Synanon House is a refuge for drug addicts in California. Against great opposition, the people who run it attempt to help and rehabilitate those who are unfortunate to have been placed outside the law by the typically savage judicial set-up of the USA.
At first I thought that the idea of recording a group of Synanon residents was maudlin and distasteful. On second thought I realise that this is not the case at all, and that the motives behind this record seem to be the best on the part of all concerned.
This is lightly swinging music, typical of the West Coast and yet with rather more heart than the usual outputs from California. Three of the musicians here, Pass, Ross and Allan, are outstanding, and everyone involved (Crawford and Latson are amateurs) plays with good taste. Pass is of course established as one of the leading new guitarists, while Ross had made a name for himself many years ago. Dave Allan, as far as I know, is completely unknown. He plays with surprising feeling, and judging by the two compositions of his here (Song and Image) he is a writer of considerable merit. It is on these two numbers that his warm tone comes across best.
Ross and Pass have also contributed originals, and the standards are again very high. Ross solos impressively, and is outdone only by the remarkable Pass. The group sound is enlivened by the baritone horn, and Dykes handles his cumbersome instrument well – the sound is somewhat like a valve trombone. This is good modern music purely for listening, with nobody trying to prove anything. It makes a change.
Discography
Sounds Of Synanon; C.E.D.; Aaron’s Song; Stay Loose; Projections (17 min) – Hang Tough; Self-image; Last Call For Coffee (20 min)
Arnold Ross (p); Joe Pass (g); Dave Allan (tpt); Greg Dykes (bari-h); Ronald Clark (bs); Bill Crawford (d); Candy Latson (bongos). Probably 1962.
(Fontana 688 139 ZL 12inLP 33s. 1d.)
