Jon
Lucien (January 8, 1942 – August 18, 2007) was a pioneering jazz-soul singer. Dubbed
"the man with the golden throat" by Herbie Hancock, Jon Lucien was
the premier crooner of the fusion era -- blessed with a deep, velvety voice
ideally matched to romantic ballads, his sophisticated amalgam of soul, light
jazz, and Caribbean rhythms never enjoyed commercial success commensurate with
the esteem afforded him by critics and peers alike.
Born
Lucien Harrigan on Tortola in the British Virgin Islands on January 8, 1942, he
grew up on the neighbouring island of St. Thomas. An ardent fan of Nat King
Cole, as a teen he played bass in Rico and the Rhythmaires, a group led by his
father, Eric.
In
the mid-'60s he relocated to upstate New York, recording commercial jingles and
performing at parties, weddings, and bar mitzvahs. At one such gig he captured
the attention of RCA exec Ernie Alshulter, and the label soon extended a
contract offer.
Renaming
himself Jon Lucien, the singer was also a gifted songwriter, but RCA limited
his contributions to his 1970 debut, I Am Now. to just one original, instead
insisting he record a series of jazz and pop standards: "The record
company was attempting to package me as a sort of 'black Sinatra,'" Lucien
recalled decades later. "Once the white women started to swoon at my
performances, their attitudes quickly changed."
Three
years in the making, the follow-up, Rashida, consisted solely of Lucien
originals. Both the title cut and the bossa nova-inspired single "Lady
Love" found some favour with U.S. radio, and the record also earned
rapturous critical notice, even earning arranger Dave Grusin a Grammy
nomination. Response from musicians and
critics was strong, yet RCA found it difficult to market Lucien, and, after his
Mind Game album in 1974 met with similar commercial failure, he shifted to CBS
for Song for My Lady in 1975 and Premonition the following year. Disco was now
the ruling form of black American popular music and CBS had no more luck than
RCA in marketing him.
Lucien
was guest vocalist on several jazz albums, including on jazz-rock bassist
Alphonso Johnson's Yesterday's Dreams in 1976 and Weather Report's Mr Gone in
1978, but felt despondent at the music industry's failure to advance his
career. Cocaine addiction and his daughter's drowning led him to return to the
Virgin Islands in the 1980s.
Only
in 1982 did he resume his solo career with the Precision label release
Romantico. "My frustration stemmed from being asked to be a hit-maker...do
disco, country...whatever it takes to sell millions," he later said.
"I struggled for the executives to understand my music."
Lucien
also suffered personal tragedy in 1980 when his young daughter Zeudi Jacira
drowned. He spent much of the decade to follow battling drug addiction, and
during the mid-'80s returned to the Virgin Islands, ultimately settling in
Puerto Rico.
In
the US in 1990, he found his old albums being played on jazz stations. An even
greater surprise was discovering British "acid jazz" DJs championing
him. He began to release new albums and performed again, his supple baritone in
fine shape. In 1996, he suffered a further tragedy when his 17-year-old
daughter was killed in a plane crash. This event informed his Endless is Love
album in 1997.
His
new-found popularity with British audiences meant Lucien started to play dates
here, yet he could only ever be away from kidney dialysis for a few days at a
time. Lucien issued four more albums on his own Sugar Music label and continued
to perform, touring right up until July 2007 with the US Superstars of Jazz
Fusion. Health problems plagued him, however, and he died of respiratory
failure in Orlando, FL, on August 18, 2007.
(Info
compiled & edited from Jason Ankeny @ All Music & Garth Cartwright @
The Guardian)
For “Jon Lucien: Rashida” go here:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.mediafire.com/file/4qga8ecsa80kmmq/JonLucienRashida.rar
1 Kuenda 3:15
2 Would You Believe In Me 2:26
3 Lady Love 4:59
4 Luella 3:51
5 Shana 3:17
6 Satan 3:38
7 Rashida 6:09
8 The War Song 3:18
9 Esperanza 4:07
10 Love Everlasting 3:12
11 Zenzile 5:39
12 Lady Love (Single Version) 3:15