Among a variety of special albums designed and produced for audio aficionados, I have listened to a remastered reissue album of Chopin from ESOTERIC’s well-received series and compilation albums of superb recording quality for jazz audio enthusiasts.
#187 Chopin’s Most Romantic Pieces by Pires
Chopin—The Nocturnes / Maria João Pires
(ESOTERIC ES-90260)
The beautiful performance filled with Chopin's romanticism seems to be spreading from the gentle expression of Maria João Pires. She was born in Lisbon, Portugal, and became a world-famous pianist, and was just at the beginning of her 50s when she performed these Chopin’s works from 1995 to ’96. I have been familiar with Chopin’s piano music listening to marvelous performances by great maestros such as Rubinstein, Horowitz, and Ashkenazy, but in “The Nocturnes” Pires plays, I feel that her maturity is expressed well and the delicately poetic sound is fantastic.
Chopin, who passed away at the young age of 39, wrote “The Nocturnes” from time to time throughout his life. The 21 pieces in total flow freely with various expressions as well as the melodic beauty—some reflect inner feelings and others gush out intense emotions. 15 pieces were selected out of 21 for this album, and were newly mastered for release this June. It is regrettable that “Nocturne No. 10 (Nocturne in A-flat major, Op. 32, No.2),” one of the works of Chopin orchestrated in the ballet, “Les Sylphides,” is not included, but if you want to listen to all the 21 pieces, a standard double-CD set is available. The remastering presents Pires’ touching of the keys clearer and increases the dynamism. The ESOTERIC disc named “Master Sound Works” has a hybrid structure of SACD and CD layers allowing the listeners to enjoy two different tastes on one disc. It is the distinct pleasure for audiophiles to appreciate the subtle differences in sound quality between the two.
#188 Highly-balanced Timbre Particularly for Audiophiles
For Jazz Audio Fans Only 15th Anniversary Best
(Terashima Records TYR-1104)
This is a compilation album for audio aficionados that Terashima Records has released every year. The “Vol. 1” was released in 2008, and to commemorate the 15th anniversary of the series, this best album was released. The album contains brilliant recordings and performances only, based on the concept of “Jazz is all about the sound!” Each instrument is well separated and properly localized, creating a well-balanced timbre on a high level. The first track, “The Rose Tattoo,” is a famous classic hit ballad sung by Perry Como, and tenor saxophonist Harry Allen’s performance is filled with melancholy. Accompanied by a guitar trio’s gentle and clear sounds, from audio point of view, you can picture Harry playing the tenor sax in front of you. Since the sound is so vivid, you feel as if Allen were playing it live. You can fully enjoy subtones on the tenor sax in Danish musician Dane Jan Harbeck’s “Petite Fleur” and Ken Peplowski’s “Maybe September” as well.
On the other hand, in the piano trio performances, the bassist and drummer are localized well in a wide range, and the delicate texture of the cymbals is beautifully expressed in many tracks. I have also marveled at the firm bass solo sound of the Christian von der Goltz Trio, ＜Praise＞! Although musicians’ nationalities vary a great deal, and many different types of music are included, the remastering process has created a uniform sound texture, which further enhances the value of this compilation.
#189 Album to Enjoy Unique Sound Creation with Strong Sense of Energy and Power
For Jazzaudio Connoisseur—Venus Best of Best
(Venus Records SACD VHGD-304)
Venus Records has captured the hearts of jazz enthusiasts by creating the unique sounds that brings out the powerful energy of jazz. I may say that the sound created by Venus Records advocating “Hyper Magnum Sound” and creating sounds brimming with power and enthusiasm is, in a sense, in contrast with those created by the aforementioned Terashima Records. This best album, named “For Jazzaudio Connoisseur,” was selected and remastered with an emphasis on sound quality from Venus’ vast number of catalogs. Venus has a similar compilation series called “The Amazing Super Audio CD Sampler,” which has been released from Vol. 1 to Vol. 24 by now, but this album, released in September, 2018, is the culmination of all of them.
Bill Charlap’s piano playing is stylish, and yet the way he touches the keys is firm, and the bassist, Jay Leonhart, presents the gutsy tone. Nicki Parrott’s singing voice is just adorable. Archie Shepp’s cry-like voice singing “Cry Me a River” is even threatening. “All the Things You Are” performed by Masahiko Togashi & J.J. Spirits, monumental figures in Japanese jazz, is also included. All of them are not just masterpieces, but from an audio standpoint, you are sure to feel the passionate enthusiasm of Venus Records.
About the Author
Masamichi Okazaki
Surrounded by various kinds of music from his childhood, Masamichi Okazaki joined Waseda University Modern Jazz Club. He started contributing articles to music magazines when he was a student. He covers wide range of music not only trad, modern and contemporary jazz, but also from pops to classics. He writes liner notes for CDs and LPs, and is a regular contributor to “JAZZ JAPAN,” “STEREO,” and others. He joined a big band, “Shiny Stockings,” as a saxophone player. He is a director of The Music Pen Club Japan (MPCJ).
