Diana Krall – Live in Paris – Verve Records/Original Recordings ORG 003 – 180 gram Audiophile LP edition – 2 LPs, (2001-2002) ****:
(Diana Krall, piano, vocals; Anthony Wilson, electric guitar; John Pisano, acoustic guitar; John Clayton, bass; Jeff Hamilton, drums; with specials guests, Paulinho Da Costa, percussion; Michael Brecker, tenor sax; Christian McBride, bass; Rob Mounsey, keyboards; Luis Quintero, percussion; Lewis Nash, drums; Alan Broadbent, music director and conductor, on Let’s Fall in Love, and I’ve Got You Under My Skin)
One of Diana Krall’s most beloved CDs, Live in Paris, has been given a loving audiophile LP remastering treatment by ace engineer legend, Bernie Grundman and produced by an audiophile label new to us, Original Recordings. The shimmering string arrangements on Let’s Fall in Love and I’ve Got You Under My Skin, are testament alone to the real life power of vinyl to convince the legions of Krall lovers to shell out the premium price that audiophile vinyl commands. Krall’s smoky vocals and piano skills are given a new sheen, as are the guitars of Anthony Wilson and John Pisano. John Clayton’s woody pizzicato fingerings are brought center stage during his solos and Clayton’s co-leader in the Clayton Hamilton Jazz Orchestra; Jeff Hamilton’s cymbal mastery is evident.
Krall has always surrounded herself with the crème de la crème in accompanists when she tours, and her 2001-2002 band mates were no exception. Diana is numero uno in the lighter fare jazz female vocal category both for her sexy smooth vocal delivery, the knockout beauty of her appearance, her more than adequate piano skills, and her choice of repertoire- Arlen, Porter, Gershwin, etc.
Krall will draw a jazz date audience, who view her performances as part of a sublime classy evening. I have observed her as headliner on numerous occasions both amongst the jazz savvy audiences at the Monterey Jazz Festival as well as at nightclubs where she commands a hearty cover charge. Her fans are loyal and Krall rewards them with top-notch arrangements and a seasoned bassist and drummer.
Live in Paris stands out in her discography as it presents Krall with the best sidemen she has had; two tracks with Alan Broadbent leading a European orchestra; Paulinho Da Costa on percussion, and the bonus of the closing track, Billy Joel’s Just the Way You Are, where the late saxist Michael Brecker and Christian McBride and Lewis Nash make up her rhythm section.
Ms. Krall has induced casual pop fans to put their toes into the jazz market, much like later day Tony Bennett performances have brought both old time jazz fans and the younger crowd to share the joy that a fine vocalist can elicit. For that, we have Diana Krall to thank.
Produced by the talented Tommy LiPuma, and recorded and mixed for CD by the brilliant Al Schmitt, the sonics of the CD issue were excellent. Bernie Grundman’s remastering for vinyl puts Live in Paris in the gold plated category for the legions of Krall aficionados. This two-LP audiophile edition would make an ideal late night listening experience, or the perfect background soundtrack for a special dinner party. [But bear in mind you’ll be getting up very frequently to change sides…Ed.]
TrackList:
LP 1:
Side A:
I Love Being Here for You
Let’s Fall in Love
‘Deed I Do
Side B:
The Look of Love
East of the Sun (and West of the Moon)
I’ve Got You Under My Skin
LP 2:
Side A:
Devil May Care
Maybe You’ll Be There
‘S Wonderful
Side B:
Fly Me to the Moon
A Case of You
Just the Way You Are
Georgie Fame – Cool Cat Blues – Go Jazz Records – Pure Pleasure Records PPAN 009 (1991) – 2 LPs 180 gram Audiophile edition ****:
(Georgie Fame, piano, organ, vocals; Richard Tee, piano; Robben Ford, guitar; Will Lee, bass; Steve Gadd, drums; Ralph MacDonald, percussion. Special guests include Van Morrison, Ronnie Cuber, Bob Malach, Ben Sidran, Jon Hendricks, Boz Scaggs, and Michael Weiss)
Georgie Fame has always been a cool cat. His blend of American rhythm and blues and jazz has appealed to a cross section of musicians who have good taste in common. From ultra-hip vocalists Van Morrison, Boz Scaggs, and Ben Sidran to jazz musicians such as Ronnie Cuber, and Jon Hendricks, Georgie Fame has provided vocalese accompaniment and Hammond B-3 or piano duties.
