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Ricotti & Albuquerque — First Wind
(Bandcamp Think Like a Key TLAK1192, 1971/2025, CD / DL)

by Jon Davis, Published 2025-04-04

First Wind Cover art

First Wind is a curious artifact from the early 70s, relatively obscure but worthy of notice. I don’t remember when I first became aware of it, but hearing the opening track, “Ratsa (Don't Know Why),” hooked me in. Now Think Like a Key has brought it to wider release, with the addition of nine bonus tracks. The album is credited to Ricotti & Albuquerque, the duo of Frank Ricotti and Michael de Albuquerque (sometimes credited as Michael d’Albuquerque or just Michael Albuquerque). Ricotti’s primary instrument is vibraphone, but he also handles alto sax and percussion; Albuquerque plays guitar and sings. “Ratsa” is a high-energy jazz-rock tune written by keyboardist John Taylor, and aside from the vocal element, has a bit of the flavor of Nucleus to it. With the second track, we see the album’s other side: it’s a cover of James Taylor’s “Lo and Behold,” a gospel-inflected blues track that reminds me a bit of Blood, Sweat & Tears with less emphasis on horns. It’s the first of several covers — the others are Melanie, John Sebastian, and Spanky and Our Gang — and to my ears much less interesting than the jazzier side of their sound. It’s not that the musicianship is lacking, but there’s nothing particularly distinctive about these songs. The songs written by band members Taylor and Albuquerque are generally more interesting, though none of the others rise to the level of “Ratsa.” This is blues-based rock played by musicians with a jazz background. In addition to John Taylor, they have Trevor Tomkins on drums and Chris Laurence on bass. For the bonus tracks, there are two singles from Albuquerque, along with their B-sides, which were released in 1969 and 1970. These mix bouncy trad jazz with psychedelic rock and soulful pop, and I’m reminded a little of Simon Dupree and the Big Sound. The release is rounded out by four live tracks from BBC broadcasts in 1971. While I can’t say that First Wind is a lost masterpiece, it is a historical curiosity, and it’s good to have it available legitimately.

Filed under: Reissues, 2025 releases, 1971 recordings

Related artist(s): Ricotti & Albuquerque

More info
http://thinklikeakey.bandcamp.com/album/first-wind-2025-remaster

 

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