MAULAWI - Orotunds

In association with DJ Amir's 180 Proof Records, BBE Music continues to bring the rarest of music to jazz heads everywhere with its latest Strata gem, Maulawi Nururdin's Orotunds, a virtually unknown and previously unreleased album. Although there is an element of mystery to almost all jazz musicians, few are ever quite as enigmatic as Maulawi Nururdin. A legendary band leader and reedist to his disciples, information about Maulawi's personal life and early years is so scarce that even his birth name remains unknown. What is known is that Maulawi was a tougher-than-nails Chicagoan by birth, inescapable mentor to others, and a virtuoso jazz musician unlike any other. True to the mysterious nature of Maulawi, even the story behind the recording of Ortunds is in dispute. They were either part of the 1973 sessions for Maulawi, recorded in a single night in Chicago, or from an unmixed session that took place in the Streeterville neighborhood at a later date. History aside, Ortunds never fails to astonish. Composed by Maulawi himself, Ortunds is an album of mostly Pop and R&B songs, all elevated by tip-toe funk tempos and Maulawi's wildly inventive soprano saxophone. Tracks include Thom Bell and Linda Creed's "People Make The World Go Round," as well as the Burt Bacharach and Hal David-penned classic, "I Say A Little Prayer." The title track is a drum
and bass driven showcase, the perfect platform for Maulawi to strut his sublime expressionist style on the Saxophone. The album ends with a real find - a rarely heard spoken recording of Maulawi himself, introducing the players and defining the title Ortunds as "full, clearness, strength and smoothness."

Vinyl release of Maulawi - Orotunds. Released through BBE MUSIC and available on 2LP.