Customer Reviews

Deodato 2

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

 

 

First let me say that I think Deodato is a genius. Every track on this CD is bursting with fresh, innovative sounds and ideas. Whether it is an orcherstral re-interpretation of classical themes, or outrageous jazz-funk licks, this record rocks. The solos are great, the beat is heavy and funky throughout, and Deodato takes a number of excellent solos on Fender-Rhodes electric piano which I feel are real highlights of the album. The ensemble playing and sheer power of this band are amazing. So from an artistic perspective, I have no hesitation in highly recommending this CD.

However, the character of the sound has been changed from the original 1973 LP. Rudy Van Gelder recorded this session and did (as usual) an outstanding job. In this CD remaster, I think the richness of the lower registers is a bit lost, and I feel the ultra-high-frequency range (like cymbals) has been over-emphasized. But the worst thing about this remaster is that the tracks are out of order. Essentially, the sides have been reversed from the original release on LP. This may be just a mistake, or some attempt to make the album more "marketable", but either way it's wrong. The original artists, producers, and technicians made very deliberate desicions about what sequence the album should be presented in. For someone else to ignore these decisions and re-order the tracks in some other way 30 years after the fact is just wrong. We as fans expect and deserve to hear the album as close to the original as possible, and certainly the artists involved should have their work presented as intended.

So if you are looking for great music it is here. It's just been messed with. If you collect Deodato recordings, you should pick this CD up regardless because there are 3 bonus tracks, all of which are new mixes and none of which I have ever heard before. It's too bad that this material has been out of print for so long. You might also consider buying the Raven release "Preludes and Rhapsodies" which presents this album and its predecessor in their original playing order, albeit without the 3 bonus tracks. The sound on these re-releases is arguably better also.

First off, i totally agree with the previous reviewers. Now, let me tell you what i know. I found out a few things (through someone who runs a CTI discography website and seems to have authentic sources) about the initial SONY/Columbia CD releases of Eumir Deodato's first two albums (Prelude & Deodato2) which were initially released on the CTI label.

As we all know, the sound quality of those two vinyl recordings were absolutely awesome as they were done by the master himself "Doctor" Rudy Van Gelder. After those two albums, Deodato had a fallout with Creed Taylor and signed a deal with MCA. Then, in the early '80s, MCA was somehow a part of the big SONY buyout of Columbia Records. Included in the tapes MCA had of Deodato's work, were master outtakes of the CTI sessions which were the only things Deodato was able to get out of Creed Taylor who refused to give up the real masters for legal or personal reasons, or both.

So the multitrack tapes that SONY used to remaster these two albums were actually outtakes or other garbage! Whether SONY knew this or not, we'll probably never know. What i DO know, is that the Raven Records reisuue on CD is the closest thing to the original CTI recordings that i have ever heard. It could be that Raven was able to get the true masters from Mr. Taylor just before his death. So, if you want to hear this music as it was originally released on vinyl, i suggest you get the Raven Records 2-in-1 reissue.

This is one of my life's landmark albums, one of those that added jazz to my musical enthusiasms. This is an album which opened up a whole new world of sound to me and I was more than delighted to find it remastered and with extra tracks!
Deodato 2 came out when I was in my senior year in high school. Friends Mike Jacks and Bernie Mases were always on the cutting edge of the music scene throughout high school and I am indebted to them for introducing this gem to me at one of our after-school saturnalias in Mike's garage. We thrilled (and played air guitar) to the hard-driving Super Strut at top volume and fancied ourselves connoisseurs of the classics whenever Rhapsody In Blue came on. My personal favorite was and is the soaring Skyscrapers, with its majestic horns sandwiching a dazzling display of guitar pyrotechnics by John Tropea and a stunning keyboard attack by Deodato himself. Its a song that should always be played as loudly as possible.
Sadly, though, I have to concur with the previous two reviewers who bemoan the poor quality of the remaster. I actually had to raise the volume on my office player to hear what was being played, while most other CDs I play at work (mostly tango and jazz) sound just great at the normal volume setting. It was almost like sticking in one of those CDs with a cheesy "best buy" sticker on the jewel box that usually indicates poor sound quality.
The CD gets three stars, the average of one for the remastering and five for the music. The bonus tracks are pleasant, but none are of the calibre of the best original tracks. Despite the rating for this recording, I don't hesitate to recommend that you buy it as Deodato 2 is one of the best albums of the early 70s and also one of the finest in the storied CTI's archives.

To start with 'Deaodato 2' is far more direct and funky then
it predecessor and every tune from "Super Strut" to a grooving
cover of Steely Dan's "Do It Again" have that wonderful
fender rhodes 1970's funk-jazz sound all over them!That's the good news.The bad news is that,just as before Eumir Deodato has the same problem as fellow CTI keyboardist/arranger Bob James;he
always focuses more on rather pompous string and horn orchestrations that detracts greatly from Deodato's brilliant
keyboard playing and wonderful songs.That being said if the
'large ensamble' had been cut out 'Deodato 2' would be ranked
as a sure fire funk jazz classic along with the many classics
of Stanley Clarke,Billy Cobham and Hubert Laws-all of whom play
on this album.But as it stands it's simple way over produced and
where great songs like "Skyscrapers" and "Latin Flute" are
great,they're too cluttered and overdone.Ten star music but one rare case when a classic album requires an instant dress down.

The Raven release of Deodato's Preludes and Rhapsodies is an excellent example of superb audio engineering of a remaster. The CTI sound is well preserved and as identical to the CTI pressings as these ears can hear. The focal point, though, is Deodato whose composing, arranging and directing is center stage and star....check it out.

After the huge success of his Number One hit "Prelude," Eumir Deodato recorded another great album "Deodato 2," which includes an all-time favorite of mine, George Gershwin's "Rhapsody In Blue." This classical-jazz piece made Gershwin a world-class composer and gained him an unprecedented worldwide recognition in musical history. This piece runs the longest among all tracks - eight minutes and forty-six seconds and to me it's the highlight of this recording. His interpretation is just grand and the blend of classical touch and jazz fusion made this piece so interesting and exciting without losing its true form.

All the wonderful tunes in this recording were arranged and conducted by Eumir Deodato himself who also plays keyboards. Among the highlights are four of his very own compositions and all of them are captivating to the ears, "Latin Flute," Super Strut," "Skyscrapers" and "Venus."

His enchanting treatment and arrangement of another classical piece, Maurice Ravel's "Pavane For A Dead Princess" is also a delight to listen to. "Nights In White Satin" and "Do It Again" showcase Deodato's versatility not only as a musician but also as a creative arranger.

This recording features a huge ensemble of talented musicians, the likes of Hubert Laws on flute, Stanley Clarke on bass, Rick Morotta and Bill Cobham on drums, John Tropea on guitar, to name a few.

This is cool music. Listen now and enjoy!

I've been a Deodato fan for a long, long time. This particular CD was a "must buy" for me, as I'd worn out the vinyl! I could listen to "Super Strut" unendingly. John Tropea is a virtuoso on guitar throughout.

A funk-jazz collectors item, seminal for this genre. The music sounds a little simplistic for the modern ear but was way ahead of it's time.