Customer Reviews

Barefoot Ballet (Dig)

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Barefoot Ballet has been and continues to be overlooked in favor of the massively popular Touch, but it might just be a better album. While it doesn't have the stoned out mellow deep late night groove of Touch, in some ways the playing is even stronger, and the songs better.

Better is a matter of personal taste, but for the most part, after Barefoot Ballet it was pretty much a quick slide into muzak and formula territory a la Kenny G (with a few exceptions like the two Nautilus records and Nexus) and now Klemmer is a freakish figure on the bingo circuit, but Barefoot Ballet is highly recommended to fans of Touch and the era of jazz in California.

The albums Touch [originally released in 1974] and Barefoot Ballet [originally released in 1975] could easily have been recorded at the same time and simply released a year apart. Both comprise a mellow sax sound in the vane of John Coltrane's softer work.

Virtually all the songs from Touch and Barefoot Ballet have been woven into my long (800+ songs) Jazz playlist in iTunes. These albums, which originally appeared on the ABC label and were out of print for years, have only recently become available on CD or as digital downloads. Both offer a soothing sound that refuses to be boring.

I have not heard all of the albums of John Klemmer but this one is beautiful. Continuously flowing waves of melody, harmony and rhythm. Klemmer developed smooth jazz before it was popularized in the 80's!

What more can I say?... The title track is coool. it's got everything a sax-loving, melodic, yet funky inspired 'album' should have...glad it is now available on CD as I lost the original LP long ago.

A love story revisited....from college to mid-life....sax just doesn't get better than this!
Just buy it!

Wow, I am so happy to have found this artist again thirty-five years after I was first introduced to his music. "AT 17" is a favorite because at 19 I was renting a small apartment in Gaeta, Italy and this vinyl record just played all the time. Sounds so good near to the ocean on a sandy beach and summertime. John Klemmer's "Touch" is almost as good.

I found this guy way back when I was going to Cosmetology School in 1977-1978. I accidentally stumbled onto him through a friend
of mine that was going to a 4 year college. Boy was I glad I did. His music is amazing. I love a good saxaphone and he is one
of the better ones.

I first discovered this album at a landfill in Clarke County Alabama around 1979, was helping my dad take a dumptruck load of farm trash to the landfill and I spotted a stack of vinyl LP's (later realized they were the culls from the local radio stations free LP list) sitting out and was immediately intrigued. Went ahead and put them all in the truck to take back home. Being in rural Alabama and with no real way to pick up new music except Columbia House I spent some time listening to these records. Only 2 stand out. My Aim is True by Elvis Costello (still one of my favorite recordings) and this record by Klemmer.........spun the grooves off both of them, was a budding guitarist and drummer at the time...ended up playing several of the E.C. tunes in a band in college but had mostly forgotten about John Klemmer until I just had a chance to listen to "Touch" again yesterday.

Anyway great memories, I think the sax is second only to the electric guitar as far as expression by the musician and JK blows a mean sax....give it a listen. If you enjoy instrumental jazz/rock/fusion you will not be disappointed with this or the Touch album. Peace!