Tiger in the Rain

Tiger in the Rain
Studio album by Michael Franks
Released	1979 (1979)
Recorded	November 1978 (1978-11)
Studio	A&R Recording (New York, NY)
Genre	Smooth jazz
Length	40:48
Label	Warner Bros.
Producer	John Simon
Michael Franks chronology
Burchfield Nines (1978) Tiger in the Rain (1979) One Bad Habit (1980)

Tiger in the Rain is an album by singer-songwriter Michael Franks, released in 1979 on Warner Bros. ^[1]

It was his first album not produced by Tommy LiPuma, Al Schmitt, and Lee Hershberg. The album was arranged and produced by John Simon. Franks plays guitar, banjo, and mandolin. ^[2] The album cover features "Tiger in a Tropical Storm", an oil painting by Henri Rousseau.

Reception

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[2]

A. Colin Flood wrote in Enjoy the Music magazine that the album "[continues to] express Franks’ original synthesis of smooth jazz/rock fusion, again with the understated South American underbeats" that "subsides into clever adult sentiments. This album celebrates an easy life of success." ^[3]

For PopMatters , Rob Caldwell praised the "clever turn[s] of phrase" that work at a "symbolic level (Franks wasn’t a literature major for nothing)" and "[t]here’s something to be said for escapism, for the armchair-travelling Michael Franks’ music offers." ^[4]

Music critic Stephen J. Matteo commented for AllMusic the album was "[l]ush, romantic and more experimental than previous efforts" and that while "none of its songs has the instant appeal of some of his earlier writing, the album as a whole is as refreshing and meditative as a stroll through a rain forest." ^[2]

Track listing

All tracks are written by Michael Franks.

Side one

No.	Title	Length
1.	"Sanpaku"	4:10
2.	"When It's Over"	3:03
3.	"Living on the Inside"	5:36
4.	"Hideaway"	4:09
5.	"Jardin Botanico"	3:32

Side two

No.	Title	Length
1.	"Underneath the Apple Tree"	5:52
2.	"Tiger in the Rain"	4:17
3.	"Satisfaction Guaranteed"	3:39
4.	"Lifeline"	6:10

Charts

Chart (1979)	Peak position
Australian (Kent Music Report)	65 [5]

Personnel

Musicians

• Michael Franks – vocals
• Kenny Barron – acoustic piano (1, 3-7, 9)
• Paul Griffin – organ (1, 8, 9)
• Bob Leinbach – organ (2)
• Dominic Cortese – concertina (9)
• Joe Caro – electric guitar (1, 2, 8, 9), acoustic guitar (2, 5)
• Bucky Pizzarelli – acoustic guitar (3, 6, 7), electric guitar (4)
• Herb Bushler – bass (1, 2, 5, 8, 9)
• Ron Carter – acoustic bass (3, 4, 6, 7)
• Rick Marotta – drums (1, 5, 8, 9)
• Buddy Williams – drums (2)
• Ben Riley – drums (3, 4, 6, 7)
• Rubens Bassini – percussion (1, 2, 4, 5, 7, 9)
• Errol "Crusher" Bennett – congas (1, 5)
• Mike Mainieri – vibraphone (3, 4, 7)
• John Simon – percussion (4)
• Seldon Powell – tenor saxophone (4), soprano saxophone (7)
• Dave Liebman – flute solo (5), first flute solo (6), flute (9)
• George Young – tenor sax solo (6), second flute solo (6), flute (9)
• David Sanborn – alto sax solo (8)
• Howard Leshaw – flute (9)
• Lew Soloff – piccolo trumpet (9)
• Hilda Harris – backing vocals (1, 9)
• Flora Purim – backing vocals (1, 2, 9)
• Maretha Stewart – backing vocals (1, 9)

^[2]

Horns

Horn section (Tracks 6 & 8)

• Lew Del Gatto – saxophones (6)
• Lou Marini – saxophones (6, 8)
• George Young – saxophones (6)
• David Sanborn – saxophones (8)
• Tom Malone – trombone (6, 8)
• Claudio Roditi – trumpet (6)
• Randy Brecker – trumpet (8)
• John Clark – French horn (6, 8)

Strings

String quartet on "Living on the Inside"

• Abdul Wadud – cello
• Harold Coletta – viola
• Harry Lookofsky – first violin
• Charles Libove – second violin

String section on "Lifeline"

• Harry Lookofsky – concertmaster
• Jesse Levy, Charles McCracken, Allan Shulman and Abdul Wadud – cello
• Harold Coletta, Richard Maximoff and Emanuel Vardi – viola
• Lewis Eley, Charles Libove, Harry Lookofsky, Joseph Malin, Anthony Posk, Richard Sortomme and Harry Urbont – violin

Production

• John Simon – producer, arrangements
• Glenn Berger – recording, mixing
• Howie Silberberg – second engineer
• Lee Herschberg – CD remastering
• Bob Kuttruf – production assistant
• Henri Rousseau – cover painting
• John Calbaka – art direction
• Claudia Franks – design, photography
• Fred Heller – management

References

1. "Discography in Order of Release". MichaelFranks.com. Retrieved September 6, 2012.
2. Matteo, Stephen J. Tiger in the Rain - Michael Franks at AllMusic. Retrieved 2018-09-06.
3. Colin Flood, A. "Michael Franks: Thirty Years of Smooth Jazz". Enjoy The Music. Retrieved September 6, 2018.
4. Caldwell, Rob (March 4, 2014). "The Slow Samba Escapism of Michael Franks' "Tiger in the Rain"". Popmatters . Retrieved September 6, 2018.
5. Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. p. 118. ISBN   0-646-11917-6.

Bibliography

• Tiger in the Rain (Vinyl back cover). Michael Franks. United States: Warner Bros. 1979. BSK 3294.