Prelude (Deodato album)
| Prelude | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
Standard artwork | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | January 1973 | |||
| Recorded | September 12–14, 1972 at Van Gelder Studios | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 31:42 | |||
| Label | CTI | |||
| Producer | Creed Taylor | |||
| Deodato chronology | ||||
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| Review scores | |
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| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic | |
| The Rolling Stone Jazz Record Guide | |
Prelude is the eighth studio album by Brazilian keyboardist Eumir Deodato, released in 1973. With the signature track "Also Sprach Zarathustra (2001)" (an arrangement of the theme from 2001: A Space Odyssey), Prelude also features one of the most heavily sampled drum breaks in the early hip hop cannon. The opening bars of September 13 features a legendary break beat used in many classic hip hop songs. The album can be categorised as classical-jazz fusion, thought by some as elevator music with a twist. Prelude would become the most successful recording for Deodato and CTI Records.
The album features guitarist John Tropea on three tracks, bassists Ron Carter and Stanley Clarke, and Billy Cobham on drums. The funk-influenced version of the "Introduction" from Richard Strauss's Also sprach Zarathustra, entitled "Also Sprach Zarathustra (2001)", won the 1974 Grammy Award for Best Pop Instrumental Performance and went to number two in the pop charts in the US, number three in Canada, and number seven in the UK. In 1977, the album was re-released briefly as 2001 with an alternate cover photo.