Fame is best known for the dual fame brought on by his British band The Flames, as well as for being the musical director and right-hand man for Van Morrison from 1989 throughout most of the 90s. For Morrison, Fame provided a compatriot for Van’s mix of white soul, blues and jazz idioms. For many years, when you heard a Morrison CD, you’d expect to hear Georgie provide co-leader duties, whether it was leading Van’s band or providing background and lead vocal counterpoint to Morrison’s forays into his latest bag of tricks. Fame had the hip quotient to enter Van’s inner circle.
Fame’s ability to not be pigeonholed has enabled him to tackle blues with London’s best when he was only 17. After a series of Top Ten hits in Britain, Georgie explored his interest in jazz with the Harry South Big Band and even toured Europe as the featured vocalist with a late edition of Count Basie’s touring band. He later co-starred on British television with musician, Alan Price, and they recorded together as well.
The 70s and 80s were devoted to jazz and his acceptance in the jazz community was cemented when Blossom Dearie wrote “Sweet Georgie Fame” as a dedication. The later portion of the 80s and much of the 90s were devoted to his Van Morrison phase.
Pure Pleasure, the audiophile LP label out of Great Britain, has done the public a service by remastering Fame’s 1991 Go Jazz release onto 180-gram vinyl. It is apropo as it highlights Fame’s greatest strengths – blues and jazz. The strongest influence I felt listening to this vinyl treasure is Fame’s vocal resemblance to Mose Allison. Mose crossed the blues/jazz frontier as well with hipster élan. Fame’s vocals on Cool Cat Blues cover the gamut from Georgia, It Should Have Been Me, I Love the Life I Live, to Rocking Chair. Supported by top grade accompanists such as the underrated, Robben Ford on guitar, drummer, Steve Gadd, and percussionist, Ralph MacDonald, Fame shows he was a do it all virtuoso. Georgie has the opportunity to trade vocal hip licks with Boz Scaggs on It Should Have Been Me. His vocalese “cred” passes muster with the scat legend, Jon Hendricks, on Morrison’s classic Moondance. For Morrison fans, it provides a chance to appreciate the vocal prowess that Van so early recognized. Produced by Ben Sidran – no stranger to hip vocals – Pure Pleasure’s remastering is up to their usual high standards. I’ve yet to be disappointed by Pure Pleasure’s taste and choice of material to be given audiophile treatment. Check out Cool Cat Blues to appreciate the many sides of Georgie Fame.
TrackList:
Side A:
Cool Cat Blues
Every Knock is a Boost
Moondance
Side B:
It Should Have Been Me
Yeah Yeah
I Love the Life I Live
Side C:
Big Brother
Georgia
Cat’s Eyes
Side D:
You Came a Long Way From St. Louis
Survival
Little Pony
Rocking Chair
Booker Little Out Front Candid/Pure Pleasure Records 8027 (1961) ****:
(Booker Little, trumpet; Eric Dolphy, alto, bass clarinet, flute; Julian Priester, Trombone; Art Davis, Ron Carter, bass; Don Friedman, piano; Max Roach, drums)
Booker Little was heralded to be the next trumpet great after the death of the incomparable Clifford Brown. But it was not to be. Like Clifford, Booker Little did not make it to his 30th birthday. He died at age 23 of uremia, another tragic death to the jazz community. Booker had only five recordings as a leader, and Pure Pleasure records has chosen to rerelease his Spring, 1961 session recorded for Candid Records in a pristine 180 gram audiophile quality pressing. The British audiophile company claims that their European pressing plant is the best in Europe. I do not know if that claim is true but surely this pressing is audiophile quality. Little’s trumpet is clear, bright and luminous.
