WORD TO THE THIRD

Third Wave: Waves Lament

From Here and Now (MPS, 1970/Crippled Dick, 1999)

Third Wave: Love Train

From 7″ (MPS, 196?) Also on Dancefloor Jazz Vol. 9 (Motor Mouth, 2000)

One of these days, I’ll do some proper research on this group. Five Filipino sisters from Stockton, all who happen to be the niece of singer Ruby Tenio, are discovered by jazz composer George Duke. He promptly whisks them off to Europe where they record for Germany’s MPS under the name the Third Wave. They are a jazz vocal group, compared by some to the Mamas and Papas or King Sisters. They record one album, Here and Now, and a single 7″ with two songs, neither of us are on the LP.

“Waves Lament” begins the album and also happens to be my favorite song off the LP: it begins with a swinging pace but quickly eases down into a melancholy, smooth lope that invokes the image of a smoky lounge full of hard-drinking, chain-smoking types. Meanwhile, “Love Train,” is a driving jazz dance number complete with a breakdown in the middle. Third Wave keeps on rolling! (Shout out to “Cool” Chris Veltri at S.F.’s Groove Merchant for putting me up on this beaut of a 7″)

By the way, I need an OG copy of Here and Now. If you got one for sale or trade, holla.