 
Thanks for giving props to Dr. Lateef. I have a particularly scholarly interest in his music (as well as aesthetic). Really glad to see him getting his due for his musical output and his influence on a wide range of music. Certainly not surprised to see RP recognize his musical genius. {#Clap}{#Dance}
RIP Yusef
RIP Yusef, Soooo cool.  {#Notworthy}
Shades of Herbie Mann - a little less of the jazz/improve, and a little more of the rhythm of rock, r&b, blues touch
Many thanks for playing this in honor of Yusef.  I discovered him in the '70s and have always revered his music.