Tag Archives: jazz

West meets East: Impressions of the November 2019 Vinyl Me, Please Classics Release

“The tunes in this album are personal impressions from the Quartet’s tour of Japan, Spring 1964. No one in a brief visit can hope to absorb and comprehend all that is strange to him. Sights and sounds, exotic in their freshness, arouse the senses to a new awareness. The music we have prepared tries to convey these minute but lasting impressions, wherein the poet expects the reader to feel the scene himself as an experience. The poem suggests the feeling.” – Dave Brubeck, 1964

Earlier this week, I excitedly rushed home from work after getting notice that my most recent Vinyl Me, Please shipment had arrived at my doorstep. I’ve been a continuous subscriber to the Essentials “track” for 3 months now, though I think I’ve actually swapped for other albums all but once (this month, I stuck it out for QOTSA’s Songs for the Deaf), and I’ve been an on-again/off-again subscriber since Demon Days dropped in 2017. This was my first time actually adding a supplemental track, and I did so for 2 reasons. First – last month, I swapped out of Flaming Lips for Art Blakey and was absolutely floored by the mastering and pressing quality. I’ve long been a vocal advocate for all-analog vinyl releases (I actually pressed VMP’s CEO on that topic when he did an AMA a year or so back) and I was very happy when the Classics subscription launched and went on with mostly (all?) AAA releases. The second reason I added the Classics track this month was because it was from the Dave Brubeck Quartet. For those uninitiated with Jazz, let me clear something up for you: if you have the chance to add more Brubeck to your collection; you do it without hesitating!

The album, which is pictured above, is 1964’s Jazz Impressions of Japan. This was the 3rd of 4 albums from the Quartet in the “Impressions” series. The others were, in order, “U.S.A.” (1957), “Euraisia” (1958), and “New York” (1964). At the time of the release of “Japan“, the Quartet was made up by Dave Brubeck on piano, Paul Desmond on alto sax, Joe Morello on drums, and Eugene Wright on bass. This was the most well-known iteration of the group, with Brubeck and Desmond being original members, and Morello and Wright joining in 1957 and 1959; respectively. The compositions and recordings were heavily influenced by their time spent in Japan as part of the US State Department’s Jazz Ambassadors program in the late 50’s/early 60’s. The program was intended to improve the image of the United States throughout the world during the Cold War. Other “ambassadors” included Louis Armstrong, Dizzy Gillespie, Benny Goodman, and Duke Ellington. Many would recognize the iconic photo of Satchmo playing in front of the Sphynx, which was taken during his 1961 tour of Africa as part of the program.

The album blends folk melodies of Japan, utilizes the Eastern scale, and borders on exotica at times; but it still retains the anti bebop/hard bop signatures of West Coast Jazz, which Brubeck was the poster child of (quite literally, appearing on the cover of Time in ‘1959). It was a true “East meets West”, in the most delightful of ways. From the opening of “Tokyo Traffic”, with Morello’s woodblock hits and gong-work, you feel as if you’ve warped from a university jazz hall to the center of a bustling Asian metro; if not with a hint of stereo-typed perceptions of what Asia was to Americans at the time. But as the song continues, you are brought right back to your western comforts, with Desmond smoothly interpolating “God Rest Ye Merry gentleman”. On the album goes, with only the tune “Zen is When” stepping slightly into a more “exotican” sound. The album is pure bliss to listen to, but as the VMP liner notes indicate, this album is a little under-loved. It was just one of over 2 dozen albums that would be released and tied to Brubeck’s name. It seems to have been lost a bit in the shuffle, even by Brubeck and the Quarter themselves, as only the final track – Koto Song – became a standard tune for the group in future performances and recordings.

The vinyl release this month became the first time the album was reissued on the format since 1980, and just the 3rd time being reissued since the original 1964 release. VMP had Ryan K. Smith cut the lacquers from first generation master tapes at Sterling Sound, and the album was pressed at QRP – all of which generally makes for a high-quality release. RKS is one of the better mastering engineers in the game, and QRP is far and away the best pressing plant going right now. The scans used for the album jacket actually appear to have printed artificial ring-wear (visible on the bottom-center part of the jacket), but the resolution is quite nice. The labels on the wax are the classic Columbia “2-eye”; noting “360 Sound”. The disc comes in QRP’s branded poly-inner sleeves and the vinyl appears to be thick; 180g weight. It’s a fairly premium-feeling package, which is very nice at the $23 price-point for an add-on subscription. As I sat down to give it a first listen, I took out the listening note (a very nice touch, I might add), and read a bit before dropping the needle.

