AAA 100% Analogue This LP was Remastered using Pure Analogue Components Only from the Master Tapes through to the Cutting Head

Pure Pleasure - SES-19739 - 180 Gram Virgin Vinyl - AAA 100% Analogue

Audiophile Mastering by Ray Staff  at Air Mastering London

Limited Edition - Pressed  at Pallas Germany - Strata-East ‎– SES-19739

Sstone cold killer Strata-East deep-Jazz/Spiritual Soul-jazz 70’s masterpieces. Harper’s Capra Black with a vocal choir featuring Eugene McDaniels

Re-mastering by: Ray Staff at Air Mastering, Lyndhurst Hall, London

Capra Black remains one of the seminal recordings of jazz's black consciousness movement. A profoundly spiritual effort that channels both the intellectual complexity of the avant-garde as well as the emotional potency of gospel, its focus and assurance belie Billy Harper's inexperience as a leader. Backed by an all-star supporting unit including trombonist Julian Priester and drummer Billy Cobham, Harper's tenor summons the brute force and mystical resolve of John Coltrane but transcends its influences to communicate thoughts and feelings both idiosyncratic and universal. This is music of remarkable corporeal substance that somehow expresses the pure language of the soul. 

Sometimes, it just all comes together. Billy Harper is undoubtedly one of the most underrated saxophonists in the history of jazz and this album, his debut as a bandleader, may be the crowning jewel of his entire career, a deeply soulful, intense exploration of music as catharsis. Explicitly presented as a work within the black consciousness movement, Harper's compositions utilize an interesting lineup - Harper himself on tenor sax, two trombonists, two percussionists, a trumpet, piano, and bass (to say nothing of the choir that shows up on the second side) - to express a number of emotions, from free-wheeling excitement to the deep pains of oppression. With names like Reggie Workman, Julian Priester, Elvin Jones, and Billy Cobham on board you can be assure this will be high quality, but the really amazing thing about is how much that group (plus Harper) brings out of the lesser-known sidemen.

I don't know their entire catalog off the top of my head, but I would wager that trumpeter Jimmy Owens and pianist George Cables never shone brighter than they do on this record's opening, title track. The way they interplay - a strange interweaving of melody and rhythm - is unworldly, and Owens's soaring solos elevate the track every time he's let loose. The feeling on that and the following track, "Sir Galahad," is of barely contained chaos, the voices of a large group of people simmering and swirling. Their pain is evident in Harper's tragic tone - "Galahad" is his big showcase, a fiery solo about 6 minutes in showing just what kind of technical mastery he was capable of - but at all times the overall feeling is of contained confusion, disparate parks working together to create something that's not quite straightforward, no matter how clearly emotions are evoked. That's why "New Breed" is such a great way to close out the A-side: the most rigid and least free piece on the record, it's a straight ahead club burner that reminds you just how beautiful and sultry jazz can be when the musicians bring it all together.

Musicians:
Billy Harper, saxophone, vocals
Reggie Workman, bass
Billy Cobham, drums
Elvin Jones, drums
Warren Smith, drums
George Cables, piano
Dick Griffin, trombone
Julian Priester, trombone
Jimmy Owens, trumpet

Selections:
Side A:
1. Capra Black
2. Sir Galahad
3. New Breed
Side B:
1. Soulfully, I Love You / Black Spiritual of Love
2. Cry of Hunger

Composed, Arranged , Conducted & Produced by Billy Harper

Engineered by Orville O'Brien

 

ORIGINAL MASTER TAPES

AAA 100% ANALOGUE

We use the Original Tapes and work with only the Best Mastering Studios

PALLAS

Plated and Pressed at Pallas in Germany on 180 gram Virgin Vinyl

Highest Quality Jackets and  Inner Sleeves

LIMITED EDITION

Low Numbers per Stamper Released in Limited Quantities

 

 

Pure Pleasure Records
The Restoration of the Art of Sound
180g Vinyl Mastered From The Best Available Sources

At the beginning of the 90s, in the early days of audiophile vinyl re-releases, the situation was fairly straightforward. Companies such as DCC, Mobile Fidelity, Classic Records and, of course, Pure Pleasure all maintained a mutual, unwritten ethical code: we would only use analogue tapes to manufacture records. During the course of the present vinyl hype, many others have jumped on the bandwagon in the hope of securing a corner of the market. Very often they are not so ethical and use every imaginable source to master from: CDs, LPs, digital files, MP3s – or employed existent tools from the 80s and 90s for manufacturing.

A digital delay is gladly used when cutting a lacquer disc because tape machines with an analogue delay have become quite rare and are therefore expensive. When cutting the lacquer, the audio signal is delayed by one LP revolution against the signal, which controls the cutter head, and for this a digital delay is very often employed. Of course, the resultant sound signal is completely digital and thus only as good as this delay.

We should like to emphasize that Pure Pleasure Records on principle only uses the original master tape as the basis for the entirely analogue cutting of lacquer discs. In addition, the pressing tool is newly manufactured as a matter of principle. We only employ existing tools for manufacturing if an improved result is not forthcoming, e.g. the title Elvis Is Back, which was mastered by Steve Hoffman and Kevin Gray, or several titles from our Philips Classics series, which in any case Willem Makkee cut from the original masters at the Emil Berliner Studios in the 90s. It goes without saying that we only used the mother and that new tools were made for our production. To put it in a nutshell: we can ensure you that our releases are free from any kind of digital effects and that the lacquer discs are newly cut.

There really is nothing quite like it.  It’s the touch, the feel, you have to stop and stare, the cover,  the real thing, even the smell.

Its tangible, you can feel it, see it, study it,   muse/dream over it, it’s real, someone  has spent hours and hours over its construction and presentation. Pure Pleasure Records is just that, Pure Pleasure and that is what it has set out to be.  The music and the physical record.  Something to keep, treasure, admire and above all enjoy.Of course with vinyl it’s not just a record, it’s the cover,  the sleeve notes, you are  holding a unique package, produced by craftsmen.

60 Years Pallas

 

Audiophile Vinyl - Made in Germany  For over 60 years the family business in the third generation of the special personal service and quality "Made by Pallas" is known worldwide. Our custom PVC formulation produces consistently high pressing quality with the lowest surface noise in the industry. Our PVC complies with 2015 European environmental standards and does not contain toxic materials such as Lead, Cadmium or Toluene. Our vinyl is both audiophile and eco-grade!