Where Fortune Smiles

Track listing

1. "Glancing Backwards (for Junior)" – 8:54 - Surman
2. "Earth Bound Hearts" – 4:15 - McLaughlin
3. "Where Fortune Smiles" – 4:01 - Surman
4. "New Place, Old Place" – 10:24 - McLaughlin
5. "Hope" – 7:19 - McLaughlin

Personnel

Critical reception

Jazz critic Scott Yanow wrote: “McLaughlin's raw sound was starting to take shape by this time and his impeccable chops are on full display. So too are those of the underrated vibraphonist Karl Berger and, of course, soprano saxophonist Surman. The foundation is held loosely in place by bassist Dave Holland and drummer Stu Martin. It's a challenging but interesting listen, especially given McLaughlin's later success and popularity.”

Background

As released in 1971 on Dawn records, and a subsequent 1975 release on Pye, the album was credited to all participating musicians, with no one receiving top billing. With the reissue on CD in 1993, the album was retroactively credited to McLaughlin alone, a move suggested to have been for "marketing purposes only". Composition credits and solo times are shared more or less equally between McLaughlin and Surman, and McLaughlin is not understood to have acted in a leadership capacity for the sessions.

A one-off studio record between 5 accomplished musicians who never recorded as a group subsequently, the two studio efforts necessary to complete the album were fit in between and/or after: John Surman working with Barre Phillips and Stu Martin in “The Trio” (Dawn LP – DNLS 3006), John McLaughlin working with Miles Davis, Karl touring with Don Cherry in Europe, and Dave also working with Miles.

Reissues

Where Fortune Smiles was reissued on vinyl in 1975 by Pye Records (Pye 12103) with an alternative cover. It was first reissued on CD in 1993 on One Way Records (OW 29312), then on a re-mastered promo on BGO Records in 1993 – and officially in 1996 (BGO 191). It was last released in Japan in a CD mini–LP format in 2006 on One Way Records (ARC-7129) with no additional bonus tracks. The average cost of the CD ranges from $25 – $200. The entire album is included on the 3-CD set John Surman: Glancing Backwards, the Dawn anthology.