Black Action Figure

Stefon Harris | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (September 14, 1999)
• Original Release Date: September 14, 1999
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Blue Note Records
• ASIN: B00000K4H7
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #78,601 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Stefon Harris is someone to keep an ear on., September 22, 1999

By 

Ronald Lyles "relyles" (West Hartford, CT) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Black Action Figure (Audio CD)

After listening to this cd several times I had to go back and listen to Stefon Harris' first CD, A Cloud Of Red Dust, to confirm my initial impressions. They have been confirmed. Black Action Figure shows considerable progress from Harris' first CD. Everything about the CD is an improvement. The writing and playing are both stronger. More importantly for me, the new recording is much more cohesive than the first cd. While I enjoyed the first CD, I felt like Harris was trying to do too many different things in the fifty minute length of the CD. Not so with Black Action Figure. This should not be taken to mean that there is not a variety of moods on the new cd, but that the songs fit together nicely as a whole, documenting where Stefon Harris was at the time of this recording. Harris does not play it safe and seems to be searching for a personal way to express himself. This is something I respect a great deal. I would also be very negligent if I did not mention that Harris proves himself more than worthy of the critical attention he is receiving as one of the significant new vibraphone players to arrive in recent years. This is shown to best advantage on the CD on the songs featuring the quartet only. Check it out!

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars wow, new kid on the block, May 4, 2000

By 

ron davis (albany, ny) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Black Action Figure (Audio CD)

This young man has the range of a musician twice his age. The music not only captivates, but hyptonizes, with it fine blend of vibes, base and horns. This is a must in any jazz audiophiles library.

5 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars blue note strikes again, April 1, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: Black Action Figure (Audio CD)

I really wanted to like this CD. Unfortunately, as vibrant and dynamic of a performer as I suspect Stefon is, this CD does not warrant a glowing review. The impression I get every time I listen to this CD is that the performer is hidden behind a curtain. The dynamics and soundstage of the recording are just muffled enough to detract from the recording's energy, rendering it somewhat opaque. Poor Stefon, he has suffered the curse of the current incarnation of his label, Blue Note. I always hesitate to purchase Blue Note recordings: they just do not maintain the same level of sonic quality that a Mapleshade or Verve does. (A great example of this is Chucho Valdes' recent live recording at the Village Vanguard. Play that CD on a good stereo and you'll left scratching head and wondering if the folks at Blue Note are deaf; the recording's mixing is very poorly done.) I only purchased this CD as an introduction to Stefon, before seeing him perform live in 2 weeks. It will be interesting to see how much of Stefon's abilities this CD actually captures.