Review:'Robert Callender' 'Rainbow: The Anniversary Concert'
- Label: 'Think Like A Key Music'
- Genre: 'Sixties'
- Release Date: '14.11.25.'- Catalogue No: 'TLAK1220'
Our Rating:
Rainbow: The Anniversary Concert celebrates 50 years since Robert Callender released Rainbow originally, back when he was known as Bobby. This is the albums first live performance, he was backed by Golden Flower along with sitarist Dr. Kanada Narahari, tabla player Pandit Nandkishor Muley and the Fernwood String Quartet. If like me you are unfamiliar with Robert Callender, the album cover shows him singing, looking like he is in the Sun Ra Arkestra, only he has switched from mystical jazz to mystical folk instead. This was recorded at the Timucua Arts Theatre in Orlando, Florida. The Original album features among others Bernard Purdie, Eric Gale and Richard Davies and was recorded by Val Valentin.
The concert opens with Rainbow slow sparse sitar and string thoughts of how the colours of the Rainbow reflect his thoughts. Nature floats on a bed of strings with sitar notes curlicuing around the mystical poetic lyrics, piano slowly building into the mysticism.
Sade Masoch is a potted biography that slowly reveals the dear chaps' personal foibles, among tablas and strings, cruelty is revealed, this is a vastly different take on his legend to The Velvet Undergrounds Venus In Furs, Val Valentin was involved in both recordings. Purple slowly builds with gently bent Sitar notes massaging our ears, opening minds to the wonders within. Desire felt in the Ravi Shankar style sitar flurries keep everything rather chilled.
Mother Superior describes the world inhabited by Mother Superior with church organ rising towards spirituality, contained within those walls, reverberating like a radio by the couch. Her practise of course was less than spiritual, alongside her fate at the end of this very dark tale. Autumn has dark strings filling us with the pain and sorrow of Autumn, suddenly bursting into a polka like dance sequence middle eight, before reflections of Autumns downbeat effects.
A Man tells us about The Man and his dog, hand bells and more mystical sounds, breaking out into cocktail jazz piano, helping describe his life. Is he truly free to do what he wants? Patrick letting go on the keys and everyone clapping along.
I'm Just High On Life no matter how out there they sound, slowly fluid sitar and tabla's draw you further into this wondrous world. Symphonic Pictures could be a pitch for a film lyrically, with the music becoming more upbeat with the drums upfront and cries for Black Power and the inevitable white backlash, strings come in with other worldly intent.
Spiritual Chant Of Thankfulness takes the classic Om Shanti Om chant and lets the sitar go, while Robert encourages everyone to join in searching for their inner Hare Krishna spirituality. The Glow Within Thee shines through your golden aura overwhelming Robert with your presence, tabla mirroring your heartbeat with the flutes drifting by, full on visions of spiritual love beside the river of peace.
Raga Man go on play that Raga Man, this bursts with life, they play that Raga Man once more, feeling spirits within the chants of the Raga Man, ever golden and meditative strings intuit the Raga Man spirit we float off. The concert ends with a short and very sweet acapella version of Roberts one hit Little Star that was obviously influential on Patti Smith and is a cool ending to a very interesting performance.
Find out more at https://www.thinklikeakey.com/release/534784-robert-callender-rainbow-the-anniversary-concert https://thinklikeakey.bandcamp.com/album/rainbow-the-anniversary-concert
