(Funk, Smooth Jazz, Crossover Jazz) [WEB] Gábor Szabó (Gabor Szabo) - Nightflight - 1976, FLAC (tracks), lossless

https://www.allmusic.com/artist/gabor-szabo-mn0000184187
Gabor Szabo was one of the most original guitarists to emerge in the 1960s, mixing his Hungarian folk music heritage with a deep love of jazz and crafting a distinctive, largely self-taught sound. Inspired by a Roy Rogers cowboy movie, Szabo began playing guitar when he was 14 and often played in dinner clubs and covert jam sessions while still living in Budapest. He escaped from his country at age 20 on the eve of the Communist uprising and eventually made his way to America, settling with his family in California. He attended Berklee College (1958-1960) and in 1961 joined Chico Hamilton's innovative quintet featuring Charles Lloyd. Urged by Hamilton, Szabo crafted a most distinctive sound; as agile on intricate, nearly-free runs as he was able to sound inspired during melodic passages. Szabo left the Hamilton group in 1965 to leave his mark on the pop-jazz of the Gary McFarland quintet and the energy music of Charles Lloyd's fiery and underrated quartet featuring Ron Carter and Tony Williams. Szabo initiated a solo career in 1966, recording the exceptional album, Spellbinder, which yielded many inspired moments and "Gypsy Queen," the song Santana turned into a huge hit in 1970. Szabo formed an innovative quintet (1967-1969) featuring the brilliant, classically trained guitarist Jimmy Stewart and recorded many notable albums during the late '60s. The emergence of rock music (especially George Harrison, Eric Clapton, and Jimi Hendrix) found Szabo experimenting with feedback and more commercially oriented forms of jazz. During the '70s, Szabo regularly performed along the West Coast, hypnotizing audiences with his enchanting, spellbinding style. From 1970, he locked into a commercial groove, even though records like Mizrab occasionally revealed his seamless jazz, pop, Gypsy, Indian, and Asian fusions. Szabo had revisited his homeland several times during the '70s, finding opportunities to perform brilliantly with native talents. He was hospitalized during his final visit and died in 1982, just short of his 46th birthday.

https://www.allmusic.com/album/nightflight-mw0000903634
AllMusic Review by Thom Jurek
In the 1970s, Hungarian guitarist Gabor Szabo pursued a highly individual take on the mercurial space where jazz and pop met funk. He was also no stranger to large orchestrations, dating back to his work with producers Gary McFarland and Bob Thiele. But beginning with 1971's High Contrast on Blue Thumb and carrying all the way through his CTI sides — Rambler and Mizrab in 1973 — he had blended all of his seemingly disparate interests together without sacrificing his own voice; namely, his signature guitar style. After 1975's Salvation release, Macho, produced by Bob James, Szabo signed to Mercury. Nightflight is his debut for the label. In hindsight, given the popularity of Barry White and the sophisticated Philly Soul sound in general, it was only a question of time before the guitarist got there. Teaming with producer/arranger/multi-instrumentalist Bunny Sigler and a host of Philly's hottest session players — including Dexter Wansel on synths and composer Ritchie Rome (who, along with Sigler, handled the large-scale arrangements) — at Sigma Sound Studio, Szabo created a pop disco album that bled straight through jazz and onto the club floor. Opener "Concorde (Nightflight)" was an underground — and now almost a de rigueur — DJ staple because of its spacy flamenco groove, cinematic horns, and bubbling synths. "Baby Rattle Snake" was downright funky, with its angular wah-wah guitar lines, chunky horns, and rubbery basslines. "Keep Smilin'," a Sigler nugget that had scored on the charts before, was given a nearly eight-minute treatment. With Szabo's deep-grooving solo atop pulsing keyboards, wafting synths, and a steady bassline vamp, it hit FM radio. Mercury subsequently released an edit that became the guitarist's biggest hit. The set's most beautiful track, however, is "Every Minute Counts," with a funky Wes Montgomery-esque guitar vamp weaving in and out of a rich, luscious woodwind, horn, and string chart and a soulful, hovering, backing chorus. Closer "Smooth Sailin'" features one of his two vocals on the set. His melancholic, understated delivery becomes just another instrument in this breezy groover. Nightflight is stronger than his CTI dates because Szabo is far more comfortable in a setting where the record label's sound doesn't need to assert itself over his own. The softer, more lustrous production by Sigler reflects a better understanding of Szabo as an artist, making Nightflight an all-around winner. [The Dutton Vocalian reissue includes three bonus tracks: the edited 45 A- and-B-side versions of "Keep Smilin' and "Baby Rattle Snake," as well as a wholly unedited take on "Keep Smilin'."]
Review by Douglas Payne (allmusic.com)
Disco hitmeister Bunny Sigler pairs the unique sound of Gabor Szabo here with a soulless group of Philadelphia studio musicians for a senseless exploration of money-making music. The guitarist is reduced to apathetic singing ("Keep Smiling") and comping furiously over repetitive dance riffs ("Baby Rattle Snake"). Of note, however, are the guitarist's Latin-esque "Concorde (Nightflight)" and the interesting "Theme for Gabor."

Gabor Szabo: guitar;
Bunny Sigler, Ken Miller, Theodore Life: guitars;
Bunny Sigler: piano;
Jimmy Sigler: organ;
Dexter Wansel: synthesizer;
Raymond Earl: bass guitar;
Scotty Miller: drums;
Johnnie McCann: congas/bongos;
Gabor Szabo, Bunny Sigler, Theodore Life: vocals