Booker wrote all seven compositions and they eclipse the bebop and hard bop of the early 60s in challenging the listener. Much of the searching quality that Little brings to this recording is the result of multi-instrumentalist, Eric Dolphy, another genius who left us much too soon. Drummer Max Roach, whose tutelage brought us both Clifford and Booker, drives the band with his percussive drumming. Don Friedman, an unappreciated pianist, who has had a long career, is featured on piano. Present Seattle resident, Julian Priester, a Roach band member of this period, rounds out the front line. Bass duties are shared by both Ron Carter and Art Davis, who both still are major forces on the bass.
Highlights of Out Front include Strength and Sanity, the free form Moods in Free Time, a precursor to both avant and modal genres that became more prevalent later in the 60s, and A New Day, in which the trombone and flute play in counterpoint to Little’s trumpet, and in which Roach has a magnificent percussion chorus.
Out Front fits the bill for audiophile LP fans as it chronicles the genius of Booker Little and Eric Dolphy in pristine sound. It is well worth the $25-30 price tag.
TrackList: We Speak, Strength and Sanity, Quiet Please, Moods in Free Time, Man of Words, Hazy Hues, A New Day
Budd Johnson – Mr. Bechet – Black & Blue/ Pure Pleasure Records PPAN006 1974 ****:
(Budd Johnson, tenor and soprano sax; Earl Hines, Piano, Jimmy Leary, bass; Panama Francis, drums)
For a legendary tenor saxophonist whose career spanned from the 1920s to the 1980s, Budd Johnson was woefully under-recorded as a session leader. He had approximately ten records under his name. He was influenced by Lester Young and had a long tenure-ten years-with the Earl Hines Orchestra from the early 30s to the 40s.
For this recording Johnson plays both tenor and also soprano sax, in tribute to the all time greatest soprano player, Sidney Bechet. Starting off with a soulful soprano solo on Blues for Sale, Johnson adds his vocal to the Hines composition and Earl himself has a stride blues chorus. Jimmy Leary gets a great bowed bass solo and Johnson switches to tenor to wring out more emotion in this classic blues composition. Gone with The Wind is pure swing driven by both Johnson’s rich tenor and the driven drums of the great Panama Francis, who has never got his due for his swing and rhythm and blues stick work.
The sound quality on this 180 gram pressing is superb and its warmth and presence is certainly high resolution. Many American expatriate jazz musicians recorded in France in the 1970s and Black and Blue, a French label was there to record their sessions. This certainly is the best sounding Black and Blue issued session I have ever heard as my collection of this series has been limited to CD issues. Pure Pleasure Records should be lauded for re-issuing this date in audiophile quality sound.
Other winning tracks include Hines and Johnson’s working of the ballad, If You Were Mine, the gutbucket Johnson composition, The Dirty Old Man, where Johnson pulls out all stops; and the title track, where Johnson’s super sensuous soprano just drips with emotion.
I enjoyed the Booker Little “Out Front” LP reissue from Pure Pleasure, but adored this label’s reissue of two masters, Mr. Johnson and Mr. Hines having a ball. Mr. Bechet is truly Pure Pleasure!
TrackList: Blues for Sale, Gone with the Wind, If You Were Mine, Am I Wasting My Time, The Dirty Old Man, Linger Awhile, Mr. Bechet
Duke Ellington – Ellington Uptown – Columbia/ Pure Pleasure Records ML 4639 – 180 gram vinyl LP Audiophile Edition (1951-1952) ****:
(Duke Ellington and Billy Strayhorn, piano; Paul Gonsalves, Harry Carney, Jimmy Hamilton, Russell Procope, Hilton Jefferson-Saxophones; William Anderson, Clark Terry, Willie Cook, Ray Nance, -Trumpets; Juan Tizol, Quentin Jackson, Britt Woodman-Trombones; Wendell Marshall, bass; Louis Bellson, drums; Betty Roche, vocal on Take the A Train)
Duke Ellington’s Ellington Uptown has been released many times on both Sony and Columbia and in at least three CD issues (including Japan) as well as on LP in the 1950s. It was recorded over a one year period from Dec. 1951 to Dec. 1952. Columbia originally released Uptown on its Masterworks series, which they usually reserved their highbrow classical music.
