Carla Bley - Night-Glo (1985)

Though Heavy Heart was supposedly the "mellow, sensual" album Carla Bley had in mind, Night-Glo is more like it – a relaxed, easygoing, easy-listening series of compositions that nearly spills over into fuzak. Writing for a basic sextet with an added five-man horn section, most effectively when one color melts gently into another, Bley permits the lazy pina-colada mood to amble undisturbed from track to track.

Hiram Bullock's guitar, whether in rock or jazz modes, almost defines the laid-back ambience all by itself; Steve Swallow's bass underpins the relaxed groove and velvety horn textures (Randy Brecker is the trumpet voice there); and Paul McCandless can be heard on a variety of single- and double-reed wind instruments. It's a pretty album, always intelligently made, but interminable at times – most noticeably on the aptly named "Rut."


Tracks:

01 - Pretend You're In Love
02 - Night-Glo
03 - Rut
04 - Crazy With You
05 - Wildlife

Personnel:

Carla Bley - organ, synthesizers
Steve Swallow - bass guitar
Randy Brecker - trumpet, flugelhorn
Paul McCandless - oboe, english horn, bass clarinet, soprano saxophone, tenor saxophone, baritone saxophone
John Clark - french horn
Tom Malone - trombone
David Taylor - bass trombone
Larry Willis - piano, electric piano
Hiram Bullock - guitar
Victor Lewis - drums
Manolo Badrena - percussion