Dance of the Love Ghosts

Dance of the Love Ghosts
Studio album by John Carter
Released	1987
Genre	Jazz
Label	Gramavision
Producer	Jonathan F. P. Rose
John Carter chronology
Castles of Ghana (1986) Dance of the Love Ghosts (1987) Fields (1988)

Dance of the Love Ghosts is an album by the American musician John Carter, released in 1987. ^{[1] [2]} It is the third part of Carter's Roots and Folklore: Episodes in the Development of American Folk Music series. ^[3]

Production

The album is about the Middle Passage and the initial experiences of enslaved Africans. ^[4] It was engineered by Jim Anderson and Jim Goatly. ^[5] Carter incorporated electronic elements for the first time on a record. ^[6] He worked with musicians based mostly in New York City, including Benny Powell on trombone, Bobby Bradford on cornet, Fred Hopkins on bass, and Marty Ehrlich on clarinet. ^{[7] [8] [9]} Don Preston contributed on keyboards; Andrew Cyrille contributed on drums, with additional rhythms provided by three Ashanti percussionists. ^{[10] [11]} Violinist Terry Jenoure sang on "The Captain's Dilemma". ^[12] "The Silent Drum" employs African polyrhythms. ^[13]

Critical reception

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[12]
DownBeat	[2]
The Encyclopedia of Popular Music	[14]
Omaha World-Herald	[15]
The Philadelphia Inquirer	[10]
The Rolling Stone Jazz & Blues Album Guide	[16]

The Chicago Sun-Times called the album "an emotionally compelling and sometimes gripping telling of Africans being shipped to America as slaves". ^[17] The Chicago Tribune said that "the colors of the writing are Ellingtonian, which is as it should be, and Bradford's singing tone at once sears and heals the soul." ^[9] The New York Times labeled the music "a more open-ended, large-scale, abstract kind of chamber jazz". ^[18]

The Buffalo News noted the influence of Charles Mingus, particularly on the first two tracks. ^[19] The Miami Herald praised "the loose, up-tempo swing groove" of the rhythm section. ^[20] The Philadelphia Inquirer listed Dance of the Love Ghosts among the 20 best jazz albums of 1987. ^[21]

Track listing

No.	Title	Length
1.	"Dance of the Love Ghosts"
2.	"The Silent Drum"
3.	"Journey"
4.	"The Captain's Dilemma"
5.	"Moon Waltz"

References

1. Giddins, Gary (2000). Visions of Jazz: The First Century. Oxford University Press, USA. p. 539.
2. Shoemaker, Bill (January 1988). "Record Reviews—John Carter: Dance of the Love Ghosts". DownBeat. Vol. 55, no. 1. p. 25.
3. Harrison, Thomas (2011). Music of the 1980s. ABC-CLIO. p. 147.
4. Tesser, Neil (November 15, 1989). "'Unfulfilled dreams' Carter opus tracks poignant experience of black migration". Tempo. Chicago Tribune. p. 3.
5. Ross, Alan (August 9, 1987). "Jazz LP features fine ensemble". The Indianapolis Star. p. E10.
6. George, Lynell (April 13, 1989). "Selected John Carter Discography". LA Weekly. p. 49.
7. Snowden, Don (September 5, 1990). "A Local Hero Takes Center Stage". Los Angeles Times. p. F5.
8. Davis, Francis (October 23, 1987). "It's a Week with Plenty to Be Heard". Features Weekend. The Philadelphia Inquirer. p. 30.
9. Kart, Larry (November 29, 1987). "Recordings". Arts. Chicago Tribune. p. 26.
10. Davis, Francis (August 7, 1987). "Albums". Weekend. The Philadelphia Inquirer. p. 36.
11. Rubien, David (May 8, 1988). "A Master Returns Clarinet to Jazz Forefront". Datebook. San Francisco Examiner. p. 41.
12. "Dance of the Love Ghosts Review by Scott Yanow". AllMusic. Retrieved March 25, 2025.
13. Karlovits, Bob (August 27, 1987). "Records". The Pittsburgh Press. p. D12.
14. Larkin, Colin (1998). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music. Macmillan. p. 969.
15. Smith, Will (August 30, 1987). "'Love Ghosts' Dances with Soaring Spirit". Entertainment. Omaha World-Herald. p. 14.
16. The Rolling Stone Jazz & Blues Album Guide. Random House. 1999. p. 130.
17. Sachs, Lloyd (August 3, 1987). "John Carter, Sheila Jordan are must-sees". Show. Chicago Sun-Times. p. 3.
18. Pareles, Jon (February 5, 1988). "West Coast Jazz Stars to Play". The New York Times. p. C23.
19. Simon, Jeff (July 31, 1987). "Jazz". Gusto. The Buffalo News. p. 36.
20. Moon, Tom (June 27, 1987). "'Third Stream' flows at JVC Festival". The Miami Herald. p. 6B.
21. Davis, Francis (December 27, 1987). "1987's Standouts in Jazz & Rock". The Philadelphia Inquirer. p. K1.