Fuchsia Swing Song
Studio album by
Sam Rivers
ReleasedEarly April 1965[1]
RecordedDecember 11, 1964
StudioVan Gelder Studio, Englewood Cliffs, NJ
GenreJazz
Length39:00 original LP
69:24 CD reissue
LabelBlue Note
BST 84184
ProducerAlfred Lion
Sam Rivers chronology
Fuchsia Swing Song
(1965) 		Contours
(1965)
Alternative cover
1995 Japanese CD (TOCJ-4184)

Fuchsia Swing Song is the debut album by American saxophonist Sam Rivers recorded in 1964 and released on the Blue Note label.[2] The album was reissued on CD in 1995, and again in 2003 as part of the "Connoisseur Series" (limited edition series) including four alternate takes as bonus tracks.

Reception

The Allmusic review by Thom Jurek awarded the album 4½ stars and stated "By the time of his debut, Rivers had been deep under the influence of Coltrane and [Ornette] Coleman, but wasn't willing to give up the blues just yet. Hence the sound on Fuchsia Swing Song is one of an artist who is at once very self-assured, and in transition... This is a highly recommended date. Rivers never played quite like this again".[3]

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[3]
The Encyclopedia of Popular Music[4]
The Penguin Guide to Jazz Recordings[5]
The Rolling Stone Jazz Record Guide[6]
Tom Hull – on the WebA[7]

Track listing

All compositions by Sam Rivers.

  1. "Fuchsia Swing Song" – 6:03
  2. "Downstairs Blues Upstairs" – 5:33
  3. "Cyclic Episode" – 6:57
  4. "Luminous Monolith" – 6:31
  5. "Beatrice" – 6:13
  6. "Ellipsis" – 7:43

Bonus tracks on CD reissue:

  2. "Luminous Monolith" [Alternate Take] – 6:39
  3. "Downstairs Blues Upstairs" [First Alternate Take] – 8:09
  4. "Downstairs Blues Upstairs" [Second Alternate Take] – 7:47
  5. "Downstairs Blues Upstairs" [Third Alternate Take] – 7:49

Personnel

References

  1. ^ Billboard Apr 3, 1965
  2. ^ Blue Note Records discography accessed November 22, 2010
  3. ^ a b Jurek, T. Allmusic Review accessed November 22, 2010
  4. ^ Larkin, Colin, ed. (2006). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music. Oxford University Press. p. 1968.
  5. ^ Cook, Richard; Morton, Brian (2008). The Penguin Guide to Jazz Recordings (9th ed.). Penguin. p. 1217. ISBN 978-0-141-03401-0.
  6. ^ Swenson, J., ed. (1985). The Rolling Stone Jazz Record Guide. USA: Random House/Rolling Stone. p. 168. ISBN 0-394-72643-X.
  7. ^ Hull, Tom. "Grade List: Sam Rivers". Tom Hull – on the Web. Retrieved October 22, 2023.
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