''The Ringer'' is an album by American jazz trumpeter-composer Charles Tolliver and his quartet Music Inc., recorded in 1969 and released the following year by the British label

Polydor Records Polydor Records Ltd. is a German-British record label that operates as part of Universal Music Group. It has a close relationship with Universal's Interscope Geffen A&M Records label, which distributes Polydor's releases in the United States. ...

. The album's US release followed in 1975.

Recording and release

''The Ringer'' was the first album Tolliver recorded with his quartet Music Inc., formed with pianist Stanley Cowell. They recorded the songs in a session for

on June 2, 1969, at the record label's studio in London. The recording was produced by Alan Bates, Polydor's record producer and A&R executive. The label released the album in the UK the following year. Bates' own label

Freedom Records Freedom Records was a jazz record label headed by Shel Safran and founded by Alan Bates as a division of Black Lion Records. Individual recordings were distributed via Polydor Records and Transatlantic Records during the early 1970s before the ...

later released ''The Ringer'' in Europe and Japan, while Arista Records distributed it in the US in 1975.

Critical reception

In his review for

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databa ...

, Scott Yanow states "Tolliver is heard at the peak of his creative powers; it is strange that he never received the fame and recognition that he deserved".

Track listing

All compositions are by Charles Tolliver. # "Plight" – 7:09 # "On the Nile" – 12:31 # "The Ringer" – 5:46 # "Mother Wit" – 8:46 # "Spur" – 5:02

Personnel

Information is taken from

. Musicians * Charles Tolliver –

trumpet The trumpet is a brass instrument commonly used in classical and jazz ensembles. The trumpet group ranges from the piccolo trumpet—with the highest register in the brass family—to the bass trumpet, pitched one octave below the standard ...

* Stanley Cowell –

piano The piano is a stringed keyboard instrument in which the strings are struck by wooden hammers that are coated with a softer material (modern hammers are covered with dense wool felt; some early pianos used leather). It is played using a keybo ...

* Steve Novosel – bass *

Jimmy Hopps James Edward Hopps Jr. (born 1939) is an American jazz drummer. Although he never recorded as a leader, he worked extensively with Roland Kirk, Charles Tolliver, Stanley Cowell, and Pharoah Sanders during some of their well known sessions. He al ...

– drums Technical personnel * Alan Bates – production * Carlos Olms – engineering * Chris Whent – production * Valerie Wilmer – liner notes

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Ringer, The 1970 albums Charles Tolliver albums Freedom Records albums Polydor Records albums