YUSEF LATEEF–GOLDEN FLOWER: LIVE IN SWEDEN (2LP, 1967 & 1972 RECORDINGS)

YUSEF LATEEF – GOLDEN FLOWER: LIVE IN SWEDEN (2LP, 1967 & 1972 RECORDINGS)

Never-before-released 1967 and 1972 performances recorded live in Sweden

Deluxe numbered 180-gram 2LP edition with extensive booklet and new essays

Description

Golden Flower: Live in Sweden presents two extraordinary, previously unreleased performances by the visionary multi-instrumentalist Yusef Lateef, captured during his most exploratory and spiritually charged creative years. Drawn from pristine Swedish Radio tape reels and newly mastered by Matthew Lutthans at The Mastering Lab, these sessions offer a rare glimpse into Lateef’s transcendent artistry — merging post-bop sophistication, modal lyricism, and his deeply personal global sensibility.

The first recording, made at Mosebacke, Stockholm in September 1967, features Lateef with pianist Lars Sjösten, bassist Palle Danielsson, and drummer Albert “Tootie” Heath. Together they deliver a hypnotic, groove-rich set highlighted by the spiritual intensity of “The Golden Flute” and the blues-rooted “Blind Willie.” The second concert, recorded live at the Åhus Jazz Festival in August 1972, finds Lateef fronting a dynamic quartet with Kenny Barron (piano), Bob Cunningham (bass), and Albert “Tootie” Heath once again on drums. Stretching out into extended improvisational forms on pieces like “Inside Atlantis” and “Yusef’s Mood”, the music reveals Lateef’s evolving synthesis of jazz, African, and Eastern influences — a sound that was both groundbreaking and deeply human.

This deluxe 180-gram 2LP gatefold edition (limited to 2,500 copies) includes a 12-page LP-size booklet featuring rare photographs, detailed liner notes by Herb Boyd and producer Zev Feldman, and reflections by Jeff Coffin, Chico Freeman, and Charlie Apicella. Golden Flower: Live in Sweden stands as a vital historical document and a radiant celebration of Lateef’s lifelong pursuit of musical unity and spiritual freedom.

Tracklist

LP 1 – Recorded in Stockholm, September 13, 1967

Side A

The Golden Flute – 6:33

Blind Willie – 8:02

Side B

One Little Indian – 3:52

Straighten Up and Fly Right – 7:56

The Poor Fisherman – 3:18

LP 2 – Recorded at Åhus Jazz Festival, August 1, 1972

Side C

Inside Atlantis – 15:01

Eboness – 13:22

Side D

Lowland Lullaby – 4:22

A Flower – 5:28

Yusef’s Mood – 20:18

Personnel

1967 session (Stockholm): Yusef Lateef – tenor sax, flute; Lars Sjösten – piano; Palle Danielsson – bass; Albert “Tootie” Heath – drums

1972 session (Åhus Jazz Festival): Yusef Lateef – tenor sax, flute; Kenny Barron – piano; Bob Cunningham – bass; Albert “Tootie” Heath – drums

Produced for release by Zev Feldman

Executive Producers: Jordi Soley, Carlos Agustín Calembert

Associate Producers: Lindsay Fitzgerald, Ayesha Lateef

Transferred from original Swedish Radio tapes

LP mastering by Matthew Lutthans at The Mastering Lab

Label

Elemental Music

Format

2LP (180g Gatefold)