Yusef Lateef's Little Symphony
Encyclopedia
Yusef Lateef's Little Symphony is an album by Yusef Lateef
, released through the record label Rhino Atlantic in June 1987. The album, which Billboard
described as "an atmospheric four-movement classical/jazz composition", was produced by Lateef, recorded, mixed and mastered by Norman Blain, and remastered by Dennis King. Lateef provided all instrumentation that appears on the album. In 1988, Yusef Lateef's Little Symphony earned Lateef the Grammy Award
for Best New Age Album
despite having no prior association with the genre.
described as "an atmospheric four-movement classical/jazz composition". The album was produced by Lateef, recorded, mixed and mastered by Norman Blain, and remastered by Dennis King.
In 1988, the album earned Lateef the Grammy Award
for Best New Age Album
despite having no prior association with New Age music
. Known for disliking the term "jazz", Lateef has stated that he has no problem with the New Age classification and believes that the genre has no "negative connotations at all".
.
Track listing adapted from Allmusic.
Credits adapted from Allmusic.
Yusef Lateef
Dr. Yusef Lateef is an American Grammy Award-winning jazz multi-instrumentalist, composer, educator and a spokesman for the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community after his conversion to the Ahmadiyya sect of Islam in 1950.Although Lateef's main instruments are the tenor saxophone and flute, he is known for...
, released through the record label Rhino Atlantic in June 1987. The album, which Billboard
Billboard (magazine)
Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...
described as "an atmospheric four-movement classical/jazz composition", was produced by Lateef, recorded, mixed and mastered by Norman Blain, and remastered by Dennis King. Lateef provided all instrumentation that appears on the album. In 1988, Yusef Lateef's Little Symphony earned Lateef the Grammy Award
Grammy Award
A Grammy Award — or Grammy — is an accolade by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to recognize outstanding achievement in the music industry...
for Best New Age Album
Grammy Award for Best New Age Album
The Grammy Award for Best New Age Album is presented to recording artists for quality albums in the New Age music genre at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony that was established in 1958 and originally called the Gramophone Awards...
despite having no prior association with the genre.
Composition and reception
Lateef played all of the instruments that appear on Yusef Lateef's Little Symphony, which BillboardBillboard (magazine)
Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...
described as "an atmospheric four-movement classical/jazz composition". The album was produced by Lateef, recorded, mixed and mastered by Norman Blain, and remastered by Dennis King.
In 1988, the album earned Lateef the Grammy Award
Grammy Award
A Grammy Award — or Grammy — is an accolade by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to recognize outstanding achievement in the music industry...
for Best New Age Album
Grammy Award for Best New Age Album
The Grammy Award for Best New Age Album is presented to recording artists for quality albums in the New Age music genre at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony that was established in 1958 and originally called the Gramophone Awards...
despite having no prior association with New Age music
New Age music
New Age music is music of various styles intended to create artistic inspiration, relaxation, and optimism. It is used by listeners for yoga, massage, meditation, and reading as a method of stress management or to create a peaceful atmosphere in their home or other environments, and is often...
. Known for disliking the term "jazz", Lateef has stated that he has no problem with the New Age classification and believes that the genre has no "negative connotations at all".
Track listing
All songs by Yusef LateefYusef Lateef
Dr. Yusef Lateef is an American Grammy Award-winning jazz multi-instrumentalist, composer, educator and a spokesman for the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community after his conversion to the Ahmadiyya sect of Islam in 1950.Although Lateef's main instruments are the tenor saxophone and flute, he is known for...
.
- "First Movement: Larghissimo" – 8:05
- "Second Movement: Andante" – 8:14
- "Third Movement: Moderato" – 10:07
- "Fourth Movement: Presto" – 6:51
Track listing adapted from Allmusic.
Personnel
- Norman Blain – engineer, mastering, mixing
- Bob Defrin – art direction
- Cheryl Griesbach – illustrations
- Dennis King – remastering
- Yusef LateefYusef LateefDr. Yusef Lateef is an American Grammy Award-winning jazz multi-instrumentalist, composer, educator and a spokesman for the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community after his conversion to the Ahmadiyya sect of Islam in 1950.Although Lateef's main instruments are the tenor saxophone and flute, he is known for...
– alto fluteAlto fluteThe alto flute is a type of Western concert flute, a musical instrument in the woodwind family. It is the next extension downward of the C flute after the flûte d'amour. It is characterized by its distinct, mellow tone in the lower portion of its range...
, casio, drums, Ensoniq MirageEnsoniq MirageThe Ensoniq Corporation's Mirage was an 8-bit sampler introduced in 1984. Priced below $2000 with features previously only found on more expensive samplers like the Fairlight CMI, it became a best seller....
, flute, gourd, kalangu, producer, soprano fluteSoprano fluteThe soprano flute is a type of flute, a musical instrument in the woodwind family. A few American publications for flute choir currently include a part for E flute, an instrument pitched a minor third higher than the standard C flute and is rather rarely found at present. In these publications, an...
, soprano saxophoneSoprano saxophoneThe soprano saxophone is a variety of the saxophone, a woodwind instrument, invented in 1840. The soprano is the third smallest member of the saxophone family, which consists of the soprillo, sopranino, soprano, alto, tenor, baritone, bass, contrabass and tubax.A transposing instrument pitched in...
, tenor flute, tenor saxophoneTenor saxophoneThe tenor saxophone is a medium-sized member of the saxophone family, a group of instruments invented by Adolphe Sax in the 1840s. The tenor, with the alto, are the two most common types of saxophones. The tenor is pitched in the key of B, and written as a transposing instrument in the treble...
, shannie, sitarSitarThe 'Tablaman' is a plucked stringed instrument predominantly used in Hindustani classical music, where it has been ubiquitous since the Middle Ages...
, water drumWater drumWater drums are a category of membranophone characterized by the filling of the drum chamber with some amount of water to create a unique sound. Water drums are common in Native American music, and in some forms of African and Southeast Asian music....
s - Stanley Martucci – illustrations
Credits adapted from Allmusic.