Gabor Szabo - Spellbinder - Verve Vault Series LP

Verve Vault Series, 180g Vinyl LP, Pressed at Optimal

Spellbinder, released in 1966 on Impulse! Records, introduced Hungarian guitarist Gabor Szabo to a wider American audience with a set that blends modal jazz, Eastern European folk influences, and 1960s pop textures. Recorded in May 1966 at Rudy Van Gelder's Englewood Cliffs studio and produced by Bob Thiele, it features Szabo in a quintet with bassist Ron Carter, drummer Chico Hamilton, and percussionists Willie Bobo and Victor Pantoja. The standout is a reimagining of "Bang Bang (My Baby Shot Me Down)," transformed into a darkly lyrical modal meditation. The Verve Vault series is always mastered from analog tapes and pressed on 180g vinyl at Optimal.

Features

• Verve Vault Series
• 180g vinyl LP
• Mastered from analog tapes
• Pressed at Optimal
• Label: Verve

Musicians

• Gabor Szabo – guitar
• Chico Hamilton – drums
• Ron Carter – bass
• Victor Pantoja, Willie Bobo – Latin percussion

Track Listing

Side One:

1. Spellbinder
2. Witchcraft
3. It Was a Very Good Year
4. Gypsy Queen

Side Two:

1. Bang Bang (My Baby Shot Me Down)
2. Cheetah
3. My Foolish Heart
4. Yearning
5. Autumn Leaves / Speak to Me of Love