''A Genuine Tong Funeral'' is an album by vibraphonist

Gary Burton Gary Burton (born January 23, 1943) is an American jazz Vibraphone, vibraphonist, composer, and educator. Burton developed a pianistic style of four-mallet technique as an alternative to the prevailing two-mallet technique. This approach caused ...

featuring compositions by

Carla Bley Carla Bley (born Lovella May Borg; May 11, 1936 – October 17, 2023) was an American jazz composer, pianist, organist, and bandleader. An important figure in the free jazz movement of the 1960s, she gained acclaim for her jazz opera ''Escalator ...

recorded in 1967 and released on the

RCA RCA Corporation was a major American electronics company, which was founded in 1919 as the Radio Corporation of America. It was initially a patent pool, patent trust owned by General Electric (GE), Westinghouse Electric Corporation, Westinghou ...

label in 1968.Gary Burton discography
accessed November 21, 2011 It features Burton with Bley herself on keyboards and conducting an expanded ensemble consisting of trumpeter

Michael Mantler Michael Mantler (born August 10, 1943) is an Austrian avant-garde jazz trumpeter and composer of contemporary music. Career: United States Mantler was born in Vienna, Austria. In the early 1960s, he was a student at the Academy of Music and V ...

, trombonist

Jimmy Knepper James Minter Knepper (November 22, 1927 – June 14, 2003) was an American jazz trombonist. In addition to his own recordings as leader, Knepper performed and recorded with Charlie Barnet, Woody Herman, Claude Thornhill, Stan Kenton, Benny Goo ...

, tenor saxophonist

Gato Barbieri Leandro "Gato" Barbieri (November 28, 1932 – April 2, 2016) was an Argentine jazz tenor saxophonist who rose to fame during the free jazz movement in the 1960s and is known for his Latin jazz recordings of the 1970s. His nickname, Gato, is Spa ...

, soprano saxophonist

Steve Lacy Steve Thomas Lacy-Moya (born May 23, 1998) is an American singer-songwriter, guitarist and record producer. He gained recognition as the guitarist of the alternative R&B band the Internet, which he joined in 2015. His self-produced debut EP, '' ...

, baritone saxophonist Howard Johnson, guitarist

Larry Coryell Larry Coryell (born Lorenz Albert Van DeLinder III; April 2, 1943 – February 19, 2017) was an American jazz guitarist, widely considered the "godfather of fusion". Alongside Gábor Szabó, he was a pioneer in melding jazz, country and rock ...

, bassist

Steve Swallow Steve Swallow (born October 4, 1940) is an American jazz bassist and composer, known for his collaborations with Jimmy Giuffre, Gary Burton, and Carla Bley. He was one of the first jazz double bassists to switch entirely to electric bass guitar. ...

and drummer Bob Moses.

Reception

The

Allmusic AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online database, online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on Musical artist, musicians and Mus ...

review by

Scott Yanow Scott Yanow (born 1954) is an American jazz reviewer, historian, and author. Life and career Yanow was born in New York City and grew up near Los Angeles. Beginning in 1974, Yanow was a regular reviewer of many jazz styles and was the jazz e ...

awarded the album 4½ stars, stating: "One of vibraphonist Gary Burton's most intriguing recordings... The music is dramatic, occasionally a little humorous, and a superb showcase for Gary Burton's vibes".Yanow, S
Allmusic Review
accessed November 21, 2011

Track listing

''All compositions by Carla Bley.'' # "The Opening / Interlude : Shovels / The Survivors / Grave Train" - 6:37 # "Death Rolls" - 1:36 # "Morning (Part 1)" - 1:43 # "Interlude : Lament / Intermission Music" - 4:28 # "Silent Spring" - 7:58 # "Fanfare / Mother of the Dead Man" - 2:51 # "Some Dirge" - 7:47 # "Morning (Part 2)" - 1:17 # "The New Funeral March" - 2:40 # "The New National Anthem / The Survivors" - 6:34 *Recorded in New York City in July 1967.

Personnel

– vibraphone *

– trumpet *

– trombone, bass trombone * Howard Johnson – tuba, baritone saxophone *

– soprano saxophone *

– tenor saxophone *

– piano, organ, conductor *

– guitar *

– double bass * Bob Moses – drumsOn the album's original release Moses was credited as "Lonesome Dragon" at his request due to creative disagreements with Bley; they later reconciled and Moses became a vocal supporter of her music. See Ethan Iverson
A Lifetime of Carla Bley
The New Yorker, May 13, 2018

Reception

Track listing

Personnel

References

Further reading