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Audiophile
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Cannonball
Adderley - Somethin’ Else
Blue Note/Analogue Productions 1595 Reviewed by DDD
Cannonball Adderley’s Somethin’ Else, with Miles Davis, Hank
Jones, Sam Jones and Art Blakey, is one of the most eagerly anticipated
Blue Note reissue titles, and it deserves its superstar status. The performance,
whether it is really a disguised Miles Davis session or a peak in Adderley’s
catalogue, includes five tunes imprinted on every jazz lover’s psyche.
This is one of the best-loved titles in the Blue Note catalog. How does
this 45 RPM two disc re-issue stack up to the original? Will this new
remastering of ‘Love For Sale’ have you thinking about putting
your original pressing up for sale? The sound of my original mono and
stereo pressings, as well as the Mobile Fidelity CD are all pretty good
sounding recordings of great jazz. But this version leaves them all in
the dust. Keep in mind that this is a typical Blue Note recording, and
it exhibits the well-known flaws found in most of Rudy Van Gelder’s
work, including a muffled piano sound. It’s in stereo and the horns
are, like the original stereo release, stuck in the left and right speakers.
But the rock solid horn sound and the improved timbre add so much to the
“you are there” feeling on this new release, that for me there
is no going back to my original pressings. The same holds true for the
equally fine Coltrane Blue Train session being released concurrently with
this issue. |
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Juan
Diego Florez: Bel Canto Spectacular
Orchestra de la Comunita Valenciana – Daniel Oren
Decca 478 031 4 (CD + DVD Limited Edition Set) Reviewed by DS
Mention the “highlights approach” to a serious opera lover
and you risk being regarded with utter disgust for even entertaining the
dismantling of what is (possibly) the perfect, artistic marriage of sound
and vision. Albums of operatic arias are often similarly crucified –
and for a reason. Devised as a convenient platform with which to demonstrate
a singer’s vocal bravura, they rarely manage to project the real
ability of that singer across many roles or the contrasting demands that
arise in the staging or recording of a complete work. Juan Diego Florez,
firmly established as one of the light, lyrical tenors of modern times,
once again shows how it should and can be done!
At his best singing work by Rossini, Donizetti and Bellini, Florez compiled
an exquisite collection of arias from their (predominantly) less frequently
performed operas (Donizetti – La Favorite, Linda di Chamounix and
Lucrezia Borgia; Rossini – Il Viaggio a Reims and Otello) with only
a couple of “best” moments from Donizetti’s La Fille
Du Regiment and Don Pasquale.
Assisted by Placido Domingo and Anna Netrebko, Florez shines throughout
this album demonstrating his ability to sing any type of aria or passage
with unsurpassed emotional involvement and technical perfection. For once,
a “Bel Canto Spectacular” indeed! Treat yourself to the limited
edition package including a DVD and enjoy an interview with JDF, his discography
and – a few more beautiful arias. |
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Beethoven:
Symphony No. 3 (Eroica)
12 Contredanses Helsingborg S.O.
Andrew Manze, cond.
Harmonia Mundi HMU 807470 Reviewed by RSF
The original dedication of this symphony was to have been Napoleon Bonaparte,
someone Beethoven admired greatly as a ‘constitutional reformer’.
However, prior to its first playing, Napoleon declared himself Emperor,
which so enraged Beethoven, Napoleon’s name was then removed from
the dedication page. I must say I was quite surprised when I heard this
disc. Initially I expected this to be something of a ‘period’
performance, but the Helsingborg Symphony, numbering only 60 players,
gives us a full-bodied account of this monumental work. This is an extremely
satisfying production of this great symphony and I take my hat off to
Manze for his fine conducting skills. There is enormous insight into Beethoven’s
work sprinkled throughout this disc. There are many fascinating nuances
and I am especially fond of what he does with the fourth movement, Finale:
Allegro molto. In addition, the thirteen minutes containing the dances
is a delight
and we are treated to a superb performance of the finale from ‘The
Creatures of Prometheus’. All in all a near 70-minute outing I wouldn’t
want to miss. This is a very welcome addition to my collection and you
should definitely investigate this disc for your own library. Highly recommended.
