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Carlo Lo Raso
In the waning months of 2024, Craft Recordings has seen fit to take the Bill Evans Trio’s classic album “Explorations” (originally released on Riverside in 1961) and subject it to the full Craft Small Batch edition treatment. For those who don’t know, that involves sending the original master tapes to remastering impresario Bernie Grundman. Bernie works his magic through an all-analog remastering process. He cuts new lacquers using his very customized setup. Those lacquers are sent to RTI (Record Technology Incorporated) to be used in their “One-Step” process for creating the record stampers. This process claims to reduce two-steps worth of generational loss so the resulting 2500 edition copies of this LP, pressed on 180-gram advanced-compound vinyl will have the highest resolution and lowest noise possible. All of this uber-analog goodness is packaged in a very nice heavy-duty jacket along with an extensive folder of historical and production notes. Finally, this is then encased in a lovely thick black slipcase with a pull ribbon. On presentation alone, it looks the business. I mention these details upfront so that you are fully aware of what your $99.00 will buy you when you pull the trigger on this one. And if you are a Bill Evans fan, pull the trigger you should!
Make no mistake, this is an absolutely beautiful-sounding slab of petroleum! It has all the warmth and sonic presence that vinyl fans hope for in a classic re-issue, but it is also dead quiet from a surface noise perspective. The pressing is physically ruler-flat so no tracking issues or unwanted woofer motions will be induced in your playback system.
Then we come to the music, which is stunning. Positively prime Bill Evans in arguably one of his best iterations alongside bassist Scott La Faro and drummer Paul Motian. Sadly, it was only this Trio’s second and final studio album. The liner notes relay how tensions during the recording sessions were high due to Evans’ erratic behavior brought on by his growing heroin addiction and La Faro’s lack of tolerance for that monkey on Evans’s back. Still, if there was tension, you wouldn’t know it by the quality of the tracks this trio laid down. The interplay between these three artists is on a whole other level. More learned reviewers can describe the intricacies of what these three cats are doing far better than I can. As a general music lover, all I can say is that this performance is (insert your expletive of choice here) awesome! Bill Evans’s effortless and tasteful command of the keys is no better demonstrated than on the track “Isreal.” Beyond his skill, this vinyl relays an almost tangible ring and decay to the sound of the piano keys. It’s exquisite.
This revelatory sound quality continues on “Beautiful Love” where the depth and impact of La Faro’s bass playing is perfectly captured and relayed through my speakers. He exhibits such an infectious sense of groove and taste in his playing, it’s no wonder his name carries the stature that it does so many years after his untimely passing. Paul Motain’s drum work is not to be outdone either. He subtly but surely maintains a firm sense of timing throughout the album for Evans and La Faro to latch on to, but then you get some magic moments of his craft like his solos during “Sweet and Lovely.” Compact but integrated little nuggets of brilliance that perfectly augment the whole. The quality of this pressing also lets the sound of those drum skins shine through. Hearing each one of Motain’s drum strikes and cymbal brushes translates into an almost tangible experience out of my speakers. I have a Riverside SACD of this album and being a general “Digital Kid” in my musical upbringing, I may have to eat my shorts and declare this Craft Small Batch release more musically satisfying.
So, stop wasting time listening to me, go out and order a copy before they are all gone!
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Looking for some classic Latin vibes to get your inner Mambo King dancing and grooving? Well, this remastered 1962 gem, El Rey Bravo, is just what the doctor ordered! Regarded as a bit of a breakout for Tito Puente and considered the highlight of his output on the original Tico label, this album has such variety, energy, and style that it’s practically a living thing. Tito Puente has long been referred to as “The King of the Timbales” and you can hear why on this LP. It may not be the highest fidelity of recordings, but the energy that is in those grooves is palpable. The crown jewel on this album is no doubt the original version of “Oye Cómo Va” made even more famous a generation later by Carlos Santana. On this track, along with several others on the LP, the standout flute playing of Johnny Pacheco is an integral thread that ties the album together. It’s not something that I would naturally associate with modern Latin music or even Mambo per se, but it’s integral here and it adds a layer of authenticity and tradition to the music while surely breaking some new ground for the time.
“Tokyo de Noche” is a fantastic Latin ensemble set piece where you can just imagine it playing while you’re driving along the Vegas strip (or Shibuya Station?) at night, in a big old convertible Caddy, taking in all the surrounding lights, atmosphere and energy. “Tombola” is a classy undulating groove-monster of a track that just sucks you in with its sophistication and style. “Donde Vas” has more of a confident strut in its execution and you cannot help but move your body to it. It’s probably the most sensual track of the lot. To make a long story short, even though all 11 tracks on this album could be categorized as high-energy Latin music, they are all very different and unique takes on a similar vibe. There is ZERO chance you will get bored listening to this LP.
