In the late 1970s, Gary Bartz's work became quite commercial. But earlier in the decade -- when the alto and soprano saxophonist led his Ntu Troop -- he was more ambitious. Recorded in 1972, Juju Street Songs is among the risk-taking efforts that came from the Ntu Troop. This ambitious LP finds Bartz drawing on a variety of influences -- everything from John Coltrane's modal post-bop to world music to the electric fusion that Miles Davis and Herbie Hancock were providing at the time. The term world music, of course, can mean a lot of different things; for the Ntu Troop, it means a strong Middle Eastern/Arabic influence on the moody Teheran and more of an Afro-Caribbean outlook on the exuberant Africans Unite. Bassist Stafford James' Bertha Baptist, meanwhile, is a jazz-funk gem that drummer Harvey Mason interpreted on his Earthmover LP of 1976. Although very jazz-oriented, Juju Street Songs is well aware of what was happening with RB in the early 1970s. I Wanna Be Where You Are was a hit for Michael Jackson back when the Jacksons were still calling themselves the Jackson Five, but Bartz gives the soul-pop tune a serious makeover and demonstrates that it can work well as instrumental jazz. And Stevie Wonder's Black Maybe, which features Andy Bey on vocals, lends itself equally well to a jazz interpretation. If you want to hear how much Juju Street Songs differs from the commercial stuff that Bartz offered in the late 1970s, just play I Wanna Be Where You Are next to his late 1970s version of L.T.D.'s Love Ballad -- while Bartz seriously interprets Michael Jackson's hit, his performance of Love Ballad is an uninteresting, overproduced, note-for-note cover. Excellent from start to finish, this LP captures Bartz at the height of his creativity. ~ Alex Henderson, Rovi

1		I Wanna Be Where You Are
2		Black Maybe
3		Bertha Baptist
4		Africans Unite
5		Teheran
6		Sifa Zote
7		Whasaname
8		Betcha by Golly, Wow
9		Dr. Follow's Dance
10		Standin' on the Corner
11		Sing Me a Song Today