Issued on ABC in 1976, John Klemmer's Barefoot Ballet was the follow-up to … Read Full Bio ↴Issued on ABC in 1976, John Klemmer's Barefoot Ballet was the follow-up to the tremendously successful Touch in 1975. That set began to wrap up the various places he'd been musically in the early '70s while entering a new phase, where warm, rounded tones became his signature. Klemmer always stood outside of fusion circles, but his use of an Echoplex for his tenor opened many fusion fans to his sound. This date uses the Echoplex a lot less, tames the energy a bit, and looks with a confident gaze toward the era that would become smooth jazz with one major caveat: Klemmer was already a master technician who had come up through the big-boned honking tenors of hard bop and the modalism of John Coltrane. And unlike the hundreds of saxophonists who would follow him, Klemmer was, and remains, a brilliant melodic improviser. This set bears out the laid-back side of that gift. Accompanied by Dave Gruisin on Rhodes piano, Larry Carlton on acoustic guitar, Bernie Fleischer on flutes, bassist Chuck Domanico, drummer John Guerin, and percussionist Joe Porcaro, Klemmer wrote and arranged all but one of these nine tracks. The lone cover is of Janis Ian's classic "At 17," which was issued as a hit single and may indeed be the first track claimed for smooth jazz -- not a fair co-opting at all, since in Klemmer's reading of the tune, painted beautifully by Carlton and Gruisin, is a much deeper, darker emotionalism and sophisticated musicality than virtually any tune that ever came from the latter genre. Indeed, Klemmer was swinging for the commercial fences, but when the music is of a caliber this high, success should follow, right?
Klemmer creates a vibe on Barefoot Ballet beginning with the opening title track, he allows his rhythm section to expand the pocket enough for him to inhabit and blow out of from the jump. He uses his Echoplex a bit here to paint ribbons of lyric harmony all around the middle and then soars in his solo making the entire cut a song. The shimmering drift of Gruisin's Rhodes on "Forest Child" offers a slow entry to the mellow Latin percussion by Porcaro that Klemmer takes as his inspiration for the melody and later his solo. The West Coast vibe that haunts "Crystal Fingers" is a beautiful moment on this set. Klemmer's melody just sings out of the tune's frame and prompts the rhythm section to pick up the pace very gradually until they literally soar together. The slightly harder blowing on "Poem Painter" adds a soulful bounty -- underscored with Fleischer's flutes; they add a lush, textural effect to the harder Echoplex blowing, and you have something lush enough to make you ache. Klemmer took heart in the popular acceptance of Touch and Barefoot Ballet, and he began to sink deeper into the warm bubbly sound of what can only be called amniotic afterglow. His ensemble records after this began to sound increasingly formulaic for a good long while. Nonetheless, up through this point Klemmer was untouchable as an artist. ~ Thom Jurek, Rovi
Klemmer creates a vibe on Barefoot Ballet beginning with the opening title track, he allows his rhythm section to expand the pocket enough for him to inhabit and blow out of from the jump. He uses his Echoplex a bit here to paint ribbons of lyric harmony all around the middle and then soars in his solo making the entire cut a song. The shimmering drift of Gruisin's Rhodes on "Forest Child" offers a slow entry to the mellow Latin percussion by Porcaro that Klemmer takes as his inspiration for the melody and later his solo. The West Coast vibe that haunts "Crystal Fingers" is a beautiful moment on this set. Klemmer's melody just sings out of the tune's frame and prompts the rhythm section to pick up the pace very gradually until they literally soar together. The slightly harder blowing on "Poem Painter" adds a soulful bounty -- underscored with Fleischer's flutes; they add a lush, textural effect to the harder Echoplex blowing, and you have something lush enough to make you ache. Klemmer took heart in the popular acceptance of Touch and Barefoot Ballet, and he began to sink deeper into the warm bubbly sound of what can only be called amniotic afterglow. His ensemble records after this began to sound increasingly formulaic for a good long while. Nonetheless, up through this point Klemmer was untouchable as an artist. ~ Thom Jurek, Rovi
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Barefoot Ballet
John Klemmer Lyrics
We have lyrics for 'Barefoot Ballet' by these artists:
Adrianne Leon & Wally Kurth Steel on velvet, silk on stone Sun-warm leather set against …
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Wally Kurth Steel on velvet, silk on stone Sun-warm leather set against …
We have lyrics for these tracks by John Klemmer:
'Round Midnight It begins to tell 'Round midnight, midnight I do pretty well…
1 The very thought of you makes my heart sing Like an…
11. The Rain Is The Tears Of My God For Me "THE RAIN IS THE TEARS OF MY GOD FOR ME" Lyrics…
4. All I Ever Wanted Was My Life "ALL I EVER WANTED WAS MY LIFE" ---------------------------…
4.All I Ever Wanted Was My Life Time to hear the ocean Time to see the sky Time to…
All I Ever Wanted Slow down, make it last I'm having the time of my…
Amoroso Just so many words No more than a touch In matters of…
Children Of The Earth Flames CHILDREN OF THE EARTH! FLAMES!…
Deja Vu This is insane All you did was say hello Speak my name Fe…
Glass Dolphins The city shells on the land I'll buy a boatand I'll…
Hey Jude Hey Jude, don't make it bad Take a sad song and…
How Deep Is The Ocean? How much do I love you? I'll tell you no lie How…
let's make love [John Klemmer/David Batteau] [vocal by David Batteau] This …
Life A I've been living all my life Living just to play for…
Lifesong "LIFESONG" MUSIC JOHN KLEMMER…
Magnificent Madness Passion is my madness Magnificently so Tumbling into the dar…
Making Love "MAKING LOVE IS HOLDING A TINY CHILD IN YOUR ARMS, HOLDING…
Music You're music When I look In your eyes I can see A never endi…
Nothing Will Ever Be The Same Again Forever You left me alone in dark And made the pain just…
Rain Is The Tears Of The rain is the tears of my god for me He…
Third Stone From The Sun {intro slowed down talking begins} Star fleet to scout ship…
Walk In Love WALK WITH MY LOVE & DREAM MY LOVE COME WALK WITH…
We Couldn "WE COULDN'T START OVER" MUSIC JOHN KLEMMER-LYRICS DANNY…
Will 'n' Jug You don't know what love is 'Til you've learned the meaning…
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