I Let a Song Go Out of My Heart (album)

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I Let a Song Go Out of My Heart
I Let a Song Go Out of My Heart (album).jpg
Studio album by
James Clay
Released1991
Studio Van Gelder
Genre Jazz, bebop
Label Antilles
Producer John Snyder
James Clay chronology
A Double Dose of Soul
(1960)		I Let a Song Go Out of My Heart
(1991)		Cookin' at the Continental
(1992)

I Let a Song Go Out of My Heart is an album by the American musician James Clay, released in 1991. [1] [2]

Contents

Production

The album continued a comeback for Clay, who had reemerged on the national jazz scene when Don Cherry asked him in 1988 to play and record with Cherry's group; Clay was inspired by the sound he got at Van Gelder Studio, and elected to use it for I Let a Song Go Out of My Heart. [3] [4] [5] The album was produced by John Snyder. [6] Clay was backed by Billy Higgins on drums, Cedar Walton on piano, and David Williams on bass. [7] Clay's playing was influenced primarily by Sonny Rollins. [8] "I Mean You" is an interpretation of the Coleman Hawkins version of the song. [9] "John Paul Jones" was composed by John Coltrane. [9]

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [10]
MusicHound Jazz: The Essential Album Guide Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [6]
The Penguin Guide to Jazz on CD, LP & Cassette Star full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svgStar empty.svg [5]

The New York Times said that "Clay plays bass tenor saxophone, mixing blues ideas and insistent single-note phrases with liquid lines that weave their way through be-bop's matrix of harmony and rhythm." [11] The Wall Street Journal stated that "Clay has that smoky Texas tenor sound that's so timelessly appealing, and he's also a former colleague of Ornette Coleman, which makes for interesting style in its full glory". [12] The Hartford Courant opined that Clay's "celebratory sound is pure jazz hedonism." [3]

The Albuquerque Journal noted that the album combines Clay's "experiences with R&B and with straight-ahead and avant-garde jazz styles". [13] The News and Observer said that "there are intimations of harmonic freedom in Mr. Clay's long lines and earthy, full-throated sound." [14] The Omaha World-Herald stated that Clay "is true to the wide-open, bluesy Texas tenor tradition". [15]

Track listing

No.TitleLength
1."Things Ain't What They Used to Be"5:42
2."My Foolish Heart"8:22
3."Rain Check"6:29
4."The Very Thought of You"6:11
5."I Mean You"6:55
6."I Let a Song Go Out of My Heart"5:04
7."Just in Time"7:17
8."I Can't Get Started"7:08
9."John Paul Jones A.K.A. Trane's Blues"7:05
10."Body and Soul"7:48

References

  1. ↑ Sachs, Lloyd (March 28, 1991). "For purists, Antilles is new label of choice". Chicago Sun-Times. p. 2.43.
  2. ↑ Mitchell, Rick (April 7, 1991). "Gillespie unites a great sound". Zest. Houston Chronicle. p. 17.
  3. 1 2 McNally, Owen (February 21, 1991). "Jazz". Calendar. The Hartford Courant. p. 5.
  4. ↑ Morthland, John (April 26, 1991). "Music Reviews". LA Weekly. p. 77.
  5. 1 2 The Penguin Guide to Jazz on CD, LP & Cassette. Penguin Books. 1994. p. 246.
  6. 1 2 MusicHound Jazz: The Essential Album Guide. Visible Ink Press. 1998. p. 237.
  7. ↑ Stewart, Zan (March 30, 1991). "Texas tenorman James Clay...". Los Angeles Times. p. F3.
  8. ↑ "Whether he's blowin' snakes from his smokin' tenor saxophone...". San Antonio Express-News. August 20, 1993. p. 14F.
  9. 1 2 Point, Michael (February 28, 1991). "Sax adds hot sounds to trio of new albums". Onward. Austin American-Statesman. p. 19.
  10. ↑ "I Let a Song Go Out of My Heart Review by Scott Yanow". AllMusic. Retrieved May 11, 2025.
  11. ↑ Watrous, Peter (March 3, 1991). "Sing No Blues for Jazz, Since the Music Is Hot Again". The New York Times. p. A26.
  12. ↑ Fusili, Jim (June 14, 1991). "Southern Soul; Sarah's Best". The Wall Street Journal. p. A7.
  13. ↑ Steinberg, David (March 3, 1991). "The Rich World of the Saxophone". Albuquerque Journal. p. F2.
  14. ↑ Cordle, Owen (March 10, 1991). "On the record". The News and Observer. p. 2H.
  15. ↑ Smith, Will (May 19, 1991). "Jazz Sounds". Entertainment. Omaha World-Herald. p. 9.
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