The equipment I played the album on is as follows:

  • Turntable: Pro-Ject Debut Carbon w/ Acrylic Platter
  • Cartridge: Ortofon 2M Bronze, nude fine-line
  • Phonostage: Parasound PPH100
  • Receiver: Marantz SR7000 (using Direct mode for analog inputs)
  • Speakers: Klipsch KG4

As the needle dropped, surface noise was virtually non-existent. There was, however, some decently audible tape-hiss once the track began. This is one of the down sides to an analog format and analog source – you have degradation in source quality over time and if you do not bring digital elements into the process, you will replicate that degradation into your lacquer. It’s a trade off, and in this case I think it is worthwhile, because as the music started I was awed by the “realism” of the sound. Morello’s woodblocks sounded incredibly life like, and the gong’s ring was fully audible and un-distorted. I’ve long maintained that many percussion instruments, like a gong or any drumkit cymbal, are some of the most difficult instruments to completely and naturally replicate on a consumer-level media format. But when it is done right, the result is magical to hear, and it really completed the “in the room” feel of a well mastered record. The amount of detail on this album is quite impressive – it’s a testament to the record itself, but also to Smith’s mastering. There are multiple times when you can hear Wright’s bass strings being plucked, as well as an instance when you can hear wood creaking (I think it is from the bass, but it could also be the floor, or perhaps another instrument). Again, this all adds to the realism in sound. All in all, it is a wonderful representation of an underappreciated album by legendary musicians. The folks at Vinyl Me, Please hit a homerun with this release (and special shoutout to u/storfer, who I understand is the mastermind behind the Classics track).

Unfortunately, the VMP pressing of this has since sold out. But, if you are interested, I would highly recommend giving the album a listen on your streaming platform of choice. If you like it, you can generally find original pressings in decent condition for reasonable prices. It would be worth every penny, in my opinion!

Anyways, thanks for reading, I know this was a bit long winded but I wanted to share my thoughts because I was pretty stoked about this one! If you liked this write-up, check out some of my others:

De La Soul 3 Feet High and Rising | Father John Misty Pure Comedy | Grateful Dead American Beauty | Cab Calloway

Hey Folks, Here’s a Story ’bout Minnie the Moocher

I’m getting my Tuesday morning started off with a great swing-jazz compilation from the Hi-De-Ho man himself – Cab Calloway.

Probably best known for the 1931 classic “Minnie the Moocher”, Calloway’s career spanned nearly 60 years. He was born in Rochester, NY and grew up in a middle class family; the son of a teacher and lawyer. He would eventually end up in college in Chicago, where he got his start in singing and entertaining at a number of jazz clubs in the late 20’s. Here, he met Louis Armstrong, who is said to have taught Calloway to sing in the “scat” style that would eventually become his hallmark.

Cab’s career really took off when his band was tapped to play Harlem’s famed Cotton Club during a touring absence from Duke Ellington’s Orchestra. They were so well received that they became the “co-house band” along with Ellington’s. Boosting their popularity, NBC regularly hosted live-events from the club to a nationwide audience. Arguably the height of Calloway’s musical career came on the heels of “Minnie” being recorded, as it was featured across the country in cartoon shorts with Betty Boop. His success continued through the Great Depression and WWII, during which time he and his band even formed a barnstorming baseball team. Jumping between labels (including ARC, RCA Victor, and OKeh Records), Calloway had over 40 charting singles to his name between 1930 and 1948. His popularity waned a bit after this time, but eventually was rekindled due to his appearance in the 1980’s hit The Blues Brothers; in which he performed “Minnie” with the Blues Brothers as his backing band.

