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Carlo Lo Raso
Here is a selection of music that we’ve been enjoying over the last few months. All vinyl this time around. Hope you enjoy them!
Michel Petrucciani “The Montreux Years”
Michel Petrucciani, The Montreux Years, BMG, BMGCAT581DLP, 2 LP set, 2023.
This 2 LP set is a compilation of a few of the late pianist Michel Petrucciani’s performances at the Montreux Jazz Festival during the 1990s. Warm, dynamic, and visceral, the piano tone and the ring of the notes are so well recorded. The track “35 Seconds of Music and More” is an infectious, toe-tapping romp, and sets the bar high. Superbly clean and spacious sounding for a live recording. This is a great sextet number that just gets you in the right mood and it becomes really hard to focus on anything else when this is playing! Steve Gadd on drums is, as usual, superb.
Even though the recordings are taken from different dates throughout the 1990s the recording quality is uniformly high. “Estate” which has Petrucciani playing in a quartet, is a soothing, luxurious piece of music that can simply transport someone away very easily. And I’d be remiss in not mentioning that his piano playing on this track is outstanding. Petrucciani had an innate feel for the melody and expressed it with just the right intensity. This track is kind of a master class in jazz piano when you absorb it all.
His version of “Take the A Train” is essentially a command solo performance that has his piano very much sounding like the tempo of a railway train for much of the opening. It then goes off into some amazing directions sounding utterly unique and unexpected and yet still adhering to enough of the melody that you always know it’s “A Train.” An especially impressive performance that borders on Gershwin-esque.
The 2 LP set is pressed on 180g vinyl and sounded extremely clean and very well remastered. Imaging was consistently good and both platters sounded spacious and detailed with an absolute minimum of surface noise. No undue clicks or pops either.
Ron Carter and Richard Galliano “An Evening with Ron Carter and Richard Galliano”
An Evening with Ron Carter and Richard Galliano, In + Out Records, LP IOR77132-1, LP, 2023.
Two phenomenal accompanists, one on bass and the other on accordion playing live together in a small theater in Germany. Wonderfully recorded with a lovely sense of atmosphere and spaciousness. An appreciative crowd applauds with respectful approval between each song. The tracks “Billie” and “Waltz for Nicky” are so expressive and delightful that they could be a soundtrack for countless French films or Hyiato Myiazaki movies. You can hear how tightly in sync both Galiano and Carter are, weaving in, out, and around each other. I’ve had this album on several times while drawing and painting. The music is very conducive to creative pursuits and I love it when I find this sort of music to draw by!
Pressed on 180g vinyl, this is another excellent-sounding record that practically sounds alive in the room. Almost no surface noise and only 2 small pops were encountered that would probably vanish with a good cleaning.
The Leroy Vinnegar Sextet “Leroy Walks!”
The Leroy Vinnegar Sextet, Leroy Walks!, Contemporary Records/Craft Recordings, CR00594, LP, 2023.
Another of the Contemporary Records 70th Anniversary reissues put out by Craft Recordings. Billed as an all-analog remastering from the original master tapes, supervised by Bernie Grundman and pressed at QRP. To my ears, these Contemporary reissues just keep sounding better and better, and Leroy Walks! is a sonic peach! LV’s bass playing is like fine timekeeping. Utterly unshakable and melodic, it is unquestionably the foundation of all the tracks on this album. All of them have “Walk” in their titles and imply a “walking” bass line being used throughout. On the first track “Walk On” everyone gets a chance to stretch out and each instrument sounds impeccably realized in time and space. Tony Bazley’s riding cymbals, Carl Perkins on piano, and Gerald Wilson’s trumpet sound particularly good.
On “Would You Like to Take a Walk,” it features a sublime Victor Feldman on the vibes. The sound just images so nicely especially when Gerald Wilson and Teddy Edwards come in on trumpet and sax. A tremendously tight-sounding group that plays with exceptional taste. The pressing quality is excellent here, no clicks or pops to speak of and barely a whiff of surface noise. Very clean from start to finish!
Sonny Rollins “Go West!”
Sonny Rollins, Go West! The Contemporary Record Albums, Contemporary Records, Craft Recordings, CR00434, 3LP set, 2023.
Sonny Rollins Go West! Is such a classic jazz album that even I, a relative novice, have heard of it. The man himself was one of the definitive tenor sax players of our time and this set of music marks the point in his burgeoning career where he began to really make his name. This special edition release, as part of the ongoing Contemporary Records 70th Anniversary re-release series, arrives in a lovely faux lizard skin textured box. Inside you’ll find the remastered album of Go West!, a remastered copy of Sonny Rollins and The Contemporary Leaders: Barney Kessel, Hampton Hawes, Leroy Vinnegar & Shelly Manne, along with an additional album of alternate takes taken from both sessions. The set is rounded off with a thick mini-booklet of liner notes and other astute observations about the influence of Rollins, a bit of history about him, and an interview that was done with the man himself in 2021.
