What We’re Listening To. Vol.18 June 2021

Pour your favorite adult beverage, lean back, and let yourself be immersed with music that isn’t trying to make you cry, nor angry, nor anything but glad that you have a terrific sound system, home, and life. Bonnie B’s percussion will have you tapping your toes without even realizing it. Scott Ambush might have you playing “air bass guitar.” Jay’s Sax work is perfection, and it’s pretty safe to say that the band has been one of the best performers of jazz fusion for over 40 years.

The recording itself is first-rate, and you may just find your blood pressure has normalized after a listening session.

To experience these works for myself, I recently added Murray Perahia’s complete set to my library. Recorded between 1976 and 1991 in a variety of venues, they are all with the English Chamber Orchestra conducted by the soloist. Despite the different performance spaces, the timbre is very similar thanks to some thoughtful audio engineering. Fidelity is superb with a great sense of depth and a wide sound stage. The orchestra and piano are well balanced with neither becoming dominant. The solo comes out when appropriate and the orchestra and its soloists are allowed to shine as well.

When listening to them, it’s easy to remember that Mozart was himself a piano virtuoso. He composed these works for himself and his extreme abilities. Other pianists of the era, and even musicians of today, find them difficult to master. Mozart was thinking of his own performances and crafted the concertos for specific concerts or series. It’s interesting to note that numbers 7 and 10 are written for three and two pianos respectively. Mr. Perahia performs these with Radu Lupu using Mozart’s two-piano reduction for number 7.

As I journeyed through them, I was amazed at how each one sounded better developed and refined than the last. At the beginning of the cycle, it wouldn’t be hard to think one was listening to Haydn. Counterpoint and harmony are much more basic than what’s heard in later works. By the time you get to the midway point, Mozart’s genius has completely emerged. Perahia and the orchestra capture this clearly and neatly.

If you’re looking for a complete and consistent set of Mozart’s masterful piano concertos, this 12-disc compilation from Sony Classical is a great choice.

I’d never heard of Abbey Lincoln when the chance came to sample the Craft Recordings re-issue of what is considered her breakthrough album “Abbey is Blue”, originally released on Riverside Records in 1959. After I got through listening to the first side of the LP, I couldn’t help feeling that I’d been living under a rock for the better part of my adult listening life. Why had I not found this album earlier? The lyrics are poignant and tinged with various stages of sorrow, understandable when framed in the context of the time it was recorded. Her phrasing and tempo when delivering each song are unique and totally her own. Her take on “Afro Blue” is decidedly offbeat and different from any other interpretation I’ve come across. She is accompanied by a tight and talented set of pros like Kenny Dorham, Wynton Kelly, Philly Joe Jones, Stanley Turrentine, and Max Roach. I’m not any sort of jazz historian so I can’t delve into the deeper meaning and significance of each one of the album tracks. However, taken as a whole, listening to “Abbey is Blue” is a supremely satisfying and moving musical experience. I will most definitely be seeking out more of Abbey’s work in the future.

The album itself is said to be an all-analog mastering from the original tapes by Kevin Gray at Coherent Audio. The vinyl was flawless sounding and free from any clicks and pops or other types of noise. The sound quality in particular was warm yet detailed. The song arrangements all seem to be intentionally sparse or dialed back in order to let Ms. Lincoln’s vocals take the center of attention. The track “Let Up” really got my notice as a deep bluesy number. The band was significantly pushed back in space, but I was able to clearly hear the details of each instrument and the studio reverb lent an interesting sense of dimension to the take. Abby’s vocals were front and centered. Very detailed and plaintive in emotion. “Brother, Where Are You?” was another standout performance. Sweeter but no less fervent. Kudos to Craft for the outstanding mastering and pressing job. This one is an absolute keeper!

Again, the same mixing and pressing recipe was used here as was with “Abbey Is Blue” and the results are equally as good. The fact that this is a mono pressing makes no difference. The vinyl is clean and quiet after repeated playing. Acoustic bass sounds full and punchy, just check out the solo on “Blue Spring Shuffle” to get a good taste of it. The cymbals have a nice sheen to their sound as well and the drum skins sound crisp with plenty of character and detail. Dorham’s trumpet is super smooth without a hint of harshness in it anywhere. Craft has done another excellent job with this re-issue, and it is certainly worth checking out if you are a jazz lover. I could listen to this album over and over again.

The production is expectedly flawless, recorded in high-resolution (DXD 24-bit/352.8 kHz), and to be officially released in several different formats, including multi-channel audio and vinyl on August 6th. The sound quality is superb with an excellent sense of body and detail that has been captured in her vocals along with the ringing and decay of her piano notes that sounds just right. Throughout the album, the acoustic bass sounds fantastic with a visceral impact to the notes and plenty of string detail in the plucks. But putting all the sound-geekery aside for a moment, just listening to “Clique” on any good-sounding system or pair of headphones is a really joyous experience. The music itself is absolutely top-shelf and I highly recommend checking it out. As for me? I’m looking forward to hearing this album in multi-channel on August 6th!

This is an anthology collection, covering the breadth of a long and incredibly prolific career so it may be rather unsatisfying if you find yourself in the mood for some Zappa (be that silly Zappa, or rockin’ Zappa, or classical). There is more of the early stuff than I would have preferred, especially since when this man shuts up and plays his guitar – oh lord. Only about 3 of the 10 sides of the box set fit this description for me.