It is easy to see why since Uptown contained A Tone Parallel to Harlem that symphonies have tackled over the years when they do their “jazz night” tributes to Duke. Another reason that Uptown has kept its mystique is the fact that Louis Bellson’s double bass drum was put to good use on his self-penned Skin Deep. It was a challenge for audio systems of the day. I’d have to say that Bellson’s solo on Skin Deep may be a selling point for this audiophile LP that Pure Pleasure has issued on 180 gram vinyl. It certainly sounds fine in glorious mono. Also Wendell Marshall’s bass is woody and resonant and the trumpets snap particularly Clark Terry on Perdido. Clarinetists Jimmy Hamilton and Russell Procope give The Mooche an exotic flavor.
Betty Roche scats to good effect on “A” Train with the band members giving her encouragement. All in all the Pure Pleasure treatment given to Ellington Uptown makes its release special as it demonstrates how effective mono was in translating jazz classics of the day into highly listenable experiences for today’s audiophile.
TrackList: Skin Deep, The Mooche, Take the “A” Train, A Tone Parallel to Harlem, Perdido
Dexter Gordon – Manhattan Symphonie – Columbia/ Pure Pleasure PPAN JC 35608 – 180 gram audiophile Double LP (1978) *****:
(Dexter Gordon, tenor sax; George Cables, piano; Rufus Reid, bass; Eddie Gladden, drums)
When Dexter Gordon returned to the States in 1976 after a 14-year self-exile in Europe, he was greeted as a conquering hero, returning to regain his crown. He played a homecoming engagement at the Village Vanguard and the tiny club was packed every night. Dexter was back and better than ever. When Dexter recorded Manhattan Symphonie two years later as his third LP for Columbia, all was well as Dex’s crack rhythm section was rock solid. George Cables, his pianist, is such a superb accompanist, and he provides the same sparkling piano backing as he soon would be providing to Art Pepper before Art’s passing in the early 80s. Both Pepper and Gordon are master balladeers. Art would pour out his guts in pure emotion while Dexter’s mastery seemed more effortless.
Pure Pleasure Records from England has reissued this masterpiece in superb sound and unlike its reissues of other artists’ original works (see Ellington Uptown review above where only the original album’s five tracks are included); here they have included the bonus tracks that the CD issue provided. That means you are getting Ruby My Dear and Secret Love. That’s all the more reason to consider purchasing the double LP as it clearly has warmer true-to-life acoustics than the recent CD reissue.
As Time Goes By opens the first LP and it’s a toss up whether it is exceeded in ballad greatness by Body and Soul on Side 2. I’d give the nod to Body and Soul for its twelve minute plus rapture and a brilliant George Cables solo.
Not one to rest on his laurels, Dexter includes new material such as LTD (AKA, Long Tall Dexter), and George Cables’ I Told You So, taken as a samba. Dexter also revisits Donald Byrd’s Tanya, which he recorded back in the mid 60s for Blue Note. Coltrane’s Moment’s Notice also is given a whirl and Gordon caresses its familiar melody.
A nice bonus feature is a March 2005 reminiscence by George Cables to accompany the original liner notes by Pete Hamill.
TrackList:
Side 1: As Time Goes By, Moment’s Notice,
Side 2: Tanya, Body and Soul
Side 3: I Told You So, LTD
Side 4: Ruby My Dear, Secret Love
Lonnie Johnson – Portraits in Blues, Vol. 6 – Swingville / Pure Pleasure Records PPAN SLP162 – Audiophile 180 gram LP – (1963 Copenhagen, Denmark) ****1/2:
(Lonnie Johnson, guitar, vocals; Otis Spann, piano)
Lonnie Johnson has been described as the grand old man of the blues. Born in 1894, in New Orleans, Johnson had a long and varied career; both playing and being rediscovered many times when he took time off from playing to do menial labor work to cover the lean times.
Johnson’s playing and singing is unique as it crosses boundaries between jazz and the blues. His blues had a more jazz orientation as his guitar picking leaned toward acoustic jazz and his voice had a sweetness unlike the more country blues gruffness found from Southern blues men. There is a sophistication he brought to blues like Clementine Blues, See See Rider, and Jelly Jelly.
