Sound quality is very good for 1960, the vibraphone is excellent. There is somewhat lacking of overall clarity, but jazz club atmosphere is very pleasant and above all – how great the Pyramid performed!
Vibraphone
Milt Jackson, John Coltrane – Bags & Trane, 1961 LP mono
Warm, jazzy atmosphere of Atlantic studio, Hi-Fi 1950s. Coltrane is clearly out of shape and out of luck with the microphone, frequently blowing into idle. The rest of the participants are on top.
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Lionel Hampton sextet, 1951 mono LP
Lo-Fi, audiophile recording. Reissue of 1951, 10 ‘ English Brunswick LP from 78 rpm Decca originals of 1940s. A surprisingly pleasant record in the atmosphere, Hampton is not a virtuoso, but a vibraphone poet, what a touching version of “Time on my hands”he has! The sextet is excellent, no one interferes with the soloist, as is often the case in democratic jazz.
Lionel Hampton trio, 1955 LP
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.
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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