The Great Pretender (Lester Bowie album)

The Great Pretender is the first album by Lester Bowie recorded for ECM and released in 1981.

The Great Pretender
Studio album by Lester Bowie
Released	1981
Recorded	June 1981
Genre	Jazz
Length	42:44
Label	ECM
Producer	Manfred Eicher
Lester Bowie chronology
The 5th Power (1978) The Great Pretender (1981) All the Magic (1982)

Reception

The Allmusic review by Michael G. Nastos awarded the album 4 stars, stating, "The Great Pretender is a perfect title for this effort, a mix of funk and humor, gospel and jazz, with no small points of reference to Dizzy Gillespie, early doo wop, Mahalia Jackson, James Brown, and Sun Ra... The Great Pretender falls just short of Bowie's magnum opus The 5th Power, but not by much in terms of sheer modernism. It's utterly enjoyable creative jazz, worthy of a space in your collection".[1]

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
Allmusic	[1]
The Rolling Stone Jazz Record Guide	[2]

Track listing

1. "The Great Pretender" (Buck Ram) - 16:22
2. "It's Howdy Doody Time" (Edward Kean) - 2:08
3. "When the Doom (Moon) Comes Over the Mountain" (Harry M. Woods, Howard E. Johnson; arranged by Lester Bowie) - 3:39
4. "Rios Negroes" (Bowie) - 7:17
5. "Rose Drop" (Bowie) - 7:28
6. "Oh, How the Ghost Sings" (Bowie, Donald Smith, Fred Williams, Phillip Wilson, Manfred Eicher, Martin Wieland) 5:50

Personnel

• Lester Bowie - trumpet
• Hamiet Bluiett - baritone saxophone
• Donald Smith - piano, organ
• Fred Williams - bass, electric bass
• Phillip Wilson - drums
• Fontella Bass - vocals
• David Peaston - vocals

References

1. Nastos, M. G. Allmusic Review accessed May 9, 2011
2. Swenson, J., ed. (1985). The Rolling Stone Jazz Record Guide. USA: Random House/Rolling Stone. p. 28. ISBN 0-394-72643-X.