Yarlung Records - YAR09272-004V1 - 180 Gram Virgin Vinyl -
Mastered By Steve Hoffman & Bernie Grundman - Pressed in Germany
The Absolute Sound Super Disc TAS Harry Pearson Super LP List
Mastered by Steve Hoffman, Bob Attiyeh, & Bernie Grundman!
Jerome Kern's "I'm Old Fashioned", an arrangement by bass player Gary Wicks, was the first piece played by the quartet several years ago and has become one of the quartet's most requested tunes. By contrast, Andrew Boyle's "Gone", was a piece Yarlung commissioned and which Andrew presented to the quartet for the first time during this session. Gary surprised the group with his arrangement of Duke Ellington's and Billy Strayhorn's "Isfahan", which was one of the first takes in Cammilleri Hall. "Sophisticated Lady" is guided by JJ Kirkpatrick in a free improvisation on "Strange Fruit", the Abel Meeropol melody made so famous by Billie Holiday, a song instrumental in civil rights progress in the U.S. in the mid-20th Century.
The Sophisticated Lady jazz quartet pays homage to the Great Tradition of American jazz but most of their repertoire is written by members of the quartet. These tracks are complete takes, 'live to tape', without editing. The music on this recording is how Sophisticated Lady plays without the help of digital magic. Music cannot get fresher than this. When the members of Sophisticated Lady quartet first played in Cammilleri Hall their eyes lit up and excitement built. They responded to the beautiful sound in the hall immediately, and the acoustics enabled Yarlung to record this album with the characteristically minimalist approach.
"Yarlung did it again. This time it's their first jazz entry that has golden warmth of a Blue Note from its heyday as well as visceral instruments presence of a Contemporary Records. Recorded in Cammilleri concert hall using only a vintage tube stereo microphone, the sound of the (LP) is creamy like butter while the texture is so rich that you can easily discern which parts of the drum set the player hits and rubs." - Mori Shima, Stereo Sound, Japan
Recorded in The Brain and Creativity Institute's Cammilleri Hall at the University of Southern California, Los Angeles.
"This band of young jazz musicians follows in the classy-cool tradition of Shorty Rogers & His Giants, a tastefull swinging late '50s-early '60s outfit led by a principal creator of the West Coast sound. ... It gives one the feeling of having a ringside seat at an intimate jazz club." — The Absolute Sound
"More jazz records should be like Sophisticated Lady Quartet, relaxed yet focused, tradition-based yet modern, elegant yet conveying a sure sense of swing. The recording is so pure that you almost feel as if you're eavesdropping on four musicians who seem completely in their element while performing, in a one-take environment, a set that's evenly split between previously rehearsed arrangements and performances where they had one chance to turn a composition into a memorable piece of music. No splicing or editing here, just a live-in-the-studio recording where the mood, playing and sonics are so solid that that jazz lovers will wish that the mostly-classical label Yarlung wandered over to this side of the street more often. — Jeff Wilson, The Absolute Sound
Is probably the pinnacle of analog sonics today. And it’s a 180 gram audiophile pressing. The imaging and general performance quality is top notch. The sounds are strong on recorders and shawms, and the clarity is quite amazing. Strongly recommended to all music fans with good turntables. Sound 5/5 Audiophileaudition
Features:
• 180g Vinyl
• Vinyl Mastering by Bernie Grundman
• Mastering Engineers: Steve Hoffman and Bob Attiyeh
• Made in Germany
• Recorded directly to RMGI 468 tape
Musicians:
JJ Kirkpatrick, trumpet, flugelhorn
Andrew James Boye, drums
Misha Adair Bigos, piano
Gary Wicks, bass
1. I’m Old Fashioned
2. Strange Fruit
3. Night Night
4. Isfahan
5. Weightless
6. Sophisticated Lady
7. Gone