Over this past year, I’ve come to expect a lot from Craft Recording’s LP re-releases. I’ve become spoiled on the quality of their Contemporary Records 70th Anniversary reissues for example, never mind their Small Batch editions which are a whole other animal. “El Rey Bravo” is no exception. This is an all-analog remaster from the original master tapes courtesy of Kevin Gray at Cohearent Audio. The LP is pressed on 180-gram vinyl and the final product I reviewed was completely flat with almost no surface noise and no undue cracks or pops. The sound quality was very good for this material, the warmth of vinyl lending itself to keeping all the horns and brass sounding zingy but never irritating. Bass was also good for the age of the recording, supplying a nice weight to the upright bass, congas, baritone sax, and congas. Overall, a really enjoyable album and a nice surprise musically.
I seriously believe that the Charles M. Schultz Peanuts cartoons are in the midst of a bit of a renaissance, and with them so is the music of Vince Guaraldi. Guaraldi composed all the music for the various classic Peanuts television specials (15 of them) starting with “A Charlie Brown Christmas” in 1965 through to “It’s Arbor Day Charlie Brown” in 1976. Inexplicably, and only until recently, just two of the specials had ever had official soundtracks released to the public. That started changing in 2017 and continued through the COVID pandemic with the discovery of many of Vince Guaraldi’s original session tapes to several of the specials. This latest release of “Be My Valentine, Charlie Brown” is from the television special of the same name broadcast in 1975 on CBS, and the release coincides with the program’s 50th Anniversary this year. The LP contains a total of 30 tracks, 22 of music and cues used in the special, and 8 unreleased bonus mixes.
The recording quality is frankly stunning, with a sense of fidelity that sounds like it could have been recorded now. The original 16-track master tapes, from the 1974 sessions recorded at Wally Heider Studios in San Francisco, have been transferred to 24-bit/192 kHz digital to create this release. The music itself is unmistakably Peanuts but shows a distinct evolution from the sound of the earlier TV specials. Guaraldi uses a Fender Rhodes electric piano and an ARP synthesizer for much of the soundtrack, so the music overall has more of a 1970s vibe happening with it. Also, don’t expect to hear many of the more traditional Peanuts music cues, although “Linus and Lucy” does appear a couple of times with altered arraignments.
“Heartburn Waltz” is the main connecting thread through much of this album. It’s a little reminiscent of the song “Skating” from the Christmas special but more contemporary in feel. It appears in several different arraignments throughout the album and each version is very emotive, no doubt implying different aspects of the whole theme of love involved in Valentine’s Day. “Paw Pet Overture” is a sprightly little number with a great melody to it. As the name suggests “Never Again” is a melancholy track that is tinged with uncertainty and regret, and “Woodstock’s Mambo” has a great groove to it with a slightly funky and guttural bass line working through it. I could go on, but as you no doubt get the sense Vince Guaraldi’s compositions and arrangements aren’t just mere filler music for a cartoon. Taken solely on their own merits, they successfully convey all the feeling, atmosphere, and mood that all good music should, and it is all executed with great skill and taste. The 8 bonus tracks of alternate mixes and arrangements are a fun look into the recording process, complete with Vince Guaraldi talking and counting between takes.
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As I mentioned before, the sound quality of this LP is excellent, with wonderful fidelity to all the instruments. Bass extension throughout the album is deep and punchy, the mellow midrange tones of the electric piano are almost sumptuous. When listening through a good system you feel like you get deeply immersed in their harmonies. The subtle brushwork on the drums and cymbals also comes through with a natural- sounding nature. It’s a top-notch recording and remastering job through and through. The LP itself is perfectly flat and pressed on petroleum-free BioVinyl. There is no surface noise whatsoever and is click & pop-free. The review sample is the standard black-colored BioVinyl pressing. There will also be a special, red-colored pressing exclusively for Record Store Day and a pink-colored pressing exclusively available at Barnes & Noble outlets.
If nothing else, Be My Valentine Charlie Brown is a textbook example of what makes for supremely appealing music. There is an old saying, “Art is what separates the eternal from the transitory.” There is no question in my mind that Vince Guaraldi’s Peanuts music is indeed Art, and it has embedded itself as part of our culture. It makes me beyond happy to have more of it become readily available to be both remembered and rediscovered.