Birth Sign (album)

Birth Sign
Studio album by George Freeman
Released	1970
Recorded	March 11 & 12, 1969
Studio	Ter-Mar Recording Studio, Chicago
Genre	Jazz
Length	40:11
Label	Delmark DS-424
Producer	Robert G. Koester
George Freeman chronology
Birth Sign (1970) Introducing George Freeman Live (1971)

Birth Sign is the debut album by the American jazz guitarist George Freeman recorded in 1969 and released by the Delmark label. ^{[1] [2] [3]}

Reception

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
Allmusic	[4]
The Penguin Guide to Jazz Recordings	[5]

Allmusic reviewer Michael G. Nastos stated "Chicago electric guitarist George Freeman was a quintessential sideman ... This is his debut recording, done in the height of the soul-jazz era circa 1969 ... At times Freeman's sound traces to no single individual source, though it is steeped in Chi-Town blues and a progressive stance ... Too bad the world never really heard enough of George Freeman, and although this is a small taste, it is a more than adequate amuse-bouche". ^[4]

Track listing

All compositions by George Freeman except where noted

1. "Mama, Papa, Brother" – 5:39
2. "Cough It Up" – 4:03
3. "My Scenery" – 5:54
4. "Must Be, Must Be" (Robin Kenyatta) – 5:30
5. "Birth Sign" – 5:23
6. "Hoss" – 6:57
7. "My Ship" (Kurt Weill, Ira Gershwin) – 6:45

Personnel

• George Freeman – guitar
• Lester Lashley – trombone (track 4)
• Von Freeman (tracks 2, 3, 6 & 7), Kalaparusha Maurice McIntyre (track 4) - tenor saxophone
• Sonny Burke (tracks 1-3 & 4–6), Robert Pierce (track 4) – organ
• Billy Mitchell – drums
• Michael Cuscuna – arranger (track 4)

References

1. Jazzlists: Delmark Records discography: 400/500 series accessed October 14, 2019
2. Delmark Records: album details accessed October 14, 2019
3. Jazzlists: George Freeman discography accessed October 14, 2019
4. Nastos, Michael G.. George Freeman: Birth Sign – Review at AllMusic . Retrieved October 14, 2019.
5. Cook, Richard; Morton, Brian (2008). The Penguin Guide to Jazz Recordings (9th ed.). Penguin. p. 506. ISBN   978-0-141-03401-0.