Handy continues with the formula for success that had make his previous album, Hard Work, an R&B club hit. Some new session musicians are added. Lee Ritenour, Larry Carlton, James Jamerson, James Gadson, Sonny Burke, Paulinho da Costa, indicate the direction of the music. On Carnival, Handy manages even better to mix the Jazz, Latin, and R&B ingredients. The general mood throughout is one of serenity, nostalgia and unhurried mastery. Watch Your Money Go clearly imitates the successful recipe of the song Hard Work, a fast shuffled Jazz beat danced to in half speed. As always, Handy builds his solo carefully, then has Mike Hoffmann improvise on his half-acoustic guitar until he jumps back in to finish his solo with a well-paced climax. Alvina is another winner. Based on a slow arpeggio from the bass that shifts its harmonies slightly, there's more of that elegant sax playing and an acoustic piano solo by Sonny Burke. Or there's the bluesy Love's Rejoycing, featuring a melancholy melody with an oriental touch. The beat grooves but stays light and airy as on all the tracks. The two times when Handy sings, he only proves that his singing is not his forte, but even on those tracks, Handy blows his horn and proves what a gifted Jazz musician he is. I can't help noticing how difficult it was back in the mid-seventies for Jazz musicians to record an album that was satisfying both on the artistic and the business levels. On Carnival, John Handy manages to do the splits.
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