Alphonse Mouzon - The Essence Of Mystery
Released - 1973
Recording and Session Information
A&R Studios, NYC, December 13, 14 & 15, 1972
Buddy Terry, soprano sax; Sonny Fortune, alto sax; Larry Willis, piano, electric piano; Buster Williams, bass; Wilbur Bascomb Jr., electric bass; Alphonze Mouzon, drums, timpani, tabla, percussion, electric piano, Clavinet, Mellotron, vocals.
11442 The Essence Of Mystery
11443 Funky Finger
11444 Crying Angels
11445 Why Can't We Make It
11446 Macrobian
11447 Spring Water
11448 Sunflower
11449 Thank You Lord
11450 Antonia
Track Listing
| Side One | ||
| Title | Author | Recording Date |
| The Essence of Mystery | Alphonse Mouzon | December 13,14,15 1972 |
| Funky Finger | Alphonse Mouzon | December 13,14,15 1972 |
| Crying Angels | Alphonse Mouzon | December 13,14,15 1972 |
| Why Can't We Make It | Alphonse Mouzon | December 13,14,15 1972 |
| Macrobian | Alphonse Mouzon | December 13,14,15 1972 |
| Side Two | ||
| Spring Water | Alphonse Mouzon | December 13,14,15 1972 |
| Sunflower | Alphonse Mouzon | December 13,14,15 1972 |
| Thank You Lord | Alphonse Mouzon | December 13,14,15 1972 |
| Antonia | Alphonse Mouzon | December 13,14,15 1972 |
Liner Notes
THE ESSENCE OF MYSTERY ALPHONZE MOUZON
I'd like to dedicate this, my first album as a leader, to my mother, Emma, and to my late sister, Willie Mae.." Al Mouzon said on the other end of the phone: he in Detroit, me in Harlem!
We'd gotten in touch because I'd wanted to get some bio info on him; you know, a brief run down...
A Scorpio, Al was born in Charleston, South Carolina 25 yrs. ago — November 21, 1948, to be exact. But it was in 1966 that he arrived in York City (his home base), and without fanfare started gigging within two weeks around and about the city. Since that time he has played drums with Roberta Flack, Roy Ayers, Weather Report, Tim Harvey, Gil Evans, Les McCann, and Stevie Wonder; currently, he performs with McCoy Tyner.
'You could also mention that I've also earned a certificate from the Manhattan Medical School as a Laboratory Technician," he informed me in a quiet manner.
Al attended an all black high school, Bonds-Wilson, in Charleston where he played in the marching band, winning for his talents the Best Percussionist Award for several years. He cites Lonnie Hamilton III as being his major and only musical influence, "He played alto like Charlie Parker." I asked him to describe his music,
"Well, my music is sort of hard to describe, with words." Yet, even on the phone I could feel his search. "It has a gospel/folk quality, a rock feeling... I guess you'd call it black rock."
After saying goodbye to Al Mouzon I placed his record on changer, and got into his music:
A tour de force for Al Mouzon!
He composed and conducted all of the music, aside from playing drums and the Indian Tabla, he played electric piano on SPRING WATER, the electric clavinet on WHY CAN'T WE MAKE IT, and also joins a boss singing group on several of the selections!
Al drums with an exiting excellence on ANTONIA, and MAC ROBIAN. SPRINGNATER and SUN FLOWER both swing and sing. But my personal favorites are WHY CAN'T WE M4KE IT, FUNKY FINGERS. And THANK YOU LORD whose haunting melody swings in the bluest of blues, and ESSENCE OF MYSTERY done with strings to a strutting/high stepping majestic feeling!
Because of the different elements (voices, strings on one track beautiful and beyond beyond electric piano, and sax all held together, funkily so, by rhythms leading unending melodies!), it would foolhardy to attempt to categorize the music in this album; rather, just let the word be that it represents the very best, the essence of modern music...
Hey!
But don't take my word for it; check it out yourself — I mean after all, that's supposed to be the sine qua non for digging all things!
—Charlie L. Russell
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