Full Circle (Gatefold Single Vinyl Album) (Jewel Case)

Leon Thomas

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Cat No: HIQLP105

Format Details: Gatefold Single Vinyl Album

Format Details: Jewel Case

Release Date: 30 June 2023

Label: Flying Dutchman

Packaging Type: Gate Fold

No of Units: 1

Barcode: 029667015813

Genres: Jazz Vocal Jazz

Release Date: 25 September 2015

Label: Flying Dutchman

Packaging Type: Jewel Case

No of Units: 1

Barcode: 029667529525

Genres: Jazz Vocal Jazz

Description
Leon Thomas was the definitive jazz vocalist of the 1970s and his albums for Flying Dutchman are all classics. Although he had started his career in Count Basie's band in the early 60s, by the latterpart of the decadehe had becomean essential part of saxophonistPharaohSanders group, alongside Lonnie Liston Smith, and co-wrote 'The Creator Has A Master Plan' for the album "Thembi"�. The success of this album led to him being offered a deal with Bob Thiele's new Flying Dutchman label where he recorded 5 studio album "Full Circle"�is his final album for the label and was recorded as Thomas was being asked to join Santana, and as suchit is apt that he covers Santana's 'Just In Time To See The Sun', turning it into a spiritual jazz classic.Elsewhere thereare Motown covers such as a wonderful 'Got To Be There' but it's the jazzy tour de forces such as 'It's My Life I'm Fighting For' and 'Balance Of Life (Peace Of Mind), that have kept the demand high for this record. The musicians who back Thomas on this album include Bernard Purdie, Joe Farrell, Joe Beck, Jimmy Owens, Pee Wee Ellis and many more. Thomas'career never really found itself on a firm footing again in the years that followed and only one more studio album followed - 1988sreunion with Thiele and Purdie "The Leon Thomas Blues Band"� - meaning that "Full Circle"� was the final album of him as a contemporary singer. This reissue comes from the highest quality tape transfers from the original masters. Dean Rudland

Description
The final studio album from Thomas' classic period - a glorious combination of soul, funk and jazz. Leon Thomas' final album for Flying Dutchman marked a change in his career. In the previous five-year period he had always been moving forward, with four studio albums and several live recordings. Afterwards he recorded only a handful of singles and a couple of albums in the years until his death in 1999. The St Louis-born vocalist had made his mark as a bluesy wailer in the Count Basie Orchestra in the early 1960s. He then developed his own style by hanging out with contemporary jazz players on both the East and West Coasts. His break came when he joined Pharoah Sanders' group and after the success of 'The Creator Has A Master Plan' he signed to Flying Dutchman and began his career as a leader. By 1972 he was widely considered the leading jazz vocalist of the new generation and his album "Blues And The Soulful Truth"� was an attempt to cross him over to a wider audience. It didn't quite succeed but attracted the attention of Carlos Santana who asked him to join his band. "Full Circle"�, recorded as Thomas was about to join Santana, was another attempt at widening his appeal. The album featured a cover of Santana's 'Just In Time To See The Sun', a song that suited Thomas' voice very well and sat well alongside his own compositions 'It's My Life I'm Fighting For' and 'Balance Of Life (Peace Of Mind)'. He excelled on versions of B.B. King's 'Sweet Little Angel' and Johnny Ace's 'Never Let Me Go'. Aimed squarely at the soul charts, the album also included covers of three Motown numbers: Michael Jackson's 'I Wanna Be Where You Are', theJackson5's 'Got To Be There' and Stevie Wonder's 'You Are The Sunshine Of My Life'. "Full Circle"� sold well without ever crossing over. Thomas went off to tour with Santana and never returned to Flying Dutchman. It was the end of a vibrant and productive chapter in his career. Dean Rudland
Tracklisting
Tracklisting