Jungle Cowboy

Jungle Cowboy
Studio album by Jean-Paul Bourelly
Released	1987
Recorded	December 1986
Studio	Sound Ideas, New York
Genre	Jazz
Length	45:45
Label	JMT JMT 870 009
Producer	Jean-Paul Bourelly, Stefan F. Winter
Jean-Paul Bourelly chronology
Jungle Cowboy (1987) Trippin' (1992)

Jungle Cowboy is the debut album by guitarist Jean-Paul Bourelly which was recorded in late 1986 and released on the JMT label with distribution by Polygram.[1][2][3][4]

Reception

The AllMusic review by Brian Olewnick states "A couple of the tracks succeed marginally but, despite the occasional presence of outstanding musicians like Julius Hemphill and Andrew Cyrille, most of the songs remain leaden and slick, the musical equivalent of the glamour-style photos that adorn the album cover".[5] Musician's reviewer in 1988 wrote about the album, "It's about rawness, and though it doesn't have an abundance of structural sophistication, Bourelly's debut is easily identifiable, i.e., he's got a vision.",[6] Steve Holtje, in MusicHound's Jazz: The Essential Album Guide (1998), called Jungle Cowboy Bourelly's best album,[7] and music critic Ben Watson called "Mother Earth" a sultry masterpiece.[8]

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[5]
Christgau's Record Guide	B+[9]

Track listing

All compositions by Jean-Paul Bourelly except where indicated

1. "Love Line" - 4:39
2. "Tryin' to Get Over" - 4:11
3. "Drifter" - 5:08
4. "Hope You Find Your Way" - 6:15
5. "Jungle Cowboy" - 3:18
6. "No Time to Share" - 3:34
7. "Can't Get Enough" - 5:17
8. "Parade" - 4:07
9. "Mother Earth" (Peter Chatman) – 4:46
10. "Groove With Me" - 4:30

Personnel

• Jean-Paul Bourelly – lead guitar, vocals
• Julius Hemphill – alto saxophone
• Carl Bourelly – synthesizer, backing vocals
• Kelvyn Bell – rhythm guitar, backing vocals
• Freddie Cash – bass, backing vocals
• Kevin Johnson – drums, backing vocals
• Greg Carmouché – percussion, backing vocals
• Andrew Cyrille – drums (track 9)
• Alyson Williams – vocals (track 4)

References

1. Shimada, T., JMT label discography, accessed October 7, 2014
2. Jazz Times. 6-10. Vol. 31. Jazztimes. 2001. pp. 95–. For one decade - from 1985 to 1995 - JMT produced 81 recordings including the landmark debut albums by ...
3. Robert Christgau (1990). Christgau's Record Guide: The '80s. Pantheon Books. pp. 68–. ISBN 978-0-679-73015-6.
4. Option. Vol. 20. Sonic Options Network. 1988. pp. 47–. Bourelly's debut album Jungle Cowboy (on the German JMT label, distributed by Polygram) features appearances by guitarist Kelvyn Bell, alto saxophonist Julius Hemphill, percussionist Andrew Cyrille and others, along with Bourelly's ...
5. Olewnick, B., Allmusic Review accessed December 12, 2014
6. Musician. 111-116. Amordian Press. 1988. pp. 94–.
7. Music Hound (1998). Jazz: The Essential Album Guide. Music Sales Corporation. ISBN 978-0-8256-7253-8. ... worth searching for: Bourelly's debut as a leader, jungle Cowboy MMf (JMT, 1987, prod. Stefan Winter, Jean-Paul Bourelly), is his best album, but JMT's U.S. distributor, Verve, doesn't carry it. It predates ...
8. Ben Watson; W. C. Bamberger (April 2010). Honesty Is Explosive!: Selected Music Journalism. Wildside Press LLC. pp. 33–. ISBN 978-1-4344-5783-7.
9. Christgau, Robert (1990). "B". Christgau's Record Guide: The '80s. Pantheon Books. ISBN 0-679-73015-X. Retrieved August 17, 2020 – via robertchristgau.com.