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Native Heart
Studio album by Tony Williams
Released	1990
Recorded	September 1989
Studio	Power Station
Genre	Jazz
Label	Blue Note
Producer	Tony Williams
Tony Williams chronology
Angel Street (1988) Native Heart (1990) The Story of Neptune (1992)

Native Heart is an album by the American musician Tony Williams, released in 1990. Williams supported the album with North American and UK tours. Native Heart peaked in the top five of Billboard's Top Jazz Albums chart.

Production

Williams composed and arranged all of the album's songs. He was backed by pianist Mulgrew Miller, trumpeter Wallace Roney, bass players Bob Hurst and Ira Coleman, and saxophonist Bill Pierce. Williams had worked with Miller, Roney, and Pierce since returning to recording, in 1985. The quintet had rehearsed the songs many times before entering the studio; Williams also worked on them in his spare time. "Juicy Fruit" contains a snippet of "Watermelon Man". "Liberty" is a Williams solo track.

Critical reception

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic
El Paso Herald-Post
Lincoln Journal Star	A−
Los Angeles Times
The Philadelphia Inquirer
The Rolling Stone Album Guide
The Windsor Star	B+

The Chicago Tribune called the album a "swinging, if slightly emotionally detached recording." Spin considered it to be "one of the most reassuringly musical records to emerge from the hard-bop renaissance." The Gazette noted that "Williams writes long, intricate arrangements that—along with his tendency to bash the stuffing out of his drums—have tended to suffocate his young employees on past outings... Here, he still plays too loud too often, but everybody except Miller mounts an effective counterattack."

The Los Angeles Times concluded that "the title track's moody, rainy day flavor and the sassy but overextended blues strut of 'Juicy Fruit' are high spots on an album that's long on expert craftsmanship but a bit short on dynamic flair." The Windsor Star determined that "the Williams splash and verve are at the centre of all the music but it finally does not wholly free itself from its laid-back bounce." The Philadelphia Inquirer said that "the music has all the Zen-like peace of new-age without the mind-numbing sameness."

AllMusic deemed Native Heart "the more adventurous side of straight-ahead jazz."

Track listing

References

1. Sachs, Lloyd (5 Apr 1990). "Options abound for jazz listeners". Chicago Sun-Times. p. 2.41.
2. Grogan, David (Jul 9, 1990). "Picks & Pans: Song—Native Heart". People. Vol. 34, no. 1. p. 17.
3. Polkow, Dennis (May 10, 1990). "Tony Williams Quintet". Arts & Culture. Chicago Reader.
4. "Arts and Entertainment Guide". The Guardian. Jul 20, 1990. p. 36.
5. "Top Jazz Albums". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Billboard. May 10, 1990. p. 7E.
6. Wynn, Ron (May 11, 1990). "Recordings". The Commercial Appeal. p. E19.
7. ^ Fuller, Jack (11 Mar 1990). "Native Heart". Arts. Chicago Tribune. p. 24.
8. ^ "Native Heart Review by Scott Yanow". AllMusic. Retrieved 28 March 2024.
9. ^ Moon, Tom (Jun 1990). "Spins". Spin. Vol. 6, no. 3. pp. 84, 85.
10. Stewart, Zan (6 Nov 1990). "This Drummer Also Writes the Songs". Los Angeles Times. p. F8.
11. Dulzo, Jim (Dec 1, 1990). "Jazz Recordings". Detroit Free Press. p. 26D.
12. Doruyter, Renee (1 June 1990). "Jazz". The Province. p. P33.
13. Farley-Villalobos, Robbie (Jun 14, 1990). "Drummer provides leadership without getting in band's way". Music. El Paso Herald-Post. p. 14.
14. Ineck, Tom (May 28, 1990). "Jazz". Lincoln Journal Star. p. 6.
15. ^ Snowden, Don (3 June 1990). "Tony Williams 'Native Heart'". Calendar. Los Angeles Times. p. 55.
16. ^ Stark, Karl (Apr 26, 1990). "Tony Williams Native Heart". The Philadelphia Inquirer. p. 4E.
17. The Rolling Stone Album Guide. Random House. 1992. pp. 772, 773.
18. ^ Stevens, Peter (14 July 1990). "Jazz". The Windsor Star. p. C2.
19. Wells, Paul (14 May 1990). "Tony Williams; Native Heart". The Gazette. p. B7.

• Tony Williams (drummer) albums
• 1990 albums
• Blue Note Records albums