01. The Sound of Silence
02. So Long, Frank Lloyd Wright
03. I Am a Rock
04. April Come She Will
05. El Condor Pasa (Michberg-Robles)
06. Bridge over Troubled Water
07. The Boxer
08. Scaborough Fair
09. Mrs. Robinson
10. America (Simon)
11. The 59th Street Bridge Song
12. Cecilia (Simon)

Hubert Laws - flute
John Beasley - piano
Stanley Gilbert - bass
Ralph Penland - drums
West L.A. Strings, conducted by Stanley Gilbert

Flute virtuoso Hubert Laws has always occupied his own artistic turf, whether interpreting works by Mozart, Stravinsky, Dvorák, Debussy, Satie, Fauré, and J.S. Bach or improvising with immaculate ease through the modern jazz compositions of Chick Corea, Sonny Rollins, and John Coltrane. He has also demonstrated a well-grounded attitude toward the mainstream pop repertoire, which he handles with comparable mastery. Bridge Over Troubled Water, as one might guess, is an entire album of hit tunes by Paul Simon. Each melody is executed with the relaxed precision that has always characterized much of this artist's work. The flutist is backed by pianist John Beasley, bassist Stanley Gilbert, drummer Ralph Penland, and the West L.A. Strings under the direction of Stanley Gilbert. The familiarity of the playlist makes this an ideal choice for weddings and family gatherings, with the friendly friction generated during "Cecilia" and "I Am a Rock" bringing up welcome intimations of honest jazz. ---arwulf arwulf, AllMusic Review

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A1 	La Jean	2:30
A2 	Love Is Blue / Sing A Rainbow 	3:20
A3 	Crying Song	4:50
A4 	Listen To The Band	3:20
A5 	I've Gotta Get A Message To You	3:05
B1 	Feelin' Alright?	2:30
B@ 	Cymbaline	3:55
B3 	How Long Will It Be?	5:50
B4	Let It Be	3:30

Bass – Mike Leech (tracks: A1, A2, A4, A5, B1, B4), Ron Carter (tracks: A3, B2, B3)
Cello – Charles McCracken (tracks: A1, A2), George Ricci (tracks: A1, A2)
Drums – Bill Cobham (tracks: A3), Gene Chrisman (tracks: A1, A2, A4, A5, B1, B4), Grady Tate (tracks: B2, B3)
Flute – Hubert Laws
Guitar – George Benson (tracks: A3, B2, B3), Reggie Young (tracks: A1, A2, A4, A5, B1, B4)
Organ – Bobby Emmons (tracks: A1, A2, A4, A5, B1, B4)
Organ, Piano – Bob James (tracks: A3, B2, B3)
Piano – Bobby Wood (tracks: A1, A2, A4, A5, B1, B4)
Saxophone – Art Clarke (tracks: A1, A2, A4, A5, B1, B4), Seldon Powell (tracks: A1, A2, A4, A5, B1, B4)
Trombone – Garnett Brown (tracks: A1, A2, A4, A5, B1, B4), Tony Studd (tracks: A1, A2, A4, A5, B1, B4)
Trumpet, Flugelhorn – Ernie Royal (tracks: A1, A2, A4, A5, B1, B4), Marvin Stamm (tracks: A1, A2, A4, A5, B1, B4)
Violin – Avram Weiss (tracks: A1, A2), Gene Orloff (tracks: A1, A2), George Ockner (tracks: A1, A2),
 Lewis Eley (tracks: A1, A2), Matthew Raimondi (tracks: A1, A2), Max Pollikoff (tracks: A1, A2),
  Paul Gershman (tracks: A1, A2), Raoul Poliakin (tracks: A1, A2), Sylvan Shulman (tracks: A1, A2) 
Tabla, Other [Sand Blocks] – Ed Shaughnessy (track B1) 

Hubert Laws occupies rather an ambivalent position in critical estimation. He was very unusual in concentrating on the flute but signing for Creed Taylor and his band of Memphis Soul specialists should have orientated him squarely in the vanguard of late 1960s Jazz. If the precedent was another elite flautist, Herbie Mann – who’d already had a hit single for Atlantic – then the decision was sound. But if these three LPs, made between 1969 and 1971, didn’t seem somewhat incongruous stylistically at the time – and they did, to many people – they certainly do today.

That’s not to denigrate Laws, whose tone is utterly ravishing throughout, but the attempt in the first album, Crying Song, to construct a pop album with fringe Memphis and Country Soul stylings was never going to satisfy the purists. Others, such as Keith Jarrett and Gary Burton, were naturally situated along Country Roads and their albums of the late 60s showed strong affinities for the genre within a broader musical context. But Laws’ first album, despite the presence of stellar sidemen such as Ron Carter, Billy Cobham, and on several tracks George Benson – along with a raft of other superb players – fails to cohere. Country Soul, the Monkees, mild Psychedelia, the Bee Gees and Lennon/McCartney with sitar impersonations; well, it’s a big ask for much of this to stand the sterner tests of time. ---Jonathan Woolf, musicweb-international.com

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1 	Malagueña	10:06
2 	My Time Will Come	5:12
3 	It's So Crazy	4:57
4 	Shades Of Light	6:59
5 	Valse	10:51
6 	Make It Last	8:40
7 	Moonlight Sonata	7:53

Bass – Mike Richmond, Gary Willis
Bass, Strings, Percussion, Woodwind – SkyAsh 7
Congas, Percussion – Terry Santiel
Drums – Daniel Gotlieb, Leon "Ndugu" Chancelor, Ralph Penland, Clayton Cameron
Keyboards – George Duke, Joe Sample, John Beasley
Soprano Saxophone – Ronnie Laws
Percussion – Sue Evans
Piano – Mark Gray 

This is a streaky affair, Hubert Laws's first recording as a leader in quite a few years. The great flutist has a reunion with Don Sebesky on a version of "Malaguena" that becomes an imitation of Chick Corea's "Spain," a few of the selections are forgettable funk and "Moonlight Sonata" is ruined by an unbearable rhythm. However there are some fine performances that feature excellent soloing by Laws and pianist John Beasley. Still, only Hubert Laws's most loyal fans will want this release. ---Scott Yanow, Scott Yanow

From the 1970s to early 1980s, Hubert Laws was more than a flute player-he was often the flute player. He won Down Beat’s top flutist award 10 times, garnered three Grammy nominations and continually scored high on the charts. Laws’ work on the CTI label in 1970s drew critical and commercial acclaim, and he was an equally compelling classical player and jazz-fusionist.

Despite all his talent, success and accolades, Laws slowly faded from the scene by the mid-’80s. Shows billed to the Laws Family-featuring singing sisters Eloise or Debra or Laws’ saxophonist brother Ronnie-were the best bets for catching the reclusive elder sibling. And Laws has recorded just five CDs over the last 20 years-a significant contrast to his previous near-annual output. ---Chris J. Walker, jazztimes.com

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