Neal Creque: "Creque"

A blunt title, to be sure…you wanna say to Neal, “we already knew that was your name, dude.”  But whatever.  This is the second OG Neal Creque I’ve found this year, and man, this cat’s stuff transcends description.  I’ve already talked about his extensive credits in the music world in this blog, and so I’ll forego that this time, and dive into the material itself.  “Rafiki,” the opener, is a bizarre calypso-jungle-funk anthem, with Creque’s rhodes and organ work in the foreground, and something sounding like a kazoo playing in the background.  Meanwhile, Billy Butler’s wah wah guitar stabs add additional rhythmic and tonal color.  The song fades, and is followed by the mellow piano jazz of “Years of Regret,” which, with its over-wrought string arrangement, is a bit saccharine for my tastes.  Yet, as with Creque’s other albums, it is in keeping with the artist’s vision of representing the myriad aspects of his talent.  The funky instrumental gospel of “Sis Daisy” brings the groove back around, with some truly joyous melodic changes.  “Nina” finishes off Side 1, exploring similar territory to “Years of Regret,” although the piano solo at the beginning is gorgeous.  Side 2 is where things really pick up, with the initial track being “What’cha Call It,” a slow cut that sounds a bit like early Joe Sample with the Crusaders.  “Black Velvet Rose” is next, featuring tasty rhodes and guitar solos over a bouncy, minor-key backing.  “Cease The Bombing,” the third track on Side 2, is one of Creque’s most well-known compositions, a tune that he recorded with Grant Green for Blue Note before releasing this version.  It combines an aching, bittersweet melody line with complex, sometimes-dissonant piano, and though there are no lyrics to this song, the title fits perfectly with the music, and don’t you wish some of these trigger-happy politicians and dictators had the presence of mind to chill out to some shit like this?  Cease the bombing, suckas!!  Anyway, the album concludes with the neo-classical “Before the Rain Came,” a meditative piece that serves as the perfect finish to an incredible listening experience.  “Creque”—a man ahead and outside of his time.