"The World Is a Ghetto" by Tony Lavorgna And The St. Thomas Jazz Quartet
A beautiful cover song from an obscure early-'80s private press gem.
Hailing from Youngstown, Ohio, Tony Lavorgna And The St. Thomas Jazz Quartet recorded their 1982 private press album Chameleon as a business card of sorts. According to Bandcamp page for the Jazz Room Records reissue, the album was essentially an advertisement to demonstrate their musical chops for potential gigs.
Their excellent covers of Herbie Hancock's "Chameleon" and War’s “The World Is a Ghetto” - both of which are included in the Less Than 1,000 Spins playlist - make this project an easy sell, but the other four songs are also quite enjoyable. In particular, I dig their slow, smooth rendition of Ray Charles’ “Georgia On My Mind.”
Released under the long-defunct Cleveland-based Antelope Records, this record was largely unknown to the general public for four decades.
Jazz Room Records’ 2022 reissue of the project gives modern listeners a chance for rediscovery. I hope you’ll take some time to check it out.
Listen to "Chameleon" on any platform here. Listen to “The World Is A Ghetto” on any platform here. Make sure to check out Less Than 1,000 Spins on Spotify and YouTube.
Thank you for your support - I’ll be in touch again tomorrow.