Album Review

Wes Mitchell [allmusic.com]

This album is one of those rare treasures that keeps on giving four decades later. Getting his start with Sinatra and Jobim, Claus Ogerman became synonomous with orchestration featuring, among many others, flutes, picolos and whistling. His string arrangements are like a soft feather pillow that caress you to sleep. His use of dynamic inventions to keep things flowing is pure brilliance. To this writer, Claus is on the same rare level as Arif Mardin, Johnny Mandel, George Martin and Nelson Riddle. Now about the music:

Gate Of Dreams started as a ballet in 1972. Warner Bros records offered to fund a remake of this ballet, Some Times, into an album. Claus added more written passages and put together a rhythm section: John Guerin, Joe Sample, George Benson, Michael Brecker etc. The first, and finest composition on the album is Time Passed Autumn. It flies as if on gossamer wings. Once the rhythm section kicks in, the mix of old and new sounds really creates a nice overview of the 1970's music era as it changed from singles to complete album statements. That's what we have here. To try and describe more is folly. This is recommended listening for many different schools of musical thought. You will thank me later but I accept the praise now.

Yes. Gate Of Dreams is that good...