AUDIOPHILE AUDITION focuses on recordings of interest to audiophiles and collectors, with an accent on surround sound for music, and on all hi-res disc formats. Over 100SACD, DVD Video/Audio and standard CD reviews are published during each month, and our archives go back to January 2001.
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
Look for more reviews on Tuesday!
No comments:
Post a Comment