In the Beginning is a double album by flutist Hubert Laws released on the CTI and recorded at Rudy Van Gelder's studio in 1974.[1] The album was later reissued on CTI as two separate volumes entitled Then There Was Light.
| In the Beginning | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 1974 | |||
| Recorded | February 6–8 and 11, 1974 | |||
| Studio | Van Gelder Studio, Englewood Cliffs, NJ | |||
| Genre | Jazz | |||
| Length | 63:12 | |||
| Label | CTI | |||
| Producer | Creed Taylor | |||
| Hubert Laws chronology | ||||
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| Then There Was Light Vol 2 cover | ||||
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Reception edit
Viewed, at the time of its release, as a "Recording of Special Merit" in the estimation of Stereo Review[2] (which, in addition, proclaimed the "recording excellent," the "performance impeccable," and the resulting album a welcome return to Laws' pre-CTI form),[3] In the Beginning would provoke a similarly enthusiastic response decades later from Allmusic's Scott Yanow, who awarded the album 5 stars, stating "This double album features flutist Hubert Laws at his finest. The music ranges from classical-oriented pieces to straight-ahead jazz with touches of '70s funk included in the mix... this recording is one of the most rewarding of Hubert Laws' career".[4] The Penguin Guide to Jazz Recordings describes it as Laws’s “best album and a good, expansive representation of his flute playing.”[5]
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic |  [4] |
| Stereo Review | "Recording of Special Merit"[2] |
| The Penguin Guide to Jazz Recordings |  [5] |
Track listing edit
- "In the Beginning" (Clare Fischer) - 6:53
- "Restoration" (Harold Blanchard) - 8:59
- "Gymnopédie No. 1" (Erik Satie) - 3:55
- "Come Ye Disconsolate" (Traditional) - 5:21
- "Airegin" (Sonny Rollins) - 5:32
- "Moment's Notice" (John Coltrane) - 6:56
- "Reconciliation" (Rodgers Grant) - 10:08
- "Mean Lene" (Hubert Laws) - 15:28
- Recorded at Van Gelder Studio in Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey on February 6–8 and 11, 1974
Personnel edit
- Hubert Laws - flute, arranger
- Ronnie Laws - tenor saxophone
- Bob James - keyboards, arranger, conductor
- Clare Fischer - piano, electric piano
- Richard Tee - organ
- Gene Bertoncini - guitar
- Ron Carter - bass
- Steve Gadd - drums
- Dave Friedman - vibraphone
- Airto Moreira - percussion
- David Nadien - violin
- Emanuel Vardi - viola
- George Ricci - cello
References edit
- ^ CTI discography accessed February 7, 2012
- ^ a b "Recording of Special Merit: Hubert Laws: In the Beginning". Stereo Review. Volume 33. Retrieved 2013-03-29.
- ^ Excerpt from Stereo Review's 1974 review. Google Books. Retrieved 2013-03-29.
- ^ a b Yanow, S. Allmusic Review accessed February 7, 2012
- ^ a b Cook, Richard; Morton, Brian (2008). The Penguin Guide to Jazz Recordings (9th ed.). Penguin. p. 871. ISBN 978-0-141-03401-0.