Johnson also mastered the violin, which may be a reason that he made a name for himself in jazz circles, playing with Louis Armstrong’s Hot Seven as well as a brief stay with early Duke Ellington. Lonnie cut an extended series of recordings for Okeh Records in the mid 20s to early 30s. His recordings with jazz guitarist, Eddie Lang, are legendary.
On Portraits of Blues, we find Lonnie near the end of his career (he passed away seven years after this recording) on tour with the great Otis Spann accompanying him on piano. Johnson’s voice was still strong at age 64 and his guitar playing was still robust.
England’s Pure Pleasure Records has done their usual superb remastering job with the original Storyville tapes. It would actually be news if Pure Pleasure had done anything less. Having the opportunity to hear Lonnie Johnson in superb sonics is a real treat as Johnson is a unique musician who could cross jazz and blues genres easily. This LP shows that the two musical idioms could be blended into a sweet mix when you have the talent of the inimitable Lonnie Johnson. Highly recommended!
TrackList:
Side 1:
Tomorrow Night
Clementine Blues
See See Rider
Raining on the Cold Cold Ground
Jelly, Jelly
Side 2:
Too Late to Cry
Call Me Darling
Why Did You Go
Swingin’ with Lonnie
Please Help Me
Earl Hines and Harry “Sweets” Edison – Earl Meets Harry- Pure Pleasure Records/ Definitive Black and Blue Sessions PPAN 007 – 180 gram vinyl LP- 1978 *****:
(Earl “Fatha” Hines, piano; Harry “Sweets” Edison, trumpet)
As translated from the French album liner notes, it was surprising to note that jazz giants Earl Hines and Harry Edison, hardly knew each other in 1978 when they entered the Studio Sinus in Berne, Switzerland, on April 26, 1978. Well it certainly did not take them long to mesh as their styles are so complementary.
Hines was a master stride pianist and had among the quickest left hands in the business, as he would augment his stride lines with glistening arpeggios without losing a beat. With that lightning left hand he could approach Art Tatum in technique but not speed, as in that department Tatum had no peer, as Art played the piano as if having four hands and two pianos.
Sweets Edison was a master at understatement like his former boss, Count Basie. He could say more with fewer notes than most of his contemporaries. His taste was exquisite and he could swing effortlessly.
The Hines Edison duo just shines here playing strictly standards such as I Cover the Waterfront, Just Squeeze Me, Just You Just Me, and Mean to Me. For swing fans it’s a match made in heaven as Hines embellishes while Sweets plays all the right notes. As these songs are so well known, you kind of know what to expect, but it’s a treat to hear Hines cutting loose and Edison’s sweet, warm tone carrying the day.
Oh, did I forget to mention the impeccable true to life intimate acoustics that Pure Pleasure brings to all their projects is worth every penny of the asking price? If you dig Fatha and Sweets, you’ve got to have this LP.
TrackList: Side A: I Cover the Waterfront, Just Squeeze Me, But Not for Me, Just You Just Me
Side B: Mean to Me, I Surrender Dear, The One I Love Belongs to Somebody Else
Laura Nyro – New York Tendaberry – Columbia/ Pure Pleasure Records- PPAN KCS9737 – (1969) *****:
Laura Nyro could break your heart with her gut-wrenching beauty. She poured out her emotions in songs full of gospel, soul, folk and jazz. She was a one of a kind and wore her heart on her sleeve. She had a once in a generation voice as Billie Holiday brought to jazz, and Joan Baez to folk.
The audiophile label, Pure Pleasure Records, out of England, has done a public service in releasing New York Tendaberry in glorious 180-gram vinyl with sumptuous remastering by Ray Staff. Laura’s vocals are crystalline and the occasional orchestral backings by Jimmy Haskell jump out from your speakers and will blow your mind on a quality pair of headphones.
Save the Country and Time And Love have been covered by many pop artists, but its Laura’s versions that stand the test of time. When you hear her emote, it’s as if Laura wrote the lyrics just to inspire you.
