What jazz music are you listening to?

[bart]

Julia Hülsmann Quartet - Not Far From Here
Qobuz 24/88.2




Another good release from ECM.

Each time she releases a new album, we find ourselves asking the same question: why aren’t there more musician like Julia Hülsmann? Of course, the jazz world is saturated with tons of great pianists, though the German pianist (who already has ten albums to her name) possesses a truly unique touch. With Not Far From Here, her chamber jazz fuses beautifully with the ECM sound, her record label since 2008. The album is wonderfully energetic and eclectic, largely thanks to the presence of the Berlin-born saxophonist Uli Kempendorff. Playing in quartet with her faithful rhythm section (composed of drummer Heinrich Köbberling and her double bassist and husband Marc Muellbauer), Hülsmann finds in Kempendorff a partner who stimulates both her compositions and performances. The quartet’s improvisations go from a cool sixties-style jazz to a more avant-garde style and outright playful sequences. United like never before, the group reveal a vast yet cohesive colour palette. The beautiful oddity of this record is a surprise cover of This Is Not America which David Bowie recorded in 1985 with the Pat Metheny Group. © Marc Zisman/Qobuz

[bart]

Keith Jarrett - Munich 2016
Qobuz 24/96




This is not as easy as some of his albums...

Since 1971, Keith Jarrett has been signed to ECM, which has proven to be one of the strongest and most productive relationships between an artist and their label ever. On the 16th July, 2016, the American pianist was performing the final concert of his summer tour in Munich, the stronghold of producer Manfred Eicher. On that evening, Jarrett gave the Bavarian audience an improvisational torrent, which he does so well. However, unlike these same exercises which he has performed over the decades, he delivers them here in short segments. Gone are the 20/30-minute-long tracks like on the famous Köln Concert of 1975, the Sun Bear Concerts of 1976, the Paris Concert of 1990 or the Vienna Concert of 1992! Those from Munich 2016 are separated into twelve parts and give an overview of the multifaceted tastes of their author, a (quite literally) “extra” “ordinary” musician, who can make his instrument swing like the old masters, but can also express himself with musical phrases which are rhythmically and harmoniously very complex, even daring. Over the course of the 86 minutes of Munich 2016, a juggling of silences is favoured over frenzied notes, before a bluesy motif falls away to reveal a chamber music miniature. As the minutes unfold, Jarrett continues to toe the line separating jazz and classical music. He ends this unparalleled tour de force with a fresh take on three classics (Answer Me My Love by Nat King Cole, It’s a Lonesome Old Town made famous by Sinatra and Somewhere Over the Rainbow straight out of The Wizard of Oz), which flawlessly bring this ocean of sound to an end. It is also funny to note that this particular Munich concert will be remembered for reasons beyond the music. After his cover of Over the Rainbow, and in the middle of a standing ovation, some of the audience members were taking pictures of the pianist. Furious, he grabs the microphone and says: “I’m not going to talk about the assholes who are aiming their smartphones at me. I just have one question for them: why did you come?” © Marc Zisman/Qobuz

[bart]

Joey Alexander - In a sentimental mood
Qobuz 24/44.1




Nice!
Good sound, lively interpretations, easy on the ear thus good for late night listening.

[JoeN]

Originally Posted by bart

Joey Alexander - In a sentimental mood
Qobuz 24/44.1




Nice!
Good sound, lively interpretations, easy on the ear thus good for late night listening.

+1 listening to him right now

[bart]

Originally Posted by bart

Joey Baron - Bram De Looze - Robin Verheyen - Mixmonk
Signed CD
(Also available on LP)




We just attended a concert with these 3 masters of jazz.
An event that easily comes in my top 10 of jazz concerts ever.
All three had original ideas in abundance.
Never a dull moment.
Joey always smiling while doing his magic, attentive.
Bram, a youngster still, but oh so intelligent. Check his albums on Tidal or Qobuz.
Robin, brilliant in building up his lines.

This is a good album!

[bart]

John Coltrane - Blue World
Qobuz 24/192




Listening again.
What a treat, undiscovered Coltrane pieces.
Sound is not top but very decent.

[bart]

Originally Posted by bart

The Thelonious Monk Quartet - Monk's Dream
ORG SACD




Terrific remaster.

Good review on this site:

http://www.hraudio.net/showmusic.php...=10203#reviews

One of my favourite albums.
I must have listened to it dozens of times (first to my CD version, then to this one).

[bart]

Originally Posted by bart

Miles Davis Sextet - Someday My Prince Will Come
mono version
Qobuz 24/96




I decided to play the mono version today.

The beautiful woman on the cover is Frances, Mrs Davis.

Miles Davis – trumpet
Hank Mobley – tenor saxophone on all tracks except "Teo"
John Coltrane – tenor saxophone on "Someday My Prince Will Come" (master) and "Teo"
Wynton Kelly – piano
Paul Chambers – bass
Jimmy Cobb – drums all tracks except "Blues No. 2"
Philly Joe Jones – drums on "Blues No. 2"

Recorded in March '61.

This 24/96 stream in mono sounds very good!
Next time, I'll take the 24/44.1 stereo version.

I'd like to own it but the SACD is still far too expensive.

[bart]

Originally Posted by bart

McCoy Tyner - Nights of Ballads & Blues
Qobuz 24/96




McCoy Tyner - piano
Steve Davis - upright bass
Lex Humphries - drums

Received 4 * in the Allmusic review.

Ideal to go into the night...

[audio bill]

Can't get enough of Satchmo singing St. James Infirmary!