Tavares - Madam Butterfly

Name: Tavares
Album: Madam Butterfly
Year: 1979
Style: R&B, Soul, Funk
Similar Bands: Hues Corporation, Spinners, Stylistics, Temptations, LTD, KC & the Sunshine Band, Peaches & Herb
"One-Word" Review: Funky Smooth Bedroom Jawns
Based Out Of: New Bedford, Massachusetts, Rhode Island
Label: EMI, Capitol

Cover, Record

Record, Back

Madam Butterfly (1979)

1. Straight From Your Heart 4:27 (single)
2. Games, Games 4:33
3. Madam Buttefly 4:32
4. Let Me Heal the Bruises 4:26 /
5. Never Had a Love Like This Before 4:35 (single)
6. One Telephone Call Away 4:25
7. My Love Calls 5:09
8. Positive Forces 2:58
9. I'm Back for More 3:02

Album Rating (1-10): 6.5

Members & Other Bands:

• Bobby Martin - Producer
• Larkin Arnold - Exec Producer
• Brian Panella - Direction, Personal Mgmt
• Roy Kohara - Art Direction
• Henry Marquez - Design
• Oliver Ferrand - Cover/Back Photos
• Robert Hickson - Illustration
• Jim McCary - Liner/Sleeve Photos
• Antone Laurence "Chubby" Tavares (Chubby & the Turnpikes, Linda & the Del Rios, Lime)
• Perry Lee "Tiny" Tavares
• Feliciano Vierra "Butch" Tavares (Chubby & the Turnpikes)
• Ralph Vierra Tavares (Chubby & the Turnpikes, Linda & the Del Rios)
• Arthur Paul "Pooch" Tavares (Chubby & the Turnpikes, Linda & the Del Rios)
• Ron Kersey - Clavinet, Piano, Organ, Melodica (MFSB, Salsoul Orch, Trammps, more)
• Benorce Blackmon - Guitar (Charles Wright & the Watts 103rd St Rhythm Band, Mike James Kirkland, Bill Withers, The Persuasions, LTD, Mel Browne, Jean Terrell, John Handy, Benny Golson, DJ Rogers, Kurtis Blow, Justin Timberlake)
• Melvin Webb - Bongos, Congas, Drums, Percussion (Bloodstone, Fred Wesley, Johnny Nash, LTD, Marvin Gaye, Mel Browne, Jean Terrell, John Handy, Greg & Hanks, Wright Brothers Flying Machine, Halloween, Maxine Nightingale, Sir John Roberts, Syl Johnson, Thelma Houston, Deborah Washington, High Energy, Les McCann, Juice People Unlimited, Alain Chamfort, Street Players, Mary Wilson, Patrice Rushen, Splendor, Dramatics, Edwin Starr, Vernon Burch, Syreeta, Pyrymyd, Gap Band, Al Johnson, Yarbrough & Peoples, Nolen & Crossley, Esther Phillips, Jose Feliciano, Spinners, Billy Preston, Phyllis Hyman, O'Bryan, Atkins, Bobby Davenport, Goodie, Janet Jackson, Marlena Shaw, Gladys Knight & the Pops, Monalisa Young, Junior Walker, Dimples, Champaign)
• Len Ron Hanks - Clavinet, Piano (Grey & Hanks, Jean Terrell, Larry Graham, Alfie Silas)
• John Roberts - Flugelhorn, Trumpet (Barry White, jay Ansill, Natalie Merchant, Main Ingredient, Martha Reeves, Mel Brown Love Unlimited orch, T-Boy Ross, Penthouse Dance band, Tal Armstrong, Rockie Robbins, Vernon Burch, Christy Essien Igbokwe, Michael Wycoff, Albert King, George Duke, ZARD, Rachelle Ferrell, Musiq, Charlene Ava, Kirk Whalum, Spectrals, Gloria Newsom, Deniz Tek, Groupe Kounabeli De Masuku, Woodley Yeomen)
• Oscar Brashear  - Flugelhorn, Trumpet (Bird Memorial Quintet, Brass Fever, Count basie Orch, Gerald Wilson Orch of the 80's/90's, Henry Mancini & His Orch,Hubert Laws Group, Karma, Master Fleet, Teddy Edwards Brasstring Ensemble, Clayton-Hamilton Jazz Orch, more )
• David Shields - Bass (First Cousins Jazz Ensemble, Mean Machine, Bill Cosby, Bill Quateman, Memphis Horns, Jackie De Shannon, Marlene Shaw, Blackbyrds, Thelma Houston, Jerry Butler, Kellee Patterson, Syteeta, GC Cameron, Patti Labelle, Emotions, The Originals, Karen Pree, Nancy Wilson, Haruko, Jim Capaldi, Leon Haywood, Mel Brown, Gladys Knight, Benny Golson, Bill LaBounty, Ms. Sharon Ridley, Bill Champlin, Smokey Robinson, 5th Dimension, Finished Touch, Deborah Washington, Bloodstone, Stephen Bishop, High Inergy, Chery Lynn, Rodney Franklin, Juice People Unlimiter, Vernon Burch, T-Boy Ross, John Mayall, Denise Williams, Robert John, Adrian Gurvitz, Gloria Gaynor, Valentine Bros, Harvey Mason, Randy Newman, DC LaRue, Andrae Crouch, Letta Mbulu, Flakes, Pyrymyd, John & Arthur Simms, Edwin Starr, Klique, Henry Gross, Freddie Hubbard, Stevie Woods, Bobby Womack, O'Bryan, Michael Wycoff, Wilton Felder, Manhattans, Marylin Scott, Jay Graydon, Jeff Porcaro, Beau Williams, Joey Negro, Cosmos Dwellerz Arkestra)
• Maurice Spears - Bass Trombone (Gerald Wilson Orch of 80's/90's, Teddy Edwards Brasstring Ensemble, Buddy Collette Big Band, Clayton-Hamilton Jazz Orch, Phenix Horns More)
• Gaylord Birch - Drums (Cold Blood, Graham Central Station, Reconstruction, Santana, marvin Holmes & the Uptights, Natural Four, Merl Saunders, Pointer Sisters, Marvin Holmes & Justice, Roger Glenn, Lonnie Hewitt, Walter Hawkins & the Family, Kimm, Larry Graham, Bill Bell, Leon Patillo, Martha Young All Stars, Larry Vuckovich, John Lee Hooker, Charles Brown, Bob Stewart, Anthony Paule, Eddie Harris, Houston Person, Mary Stallings, Jerry Garcia, Napata Mero)
• Steve Erquiaga - Guitar (Frank Mantooth Jazz Orch, Roberta VanDere, John Handy, Art Van Damme Quintet, Les McCann, Andy Narell, Jon Illg, Bobby McFerrin, Antonio Lozano, Steve Erquiaga/Brasel/Kenneth Nash, Mehler, Melvin Seals, Rich Hodge, Carole Walker, Barbara Higbie, Rhiannon, Will Ackerman, Alex De Grassi, Turtle island String Quartet, Johann Sebastian Bach, Windham Hill Artists, Howie Smith, Pete Escovedo, Kitty margolis, Jacqui Naylor, Raquel Bitton, Noel McFarlane)
• Grover Mitchell - Trombone (Count Basie Big Band Orch,New Blue Devils, Lalo Schifrin, Frank Weiss, Harry Edison, more)
• Linda Small - Trombone  (Gary Urwin Jazz Orch, Tompall Glaser, Cate Bros, Jules & the Polar Bears, Pete Chistlieb)
• Tom McIntosh - Trombone (Dizzy Gillespie, Hubert Laws, Milt Jackson, NY Jazz Sextet, Oliver Nelson, Thad Jones, Mel Lewis, The Jazztet, more)
• Don Moors - Vibraphone (Richard Dimples Fields, Taj Mahal, Mel Brown, Rockie Robbins)