Laura Nyro had a brief period in the limelight before retiring at age 24. She came back on the scene several times in the ensuing decades but never regained her moment in the sun before dying of ovarian cancer in 1997. Her most noted compositions-Eli’s Coming, Stone Soul Picnic, and Sweet Blindness-were made into much bigger hits by others. Her genius was recognized by none other than David Geffen, who quit his early job as a music agent to become her manager.
New York Tendaberry had few hits, with the exception of Save the Country. What it did have was heartfelt lyrics sung in glorious emotions of happiness and deep pain by the genius that was Laura Nyro. What passes as pop music today pales in comparison. It was a “pure pleasure” to review this audiophile LP wonder…
TrackList: (Side A): You Don’t Love Me When I Cry, Captain for Dark Mornings, Tom Cat Goodbye, Mercy on Broadway, Save the Country
(Side B): Gibsom Street, Time and Love, The Man Who Sends Me Home, Sweet Lovin’ Baby, Captain Saint Lucifer, New York Tendaberry
Muddy Waters – I’m Ready – CBS/ Pure Pleasure Records PPAN JZ34928 – 1978 ****1/2:
Artists: Muddy Waters, guitar and vocals; Johnny Winter: guitar; Big Walter Horton, harmonica; Jerry Portnoy, harmonica; Pine Top Perkins, piano; Jimmy Rogers, guitar; Bob Margolin, bass; Willie “Big Eyes” Smith, drums
At the end of his storied career, the great Chicago blues man, Muddy Waters, had one last period of resurgence. He made a trilogy of albums produced by Johnny Winter-Hard Again, I’m Ready, and King Bee. Winters’ formula was fairly straight forward-surround Muddy with his touring band and add some special guests to light his fire-while recording a mixture of hit singles with new material. Then let Muddy cut loose and burn down some electric Chicago blues. It was a winning combination and you can sense the joy that Muddy felt in his bantering between songs. His last hurrah was a barnburner.
Pure Pleasure has picked the middle session of the trilogy-I’m Ready- as ripe for audiophile remastering in 180 gram vinyl. Ray Staff has done a brilliant job remastering this album as the electric guitars bent notes sizzle and Muddy’s strutting vocals growl with passion. Guests Big Walter Horton and Jimmy Rogers spur Waters to new heights. Pianist Pine Top Perkins, still going strong today in his 90s, was cooking 30 years ago, and Johnny Winter must have had a blast playing slide guitar on Who Do You Trust. Screamin’ and Cryin’ and I’m Your Hoochie Coochie Man were vintage Waters and still cooked even at the end of the fabled Mr. Waters’ career.
Newer material such as Who Do You Trust and 33 Years clearly inspired Muddy and make a nice segue from classics like Rock Me, and Good Morning Little School Girl. Muddy Waters passed away five years after I’m Ready and just two years post King Bee. Born in 1915, the inimitable Muddy Waters was a monster blues man till the end. Thanks to Pure Pleasure Records, are YOU ready for I’m Ready?
TrackList: Side 1: I’m Ready, 33 years, Who Do You Trust, Copper Brown
Side 2: I’m Your Hoochie Coochie Man, Mamie, Rock Me, Screamin’ and Cryin’, Good Morning Little School Girl
Nat King Cole – Penthouse Serenade – Capitol / Pure Pleasure Audiophile Mono LP – PPAN T332 – 1952 & 1955 ****1/2:
(Nat King Cole, piano and vocals on Side 2, Tracks 5-10; John Collins, guitar; Charlie Harris, bass; Bunny Shawker and Lee Young, drums; Jack Costanzo, bongos and conga)
Nat King Cole, after abandoning his piano trio to concentrate on his burgeoning vocal career returned to the studio a year later in 1952 for Capitol Records to record an eight song 10 inch LP with a quartet, adding guitarist John Collins to his new group. The result was Penthouse Serenade, and it was a lovely mix of standards taken at light leisurely stroll with Cole’s light sparkling touch. When the 12 inch LP came on the scene in the mid 50s Cole went back to the studio to add four more tracks (this time with Lee Young on the drum stand taking over for Bunny Shawker). The now full-length LP was to be Cole’s first full-length LP.
