No.53
Various "Sounds" in Audio Note's Listening Room

June 1, 2022

By Masamichi Okazaki

It’s been a long time since I visited the Audio Note’s listening room last time. When I visited there this time, I felt it had been a while, and at the same time, I realized how fast time flies. The acoustic devices in the listening room seemed to have undergone further tuning, and I got the impression that warmth had been added to the resonance. The two "KAGURA2"s, the pinnacles of monaural amplifiers in front, drove the B&W 3-way units easily. I brought some LPs and CDs to listen to. Not only the sounds of CDs but also the sounds of analog LPs played on the analog player, "GINGA," with the cartridge, IO -X, and the phono amplifier, GE-10, were quite exceptional.

#181 One of The Best Live Albums among Peterson's Various Works

A Time for Love / Oscar Peterson Quartet-Live in Helsinki, 1987

A Time for Love / Oscar Peterson Quartet-Live in Helsinki, 1987
(Mack Avenue CD → MAC-1151, LP → MAC-1151 LP)

Oscar Peterson, one of the greatest modern pianists of all time, led a quartet on stage in Helsinki, Finland in 1987, and the sound source of the exciting stage performance was discovered and released on CD (2 CDs) and LP (3 LPs) at the end of last year. I brought the LPs with me, and since they are blue vinyls, they look extremely beautiful on the "GINGA" turntable. The performance itself is flawless. Peterson was already past 60 years of age at that time, but he was in top form! He hadn’t lost his edge at all. As fancy dictated, he played with dynamic swing and overwhelming intensity. Peterson's performance was so powerful that it even seemed rather rare, and he showed us once again how awesome he was. The European tour began in Geneva on October 21, and continued through Germany, France, Belgium, and Scandinavia culminating in this final live performance at the "House of Culture" in Helsinki. The first half of the concert features Peterson's own original compositions. The second half consists mainly of familiar standard numbers. The first track is "Cool Walk. The theme is played quietly, and then Peterson suddenly gets into the groove. The remaining numbers are smoothly fast, but he does not forget to keep the change of pace by inserting his own composition, "Love Ballade.

Another highlight of the album is the performance of the guitarist, Joe Pass, who plays with a rich singing spirit and superb technique. His heated engagement with Peterson is exceptionally thrilling. The album's title number, "A Time for Love," is a duo performance by Pass and Peterson. Peterson's solo performance of the famous "Waltz for Debby" was responded by Pass's solo performance of "When You Wish upon A Star." Those enjoyable performances unique to live show are included in the album. This is one of the very best live concert recordings among Peterson's tremendous number of masterpieces.

#182 Exciting Album Paying Tribute to Jazz Legends

For Jimmy, Wes and Oliver / Christian McBride Big Band

For Jimmy, Wes and Oliver / Christian McBride Big Band
(Mack Avenue CD → MAC-1152, King International KKE-109, LP → MAC-1152 LP)

This is a collection of hot performances by the big band and combo of Christian McBride, one of the leading bassists in the world of jazz today. As the title suggests, this album is dedicated to the jazz legends of the past, Jimmy Smith, Wes Montgomery, and Oliver Nelson. Both Jimmy and Wes recorded "Dynamic Duo" and "Further Adventures of Jimmy and Wes" with Verve in 1966 under Nelson's arrangements. These recordings are still talked about today as one of the most exciting masterpieces, featuring the performance of white-hot organ and guitar.

Thinking back to those pieces, I am listening to this album where Joey DeFrancesco plays the organ and Mark Whitfield plays the guitar. The performance of today's top jazz players is very fresh, while still evoking the traditions of jazz in the good old days. The classic tracks on the old album, such as "Night Train," "Road Song," and "Down by The Riverside," have been revived. Naturally, new numbers by Christian and Joey are also played. This is another album which I definitely recommend you to enjoy on an analog LP.

#183 Self-cover Album by Bob James

Feel Like Making Live! / Bob James

Feel Like Making Live! / Bob James
(Evosound EVSA-852S)

Bob James has long been one of the leading keyboard players representing the world of fusion. His latest release is a self-cover album featuring his own hits and signature tunes. James plays acoustic piano, Fender Rhodes electric piano, and synthesizer in a trio with Michael Palazzolo, a bassist, and Billy Kilson, a drummer. Familiar melodies such as <Angela> from the classic "Touchdown," <Feel Like Making Love> and <Nautilus> from "One," and <Westchester Lady> from "Three" resonate pleasantly. The album also includes Erroll Garner's classic <Misty>, and the cover of Elton John's <Rocket Man>.

What is even more remarkable is the fastidious attention to sound quality up to the "ultimate" level. The recordings were made in high-resolution, and were not edited in any way. Although I brought the SACD disc to Audio Note's listening room, various formats are available including MQA-CDs and LPs encoded from the same master, as well as videos with immersive audio re-mastered for the future. This is a beautiful album that contains further refined sounds created by now 82-year-old Bob James. The album should gather attention from the audio standpoint as well.

About the Author

Masamichi Okazaki

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).