Fred Katz

• 4 1/2 STARS ALL MUSIC GUIDE

Folk Songs For Far Out Folk is the long-coveted 1959 gem from the eclectic jazz pioneer, Kabbalist, magic man, and eternal left-winger Fred Katz. Katz is best known for introducing cello to jazz, which he perfected in the 1950s with his famous stint with west coast jazz legends, the Chico Hamilton Quintet.

Folk Songs For Far Out Folk is a musical triptych of orchestrated jazz based on Hebraic, African, and American folk songs. “Those were the three cultures that were most important to me at the time,” Katz says. “The American culture I was very interested in but mostly as a radical guy who had to learn about folk music and protest songs. And the African element just followed because of my belief in the oneness of man.

TRACKS:

• SIDE A
• A1. Mate'Ka
• A2. Sometimes I Feel Like A Motherless Child
• A3. Been In The Pen So Long
• A4. Chili'Lo
• A5. Rav's Nigun

• SIDE B
• B1. Old Paint
• B2. Manthi-Ki
• B3. Baal Shem Tov
• B4. Foggy, Foggy Dew