Strange trio without double bass: vibraphone (Hampton), grand piano (Art Tatum) and minimalist drums (Buddy Rich). Support from the bottom is clearly lacking, the two pronounced leaders Hampton and Tatum do not quite match each other in style, but the honey sound of Clef is quite delivering.
Jazz
Modern Jazz Quartet – At Music Inn, 1958 LP
It turned out to be the only decent track from entire record. Vibraphone is perfectly played and recorded , which compensates for the mediocre sound of the other instruments. In general, the LP is quite strange, it sounds as if from the early 1950s. Sonny Rollins, a great saxophonist, improvised on this disc with such a mess, as if he was not allowed to sleep through after a good booze and tied one hand behind his back. Something had obviously gone wrong in the Atlantic. But the Medley still succeeded.
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Lullabies of birdland
An interesting LP. Forum is a budget label for sale in regular stores, recorded almost from a household reel-to-reel tape recorder — Little Pony even has an area with crumpled tape but they did not care. The record is from 1960, and it sounds like it’s from the first half of the 1950s, that is, it’s fuller and musically more honest than its coevals. Similarly, in the USSR, the flexible monophonic records of the magazine Krugozor were distinguished.
Oscar Peterson – Swinging Brass, 1959 LP
Oscar Peterson was a virtuoso, but he was not distinguished by the subtlety of his improvisations. He was far from the exquisite style of Wilson and Gardner, but he was not discouraged and was popular, like none of his competitors. His speed cliches are predictable and boring, but where Peterson doesn’t try to play fast and for some reason holds back his temper, he’s not bad at it. Peterson’s piano sounds full-fledged and sometime you can get purely audiophile pleasure from it, while omitting the jazz aesthetic.
The orchestra recorded poorly, but the piano is of audiophile and musical value, and the percussion is perfectly recorded in the Cubana Chant with a separate microphone.
Monk’s Music, 1957 LP
NEW – Energophone take – 14-05-2020
The original Riverside record, it is a bit harsh, but “Ruby, my dear”, where Coleman Hawkings soulfully improvises, was a great success.
Thelonious Monk’s Dream, 1963 LP
NEW – Energophone take – 16-05-2020
Monk is an extremely unusual type, worthy of the closest attention. His style I would call not Bebop, as it is customary, but Punk-Jazz. Once a beautiful Columbia studio, it is difficult to recognize it here: hard, aggressive notes have appeared in the sound, the fullness of the 1940s has sunk into oblivion. But Monk doesn’t care about anything, good guy.
Count Basie and his orchestra, 1957 LP
German 10 ‘ LP Brunswick. In the 1950s, the original 78 rpms were remastered on LP by Decca, then Brunswick copied them from the Decca. The record is in decent condition, the orchestra sounds harsh, which is usually associated with re-recording 78x originals on an LP. Basie is fine, playing to his heart’s content and enjoying life.
Erroll Garner Vol.1, 1950 lp
Fine Lo-Fi recording, 10 ‘ Savoy LP, recorded in 1950 from 78 rpm originals of 1945. The record is thoroughly worn and makes a lot of noise. A typical example of the sound quality of the LP of those years. Garner is good – expressive, relaxed and positive as usual.
Teddy Wilson and Piano Pastries, 1952 LP
Lo-Fi recording transferred to 10 ‘ LP from shellac sources by Mercury. The record is worn so that there is not a single living shine left on the tracks, the surface is matte gray. The recording sounds like it was recorded on an old cassette player, especially the gorgeous Sweet Georgia Brown. Wilson, despite everything, is still very well alive!
Teddy Wilson and his piano, 1950 LP
Lo-Fi recording, transferred by Columbia to LP from shellac sources. In parallel with such 10 ‘long-playing records, 10’ albums of 78-rpm records were released. The recording on shellac was more full-bodied and expressive, but something remained even on the LP. Despite the extreme technical imperfection of the recording, Wilson’s drive is well felt and pleasantly excites the nervous system.