The Go West! album has a trio lineup of Rollins, Shelly Manne, and Ray Brown doing what I always assumed was an experimental “What if we had Jazz in a Western movie” sort of thing. I always thought it was fun to listen to in an oddball sort of way, especially since the performances and interplay between them were extremely tight. It’s hard for me to pick a favorite track off this album, but I have to admit I am partial to the final tune “Way Out West” as it is just the epitome of cool to me. There is a saying that the more simple the dish, the better the ingredients, and technique because there is no place to hide. And there’s no need to hide on “Way Out West” as these three guys on this song are right about perfect in my estimation.
The Contemporary Leaders album is a bit more dare I say, contemporary, with more of a boppin’ vibe and a great groove to it. I admit to having a soft spot for Barney Kessel and it’s so enjoyable to hear his guitar lines strumming away with Rollins et all throughout the album. The track “You” is just fantastic to listen to and it adds Victor Feldman in on vibraphone. It’s the type of piping-hot jazz performance that you would just kill to listen to live in a club, and Rollins and his crew are in superb form, weaving in, out, and around each other perfectly. “In the Chapel in the Moonlight” is probably the slowest song on the album but it’s a beautiful, sweet, and fluid piece of music that probably best showcases Sonny Rollins’s skill. He just makes it sound so effortless on this one.
The Alternate Take album culls tracks from both album sessions and is an interesting listen to get a sense of what other ideas they had in the studio.
All the LPs are pressed on 180g vinyl and were remastered from the original analog tapes by Bernie Grundman who I had a chance to interview a while back about his career and this Contemporary series of releases done through Craft Recordings. The sound on all three is utterly flawless. No extraneous clicks, pops, or surface noise at all. I cannot imagine how this music could sound any better short of going back in a Time Machine with a rack of modern equipment to re-record the sessions. This is an outstanding release and worth picking up.
David Axelrod “Heavy Axe”
David Axelrod, Heavy Axe, Jazz Dispensary/Fantasy/Craft Recordings, CR00521, LP, 2023.
This album was a bit of an enigma in that I had never heard of David Axelrod before and yet listening to Heavy Axe for the first time hit me like an emotional freight train! I was born in 1969 so the 70s were my formative years. The sounds, rhythms, tempos, and instrumentation of that time are so ingrained in my psyche that three songs into Heavy Axe, floods of memories from places to people to shows I watched (much of which I haven’t thought of in years) all came cascading back to me! It was an odd experience that occasionally had me close to tears if I’m to be honest. People and experiences I’d long forgotten were almost instantly brought back through this musical light switch. This is an album that is very much the abstract soundtrack of my childhood and it triggered a whole lot of stuff. It was, for the most part, an enjoyable listen although slightly unsettling at the intensity of the recall.
I’ve had it on a few more times since the initial shock, and it makes for great nostalgic background music. And while some people might cast a dismissing “side-eye” to the funkified rendition of “You’re So Vain,” I’ve never been much of a Carly Simon fan so this version is more palatable to my sensibilities.
The talent on this album reads like some Funk/Soul/Jazz/Blues genetic bouillabaisse. George Duke, Johnny Guitar Watson, Julian “Cannonball” Adderly, Snooky Young, and so many more. The skill is undeniable and the arrangements and performances are exceedingly good. But it’s also one of those albums you will either “get” or you won’t because it is so a product of its time. It is every single solitary 70s musical trope rolled into eight tracks. And I absolutely love it!
The record is cut from the original Analog master tapes by Kevin Gray at Coherent Audio and is pressed on 180g vinyl at RTI.
The sound quality is uniformly very good, with a nice sense of spaciousness and clarity overall. The pressing quality seems excellent with no pops, clicks, and minimal surface noise.
Bernard Purdie “Purdie Good!”
Bernard Purdie, Purdie Good!, Jazz Dispensary/Prestige/Craft Recordings, CR00522, LP, 2023.
Now Bernard Purdie I am familiar with! As a well-regarded session drummer, he’s shown up in the credits of all sorts of albums including Steely Dan’s The Royal Scam, and Aja, where I first became aware of him. Like Heavy Axe, Purdie Good! is VERY 70s sounding, so it may sound dated to some, but I dig the vibe of it. Tracks “Cold Sweat” and “Montego Bay” are decidedly jazzier covers of the originals so while slightly more chill in tone, there is a lot of great musicianship going on in each. “Purdie Good” is probably my favorite track on the album with its funky driving groove. An absolutely sick-sounding bassline and Purdie’s exceptional drumming elevate the track significantly, making it something you want to stop and listen to.
Again, this is going to be another one of those albums you’ll either “get” or you won’t. I had a good deal of fun listening to it and the original recording quality was certainly there thanks to the efforts of one Rudy Van Gelder. Yes, THAT Rudy Van Gelder! And just like Heavy Axe, the record is cut from the original Analog master tapes by Kevin Gray at Coherent Audio and is pressed on 180g vinyl at RTI.
