Wikipedia

Spirit of the Black Territory Bands

Spirit of the Black Territory Bands is an album by the American musician Johnny Otis, credited as Johnny Otis and His Orchestra.[2][3] It was released in 1992.[4] The album is a tribute to the music of the territory bands of Otis's youth; Otis played with several such bands in the 1940s.[5][6]

Spirit of the Black Territory Bands
Studio album by
Johnny Otis
Released1992
LabelArhoolie[1]
ProducerJohnny Otis, Tom Morgan
Johnny Otis chronology
Let's Live It Up
(1991) 		Spirit of the Black Territory Bands
(1992) 		Otisology
(1995)

The album was nominated for a Grammy Award for "Best Large Jazz Ensemble Performance".[7][8]

Production

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The album was produced by Otis and Tom Morgan.[9][10] Otis's son, Shuggie, played guitar and helped to arrange the songs. His other son, Nicky, played drums.[11] Otis employed a 10-piece horn section.[12] The album was largely made up of Count Basie and Duke Ellington songs.[13] The album cover is a painting by Otis.[14]

Critical reception

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Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic     [15]
The Encyclopedia of Popular Music     [4]
MusicHound R&B: The Essential Album Guide     [16]

The San Francisco Chronicle wrote that "the arrangements lay curling, fine-point filigree behind blasting individual efforts with a prevailing robust spirit that simply smokes."[12]

AllMusic deemed the album "competent but hardly thrilling."[15] The Penguin Guide to Blues Recordings noted Otis's "continued engagement with jazz," and concluded that "it's unlikely that swing fans will be disappointed."[17]

Track listing

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No.TitleLength
1."Swinging the Blues" 
2."Margie" 
3."You're Drivin' Me Crazy / Moten Swing" 
4."The Mooche" 
5."Flying Home" 
6."Harlem Nocturne" 
7."Jumpin' at the Woodside" 
8."Sophisticated Lady" 
9."Jumpin' the Blues" 
10."Creole Love Call" 
11."Rock-a-Bye Basie" 

References

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  1. ^ Vacher, Peter (September 17, 2015). Swingin' on Central Avenue: African American Jazz in Los Angeles. Rowman & Littlefield.
  2. ^ Ouellette, Dan (Mar 1993). "Johnny Otis". DownBeat. Vol. 60, no. 3. p. 14.
  3. ^ "Lowell Fulson & Johnny Otis To Headline Troyce Key Music Scholarship Fund Benefit". Oakland Post. Vol. 29, no. 106. 28 Apr 1993. p. 9.
  4. ^ a b Larkin, Colin (2006). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music. Vol. 6. MUZE. p. 353.
  5. ^ Toombs, Mikel (March 20, 1991). "Otis' drive: Keep black music alive". The San Diego Union-Tribune. p. C1.
  6. ^ Hale, Mike (October 16, 1994). "Roots of Rhythm & Blues: Johnny Otis Plants His Feet and Makes Real an Old Dream". Arts. San Jose Mercury News. p. 3.
  7. ^ "Johnny Otis". Recording Academy. Retrieved 31 July 2022.
  8. ^ Clark, Rick (Mar 26, 1994). "Know Your Neighbors". Billboard. Vol. 106, no. 13. p. 84.
  9. ^ The Encyclopedia of Record Producers. Billboard Books. 1999. p. 600.
  10. ^ Otis, Johnny (November 19, 1993). Upside Your Head!: Rhythm and Blues on Central Avenue. Wesleyan University Press.
  11. ^ Lipsitz, George (July 31, 2010). Midnight at the Barrelhouse: The Johnny Otis Story. U of Minnesota Press.
  12. ^ a b Selvin, Joel. "Johnny Otis and His Orchestra: Spirit of the Black Territory Bands". Sunday Datebook. San Francisco Chronicle. p. 39.
  13. ^ Jowers, Andrew (16 Nov 1994). "Shuggie Otis Back on the Blues Scene". The Press Democrat. p. P1.
  14. ^ "Johnny Otis: Black by Persuasion". JazzTimes. Retrieved 31 July 2022.
  15. ^ a b "Johnny Otis Spirit of the Black Territory Bands". AllMusic.
  16. ^ MusicHound R&B: The Essential Album Guide. Visible Ink Press. 1998. p. 438.
  17. ^ The Penguin Guide to Blues Recordings. Penguin Books Ltd. 2006. p. 507.
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