Featuring his usual touring band, conga master
Candido released the funky
Beautiful in 1970. His first release for Blue Note -- following his Solid State debut, Man of a Thousand Fingers -- is a dance-oriented project that features lots of go-go-style blues jams propelled along by
Candido's high-energy percussion,
Richard Davis' electric bass, and Frank Anderson's juicy organ backgrounds. While jazz improvisation isn't really the point of the music, saxophonist Alan Ralph does get in some nice post-bop and modal-style choruses and the two-part "Ghana Spice" gives
Candido a nice chance to stretch out. Re-released in 2003 as part of Blue Note's
Rare Groove Series,
Beautiful isn't the most essential of
Candido's recordings, but should hold a fascination for funk-jazz enthusiasts. ~ Matt Collar