A Funk-Fusion Classic:

Gary Bartz-...The Shadow Do-1975 (Prestige) cleaned vinyl:

This lp vinyl rip was recorded off the Soundblaster using Total Recorder.
The resulting wav files were then processed with Cool Edit Pro 2.0 and/or
Depopper 2, removing hiss,clicks and pops and increasing volume.
I then used dBpowerAmp to convert the wave files to MP3 (lame)@224.

No reposts by me.

There are a few records that have come to mean more and more to me over a long
period of time, and this is one of them.
Produced by the Mizell brothers, the LP has a funky and airy breeziness to it that
gets better and better with repeated
listening. Of particular note are the last 2 songs. "For My Baby' is a touching
plaint about the sorrow of a family break-up,
and 'Incident' is an understated and pithy expression about a child's first
discovery of the pain of racism: very intelligent and
unforgettable writing.

I was very disappointed to read the negative review of this album posted on the
AMG site:

Review by Brandon Burke

The opening seconds of The Shadow Do are very promising. Unfortunately, the
slamming drums, tight hi-hats, and deep funk guitar quickly give way to a very
rock-influenced APR synth sound straight out of an early-'80s TV cop drama. Still,
this record has a lot to offer certain listeners. Beat junkies, for example, will
have a lot to work with here, like the opening few measures of "Winding Roads" and
sections of "Make Me Feel Better." A Tribe Called Quest even used a vocal bit from
"Gentle Smiles (Saxy)" on their own track, "Butter." Ultimately, though, this is a
rather corny album that, save for a few bright moments, is indicative of an era
when soul-jazz and fusion turned into smooth jazz.

This is a good example of why I should not read reviews: they sometimes make me
feel sad. Of course, when the reviewer happens to agree with my opinions, it
makes me feel happy! I think reviewers often encounter an album with a set of
preconceptions as to what a record should sound like, and if the work doesn't
comply with their expectations, they write a negative review.

At any rate, this LP sets me free--a joy and a delight.

Here is the concise bio of Gary Bartz, also posted on AMG:

Biography by Thom Jurek

Alto saxophonist Gary Bartz attended the Juilliard Conservatory of Music and
became a member of Charles Mingus' Jazz Workshop from 1962-1964 where he worked
with Eric Dolphy and encountered McCoy Tyner for the first time. He also began
gigging as a sideman in the mid-'60s with Abbey Lincoln and Max Roach, and later
as a member of Art Blakey & the Jazz Messengers. His recording debut was on
Blakey's Soul Finger album. Tyner formed his famed Expansions band in 1968 with
Bartz on alto. In addition, Bartz also formed his own bands at this time and
recorded a trio of albums for Milestone, and continued to tour with Max Roach's
band. In 1970, Miles Davis hired Bartz and featured him as a soloist on the Live-
Evil recording. Bartz formed the NTU Troop that year as well, an ensemble that
fused soul and funk, African folk music, hard bop, and vanguard jazz into a
vibrant whole. Among the group's four recordings from 1970-1973, Harlem Bush
Music: Taifa and Juju Street Songs have proved influential with soul jazzers, and
in hip-hop and DJ circles as well. From 1973-1975 Bartz was on a roll, issuing
I've Known Rivers and Other Bodies, Music Is My Sanctuary, Home, and Another
Earth, all stellar outings. He meandered for most of the 1980s, coming back in
1988 with Reflections on Monk. Since that time, Bartz has continued making records
of quiet intensity and lyrical power � notably Red & Orange Poems in 1995 � and
has with become one of the finest if under-noticed alto players of his generation.