[jsaliga]

I liked the sound quality of this album under the Delmark label. I discovered this recording at the local library which occasionally purchases adventurous jazz to add to their mostly traditional collection.

Nice find and thanks for posting it.  I ordered it from Amazon this morning.

--Jerome

[ZLS]

For those of you interested the Delmark label can be found at http://jazzmart.com/   This is the website for the Chicago Jazz Record Mart that is owned and operated by Bob Koester who is also the founder of Delmark Records.  A person who wished to visit all the great remaining Brick and Mortar Record Stores that still exist; this would be at the top of the list.  And yes, it does have vinyl.

[jsaliga]

Outstanding!!  It looks like they have an excellent selection.  I'll get an order lined up with them over the weekend.

--Jerome

[jsaliga]

Can - Future Days



Can was a band that I think came before its time, or at least came before music fans were ready for them.  While they were in favor with music critics, their music was fairly inaccessible and they never achieved mainstream acceptance with the music buying public.  The band's early 1970s output consisted of long, improvisational pieces that incorporated complex, dynamic rhythms blended with electronic music.  With this album, the emphasis is clearly on the rhythm section and features some of the best drumming ever heard on a rock album -- by any band.  The electronics and guitar are important no doubt, but they are recessed in the mix to allow the bass and drums to take center stage.  In addition, what makes this album special is the quality of the recording.  Can's entire catalog was remastered for hybrid SACD and sound quality is absolutely fantastic!!  The bass and drums have wonderful firmness and is clearly articulated.  A strong recommendation to any open-minded rock fan; it's easily one of the best sounding high definition audio titles of a rock group I have had the pleasure of hearing.

--Jerome

[jsaliga]

Hopefully someone else besides Roy and myself will participate, or it's going to be a fairly short thread.

Sarah Vaughan - How Long Has This Been Going On?



Recorded in 1978, this Pablo Records release features Sassy at the top of her game (of course it's hard to think of an outing when she wasn't breathtaking).  With an all-star supporting cast of guitarist Joe Pass, pianist Oscar Peterson, drummer Louie Bellson, and bassist Ray Brown -- this album could not possibly disappoint.  It is an exemplar of late-period Sarah Vaughan, and she quite ably demonstrates on this record why many people regarded her as the greatest female jazz vocalist of all time.  She's in her mid 50s here, and still has the amazing vocal range and touch that won her accolades decades earlier.  I was very fortunate recently to have found a near mint original issue of this album on vinyl, and every track on this LP is a stunner.  My personal favorites on the album are Midnight Sun, You're Blasé, More Than You Know, and Body and Soul.  No fan of jazz vocals should be without this record.

--Jerome

[Canyoneagle]

With Jerome's timely prompt for more participation, I've finally gotten off my duff to participate 

......and YES, I am looking at friggin' turntables on A'gon almost daily.  Damn you, damn you!

Anywhoo,  I've been enjoying the stylings of Karl Denson's Tiny Universe - "The Bridge", in lossless format on my RWA iMod.



If you like a mix of soul, funk and jazz, this album is sure to please.  It is extremely well recorded, and an absolute pleasure to hear on the max's.  There is absolutely no compression or false ambience to interfere with the wonderful collaboration of these often overlooked artists.  The vocals are backed up with a stellar horn section, and the rythm section keeps it tight throughout.  Denson seamlessly crosses defined genres, with a steady Zydeco undercurrent (in many of the tracks) as a foundation for the funk/jazz/soul music that it infuses.  The solos are right on, to boot.  Great stuff.

I started to list my favorite tracks, but, frankly, all of the songs are stellar.
If I had one 'complaint', it is that at times things are almost TOO tight, bordering on mechanical.  The cool thing is that the MUSICALITY of this precision comes through, even in the moments of razor-like lockstep of the various musicians.

All in all, this is a spectacular album that deserves a focused listen.

Okay, back to listening!  I'm toying around with positioning and treatments today, but thought I'd chime in.

Cheers,
Michael

[jsaliga]

Thanks for the suggestion Michael.  I'll definitely check it out.

Cat Power - Moon Pix



There are many times when I really love introspective, reflective, and somber music.  Stuff that vaguely recalls Robert Frost's "The Road Not Taken" always strikes a resonant chord with me.  Not that my life is full of regret, but rather that it's usually thought provoking material when done right.  I especially like this sort of music when it is stripped down to its bare essentials.  Chan Marshall's (AKA Cat Power) Moon Pix is one such record.  The songs on this album are supported with intimate guitar work and intricately structured melody lines in a shimmering near-drone effect.  It creates a marvelous backdrop for the kind of messages the songs convey, with searching, yearning vocals that are emotionally evocative.  A modern-day alternative folk masterpiece if there ever was one.  I have it on 180 gram virgin vinyl.  It's an easy buy recommendation.

