Secrets: What We’re Listening To – Spring 2023

Smooth, infectious rhythms that put a smile on your face and a spring in your step are the names of the game here. Carter’s alto sax (and occasional trumpet) are ever so smooth and engaging and he demonstrates a deep and abiding touch with both instruments. All the talent though gets a chance to stretch out on this record and it’s an amazing array of musicians. These guys are so tightly in the groove with each other that I can almost feel it as they swing through this music. You know when you listen to a complex piece and you can feel how hard it is for someone to play it correctly, well Carter and his band make it seem so effortless and easy, such is their skill and connection for this music. Particular shout out to Barney Kessel on guitar (who I am familiar with) for his fabulous fingerwork on “Blue Lou” and “Blues My Naughty Sweetie Gives to Me.” His playing is so lighthearted and fun but also just helps push and drive those two songs in the best possible way. Overall, it’s incredibly engaging music and a delight to personally discover.

On the technical side of things, the sound quality out of the grooves is outstanding. Excellent separation of each instrument and while things are separated fairly hard to the left and right, the sense of warmth and spaciousness in the recording doesn’t make that seem overly jarring or unnatural. There is a nice balance of fullness and clarity to Carter’s alto sax and trumpet in particular. Check out Carter’s trumpet playing on “I’m Coming Home Virginia” to hear what I mean. Ben Webster on tenor sax has a rather luscious-sounding solo on this track too. The bass level also seems nicely balanced and appropriate for this vintage of recording. I noticed hints of distortion only twice and fleetingly, where Kessel played a couple of intense notes on his guitar. I’m chalking that up to tape saturation in the original recording that probably can’t be mitigated without some form of digital intervention on the mastering end. Surface noise is nicely kept to a minimum and I only noticed one pop of any substance on side one. Otherwise, the QRP pressing job on 180-gram vinyl seems to be really well done, and no visible warpage on the LP.

The album appropriately starts off with “Boom Boom,” a boogie blues number that is probably John Lee Hooker’s most famous song. It’s raw and raucous party music, whose lyrics and intent are unmistakable. Hooker and his band sound clear and fairly dynamic, given the material. Kudos to Kevin Gray’s mastering work being on point at keeping things still sounding raw and gritty but giving Hooker’s vocals a significant clarity boost along with helping everyone in the rest of the band sound distinct and clear too. It’s all too easy to find previous releases of Hooker’s work that sound muddy and flat due to lack of attention. “Drug Store Woman” is another fun tune where JLH expresses his disinterest in the kind of upper-crust woman shopping in a drug store, all made up with lipstick and makeup. Listening to this album, one gets the sense that Hooker is a bit of a wanderer, someone who has traveled from town to town and is used to living in the margins. Definitely darker and stylistically different from contemporaries like Muddy Waters, Howling Wolf, et all. It’s easy the see why up-and-coming working-class bands like the Rolling Stones, the J. Geils Band, and George Thorogood and the Destroyers gravitated to his music.

The vinyl itself is nicely pressed on a 180-gram slab. No warpage or pops to speak of, although surface noise is a touch higher during playback. Not sure if a good cleaning would help with that at all. But otherwise, the mastering is first-rate and is probably the best sounding of any of JLH’s original albums. Definitely worth picking up.

This is stuff you sit back and just chill to. Pepper’s alto sax is the epitome of smooth here, especially on a track like “Waltz Me Blues” where he gently but seriously spars with Philly Joe Jones on drums. Jones being more than up to the challenge of tastefully supporting Pepper with just the right notes, timing, and intensity. The tempo gets turned up, and then some, in “Straight Life” but even still these gents are speeding in the smoothest way possible. It’s hard to imagine they are breaking a sweat. Paul Chambers’s bass playing is pushed a little farther back in space in the mix but he is still clear-sounding and easy to follow. I especially love hearing him play with the bow on “Red Pepper Blues,” he almost sounds like a classical musician. In “Tin Tin Deo” the band goes decidedly more Bossa Nova with the rhythm section laying down some especially tight Latin vibes and Art Pepper is just sinuously weaving through them. Beautiful sounding stuff!

Technically speaking the album is pressed on 180-gram vinyl at QRP. The original sessions were recorded by Roy DuNann and Howard Holzer, and the all-analog mastering for this pressing was done by Bernie Grundman. Surface noise is pretty much nonexistent and all performers are nicely placed in space with a touch of warmth coming out in the overall sound. No noticeable skips or pops on this one either. An excellent addition to any jazz lover’s vinyl collection, this pressing of this classic album is the one to get if you don’t want to spend a fortune on other “audiophile” versions.

Each one of these guys is actively pushing the other. You can just feel it coming through in the music, each one of them is at the top of their game and you can hear how playing together is making them better. Hawes’ piano on “Bow Jest” is just so confident (very Oscar Peterson-like) as it’s blending with Barney Kessel’s guitar runs that have all the dexterity of a spider running up and down the neck and frets. Red Mitchell, as the song title implies, is using a bow on the bass here and it’s got a great character and deep rumble to its sound. The track “Sweet Sue” has just the best groove and drive to it, and these guys are just bounding through it like four happy jackrabbits on the loose! Things get even faster on “Up Blues” where all four players are playing pedal-to-the-metal. How these guys are able to musically weave and bob between, around, and in support of each other, at speed, must require some form of mental telepathy. But these guys lay it down perfectly and it is just so infectious to listen to. If Hawes and his band were performing this live in a nightclub, I cannot see how people could not keep from dancing and screaming in approval. But this crew can and does slow it down for a perfectly lovely and original-sounding rendition of the standard “Like Someone in Love,” expertly punctuated by Shelly Manne’s tastefully soft cymbal work.

The vinyl itself was sonically and functionally flawless. Nary a wayward pop or hint of surface noise. Another all-analog mastering job from Bernie Grundman, the sound is probably the cleanest and most dynamic out of all the albums reviewed here. The Bass is deep and taught and the soundstage is nicely wide and shows some depth. Hawes’ piano keys have a nice ring and decay to their notes given the 1957 recording date. Pressed on 180-gram vinyl at QRP. Buy it!