The Stratus Seekers

The Stratus Seekers
Studio album by George Russell
Released	May or June 1962[1][2]
Recorded	January 31, 1962
Genre	Jazz
Length	45:12
Label	Riverside
Producer	Orrin Keepnews
George Russell chronology
Ezz-thetics (1961) The Stratus Seekers (1962) The Outer View (1962)

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
Allmusic	[3]
Down Beat	[4]
The Penguin Guide to Jazz Recordings	[5]

The Stratus Seekers is an album by George Russell released in May or June 1962 on Riverside Records.^[1][2] The album contains performances by Russell with John Pierce, David Baker, Paul Plummer, Don Ellis, Steve Swallow and Joe Hunt.

Reception

In his review in the August 16, 1962 of Down Beat magazine Harvey Pekar says this of Russell: "His work abounds with such devices as polyphony, polytonality, and changing tempos and time signatures. He is also a brilliant orchestrator... producing constantly varying sonorities and textures."^[6] A retrospective Allmusic review by Scott Yanow states that "The music has its own logic, is somewhat difficult to classify, yet deserves further attention by jazz historians and analysts".^[7]

Track listing

All compositions by George Russell except where noted.

1. "Pan-Daddy" - 4:57
2. "The Stratus Seekers" - 6:52
3. "The Stratus Seekers" [alternate take] - 7:44 Bonus track on CD reissue
4. "Kige's Tune" (Al Kiger) - 5:46
5. "Blues in Orbit" - 7:24
6. "A Lonely Place" - 7:18
7. "Stereophrenic" (David Baker) - 5:11

• Recorded January 31, 1962 in NYC

Personnel

• George Russell: piano, arranger, conductor
• Don Ellis: trumpet
• David Baker: trombone
• Paul Plummer: tenor saxophone
• John Pierce: alto saxophone
• Steve Swallow: bass
• Joe Hunt: drums

References

1. Editorial Staff, Cash Box (19 May 1962). "May Album Releases" (PDF). The Cash Box. The Cash Box Publishing Co. Inc., NY. Retrieved 23 October 2019.
2. Editorial Staff, Billboard (30 June 1962). "The Stratus Seekers". Billboard Music Week. The Billboard Publishing Co. Retrieved 23 October 2019.
3. Yanow, Scott (2011). "The Stratus Seekers - George Russell | AllMusic". allmusic.com. Retrieved 18 July 2011.
4. Down Beat: August 16, 1962 vol. 29, no. 22
5. Cook, Richard; Morton, Brian (2008). The Penguin Guide to Jazz Recordings (9th ed.). Penguin. p. 1249. ISBN 978-0-141-03401-0.
6. Down Beat: August 16, 1962 vol. 29, no. 22
7. Yanow, S. Allmusic Review accessed August 3, 2009.