Rainbow Gladiator

1981 studio album by Billy Bang Quintet

Rainbow Gladiator

Studio album by

Billy Bang Quintet

Released| 1981
Recorded| June 10 & 11, 1981
Genre| Jazz
Length| 37:11
Label| Soul Note
Billy Bang chronology
| Sweet Space
(1979)  | Rainbow Gladiator
(1981)  | Untitled Gift
(1982)

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Rainbow Gladiator is an album by the American jazz violinist Billy Bang, recorded in 1981 and released on the Italian Soul Note label.[1]

## Reception

[edit]

Professional ratingsReview scores

Source| Rating
AllMusic| [2]
The Penguin Guide to Jazz Recordings| [4]
The Rolling Stone Jazz Record Guide| [3]
Tom Hull – on the Web| A−[5]

The editors of AllMusic awarded the album 4 stars, and reviewer Scott Yanow called it "a good introduction to his music for those who have an open mind toward adventurous jazz".[2]

The authors of The Penguin Guide to Jazz Recordings awarded the album a full 4 stars, calling it "a terrific record, bright, percussive and packed with ideas."[4]

Critic Tom Hull assigned the album a rating of "A−", commenting: "the interplay is exhilarating more often than not."[5]

Robert Spencer of All About Jazz described the album as "expansive and warm," "one of Billy Bang's best recordings," and praised the title track, calling it "the brilliant, good-humored jewel of the disc."[6]

## Track listing

[edit]

All compositions by Billy Bang

1. "Rainbow Gladiator" - 14:19
2. "Ebony Minstrel Man" - 4:16
3. "New York After Dark" - 7:20
4. "Broken Strings" - 2:44
5. "Yaa - Woman Born on Thursday" - 5:09
6. "Bang's Bounce" - 3:23

* Recorded at Barigozzi Studio in Milano, Italy on June 10 & 11, 1981

## Personnel

[edit]

* Billy Bang \- violin
* Charles Tyler \- alto saxophone, baritone saxophone
* Michele Rosewoman – piano
* Wilber Morris – bass
* Dennis Charles – drums

## References

[edit]

1. ^ Soul Note discography accessed July 11, 2011
2. ^ a b Yanow, S. AllMusic Review accessed July 11, 2011
3. ^ Swenson, J., ed. (1985). The Rolling Stone Jazz Record Guide. USA: Random House/Rolling Stone. p. 18\. ISBN 0-394-72643-X.
4. ^ a b Cook, Richard; Brian Morton (2008). The Penguin Guide to Jazz Recordings. The Penguin Guide to Jazz (9th ed.). London: Penguin. p. 74\. ISBN 978-0-14-103401-0.
5. ^ a b Hull, Tom. "Billy Bang Is in the House". Tom Hull – on the Web. Retrieved March 27, 2023.
6. ^ Spencer, Robert (May 7, 2004). "Unsung Recordings By Billy Bang". All About Jazz. Retrieved March 27, 2023.

* v
* t
* e

Billy Bang

Albums|

* Rainbow Gladiator (1981)
* The Fire from Within (1984)
* Live at Carlos 1 (1986)
* Valve No. 10 (1991)
* A Tribute to Stuff Smith (1992)

Related articles|

* String Trio of New York

Authority control databases |

* MusicBrainz release group

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