Fast-forward to 1998 and the established CD format with room for still more tracks to flesh out (and sell to a new market), and Capitol’s marketing department had the acumen to add still more tracks to Cole’s penthouse experience. An alternate take of I Surrender Dear was found from 1955 and six more songs were found from 1952, which included the great bongo player Jack Costanzo. Four of these tracks had previously been unreleased. The only aberration to the mood that Capitol set was that the six new additions to Penthouse Serenade were vocals. As we all know, Cole was a master singer and to most of his fans it’s the vocals with his inimitable voice that bring him his present day fame. The two sets of additions to Penthouse Serenade add twenty-eight minutes and bring the total to fifty-one minutes, now a proper CD length.
One can’t fault Pure Pleasure, the English audiophile LP experts, from issuing the complete group of sessions, as Capitol had done in the late 90s. Their remastering is pristine due to the expertise of Steve Hoffman and Kevin Gray. For audiophiles it’s a nice bonus to have the alternate take of I Surrender Dear and the vocal tracks to be issued for the first time on vinyl. Nat’s voice has never sounded so sweet and distinctive as on audiophile 180-gram vinyl. Cole’s voice on a quality turntable in audiophile sound is a real treat!
TrackList:
Side 1:
Penthouse Serenade (When We’re Alone)
Somebody Loves Me
Laura
Once in a Blue Mood
Don’t Blame Me
Little Girl
Polka Dots and Moonbeams
Down By the Old Mill Stream
If I Should Love You
Side 2:
Rose Room
I Surrender Dear (take 2)
It Could Happen to You
I Surrender Dear (take 1)
(Vocals):
Too Marvelous for Words
Unforgettable
Walkin’ My Baby Back Home
Too Young
That’s My Girl
It’s Only a Paper Moon
Sarah Vaughan – Sarah Sings Soulfully- Roulette / Pure Pleasure Analogue LP – PPAN SR-52116 – (1963) ****:
(Sarah Vaughan, vocals; Gerald Wilson, arranger and conductor; Sextet members including Ernie Freeman, organ; Carmell Jones, trumpet; Teddy Edwards, tenor sax)
Backed by a West Coast all-star sextet with arrangements by the brilliant (now in his 90s!) bandleader and arranger, Gerald Wilson, Sarah Vaughan recorded her last Roulette record for the inimitable Teddy Reig in 1963. She then went back to Mercury Records.
Sarah Sings Soulfully consists primarily of pop songs of the day – A Taste of Honey, What Kind of Fool Am I, The Good Life, Gravy Waltz. Vaughan stretches out the lyrics and Wilson provides easygoing backing-whether it be organ and tambourine for Sermonette, or the impeccable front line of Carmell Jones and Teddy Edwards.
Sassy caresses the lyrics as though she is singing late night for friends in a cabaret setting. Only Shirley Horn compares in languid interpretation of ballads. Pure Pleasure has done their usual commendable job in audiophile remastering. Pure warm stereophonic sonics make Blakey’s Moanin’ snap to attention while Monk’s Round Midnight has a late night moodiness.
This early 60s time period was Sarah Vaughan in her prime and Sarah Sings Soulfully would be a welcome addition to vinyl lovers of jazz vocals. You won’t find Sassy in any better sounding splendor.
TrackList:
Side A:
A Taste of Honey
What Kind of Fool Am I?
I Guess I’ll Hang Out My Tears to Dry
Sermonette
In Love In Vain
Gravy Waltz
Side B:
The Good Life
Moanin’
‘Round Midnight
Easy Street
Baby, Won’t You Please Come Home
Midnight Sun
All above reviews — Jeff Krow
Jeb Loy Nichols – Parish Bar – Compass Records 4497 150-gram vinyl LP, 41 minutes ****:
When I first dropped the needle to the record I thought I was going to start hearing the Bee Gees or Stevie Wonder, but then warm, thick vocals issued forth. Is it funk? Is it hip hop? Is it dance music? You can decide, but what I can tell you is that it’s got a 70s groove and a contemporary flair at the same time–and it’s pretty good! The second track had a world music/reggae feel except for the harmonica that popped out of nowhere. Jeb’s voice is a little like John Mayer and some of the tracks are like a John Mayer or Jack Johnson track with a bunch of different musical styles blended together all guided by Nichols’ vision. You get the feel that the entire creation process is very organic and natural for Jeb. This record is completely inoffensive and can easily serve as background music for a hip get-together or for a fun, light listening adventure.