Supplier: www.harmoniamundi.com |
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Joe Pass
- Sounds of Synanon
Pacific Jazz/Pure Pleasure ST48 Reviewed by DDD
Guitar legend Joe Pass became a star after Norman Granz signed him
to his Pablo label and recorded him extensively in duets with practically
everyone on the label, and in solos in the outstanding Virtuoso series.
Before that, Pass recorded for the west-coast jazz labels of Richard Bock
— Pacific Jazz and World Pacific, but only after wasting a decade
of his life addicted to drugs. This was Pass’ first album, recorded
in 1961 while still attending the Synanon Drug Center and accompanied
by a half dozen other patients. Pass plays a borrowed solid body rock
guitar. While the group effort is more than adequate, Pass turns in a
stunning performance that resulted in his eventual recognition as one
of jazz’s premier guitar artists. This is perhaps the hardest Pass
LP to find and its rediscovery by Pure Pleasure is a delight. Bock’s
shoestring operation produced some great sounding recordings, and this
one is exceptional. Steve Hoffman and Kevin Grey remastered this LP (along
with John Lewis’ Grand Encounter, also an exceptional release).
They’ve done a remarkable job. This sounds as good as any jazz recording
made in the early 1960’s. Instrumental timbre is suburb, balance
among the instruments near ideal and the stereo spread is very natural.
I’m guessing the drug rehabilitation center had no recording studio,
so the unnamed recording engineer squeezed out this magic without props.
Highly recommended.
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Horace
Parlan - Us Three
Blue Note/Music Matters 84037 Reviewed by DDD
In case you haven’t noticed, Joe Harley and Ron Rambach of Music
Matters really like Blue Note’s Horace Parlan titles. Five of their
63 announced titles, and two of the earliest releases are led by Parlan.
Us Three, as the name implies, is a piano trio with George Tucker on bass
and Al Harewood on drums. Horn players sell records, so why did Music
Matters go with a piano trio from an underappreciated recording artist?
One listen to this 45-RPM double LP set makes the answer seem obvious.
Parlan’s unique touch carries the day, without the need for a horn
player, and the sound is ravishing. Parlan’s technique, more familiar
from his duos with Archie Shepp and his contribution on Mingus’
Blues & Roots and Mingus Ah Um, blends gospel with bop in a set of
mostly standards. And the sound? I used to think that Rudy Van Gelder
always produced something a few notches below the very best jazz recordings
of the day, but I’m not sure I can sustain that opinion in the face
of what Steve Hoffman and Kevin Gray have accomplished here. This is about
as close to recorded perfection as you could hope for. Instrumental timbre
is to die for and the trio is laid out in a perfect stereo array.
This is as good as jazz LPs get! |
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Brahms:
Sonatas for Violoncello and Piano, Op. 38; Op. 78; Op.120
Pieter Wispelwey, violoncello, Dejan Lazi, piano.
Channel Classics CCS SA 24707 Reviewed by RSF
Wispelwey and Lazi are the perfect team to present these three great Brahms
sonatas. They present us with rich, glowing performances of exquisite
detail. Their tone, sonority and phrasing capture the essence of these
works and it is hard for the listener to be anything other than captivated
by the strong melodic lines. These are heartfelt performances and these
soloists stand as equals to create, in my mind, one of the finest interpretations
of these sonatas.
Jared Sacks has given us a balance that places the artists clearly front
and center in the room, with demonstration quality sound. Wispelwey and
Lazi are perfectly matched. I first came across this pair playing the
Beethoven sonatas (Channel Classics CCS SA 22605) and was immediately
impressed by their musicianship. I can tell you that their Brahms disc
is comfortably in a class of one. Wispelwey’s violoncello has a
wonderful tone, which is offered perfect accompaniment by Lazi’s
Steinway, with neither artist overwhelming the other. I consider the CD
layer excellent but the DSD layer does offer an even richer and more pleasing
experience.
This disc is a “must-have” addition to any classical collection
– definitely not to be missed and highly recommended.
Supplier: www.channelclassics.com |
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