Whirlwinds

Having signed a presumably lucrative deal with MCA, Deodato took with him the jazz- Latin-funk-with-a-taste-of-the-classics formula that he perfected with CTI. But there was a sonic price to pay, for MCA's flat, lackluster sound takes a lot of the sheen and color away from Deodato's arrangements and the sound of his electric piano. As a result, this record sounds like a washed-out, black-and-white facsimile of a Deodato CTI record, with one classical adaptation (Schubert's 'Ave Maria'), a fairly good reworking of Glenn Miller's 'Moonlight Serenade,' and three Deodato originals, of which only 'Whirlwinds' has a headful of steam. The large orchestra and band are populated by the usual mid-'70s assortment of New York sessionmen and women, along with the ubiquitous John Tropea, but there are few solos worth mentioning outside of Deodato's own funky Rhodes displays. Still available on CD, but not essential.