Bruford/Towner/Gomez - If Summer Had It's Ghosts
What's in your CDP tonight? the minority report
I enjoy vinyl and digital (lately, with recent changes, vinyl actually sounds better than digital to me), BUT given what seems an overall preference for analog/vinyl on A'gon, I'm curious what the non-vinyl "1/2" is listening to. I tried to see if this was a previously posted question. Did not seem so.
This evening for me, it's Genesis (definitive edition remaster) "A Trick of the Tail".
This evening for me, it's Genesis (definitive edition remaster) "A Trick of the Tail".
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Elements - Untold Stories Live recording of a concert in Japan. One of several albums by Elements, a project of co-leaders Mark Egan and Dan Gottlieb (bass player and drummer, respectively, in the Pat Metheny Group). Title track... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2RwN7ZMpyiA&list=PLTvt5IZc8YFHhCRmK7zdZmUCYM2LB_jeZ |
Welcome @jafreeman Appreciate your post about Al Stewart. Seems a forgotten talent. I remember when Year of the Cat was on the radio ALL the time. Don't buy a lot of vinyl these days but enjoy buying select old stuff when I do. Came across a very clean copy of Year of the Cat in an antique shop. First pressing too. Paid all of $5.00 (about what discos shows it for). Anyway, sonics are excellent as you note. Great arrangements and musicianship too. |
Listening to Al Stewart's "Modern Times", "Time Passages". and "Year of the Cat", all engineered/produced by Alan Parsons. These are all sonic treats on standard CD--lush productions. "Past, Present and Future" is also great for its themes throughout history, as most of you well know--all are very involving. |
Joe Satriani - Black Swans & Wormhole Wizards... what a rush. Full album here. Jump to "Light Years Away" at 13:51 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oC_ur5cLMug |
Last night, Bruford/Towner/Gomez - "If Summer Had It’s Ghosts"... Not sure this is conventional "jazz" but it contains very enjoyable compositions and great ensemble playing. Some do not consider Bruford the (technical) peer of greats like Colaiuta or Gadd. I certainly wouldn’t know, am no expert on drummers, though Buddy Rich commented "He’s got good hands" (or words to that effect). Always a fan of Ralph Towner’s guitar work and nothing changes that here though I’m surprised by his skill as a pianist on this album (who knew!). Also much taken with Eddie Gomez’s bass work. I give Bruford high marks as a composer. He’s the primary composer on most tracks of ISHIG (see Discogs). Still early in my acquaintance with this recording though it seems like it will bear repeated listening. The compositions are nicely complex but accessible. A "must buy". Link to the All Music Guide review. Very much in agreement with it. https://www.allmusic.com/album/if-summer-had-its-ghosts-mw0000596219 Title track: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EPvcm4mCrtw |
Bill Bruford's Earthworks live: "Random Acts of Happiness" Track 6, Seems Like a Lifetime Ago (Part 1) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RSxBqhF-iFs |
Moby - "Innocents" "...wake up, wake up, wake up we're almost home." https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dq_VkETFPzQ Would that we were. Full album here... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JD0YvtDKRAw |
Following up on the Cobham/Spectrum post by a stewart... I listened to two versions on Tidal. A 16 bit version and a 24 bit version. The 16 bit version sounds a bit muffled throughout, though Track 6 (Stratus) and Track 10 (Red Baron) suffer less from this. In fact, Stratus really "pops" and has much better sound quality than any of the other tracks on the 16 bit version. Not sure I could hear what was mentioned about the artificial cymbal sound, however. I do notice variations in volume within Track 10 and not always in a way that makes sense...the loudness will suddenly increase mid phrase, mid cymbal crash, etc. The bass on the 16 bit version is quite a bit louder than on the 24 bit version...but to good effect, I thought. The SQ of the 24 bit version is generally better than the 16 bit version despite the reduced prominence of the bass on Track 10. The slightly muffled effect is gone (or at least less evident). There’s greater (coherency?) in the presentation. The sound is much more state of the art than the 16 bit version. Would have been nice to retain the punchy bass however with the greater clarity found in the 24 bit version. |
