Crying Song
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Album Summary
Hubert Laws laid down something special in 1969 when he stepped into the studio to record 'Crying Song' for CTI Records — that groundbreaking label founded by the legendary Creed Taylor, a man who had an ear for beauty like nobody else in the business. Taylor produced this album himself, bringing that signature CTI touch: lush orchestral arrangements wrapped around jazz improvisation like velvet around a diamond. Laws, a classically trained flutist out of Houston, Texas, who had already been burning up the session circuit and turning heads in jazz circles, used this recording as a canvas to do something that very few had dared to do before — place the flute front and center as a lead voice, not a supporting player. The result was an album that blended jazz instincts with pop sensibility and orchestral grandeur, and it announced to the world that Hubert Laws was not just another sideman. He was a singular voice, and 'Crying Song' was his declaration.
Reception
- Within jazz circles, the album was embraced as a striking early showcase of Laws' extraordinary flute technique and his rare gift for interpreting contemporary material with both sophistication and soul.
- While the album did not break through to mainstream chart prominence, it steadily built Laws' reputation as one of the most technically gifted and musically adventurous jazz flutists of his generation, drawing ears from both dedicated jazz audiences and the growing crossover crowd.
- Critics recognized the album's refined yet accessible character as an early blueprint for the CTI aesthetic — a sound that would grow into one of the most influential forces in jazz throughout the early 1970s.
Significance
- As an early entry in the CTI Records catalog, 'Crying Song' stands as a foundational stone in the label's legacy — a label that would go on to shape the polished jazz-pop crossover sound that seeded the fusion and smooth jazz movements for years to come.
- Laws' bold decision to treat the flute as a primary solo voice across this album helped elevate the instrument's standing in jazz improvisation, opening doors for the flute to be taken seriously in contexts where horns and keyboards had long dominated.
- The album plants Laws firmly at the vanguard of a late-1960s movement that was weaving classical training and pop repertoire into the jazz tradition, marking him as one of the defining voices of a generation committed to expanding what instrumental jazz could sound like and who it could reach.
Samples
- "Feelin' Alright?" — sampled across multiple hip-hop and soul productions, with the groove and flute textures drawing repeated interest from producers mining the CTI catalog for source material.
Tracklist
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A1 La Jean 73
2:30
-
A2 Love Is Blue / Sing A Rainbow —
3:20
-
A3 Crying Song 132
4:50
-
A4 Listen To The Band 97
3:20
-
A5 I've Gotta Get A Message To You 89
3:05
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B1 Feelin' Alright? 167
2:30
-
B2 Cymbaline 95
3:55
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B3 How Long Will It Be? —
5:50
-
B4 Let It Be 76
3:30
Artist Details
Hubert Laws is one of the most gifted flutists to ever grace this earth, a Houston-born Texas treasure who came up through the jazz world in the 1950s and 60s before carving out a stunning career that blended jazz, classical, R&B, and pop into something so refined and soulful it made you close your eyes and just *breathe*. His work throughout the 1970s — records like *Morning Star* and his stunning interpretations of classical pieces rearranged for the modern ear — put the flute on the map as a serious lead instrument in jazz and crossover music, earning him deep respect from cats like Quincy Jones, who featured him on countless sessions. Laws is a giant in the truest sense, a musician whose artistry bridged the worlds of Carnegie Hall and the soul charts, proving that beauty and brilliance don't have to live in separate rooms.
