What jazz music are you listening to?

[PHC1]

Spending a bit more time catching up with Red Garland.

Nothing too out of the ordinary here but a nice, relaxed evening piano jazz album. Paul Chambers does an outstanding job of setting the rhythm with his bass playing and the piano is fairly well recorded, not overly dry or overmiked. There is plenty of ambiance on this recording and "elbow room" for instruments on the soundstage. Yep, it is almost like being taken back to 1956 and being there in person...

[PHC1]

This is definitely worth a listen. Very different.

I remembered hearing a rather unusual jazz album with some "Middle Eastern sounds" and unfamiliar instruments many years ago and could never figure out who it was. Until tonight!

Yusef Lateef long had an inquisitive spirit and he was never just a bop or hard bop soloist. Lateef, who did not care much for the term "jazz," consistently created music that stretched (and even broke through) boundaries.

A superior tenor saxophonist with a soulful sound and impressive technique, by the 1950s Lateef was one of the top flutists around. He also developed into the best jazz soloist to date on oboe, was an occasional bassoonist, and introduced such instruments as the argol (a double clarinet that resembles a bassoon), shanai (a type of oboe), and different types of flutes.

Lateef played "world music" before it had a name and his output was much more creative than much of the pop and folk music that passed under that label in the '90s.

[PHC1]

One more of Yusef Lateef.


On The Three Faces of Yusef Lateef, Riverside seems eager to present Yusef Lateef, technical virtuoso, on a series of songs that step closer to jazz tradition than any of his work in the recent past. Largely absent are Lateef's experiments with Eastern modes, rhythms, and instrumentation, and in their place is a collection of largely upbeat, accessible songs, with a balanced mix of standards and originals.

Much of the introspective, personal quality of his previous albums seems lost in the effort, but Lateef's playing still remains stellar, especially on oboe. That instrument, which is by nature soft and muted, is given enough power by Lateef to lead on several songs, most beautifully on "Salt Water Blues," where its naturally melancholy sound seems perfectly matched with the low, rounded tones of Lateef's rhythm section, especially Ron Carter's bowed cello.

The quintet also shines on the following track, Joe Zawinul's "Lateef Minor 7th," where they provide a gentle counterpoint to Lateef's sweet flute line. Not quite as expansive or daring as much of Lateef's other recordings, The Three Faces of Yusef Lateef still documents a fine musician at work during the peak of his career.


Yusef Lateef - tenor saxophone (tracks 1, 3 & 8), oboe (tracks 2 & 5), flute (tracks 4, 6 & 7)
Hugh Lawson - piano, celeste
Ron Carter - cello (tracks 1, 2 & 4-7)
Herman Wright - bass
Lex Humphries - drums, timpani

[PHC1]

Was in the mood for Art Blakey drums.. Have not listened to this album in quite some time. Not the highest rated album but a solid album with some great music on it with Curtis Fuller, young Freddie Hubbard and Wayne Shorter on the tenor sax.


Art Blakey - drums
Freddie Hubbard - trumpet
Curtis Fuller - trombone
Wayne Shorter - tenor saxophone
Cedar Walton - piano
Jymie Merritt - bass

[PHC1]

Picking up the tempo



Kenny Drew's seventh recording as a leader is significant for many reasons, not the least of which that it is one of the finest Blue Note hard bop statements in either of their catalogs.

Teamed with rising young star, trumpeter Freddie Hubbard, and the wonderful tenor saxophonist Hank Mobley fresh off stints with Donald Byrd and Art Blakey, Drew is joining the ranks of the premier mainstream jazz pianists just prior to moving permanently to Europe.

He's a complementary piece of the puzzle as a player, but stirs the drink as the composer of all of these very fine hard bop vehicles. Bassist Sam Jones and especially drummer Louis Hayes contribute mightily to the beats that keep Hubbard and Mobley flying on this recording, whose energy runs contrary to the more subtle, suggestive title.



Kenny Drew – piano
Freddie Hubbard – trumpet
Hank Mobley – tenor saxophone
Sam Jones – double bass
Louis Hayes – drums

[PHC1]

Originally Posted by joel_hifi

Diego Imbert & Alain Jean-Marie - Interplay: The Music Of Bill Evans

Pleasant interpretation/listen, new release on Qobuz (24/96) & Tidal (16/44.1)

Diego Imbert - Bass
Alain Jean-Marie - Piano

Very nice Joel! Modern recording with great SQ if not lacking a bit of "soul" and "passion" by comparison to the golden era of Jazz and the talent back in the day.

[PHC1]

Wow... I don't know if it gets that much better than this.

On the track "Lines", I thought Jonas Johansen is going to crush the drum and Niels Pedersen will tear the strings right off his bass before the track would end...

On the track "Nightingale sang in Berkley Square", Niels plays his bass with so much passion and connects with the listener on a whole different level. Close your eyes and listen deep.

This is what "playing your heart out" means to me.

[joel_hifi]

Originally Posted by bart

Serge, I'm also with music the whole time: in my practice (classical), and with my wife in the living room (main system).
Our tastes are quite alike fortunately.
Music is very soothing in these strange times, even healing.

You write about another listening room.
I just spoke with my wife about our great tube amps in storage.
Much to my surprise she agreed upon building a second system in the room adjacent to our living room.
It would only be a small investment as our Burmester CD-player would serve as source.
For the speakers I'm thinking of KEF LS50 Meta (my wife's name is Meta!).
My wife liked the idea.
Just like you, I'll be able to enjoy some tube sound when the mood strikes...

Awesome project Very nice to be able to switch between different systems, especially solid state and tube based, depending on the mood and type of music

[PHC1]

Originally Posted by joel_hifi

Awesome project Very nice to be able to switch between different systems, especially solid state and tube based, depending on the mood and type of music

Yes, it is nice to have both options and most of my audiophile hobby years I have had access to both SS and Tubes in one form or another.

To my ears the two topologies most often "focus" and "connect" with the listener on different levels and draw attention to different aspects of music.

Of course the following has to be taken in context along with the amp/speaker/room interaction but:

Solid state is often about the crisp transient response, eye flinching dynamics, resolution, it tends to focus on the leading edge of transients, spotlights the dynamic contrast. It is often the equivalent of a high resolution picture where everything is laid out bare to examine. The good, the bad and the ugly will be revealed. Of course on dynamic, high quality recordings, solid state is very "impressive" to listen to. It can get a lot of emotional content across as well if it has good synergy with speakers. Especially Class A amps to my ears.

Tubes on the other hand are less about crisp transient response and the study of what it is that makes music on a microscopic level. Tubes often blend all the micro details into something much bigger and colorful. The focus shifts to the harmonic content, the delicious resonance of the musical instrument, the subtle vibrations of the strings, the bow or fingers across the strings, the instrument comes alive in skilled hands and the message is loud and clear. The sum is not greater than its parts, the sum IS the whole music and its message.

As such, the tubes have always been my golden standard by which I judge everything. Does this piece of gear together with the others in the system "connect" with you on the emotional level where nothing else exists in this moment of time and space? If the answer is YES, then that is the right topology for you. Tubes get me to that level effortlessly.

Do we not deserve this little guilty pleasure in life? What is this hobby all about if not that?

[PHC1]

Not much to say, no words needed. Classic!