TALE OF THREE CITIES (MIKE MAURRO DISCO REMIX) by THE SALSOUL ORCHESTRA

Next up are two exceptional disco remixes of The Salsoul Orchestra classics, “Tale of Three Cities” and “Tangerine”, by Mike Maurro, whose recent The Mike Maurro Peak Hour Remixes have cemented the New York producer’s reputation as a well respected disco remixer,Side A features “Tale of Three Cities” (Mike Maurro Disco Remix), one of The Salsoul Orchestra’s funkiest cuts, written by bass player Ron Baker for their debut LP. Maurro extends the arrangement to nine minutes, concentrating on the driving beat and rhythm section for the intro, subtly adding the guitar and keyboard parts before the first orchestral bridge at 1m36. Stripping back much of the orchestral elements throughout the mix he gives more space to the deftly executed solo guitar and keyboard passages and gives special attention to Vincent Montana’s vibes, taking the dancer on a beautiful journey through the Salsoul sound concluding with an instrumental, ethereal outro. Side AA features “Tangerine” (Mike Maurro Disco Remix), Vincent Montana’s skillfully rearranged version of the lilting Jimmy Dorsey pop standard which was the group’s biggest pop hit, also from their debut LP. Adding a further 6 minutes to the original version, again Maurro respectfully gives the orchestration more room to breathe over the propulsive rhythm section, gaining patient momentum throughout while exposing the best instrumental elements of the original and sprinkling just the right amount of The Sweethearts of Sigma’s vocal refrains on top. Both mixes were initially released on Groove Line’s 3CD 40th Anniversary Salsoul Orchestra Anthology as exclusive tracks.