--Jerome

[jsaliga]

Waylon Jennings - Honky Tonk Heroes



I can't say that the outlaw country movement caught on with me during my high school years in the mid 1970s.  At that time I didn't much like Willie Nelson and I probably cared even less for Waylon Jennings.  It all sounded like sh*t-kicking country music to me, and at the time the very thought of it summoned images of Hee Haw on television (apologizes to anyone who's a fan).  In those days my musical life was filled with the likes of Led Zeppelin, Kiss, AC/DC, Foghat, and such.  There simply was no room in my musical lexicon for country.  As I grew older, however, my tastes in music began to mature and expand.  I eventually came to understand that my perception of country music was narrowminded and stereotypical.  I wouldn't go so far as to say that I am now a big country music fan, but I'd like to think that I can and do enjoy much of the finest that country music has to offer.  One such record is Honky Tonk Heroes by Waylon Jennings.  These songs just seem to be custom tailored to his majestic baratone voice.  While the real attraction here is the outstanding title track, the remainder of the album is exceptionally strong and very much worthwhile.  A must for country fans and I would even suggest it as a crossover album for rock fans.

--Jerome

[jsaliga]

Bill Frisell - Gone, Just Like a Train



Bill Frisell is one of my favorite guitarists and is an absolute master of tone.  If you listen to other jazz or fusion guitarists such as Alan Holdsworth or Al Di Meola they seem to define themselves in terms of the complexity of the melody lines they play.  Their playing is densely packed with a lot of notes, and usually the faster the better.  That's not to take away anything from them.  I enjoy both of their styles of playing.  But Bill Frisell is an entirely different critter.  He defines himself by his tone and what he does with it.  Tone is the expressive domain of Bill Frisell's playing and in that sense it makes him unique among his contemporaries.  There is simply no one else out there like him.  There were a number of jazz singers who were able to sucessfully use their voice as a musical instrument (Billie Holiday and Sarah Vaughan come immediately to mind).  Frisell uses his guitar and tone in a manner consistent with the flexibility and range of the human voice as an instrument.     I have most of Frisell's work in my music library, and while I very much enjoy all of it, this is easily my favorite album in his catalog.  Wonderfully recorded and mastered, this is an album that defies labels.  It has some elements of country, some elements of rock, and there is no doubt a strong jazz inflection in all of it.  The lead-off track Blues for Los Angeles is great and gets things started.  It is one of the few albums I own that commands my full attention whenever I play it.  I'll start the CD and try to do other things while I listen and within a minute or two the album has my undivided attention.  Buy it if you're a fan of the electric guitar.

--Jerome

[enjoiflobees]

jsaliga, I really agree with your recommendation for Cat Power - Moon Pix. I just picked it up after reading your post and I am really enjoying it.  I have only heard  the album "The Greatest" by Cat Power before picking this up but I can say this too me is a lot more enjoyable. 

I have a little different type of suggestion from the normal here, but I figure since I am so passionate about this record that I just have to share it. 

Why? - Alpoecia



I am mostly an indie rock fan but I do crossover to most other genres.  This album is the most interesting mixture of music that I think is out there.  I know most will turn away once they see the other genre that is mixed with this mostly indie rock band but I do urge people that are open to look into it still.  The genre is hip hop.  I will assure you that this is not rap but there the lead singer does rap in a sense but not all the time, maybe 20%.  It is extremely interesting.  The music is really well recorded for a fairly unknown band and even compared to alot of things.  One of the best things about this band is the lyrics.  Normally I am not a huge fan of lyrics but some of the descriptions are just amazing and some of the most witty things ever sung or said.  I know that I am in no way doing justice to this band by this description, but I've tried. 

-Anthony

[jsaliga]

Herbert Von Karajan/Berliner Philharmoniker - Beethoven Symphonies Nos. 5 and 6



This hybrid SACD features Herbert Von Karajan conducting the Berlin Philharmonic in the first of four complete Beethoven symphony cycles.  This one was originally recorded in the early 1960s, and in my view it represents the best Beethoven work by Karajan.  I can't say he is my favorite conductor where Beethoven symphonies are concerned, as that distinction goes to Otto Klemperer and the New Philharmonia Orchestra.  With that said, I think I prefer the sound of the 6th symphony on this SACD.  It is fuller, and fills the room with sounds of a pastoral outdoor countryside setting in the spring.  Truth be told, the engineers at Deutsche Grammophon did a pretty spectacular job with the recording, and if one cannot exactly warm up to the performance then at the very least one can tip their hat to the sonic canvass upon which this great piece of music was painted.  I can appreciate both, and it is very nice for once to find a classic performance of Beethoven by a time-honored conductor given the royal treatment on a high-resolution digital audio format.  Highly recommended (especially if you have a DeepHemp sub).

