Ronnie Foster - Cheshire Cat (1975) LP

Ronnie Foster rejects this narrow-minded conception of jazz. He has caught perhaps a truer musical spirit by taking the best of the sounds around him and molding them into a personal statement which is esthetically sincere and can com-municate with the general public. "Cheshire Cat" explores the different sounds, colors and textures of the variegated stylistic spectrum of music. "When I was young," Ronnie said, "I was into everything. As I developed on the organ, I became exposed to all different types of music. I learned to play them as they were meant to be played. If a tune is funky, I let it be funky; if a tune is jazzy and out, then I let it be jazzy and out. I don't try to force something into a genre in which it doesn't belong. Though I'm jazz oriented, I'm really concerned with music.

"Many musicians are trying to get into all kinds of music now. People used to stick with only one kind of thing. Now they experiment. We're trying to appeal to a larger audience and that is all for the good. That is really what this LP is about."

As you will hear, Ronnie7s eclectic sound shows the influences of such musical doyens as Stevie Wonder, Jimmy Smith, Larry Young, and Walter Carlos. Most importantly, Ronnie has incorporated the essence of these geniuses into his own distinctive sound.

His melodies are hauntingly lyrical, yet at times the musical tension builds and the listener can feel an almost visceral excitement. Ronnie's music is an open-ended excursion through musical modes as varied as "discofunlc," free-form improvisation, and electric rock. As he says, "I never really know where I'm going to end up. I'll use whatever musical device fits."

The young organist was born in Buffalo in 1950. He performed on the piano exclusively until he attended a jam session during the early '60's. "I was told that they had a piano and an organ there. The only problem was that the piano never materialized. I was really scared. After a half hour of coaxing, they finally got me up there, and you know, they couldn't get me off!"

Like many other aspiring jazz organists, Ronnie structured his playing on the music of Jimmy Smith. As it turned out, however, it was Larry Young who provided the most important lesson. He stressed the fact that finely honed skills, through extremely important, are merely the tools with which one must communicate a unique personality. A good portion of Ronnie's success is the result of his mastery of this precept.

Ronnie began working the club scene; in time, he gigged with Stanley Turrentine and Young-Holt Unlimited. Yet, he kept himself open to other musical trends by spending time with rock groups and such arcane entities as Polish folk bands. Ronnie's most important early engagement was with Grant Green, for ft led to a long tutelage with this guitar master and a Blue Note recording contract.

Though Ronnie recorded three records for Blue Note ("Two Headed Freap," "Sweet Revival," and "On the Avenue") and worked with his own bands, he continued to play with several jazz standouts. The most important dates have been with George Benson. In fact, it was in George's band that Ronnie first began to use the Fender Rhodes and the synthesizer. "George didn't think I'd stick with the piano," Ronnie laughed, "because he knows how much I love the organ. Yet I did stick and I'm glad because it really has opened up my head. He knows what I'm about musically."

George Butler, the Blue Note impresario, recognized the respect and understanding that Benson and Ronnie have for each other. He suggested that Benson produce the striking "On the Avenue" LP. The arrangement continues to be extremely fruitful, for it is on this fourth record that the organist truly matures as a composer and a performer.

Ronnie wrote all of "Cheshire Cat's" tunes, save for Stevie Wonder's "Tuesday Heartbreak." "I was in the midst of a wonderful relationship when I wrote 'Like a Child,' " Ronnie said. "The piece sort of arose spontaneously. I just sat at the organ and it flowed right out: 'I feel like a child.' It's a light, sort of floating number. The piece is really a lot of fun.

" 'Tuesday Heartbreak,' of course, is Stevie's tune. We're really very close friends and I like to do his compositions which haven't been covered. 'Tuesday' is an older tune, but still very fresh. We did it a little differently here. After the Latin section, we felt it would be interesting to take it outside before we brought it back to the main theme and rhythm.

" 'Fly Away' is another love song. It deals with spiritual feelings and higher thoughts: 'take my hand and face the sun/And let's fly away.' I don't think it's really commercial because of that improvisational insert. That signifies the act of flying away, which then naturally leads us back to the original mood.

"I wrote 'Funky Motion' about a year and a half ago. When chicks move and walk, you know, there's really something special taking place. So, 'She's got funky motion/Think I've got a notion.' Of course! The tune is a disco number and it was mixed accordingly. We tried to recreate that sort of echo one hears in discotheques.

"Since I've been a little child, I've grinned like a Cheshire cat. I suppose that cat is really a little part of me. Like the cat in 'Alice in Wonderland,' the tune is outside. It's also somewhat abstract. I used my voice a little differently and achieved that strange sort of vibrato. The piece has a mysterious air to it. After the organ solo, it goes right back to the top and disappears, like Alice's, cat.

" 'Heartless' is a true mood piece. It doesn't have a real melody, for the melody is carried in the bass line alone. The synthesizer is used here with a particular finesse. I like to treat it as an instrument rather than as a machine. What I tried to catch is the state of mind that arises when people's relationships break down."

The musicians on this record are highly attuned to Ronnie's sound. They have extremely varied backgrounds and impeccable musical pedigrees. Most importantly, each has a deep respect for the other's art. As you will hear, the atmosphere that arises is highly conducive to musical creation.

"I like to work with people that I know, whom I have gotten into and who have gotten into me/7 Ronnie explained. "The drummer, Dennis Davis, has played with Roy Ayers, Zulema, and David Bowie. He's a well-rounded cat who can play anything. It's also important to note that he plays with an open mind.

"William Allen is presently the bass player with Roy Ayers. He is an excellent composer and arranger who has really helped out in the organization of our work.

"Joe Beck plays guitar. I've seen him in clubs and he always knocks me out. Joe has done dates with giants like Miles Davis and Joe Farrell, and younger cats like Dom Um Romao and Bill Wat-rous. He's also recently done his first solo record in many years.

"Mtume is the percussionist. He is featured most prominently in Miles Davis' band, so you know where he's at! He has also worked with Sonny Rollins, Pharoah Sanders and many other cats.

"Gary King, who has done a lot of CTI session dates, also plays bass on 'Heartless,' 'Cheshire Cat,' and 'Fly Away.'

"Last but not least is George Benson. He plays guitar on 'Cheshire Cat.' Listen to his background vocals on 'Like a Child.' Most people are not aware of his amazing voice."

Ronnie is extremely happy with "Cheshire Cat." It is his most satisfying record because it clearly delineates the foundation of his artistic sensitivity. "I always have tried to discover what music is about and what the musicians are trying to lay out. I just wish everyone would do that with everyone else's music." So, check it out. You won't be disappointed.

Steven Marks