And very much the same notes on pressing and sound quality apply. Excellent overall on both counts!
Lang Lang, “Rachmaninoff Piano Concerto No. 3/Scriabin Etudes”
Lang Lang, Rachmaninoff Piano Concerto No. 3/Scriabin Etudes, Telarc/Craft Recordings, CR00225, 2LP, 2023.
A superior quality Telarc digital recording, committed to vinyl. OMG! Sacrilege!
In all seriousness, this newly released two LP set is brought to us in a newly announced series of Telarc back catalog releases on vinyl through the efforts of Craft Recordings. Sides A,B, and C are Rachmaninoff while side D are Etudes by Alexander Scriabin. Listening to (at the time) 19 year old virtuoso pianist, Lang Lang and the St. Petersburg Philharmonic perform Rachmaninoff’s Piano Concerto No. 3 is an absolute delight. The dynamics they captured in the Royal Albert Hall recording space are superb. Every nuance in Lang Lang’s playing, from subtle to completely-on-fire, is relayed with convincing dimensions. The piano itself sounded perfectly captured. It had all the weight and body to its sound that I could ask for. The surrounding orchestra was also superbly rendered providing a detailed yet spacious canvas for the piano to paint its picture on. As an encore on side C, Lang Lang plays a traditional Chinese folk song, Liu Yang River and it’s a treat to hear, more-so after you hear a member of the audience blurt out “Play a Chinese Folk Song!” followed by excited audience approval.
Scriabin’s Etudes on Side D are a more relaxed and easy-going affair but no less detailed and involving a listen as the Rachmaninoff. These were recorded separately from the Rachmaninoff concert at Oberlin College.
The original recordings were done in DSD using a Sonoma DSD Recorder and DSD converters engineered by Ed Meitner of EMM Labs. BTW, I always loved how Telarc spelled out the equipment that was used in the recording and monitoring of each release, which Craft is continuing to present on these vinyl releases. The gatefold jacket is nicely done with excellent printing and complete liner notes. The LP sleeves are both full color printed on heavy stock as well.
The vinyl discs were mastered fro the original DSD sources by Paul Blakemore with the lacquers being cut by Ryan Smith at Sterling Sound. The discs are pressed on 180 gram vinyl by Optimal pressing. The sound from the LPs is essentially flawless. No surface noise to speak of or clicks and pops at all. My only gripe is that LP number 2 had a minor warp in it. It wasn’t sufficient to affect playback at all but I will say that it should be something to watch out for on future Telarc re-releases. I say that because if Craft Recordings are true to their word and reproduce these Telarc releases faithfully, some will have huge and challenging grooves and a minor warp will be enough to help eject a stylus from some of them. Just something to keep in mind, but I am beyond delighted to see and hear Telarc recordings again coming out on LPs. Telarc, in many ways, was a revolutionary label. These were in there day, and still are by this review, the pinnacle of audiophile LP sound quality. All brought to us by the magic of digital. Ironic, isn’t it?
Lorin Maazel and The Cleveland Orchestra, “Moussorgsky: Pictures at an Exhibition – Night on Bald Mountain”
Lorin Maazel and The Cleveland Orchestra, Moussorgsky: Pictures at an Exhibition – Night on Bald Mountain, Telarc/Craft Recordings, CR00223, LP, 2023.
Originally recorded in 1978, this rendition of these Moussorgsky classics by the Cleveland Orchestra helped put the fledgling Telarc label on the map. Not only as a purveyor of tasteful classical repertoire, that would eventually branch out to Jazz, Blues, Pops, and multichannel recordings but as an audio quality juggernaut. I still remember as a teen being floored at the sound quality and dynamics on the first Telarc CDs that I heard on a good HiFi store system in the mid-1980s. It was a shame when they stopped producing their own recordings in 2009.
Craft Recordings has seen fit to organize re-releases of Telarc’s back catalogue on vinyl again and I am beyond excited at this news. We are all pretty much familiar with the Night on Bald Mountain and Pictures at an Exhibition in one way or another and the execution and presentation of both works here is outstanding.
The old Soundstream digital recordings hold up very well and the mastering for LP is excellent as these works sound vibrant and spacious. These are intense and expressive recordings with great dynamics and they sound about the best that I have ever heard an orchestra sound on vinyl. Very clear definition of the individual instruments and their sections but also the mass of the orchestra along with the sense of the recording space comes through completely. Over a good set of speakers the sound extends well beyond the speaker boundaries. An extremely enjoyable listen and an excellent performance.
The vinyl discs were mastered fro the original Soundstream tapes by Paul Blakemore with the lacquers being cut by Ryan Smith at Sterling Sound. The disc is pressed on 180 gram vinyl by Optimal pressing. The sound quality from the LP is essentially flawless. No surface noise to speak of or clicks and pops at all and no signs of any warpage to speak of. To round it off, it comes in a nicely printed gatefold Jacket with plenty of liner notes.