This post is by Scott and Dan
Recorded in 1983
From our point of view, James Newton's Luella is one of the finest jazz albums of the 1980s. It successfully combines jazz and classical influences to produce a lyrical masterpiece, comparable to his self-titled Gramavision debut (1983) and his subsequent Water Mystery, reviewed elsewhere in this blog. The three string players are integral to the band, not mere colorists. They perform solos and generate rhythmic figures driving the music forward.
Newton and company visit some serious topics: the bittersweet love ballad "Not Without You;" the socio-economic tragedy of South Africa; and the title composition that honors Newton's aunt, Luella Scott, who was brutally murdered two months before the recording of the album. With conscious resolve, Newton explains, he sought to avoid the "requiem syndrome" and focus on the positive aspects of his aunt's life. He certainly does not avoid the despair and pain, but from such dark emotions spring beautifully powerful sounds.
Newton also includes more conventional fare: a tribute to Eric Dolphy and a cover of Wayne Shorter's "Ana Maria." These become vehicles for the best solos on the album.
All of Newton's albums lie some distance away from the mainstream, yet all are indisputably solid jazz albums that help to define what jazz was like in the 1980s and beyond.
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