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Bob Belden's "The Music of Sting"


Larry Kart

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Picked this up at a library sale a few days ago, not even knowing it existed, and was bowled over by it. Among other things, it strikes me as one of most heartfelt and sensitive homages to Gil Evans imaginable, while still very much an expression of Belden. How Bob got that depth and variety of textures out of 12 horns, plus keyboards and rhythm, I don’t know, though I suspect that a good deal of it has to do with the wide range of non-brass winds he uses (flute, alto flute, bass flute, piccolo, wood flute, English horn, bass clarinet, soprano, tenor, and baritone saxophones). Lovely to hear Bob take a strong tenor solo, too; tears almost came to my eyes. Heck of job by all the players (Tim Hagans is in especially fine form) and the various engineers and mixers, too. I feel lucky to have stumbled across this.
 

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Bob was not recorded enough as a player. As with his writing, he had deep resources and a constant sense of overt obliqueness, if that makes any sense. Some people make direct statements,  others make commentary.  Bob was a very, very prescient commentator. RIP, still.

If we like this record, we will also want to seek out the Gil/Sting things that have come out.

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  • 7 months later...

Anybody know where this 1997 Belden remake of Bjork's "Venus As A Boy" comes from?

The video is from Bob's own YouTube channel, and the description there says:

  • ANIMATION Recorded April 28, 1997 at DK Studios, NYC
  • Tim Hagans-trumpet, Bob Belden-soprano sax, John Hart-guitar, Kevin Hays-Rhodes, Scott Kinsey-synths, David Dyson-bass, Billy Kilson-drums

Was this from an actual album?  If so, which one?

 

 

 

 

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There was a Blue Note Tim Hagans CD with Belden, Animation/Imagination, but it did not include this track. That album was recorded in May, 1998

Maybe a take that ultimately was not chosen for release? The 1997 date was one of the sessions for Belden's Blue Note album Tapestry.

Edited by mikeweil
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