Just received my last order from Music Matters until they resume in the fall. Herbie Hancock's "Empyrean Isles" has never been a record I could get into...until this one. This shows the genius of Ron and Joe in selecting Blue Note titles not to cater to the warhorse audiophile crowd, but to bring titles that have both massive musical value and are masterpieces - either minor or major - as well as being unique in the Blue Note catalog.
What could be more unique than a quartet record that features a cornet as the lead horn?? Some numbnuts on the Hoffman forum claimed the horn sound on this reissue is 'thinner', which is stupid, the cornet is a smaller horn than the trumpet and actually that is the whole point of Hancock's conception - to not only get Hubbard out of his comfort zone, but to produce a lighter, more ethereal, almost a proggy jazz record that moves away from running changes towards evoking vistas.
The sound is simply gorgeous. Now I 'get' exactly what Hancock was aiming for. It is a stunning record - another peak in the Music Matters series. Hubbard leaves his trumpet behind and gets deep inside. Carter, rarely recorded well by Van Gelder, sounds big, fat, solid. Williams' shimmering high work is beautifully etched, bombs are dropped with a solid, in the chest feeling.
As always, Music Matters pressings are the best RTI can produce. Mine came with new style RTI inners that unfortunately ripped the shit out of the inner seams of the cover - and believe me, the inner photos in this gatefold are totally cool.
In many ways, this is a tremendously important Blue Note record. Awesome job.
Horace Silver's "Six Pieces Of Silver" I had a harder time with, it is cut fairly loud, I found the mono sound a bit on the rough side which is all to do with the source tape's vintage, all in all, it is a bit jarring to move from "Empyrean Isles" to Six Pieces Of Silver so that may be part of it. This is going a bit far back for me, so take it for that - the mono sound is driving, full bodied, propulsive, and so far above the earlier Classic Records mono 33 rpm LP it isn't even worth thinking about.
On another plane entirely - Grant Green's "Street Of Dreams", by far the best record Green did in his career (including Idle Moments) - the team assembled here is gigantic - Larry Young, Bobby Hutcherson, Elvin Jones - it just doesn't get better, the first and only time these iconic artists recorded together. Four wonderful, elegant, relaxed improvisations that are still thoroughly modern today. Green is challenged to go to another level in this company, and plays like a dream. Hutcherson's metallic, percussive sound is a perfect counter to Green's long, beautiful lines, Young's organ presages his later work like "Heaven O Earth" while keeping fully in tune with the vibe, and there is no Elvin Jones that is less than amazing. The sound here is subtly huge - deep and wide, Green floats about 6 feet out in the middle, Hutcherson floats above, Jones cymbal work on top and holding down the bottom with Young's bass pedals - this is simply a must for any Blue Note traveller.
Last for now is a choice that may divide critical listeners - Wayne Shorter's "Speak No Evil". This is without a doubt a sonically challenged RVG recording, in truth, it wasn't one of Van Gelder's better days. It all has to do with the master tape, which has Carter's bass way too far back, not in another room - more lliked in another city - buried in the mix, a haze over the proceedings, generally a kind of fuzzy hash to the sound - the tapes simply lack the usual clarity and - more importantly - tonality. It is a challenging recording, sonically. Musically, though, it's an awesome date - Hubbard is completely on fire, as is Elvin, Hancock was just entering his most important phase, and Shorter's compositions on this record are virtually all standards of the modal hard bop repertoire at this point. This record ends a trilogy from Night Dreamer, to JuJu, to Speak No Evil, and in some ways closes a phase of Shorter's early career. It just HAD to be done by Music Matters, who haven't shied away from taking on a masterpiece with sonic challenges.
So go into it as what it is - a masterpiece, an essential record, but one where sonics take a back seat. Music Matters have done an amazing job with what they had to work with - Carter is still way too far back for my tastes, but there is nothing to be done about that. RVG never recorded Carter well until the CTI era, onehas to wonder if RVG simpy didn't care for Carter's playing at that point. Hubbard and Shorter punch through beautifully, and are right out front, in the room, projecting wide and deep. Jones thunders away in behind, a slight bit of haze over top, and Hancock shines through. I have a Japanese King pressing that has long been regarded as the best - and I can say that the Music Matters reveals more than would have been thought possible. One of Shorter's greatest records, and a must for anyone who cares for advanced hard bop at its best. Totally recommended.
Tidak ada komentar:
Posting Komentar