Tiger in the Rain

Tiger in the Rain
Studio album by Michael Franks
Released	1979 (1979)
Recorded	November 1978 (1978-11)
Studio	A&R Studios, New York
Genre	Smooth jazz
Length	40:48
Label	Warner Bros.
Producer	John Simon
Michael Franks chronology
Burchfield Nines (1978) Tiger in the Rain (1979) One Bad Habit (1980)

Tiger in the Rain is an album by singer-songwriter Michael Franks, released in 1979 on Warner Bros.^[1]

It was his first album not produced by Tommy LiPuma, Al Schmitt, and Lee Hershberg. The album was arranged and produced by John Simon. Franks plays guitar, banjo, and mandolin.^[2] The album cover features "Tiger in a Tropical Storm", an oil painting by Henri Rousseau.

Reception

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[2]

A. Colin Flood wrote in Enjoy the Music magazine that the album "[continues to] express Franks’ original synthesis of smooth jazz/rock fusion, again with the understated South American underbeats" that "subsides into clever adult sentiments. This album celebrates an easy life of success."^[3]

For PopMatters, Rob Caldwell praised the "clever turn[s] of phrase" that work at a "symbolic level (Franks wasn’t a literature major for nothing)" and "[t]here’s something to be said for escapism, for the armchair-travelling Michael Franks’ music offers."^[4]

Music critic Stephen J. Matteo commented for AllMusic the album was "[l]ush, romantic and more experimental than previous efforts" and that while "none of its songs has the instant appeal of some of his earlier writing, the album as a whole is as refreshing and meditative as a stroll through a rain forest."^[2]

Track listing

All tracks are written by Michael Franks

Side one

No.	Title	Length
1.	"Sanpaku"	4:10
2.	"When It's Over"	3:03
3.	"Living on the Inside"	5:36
4.	"Hideaway"	4:09
5.	"Jardin Botanico"	3:32

Side two

No.	Title	Length
1.	"Underneath the Apple Tree"	5:52
2.	"Tiger in the Rain"	4:17
3.	"Satisfaction Guaranteed"	3:39
4.	"Lifeline"	6:10

Charts

Chart (1979)	Peak position
Australian (Kent Music Report)	65[5]

Personnel

Musicians

• Michael Franks – vocals, guitar, banjo, mandolin
• Randy Brecker, Claudio Roditi – trumpet
• Lew Soloff – piccolo trumpet
• John Clark – French horn
• Tom "Bones" Malone – trombone
• Lew Del Gatto, Lou Marini, Seldon Powell – saxophone
• George Young – saxophone, flute
• Howard Leshaw, Dave Liebman – flute
• Kenny Barron – piano
• Paul Griffin, Bob Leinbach – organ
• Bob Leinbach – organ
• Mike Mainieri – vibraphone, vocals
• Joe Caro, Bucky Pizzarelli – guitar
• Ron Carter – double bass
• Rick Marotta, Ben Riley, Buddy Williams – drums
• Dominic Cortese – concertina, percussion
• Rubens Bassini, John Simon – percussion
• Errol "Crusher" Bennett – congas
• Flora Purim – background vocals
• Maretha Stewart – background vocals
• Hilda Harris – background vocals^[2]

String section

Violins: Charles Libove, Harry Lookofsky, Lewis Eley, Anthony Posk, Harry Urbont, Joseph Malin, Richard Sortomme

Viola: Harold Coletta, Richard Maximoff, Emanuel Vardi

Cello: Abdul Wadud, Jesse Levy, Charles McCracken, Allan Shulman.

Support

• Lee Herschberg – remastering
• Glenn Berger – audio mixing

References

1. "Discography in Order of Release". MichaelFranks.com. Retrieved 2012-09-06.
2. Matteo, Stephen J. Tiger in the Rain - Michael Franks at AllMusic. Retrieved 2018-09-06.
3. Colin Flood, A. "Michael Franks: Thirty Years of Smooth Jazz". Enjoy The Music. Retrieved 2018-09-06.
4. Caldwell, Rob (2014-03-04). "The Slow Samba Escapism of Michael Franks' "Tiger in the Rain"". Popmatters. Retrieved 2018-09-06.
5. Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. p. 118. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.

Bibliography

• Tiger in the Rain (Vinyl back cover). Michael Franks. United States: Warner Bros. 1979. BSK 3294.