The story is a familiar one: an artist records a heartfelt album, only for the producer to alter it for commercial reasons without the artist’s consent—ultimately dooming its reception. In the case of Charlie Rouse’s 1977 release Cinnamon Flower, that producer was Alan Douglas. While Douglas helped initiate important sessions, he is more often remembered for meddling with projects by artists such as Jimi Hendrix, John McLaughlin, and Richie Havens—often without their involvement.
Fortunately, the original recordings of Cinnamon Flower survived. Resonance Records producers George Klabin and Zev Feldman have restored them, presenting the album in its intended form for what is, in effect, its first proper release. The results are outstanding.
From official promotional materials, we learn:
Cinnamon Flower: The Expanded Edition is a reissue of the legendary saxophonist Charlie Rouse’s Brazilian-inspired 1977 album, originally released on Douglas Records. Nearly 50 years later, Resonance is proud to present this deluxe, definitive edition of Cinnamon Flower, which contains nearly 30 minutes of previously unissued versions of songs from the original release captured by Resonance founder and engineer, George Klabin, at Sound Ideas studio in New York City, plus a track, “Meeting House,” that has never been issued before on any release. The limited-edition 180-gram 2-LP set (and deluxe CD) was transferred from the original tapes and mastered by Matthew Lutthans at The Mastering Lab, with new liner notes by author James Gavin and an interview statement by Charlie Rouse’s son, Charlie “Chico” Rouse, Jr.The stellar band features jazz greats such as Dom Salvador, Ron Carter, Bernard Purdie and Claudio Roditi.
Honestly, I had never heard of—or even seen—this album from Charlie Rouse, the legendary longtime Thelonious Monk sideman, before learning about this new reissue. This excellent-sounding edition is a welcome discovery, as it finally allows listeners to compare the original recording with Alan Douglas’s altered version.
In short, Cinnamon Flower is a beautiful album that fits comfortably within the world of sophisticated 1970s Brazilian jazz recordings, alongside artists like Milton Nascimento and Hermeto Pascoal. At times, the music feels magical and haunting. And throughout, there is Rouse’s playing—always sublime.
Housed in a modern gatefold double-pocket sleeve, the two black vinyl discs are quiet and well-centered—essential for this music. A full-color booklet details the album’s history and the process of restoring it to its original form.
The best compliment I can offer for this music is that after hearing the original version there really is no reason to play the Douglas-altered version as it just doesn’t feel right.
Pro tip: When you get this album, play the 2nd album first to best appreciate the artists’ original intent with this music. And take note of drummer Portinho’s dynamic, incredibly fluid feel there as contrasted by the strident disco-funk vibe added on (by legendary drummer Bernard Purdie). I can’t help but think that this album would have done better in its original version back in the day as I can easily hear this music played side by side with tracks from Return To Forever, Weather Report, Flora Purim, Airto and Deodato.
Where to buy: $47.99 at Amazon
Mark Smotroff is a deep music enthusiast / collector who has also worked in entertainment oriented marketing communications for decades supporting the likes of DTS, Sega and many others. He reviews vinyl for Analog Planet and has written for Audiophile Review, Sound+Vision, Mix, EQ, etc. You can learn more about him at LinkedIn.