--Jerome

[jsaliga]

Ralph Towner - Anthem



Multi-instrumentalist Ralph Towner has cut a distinctive niche for the classical and acoustic guitar by adopting it in his folkish-jazz creations on ECM.  I have to be honest here, aside from Ralph Towner and Keith Jarrett, I find the ECM jazz formula to be fairly lightweight fare.  Sure, almost to an artist, the music is wonderfully recorded, mixed, and mastered.  But the sound and compositions are so clean and airy that the music is almost sterile.  For the most part it simply lacks fire and imagination.  I'm sure that won't sit well with folks who are fans of the ECM stable of artists; I mean no disrespect.  It just really isn't my cup of tea.  With that said, I find Towner's expressively deep solo acoustic guitar work an exception and something at which I can truly marvel and appreciate.  I haven't ventured outside of Towner's solo work, as some of his collaborations adhere strictly to the ECM formula.  But his solo recordings come highly recommended.  If there ever was a CD that was recorded right smack dab in the middle of the sweet spot of Omega speakers...this is it.  Anyone who owns a pair of Omega speakers and enjoys 6 and 12 string acoustic guitar should buy this disc.  Even if you don't have a pair of Louis' creations I can still give this a strong recommendation.

--Jerome

[rajacat]

I don't have the hybrid SCAD version of this album but I bet it's excellent because I find the regular redbook version has very good sound quality. This young group has a lot of talent and beautiful harmonies, virtuoso bluegrass instrumentals are here to enjoy. Their later recordings don't seem to garner the generally high praise that this debut album generated.

-Roy

[jsaliga]

Very nice Roy.  I think I'm going to try the hybrid SACD.


Keely Smith - Politely!



Keely Smith was a duet partner of Louis Prima in the late 1940s and early 50s, and started her own solo career in the late 1950s.  She is an enormous talent and has been described as the female version of Frank Sinatra.  She has terrific interpretive skill, and her voice is elegant and stately.  Her phrasings very much recall Sinatra.  But there's no doubt that she is a great talent in her own right and really didn't walk in the shadow of Sinatra.  On this particular outing she was paired with Billy May (he also worked with Frank Sinatra on Come Dance with Me and Anita O'Day on Anita O'Day Swings Cole Porter with Billy May).  If you're into 1950s pop and jazz vocals this one is strongly recommended.

This particular record shows that vinyl can sometimes be a tough love.  This record came in last week and it looked very clean.  My standard procedure with vintage vinyl is to run it through my record cleaning machine.  It sounded fantastic for the first minute...and then the loud repeating pops began.  I took the record off the turntable and checked it again under a very strong light.  I could see small pieces of grit/dirt stuck in the grooves.  I worked on this album for about an hour trying to salvage it.  I only do this as a last resort, but took isopropyl alcohol and diluted it 50% with distilled water and then applied that directly to the vinyl and also to a Discwasher brush for a thorough scrubbing.  The album went back and forth between the turntable and the cleaning machine four times, but I did finally manage to get the record into playable shape and it sounded great.

--Jerome

[Airborn]

OK Jerome, I don't have Omegas (although I hope to hear a pair someday soon), but your enthusiasm for music is obvious and appreciated in a hobby that sometimes gets too obsessed with the "gear", IMHO.  So I'll play and in honor of you first post of Tres Hombres, I'll recommend

ZZ Top's First Album
Many don't realize that before all the commercial success of albums like "Eliminator" and "Afterburner", ZZ Top was a Texas blues/rock band and nothing shows this heritage off better than "ZZ Top's First Album".  Just make sure you buy the vinyl LP, as there is a horrible re-mix of this album on CD, although I'm not sure which label.  Fortunately, I have the vinyl LP on Warner Bros. (BSK 3268) and it sounds great.  Highly recommended!

As for CD recordings, I really think Ben Harper is a great artist and Fight For Your Mind is his best recording, IMHO.  The recording quality as well as the song selection is first rate all the way through.  There is not a single weak track on this CD!  Played loudly, this disc just sounds incredible and is a work out for any system.

Ben Harper, Fight For Your Mind

[jsaliga]

Airborn, no Omegas required and many thanks for the Ben Harper recommendation.  I tried some clips and he sounds like an interesting artist.  I'm sort of surprised I haven't bumped into his music before given my tastes -- which actually go far beyond jazz.

To all, keep the recommendations coming.  Equally important is to tell us a little something about the music.  Thanks again!