The song “Minnie the Moocher” was largely based, in a lyrical sense, on Frankie Jaxon’s “Willie the Weeper” – sharing a vaudeville style and speaking on the topic of drug addiction. Calloway’s tune is filled with numerous references to drugs – the “bloke named Smokey” is described as “cokey” (referencing cocaine use), and he showed Minnie how to “kick the gong around” (a reference to smoking opium). The song is an overall tragic tale of Minnie’s life (potentially ending in an OD), compared to the (opium?) dreams she has of a better one, and ends with a view of pity – “poor Min, poor Min, poor Min”. The “real” Minnie was supposedly based on a beggar from Indianapolis – Jet magazine reported her death in a 1951 issue. The song and character have had numerous musical and theatrical references over the years, including the aforementioned Betty Boop short, the Marx Brothers’ “Night at the Opera”, and in the cult classic “The Forbidden Zone” (in which Danny Elfman sings a variation of the tune, backed by The Mystic Knights of Oingo Boingo).

The album pictured above is likely the oldest vinyl record in my collection, originally released on Epic’s label in 1956 – making this record ~63 years old! The cover is in a bit of rough shape, and nearly all of the sides have been taped up by previous owners, but the record itself is pretty clean and plays without too much surface noise. The album art was done by famed Brooklyn-born cartoonist Sam Norkin, and features Calloway in his iconic white tux that he wore as band leader during many performances. Unfortunately, a lot of Calloway’s original pressings are extremely expensive if they are in anything remotely approaching playable condition. Here’s to hoping for some nice remastered releases at some point!

Anyways, anyone have any swing-jazz favorites they’d like to recommend, or any 50’s era vinyl records they hold near and dear!? Feel free to share them in the comments!

Edit: bonus video of Dr. House performing Minnie

Vintage Horns & Clarity

We all listen to, and consume, music differently. From a Spotify stream played through a a cellphone’s speaker, to dropping the needle on a favorite record, to a Dolby Atmos mixed Blu-ray audio disc played from a true audiophile setup; and everything in-between. Our method of intake may differ, but the euphoric feeling of hearing something truly great is something that most people have experienced at one time or another. For some of us, that feeling is something we continually strive to experience, reproduce, and enhance. Some may call it an addiction, and they’re probably right…but I’ll tell myself it’s a healthy hobby to rationalize the time, effort, and money spent chasing that feeling!

A few months ago, I made a post on Reddit about bringing my Klipsch KG4 speakers out of storage. My plan was to keep them out for the weekend and then pack them back up into storage. But, alas, that was probably a foolish plan on my part. I played album after album, listening to the differences in records I knew well that sounded completely new on these speakers versus my standard R-15M bookshelf speakers. The longer I had the KG4s out and stretching their legs, the more floored I was by just how DAMN GOOD they sounded! Considering these speakers are roughly 30 years old (I believe they were purchased circa 1989), I wasn’t sure what to expect. My initial takeaway was that these vintage speakers have aged like a fine wine, and with very little need for upkeep. They have the classic, and often raved about, Klipsch horn tweeters; and boy…do they work wonders! The highs were crisp and clean, and the bass was well rounded (thanks to the rear passive radiators). The more I listened, the more I wanted to play, and the less I wanted to pack them back up into storage (sorry apartment neighbors!). I decided that I’d go through my hifi albums to really see just how good they could sound.

Before I go too much farther, let me detail my setup quickly:

Now, before I do any critical listening, I generally make sure everything is properly aligned and calibrated for best possible sound on this system. First, you may notice that my speakers are sitting on risers instead of directly on the floor. The reason for this is that, ideally, you’d like the tweeters of any speaker to be even with your ear level when seated in your preferred listening position. The stands they are on are actually sections of a component rack – I don’t have proper stands for these because I don’t (or didn’t) often bring them out to play…that may change going forward. One thing to note for people newer to swapping speakers in and out – if your Receiver has speaker setting options, make sure you check them before playing. My Marantz has a small/large option, as well as an option to indicate if you have a sub-woofer connected. If I were to play the KG4s on the “small” setting, I’d likely have been pretty disappointed in the sound. After getting the speakers connected and the receiver properly set, I move on to my turntable. First, I remove the platter and clean off any dust that has accumulated (the piano black color of my table really highlights dust…such a pain!) and once the plinth is clean I ensure the belt is on the right speed setting for what I plan to play. Then I pull out my trusty digital scale to make sure VTF is set to 1.70g (my preferred tracking weight for the 2M Bronze). Finally, I’ll dip the stylus into my Onzow Zerodust and I’m finally good to go! The process takes ~10 minutes tops, and while probably a bit over the top and unnecessary, it’s part of the routine now and I’m a creature of habit!