The disc comes with a password to download mp3s of the album for free and you also get a piece of frameable artwork. Sound quality of the disc is A/A- and music gets a B+.
TrackList: Countrymusicdisco45; Whole Thing Going On; Just a Country Boy; I’m Blue I’m Lonesome Too; Days Are Mighty; Too Much Not Enough; Satan’s Helper; Foggy Road Ride; My kind; Neath the Cold Ground; So Sad; Dr. Noblio; I Took a Memory to Lunch.
Sonny Rollins – Saxophone Colossus – Prestige OJC 291 mono LP, 40 minutes ***** [Reissue from Concord Records]:
This copy was made from stampers originally cut for DCC by Steve Hoffman and Kevin Gray as evidenced by old matrix information that has been scratched out. The only better- sounding copy known to me are the originals cut by Rudy Van Gelder that are available used for upwards of $300. Three of the tracks are original, one a standard, the other the famous theme from Weill’s Three-Penny Opera. The back of the record gives added information on each of the songs and emphasizes the colossal nature of one of the few remaining jazz legends, Sonny Rollins. On this record he is joined by other jazz notables Tommy Flanagan (piano), Max Roach (drums), and Doug Watkins (bass).
I won’t review the music as you can find hundreds of reviews that better express the beauty of this record far better than I can. For music this record is a classic and therefore gets and A+. Sound quality falls somewhere in the A range. Tonal quality is excellent, dynamics are excellent, and that horn…An absolute must for even the newest of jazz neophytes!
TrackList: Moritat; Blue Seven; St. Thomas; You Don’t Know What Love Is; Strode Rode.
Smiley Lewis – …I Hear You Knocking – Pure Pleasure Records Limited PPAN LP9141 180 gram vinyl mono reissue LP, 30 minutes *****:
Personnel on this record are: Smiley Lewis (vocal, guitar), Dave Bartholemew (trumpet), Lee Allen, Herb Hardesty, Alvin “Red” Tyler (tenor saxophones), Clarence Ford (baritone saxophone), Salvador Doucette, Edward Frank, Joe Robichaux, Huey Smith (piano), Justin Adams, Edgar Blanchard, Ernest McLean (guitar), Frank Fields (bass), George French (bass guitar), Robert French, Earl Palmer, Charles “Hungry” Williams (drums).
Overton Lemon (Smiley) Lewis is a blues singer/guitar player who subscribes to the old school of blues and sings in a rough, ragged, hollering voice. He got his start early in clubs in the French Quarter and had his big hit in 1955 with “I Hear You Knocking” (later covered by Dave Edmunds). The piano playing and upbeat sound of this tune is what no doubt propelled it to the top of the charts. Most of the material on the record covers the typical man/woman topics present in a lot of the blues music and there are quite a few standout tracks. “Blue Monday” starts with solid, punchy bass and then comes the horns—wow! This number will appeal to less hardcore listeners of more popular blues music. “Lost Week End” is a perfect example of Lewis’ New Orleans influence while “Real Gone Lover” sounds very similar to “Shake, Rattle and Roll.” This is one great blues record!
This disc was remastered at Abbey Road Studios by Sean Magee. The recording is mono and some times it is hard to focus in on particular instruments within the soundstage due to the age of the recording. Sound ranged from B- to A- depending on the track while Music is a solid A.
TrackList: The Bells Are Ringing; Standing On The Corner; Blue Monday; Down The Road; Lost Week End; Real Gone Lover; Bumpity Bump; I Hear You Knocking; I Can’t Believe It; Hey Girl; One Night; Nothing But The Blues.
Above three reviews — Brian Bloom