--Jerome

[zybar]

Uncle Tupelo - March 16-20, 1992 [Remastered]




For my first post in this thread I am going with a cd from the Alt Country category - Uncle Tupleo's March 16-20, 1992 [remastered version].  This remastered version is significantly better than the original in all respects and should be the only version one listens to.  While Uncle Tupelo's lifespan was relatively short (only 5 albums over a 3+ year span), Jeff Tweedy went on to form Wilco and Jay Faarar formed Son Volt.

This is my favorite Uncle Tupleo cd and is basically an all-acoustic album.  Being all-acoustic, it really plays into the strengths of the Alinco Hemp drivers and the Atma-Sphere M-60's.  The texture and nuance that one hears when listening to 6 and 12 string guitars, banjo, mandolin, and pedal steel guitar is nothing short of orgasmic!  Jay and Jeff sing with an angst and edge that is befitting the overall mood and focus of the album.

While there are no clunkers on this cd, a few tracks really standout for me and are always heavy in the rotation or part of my test songs when evaluating new gear:

Grindstone:  From the opening guitar play, to Jay's vocals, to the light brush work throughout, this is great song.

Colaminers:  Listen to these lyrics and the guitar work and be transported back to a different era.  Every time I listen to this song, it immediately conjures images and puts me into the recording session.

Shaky Ground:  Guitars, guitars, guitars...feel and see each pluck of the strings...texture, texture, texture...leading edge is sharp at first and fades into the body of the note.

Black Eye:  Probably my favorite song on the cd.  Jeff sings this one and between his honest and open vocals and the rhythmic/hypnotic guitar play, this song always commands my full attention.  Short but powerful.

Moonshiner:  Back to Jay singing on this one.  Besides the great guitar work, enjoy Jay's harmonica play as it comes across with the right mixture of bite and edge.

Fatal Wound:  Jeff sung and wrote this one and man is it good!  Might be the best written song on the cd - definitely pay attention to the lyrics!  Listen to the way Jeff's and Jay's guitars are intertwined, while in the background there is a haunting violin that is just sooo right. 

Sandusky:  Great instrumental featuring guitar, pedal steel guitar, and banjo.  Everything flows and fits together perfectly.


Highly recommended for anybody who wants to hear what Alt Country or really good music is about.

George

[jsaliga]

Great album George.  I'd also recommend Anodyne as well.

--Jerome

[zybar]

Great album George.  I'd also recommend Anodyne as well.

--Jerome

Agreed.

I can also recommend all Wilco and Son Volt cd's.   

George

[jsaliga]

Bill Evans - Waltz for Debby



There are many truly great jazz pianists: Keith Jarrett, Oscar Peterson, McCoy Tyner, Sonny Clark, Red Garland, Wynton Kelly, Count Basie, Herbie Hancock...the list goes on and on.  In my view, Bill Evans is the perfect jazz pianist, and Waltz for Debby is the perfect jazz trio album.  As much as I love what Keith Jarrett has done in the Standards Trio with Jack DeJohnette and Gary Peacock, their best work doesn't quite measure up to Bill Evans with the original trio lineup of Scott LaFaro on bass and Paul Motian on drums.  Recorded live at the Village Vanguard in 1961, the sessions contained herein and on Sunday at the Village Vanguard are legendary and deservedly so. While both are highly desirable, I tend to prefer Waltz for Debby because of the slate of songs and the performance on this date really showcases the group as a trio and there is less emphasis on soloing.  If you ever wondered what the big deal was about Bill Evans, get this record and discover for yourself why he is so revered among jazz enthusiasts.  As a general rule I don't recommend live albums as reference audio titles, but in this case I'll make an exception.  Many live albums really aren't live.  To wit: the Peggy Lee album recorded with George Shearing that was billed as live but in fact was completely recorded in the studio, including fake stage banter.  And it's a well-known fact that most "live" rock albums are heavily overdubbed after the fact.  But this record seems to capture perfectly the ambiance of a live jazz performance at the Village Vanguard, from the occasional faint audience chatter to the sound of glasses clanking as drinks are being served.  It seems appropriate and never intrudes upon the music. No self-respecting jazz fan should be without this album.  It's currently available in several formats: CD and hybrid SACD from OJC, and on vinyl reissue (also from OJC) and 180 gram audiophile virgin vinyl (from Analog Productions).  If you want all of the Village Vanguard sessions then you can buy The Complete Village Vanguard Recordings on CD (I have it).  I have Waltz for Debby on 180 gram vinyl and have made a needle drop of it to DVD-A in 24-bit/96KHz digital audio.  Simply breathtaking.

--Jerome