Unknown-ness: Can't say I've heard of this band before getting this record. The cover looks like it is going to be heavily Japanese influenced, even if the back shows the band to be a bunch of 70s leisure suited gentlemen. Leaning toward a funk style with some inspiration from Japanese music.

Album Review: It is pretty much a straight forward Funk R&B outfit, with slow, methodical songs breaking up the disco funk dancing and street corner pop. 

They truly were brothers from a musical household, and started out as first The Del Rios, a backing band for Linda Steele, and then Chubby & the Realities / Turnpikes in the late 1950s. Both Bernie Worrell (P-Funk) and Joey Kramer (Aerosmith) were in the band at points in time. They eventually took their last name as the band name in 1969. They had a string of albums and solid collection of hits. In 1977 they acquired the disco band label- a label that undeservedly pigeonholed them- as their Grammy award winning version of the Bee Gees song "More Than a Woman" was on the Saturday Night Fever soundtrack (the Bee gees wrote it specifically for Tavares). This album was the record that tried to break the image, sounding very Philadelphia Soul thanks to producer Bobby Martin. Eldest brother Ralph quit the band to pursue a 9-5 job (Court Officer) which he stayed at for 30 years and become a devoted father who was present in his family's life. The other brothers carried on, and in 2014, the five reunited for the first time in 30 years. And the band is still active, with future dates booked in 2021.

Stand Out Track: Positive Forces

Links:
Spotify full album
Wiki

Discogs

Allmusic
Providence Journal - Where are they now 2018
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2021 show @ Stadium Theater
Rhode Island  Music HoF
Music Museum of NE
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South Coast Today 2014: 30 yr reunion