My playlist for the day was a mix of Classic Rock, 90’s Alternative Rock, and Jazz. But, by far, out of all of the albums I spun, my favorite spin of the day was my Classic Records Clarity SV-P II 45RPM set of Louis Armstrong & Duke Ellington’s The Great Reunion. For those who aren’t familiar, Classic Records was a label that specialized in audiophile vinyl pressings and some high-end CDs. Founded in 1994 by known audio aficionado Michael Hobson, the label was sold to Acoustic Sounds in 2010. During the early 2000’s, Classic began experimenting with different vinyl formulations for their releases. The aforementioned album fell into their Clarity Series, and this set is top-notch all around! The Clarity releases employed the new SV-P (Super Vinyl Profile) II formula with groove guard on “clarity-clear” vinyl, and were also cut at 45rpm. The idea behind the clearish color (with a heavy blue tint in direct light) used was that the carbon black additive that gives a regular record its black color contains trace metals that can become magnetized and thus result in more static and general surface noise. This is probably true, though does border on some of the pseudo-science that crosses over into the audiophile world. I have black pressings of audiophile albums that have equally as little surface noise as this, so any perceived benefits of the clarity color itself may be less direct causation of the type of wax used and more a result of general good care being taken in all aspects of production. However, being cut at 45RPM does indeed allow for better sound, as it results in less overall distortion (especially on inner grooves). These are single-sided pressings, on 200g discs, which are intended to allow for deeper/more dynamic cuts; and reduced resonance. All of the releases in the series are sourced from analog tape, use an analog master, and were cut to lacquer without any digital components. Most were mastered at Bernie Grundman Mastering, either by Bernie himself or Chris Bellman. The albums come securely packaged in a removable-top box with thick poly-lined sleeves, a ton of bubble wrap, and a pristine album jacket with hi-resolution artwork from the original release. These releases are absolutely stunning, and compete well (and probably beat out) modern sets like Mobile Fidelity’s UltraDisc One-Steps and Analogue Productions’ UHQR sets. Better yet, their prices were a fraction of what modern sets are being priced at (when they were sold new, the secondary market on these Clarity sets are brutal).

Anyways, to the album itself – dropping the needle on disc A1, the album opens with the extremely well-known track It Don’t Mean a Thing (If it Ain’t Got that Swing). The bass plucks for a few bars, and you can hear the slight fret buzz – a detail so minor that most likely don’t/can’t hear it on other versions, and then a horn appears right in your living room and blows you away. Satchmo eventually drops in and his grovely voice rumbles, centered in the soundstage. The song is irresistible to foot taping, and the sound quality is so good that I find myself listening to this track endlessly; simply picking the tonearm back up and restarting immediately after it comes to a close. On disc 2 (labeled A2) I did detect a slight pre-echo on Don’t Get Around Much Anymore, but it’s extremely minor and once the song kicks in you are lost in the realism of the soundstage. I often can close my eyes and picture being in a small jazz club with these legends right in front of me. Instrument separation on this release is unparalleled, and the amount of detail you can hear is incredible. Notably on the song Azalea, you can hear Armstrong inhale, away from the microphone, before he plays a line on the trumpet. It’s truly “revealing” in every sense of the world. It’s a fully immersive experience to hear an album like this.

All the above, to me, makes the time/effort/money sunk into my growing audiophile habit worth it. When you can hear a song you know and love, and feel like you’re hearing it for the first time; or that you’ve always listened with earmuffs on and now are really experiencing the un-blocked sound with “clarity” (heh, see what I did there?) …it’s just an awesome feeling! Again, maybe it’s an addiction. But I’ll still refer to it as a hobby. Or maybe an obsession. But a health one!

I know this was a bit long winded, so my apologies for that. Hope those that did read it enjoyed my takeaways, and I’m happy to answer any questions you might have – whether on my equipment, the record in question, or music in general! Thanks for stopping by; more to come soon!

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