Jazz Beat (Part 32)

I was spinnin' this 1978 release this morning...

...and man, it reminded me so much of RTF...
Live in Japan was released in the same year.
Maybe it's the Fender Rhodes

Speakin' of "smokin'", have the brisket in the smoker and lookin' for some BBQ "smokin'" music

 

Of course we do. The best there is

 

Another smoker...

Steve Grossman - Perspective

And another thanks to the forum gallery for a prior heads up on this one.

 

Brand X - Unorthodox Behaviour
UICY-76412
Japan Limited Edition SHM-CD Papersleeve mini LP, Remastered (flat transfer) from the original analog master.
Sounds great!

 

How do you know it's a flat transfer? Just curious.

 

Monty Alexander - Rass!

 

(CD Prestige Universal Japan UCCO-5235 SHM-CD)

 

Rahsaan Roland Kirk - The Case Of The 3 Sided Dream In Audio Color

 

John Mclaughlin - The Promise
UCCU-6222
[SHM-CD]

Smokin' to the scent of hickory, oak and apple woods.

 

They're probably cleaner than ours too. Man I used to travel down to the Southeast for business and have been to many Crawfish Boils "out in the sticks". Just pounds and pounds of those delicious beauties. I trust you're sucking the head....great band from Nawlins:

 

This was mastered from The "Absolute" Original Analogue Master Tapes, not just The Original Analogue Master Tapes. So for anyone who thought they had the definitive version mastered from The Original Analogue Master Tapes sorry, you need the version mastered from The Absolute Original Analogue Master Tapes. APO SACD.

 

Couple of comments on my recent Jazz cd pick ups.

Bennie Maupin - Jewel In The Lotus

Herbie Hancock with that ECM reverb! Not sure if after the Headhunter and Thrust there was a way to go back to his Mwandishi band but glad there is more music from them on this gem by Bennie Maupin in Jewel In The Lotus. Need to spend more time with it but can see why it has its classic status.

Marcin Wasilewski - Spark Of Life



Another great release from my 3rd favorite working piano trio going right now. Proof that not all ECM euro trio's sound the same. Like a Herbie Hancock album there is swing and blue notes on here as well as a Herbie cover in Actual Proof. Only one of the songs with the Sax gets too languid for my tastes. I never needed to hear the Police's Message In A Bottle again but the version on here is fantastic and maybe the highlight of the disc. It almost sounds like it could be from a Polanski movie.

 

Interesting, you reference "Thrust" regarding the Maupin release, and the Wasilewski actually has a cover from said album. Is that a coinkidink? Agreed about Message but at least it was not Every Breath You Take. Actually, I could dig hearing them rip into Synchronicity.

Should jazz artists pay more attention to "catchy" compositions? So often when I'm at a live gig, whether a major artist or just some local cats, as soon as they do a 'cover' of a rock song the room just lights up. Radiohead, Coldplay, hell where would The Bad Plus be without covers of rock tunes? And I don't think it's just because of familiarity. There's a simplicity, a repetitiveness to rock/pop that connects to people. One of the reasons I feel that A Love Supreme crosses so many boundaries; simple repetitive, ostinato-driven themes with just enough vocal to make it memorable. It 'sticks'.

So who are your 1st and 2ns favorites?

 

Good point. These songs work well in a jazz setting.

 

Donald Byrd - Stepping Into Tomorrow

 

Art Tatum Solo Masterpieces (Pablo) side seven. Sipping a little Oban Distiller's Reserve which goes so well with Tatum.
It too is rich and expansive. A nice reward at the end of a long day.

 

Sounds like you need to pick up Personal Mountains which came out in 1989. Sleepers is actually 'vol 2' of Personal Mountains -- all from the same concert.

I don't have Sleepers but will get it soon.

 

Agreed. Fantastic live album with other wordly interplay (the audience of the Half Note was probably spoiled after this for future performances) and great sound quality. Highly recommended.

 

DUKE PEARSON / DEDICATION! / PRESTIGE / 1961 / OJC COLLECTORS CHOICE 50

Personnel: Duke Pearson (p), Freddie Hubbard (t), Willie Wilson (tb), Pepper Adams (bs), Thomas Howard (b), Lex Humphries (d)

 

This hybrid SACD was mastered by the late George Marino. I haven't heard this one, so I can't comment, but his mastering work didn't always convince me. Fantastic album, by the way.

 

Do you refer to to his mastering in general or specific albums from the APO Verve SACD reissue series (or both?). If you mean the SACD series, could you please give an example of an album you were disappointed by, sound wise? Thanks!

 

I heard a few of the Verve albums he mastered for Analogue Productions. Sorry, can't remember any titles as it was quite some time ago. I skipped the AP Verve series because I didn't really like what I heard, extra tracks that had appeared on some of the earlier CD reissues were omitted from the SACDs and the price of the SACDs was way too high in my view.

I have the Dennis Drake mastering of Smokin' at the Half Note, Verve 829 578-2 (I'm listening to that one right now) and also the Japanese CD release of The Complete Smokin' at the Half Note, Verve Japan POCJ-2593, which has 9 tracks.

 

I skipped most of the Verve reissues, too. Not for the sound, but for the missing bonus tracks. And since Dennis Drake already did a really great mastering job for the original CDs (to be fair: Tom 'curly' Ruff did really well, too), I get the point of viewing this series as the least important in the Jazz catalogue from Analogue Productions.

 

Art Blakey - Orgy In Rhythm (Vol. 1&2)