@astewart8944 Haven’t listened to Cobham/Spectrum in some time. Not a recording that hooked me, as I recall. Will try again but any comments about SQ will be based on what Tidal offers (or Spotify if not on Tidal). Meanwhile, just "discovered" Bill Bruford’s Earthworks live recording, "Random Acts of Happiness". Enjoying the songs, musicianship and recording quality. Track 4, Tramontana, here... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UxBb3uuu70A |
Blues for Tony - Live performance of music previously recorded by various Tony Williams Lifetime iterations. Musicians on B4T are Alan Holdsworth, Alan Pasqua, Jimmy Haslip, Chad Wackerman. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NrL2vGDp3Ac |
@jafant Listened to it in its entirety today. A lot of music...it clocks in at over an hour. Need to revisit but my initial impression is it starts out strong and somewhere around the half-way point seems to lose direction. My impression of the second half is of a bit more abstract ("atmospheric") jamming with less structure and less melodic content than earlier in the album. Of course, I could listen to it later this evening and have a totally different reaction...in fact I'd just about give odds on that (knowing me). But that’s the impression after round one. Right now: Jazz Pistols, "3 On The Floor" |
@jafant Have you listened to the whole Corea & Gadd Band/Chinese Butterfly album yet? For two dudes in their 70s, doesn't seem like they have lost anything. Only time last night to listen to a few tracks on Tidal but today downloaded from Spotify onto an iPod and will listen more while out walking. Let me know in more detail what you think of it. |
A new release... Chic Corea and Steve Gadd Band, "Chinese Butterfly". Haven't listened to all of it yet but like what I have heard A LOT. Title track: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4OACPDaHIYQ |
Michael Brecker - Now You See It...(Now You Don't) Some very enjoyable ensemble playing with MB again leading on his third studio album. Track 5 (Peep) here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cVhqCCJ583c |
@kalali - I tried finding that Kevin Hayes Trio, Live at Smalls on Spotify or Tidal with no success. I watched a few seconds of a couple clips on YouTube and enjoyed his keyboard playing. SQ was not that great, however (cymbals mic'd way too close and loud). If you can provide a link to a good source, please do. Meanwhile, check out Alboran Trio. You might enjoy them. Here's a track from their first album, Meltemi. Stay with it for at least two minutes. The way it starts is not what it becomes. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nliajqwvc1k |
The Appleseed Cast - Low Level Owl Vol. 1 & 2 ...a suggestion from my friend, Pokey. It's massive. Track 5 from Volume 2 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=og1U0RD7t5g |
Bill Connors - Return Excellent recording (music and SQ) led by the O-riginal Return to Forever guitarist. Outstanding performances throughout by pianist Bill O'Connell are especially noteworthy. Track 8 here...Nobody Yet To https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Qt8TjeEuDk |
nutty - going by memory (increasingly risky) of impressions from a couple days ago...I think that S/T release had a more "open" sound...breathed a little more. Also, I think there was more variety in the sound track to track. I don’t mean variable sound quality as in some good & some bad - more that the engineering (and instrument arrangements) seemed to deliver a broader range of sonics (think of a painter that uses a different color palette painting to painting). Tracks on What Happens Next seem to vary less sonically. I did note reference to the same producer as worked on AC/DC recordings...maybe that explains things. There are certainly exceptions - Cherry Blossoms differing a whole lot from, say, Catbot. The S/T seemed a little more "experimental" whereas most tracks on WHN seems to be cut from the same cloth. That’s not necessarily intended as a criticism. I think I read the schedule for recording WHN was pretty tight being sandwiched between other commitments. So those are my thoughts. Thanks for getting me to finally listen to Satriani...sometimes it’s like I been living under a rock. I’ve been on a E.S.T. & Yellowjackets jag last few weeks. The Satriani is a good break from that and given the depth of his output, plenty more to explore (I did spend time with Crystal Planet too). Thanks again. |
Rauelsson - Vora Hourglass I (track 5) from Vora https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lgo6l-T6Whg Link to review at A Closer Listen https://acloserlisten.com/2013/06/11/rauelsson-vora/ |
Yellowjackets - Timeline A fine, fine album full of understated elegance. The closer... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aCbYX5owGqc |
