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| NEWS - LATEST REVIEWS |
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* Any orders placed between the 21st May-30th May will not be processed due to annual leave. Business will resume as normal from the 31st May. Apologies for any inconvenience caused*
LATEST REVIEWS!
John Sunier
AUDIOPHILE AUDITION May 14, 2013
Otis Rush – Right Place, Wrong Time – Bullfrog Records (1976) BF 301/ Pure Pleasure Records (2012) 180-gram stereo audiophile vinyl, 40:44 ****
Pure Pleasure Records has re-mastered Right Time, Wrong Place to audiophile vinyl. Listening to this musical giant, it appears that Capitol did not have a sense of the power of a true blues musician. The album gets off to a rousing start on Ike Turner’s “Tore Up”. All of the classic blues chops are represented in this brisk, up tempo romp. Rush’s guitar leads are precise and crisp. He is as good a vocalist as any of the older blues giants. Different from the template, he adds a short key shift on the bridge. As he transitions to late night vibe (title cut), the arrangements which showcase his guitar and vocals remain constant. On the first instrumental “Easy Go”, the soulful punctuation (especially by the horn section), amps up this muscular jam. His rhythm section (John Kahn/bass; Bob Jones/drums and Fred Burton/rhythm guitar) is complementary and cohesive.
Most of the songs percolate, and Rush’s tasteful concise guitar riffs and vocal phrasing are fluid. Albert King’s “Natural Ball” is dynamic. The music has a lot of soul. This resonates on the second instrumental, “I Wonder Why”. This is Chicago blues at its finest. In a more conventional translation, “Your Turn To Cry” is inimitable with the subtle key-shifting introduction Mark Naftalin spices things up with his percussive licks on piano. Rush explodes with intensity on “Lonely Man”. His coarser urgent vocals match the group’s intensity, and the energy never abates. A slight departure is Rush’s agile cover of “Rainy Night In Georgia”. It is much different from Brooke Benton’s meditative r & b…a blues opus! There is ample originality to separate this recording from typical genre offerings.
HOT TUNA: BURGERS
5* given for this Lp in June issue of Hi-Fi Choice, By J.K
Hot Tuna was formed by Jefferson Airplane's Jack Casady and Jorma Kaukonen as a side project. Their first album was as fine an example of white country blues as was recorded in the seventies. By the time this third album was released, Hot Tuna had expanded to include Sammy Piazza and Papa John Creach, it also features organ and guest vocals from David Crosby on one track.
"Burgers" is largely acoustic but not to the extent of their debut , it nevertheless has some great playing and fine tunes, especially when they turn the mic off and stick to their instruments as this is when the tight but loose style makes its mark.
The sound is a shade compressed, but has a richness that only true analogue recordings and purist remasters can deliver. Speakers Corner has done an excellent job of bringing out the juiciness of the original. J.K
Just In!! Zoot Sims - Down Home review in May issue of hifi+ by Dennis Davis
Sims played tenor saxophone, coming out of the of the big band tradition, and is best known for his partnership with Al Cohn. Down Home teams Sims with Dave McKenna, George Tucker and Dannie Richmond. This Was recorded in 1960 and is a collection of swing era music.
Sims never made a bad album and his consistency is much higher than most, but the playing on this record is particularly infectious. These sessions were recorded by Jazz bassist Peter Ind who frequently recorded with Konitz and Bley, worked in record production and recording and authored a book about Tristano. He captured a well-balanced sound, which was nicely re-mastered for Pure Pleasure by Ray Staff at Air Mastering.
To round out the package the cover art and photo are standouts. A very nice choice for reissue. DD
CASSANDRA WILSON: BELLY OF THE SUN
As always, listening to discs from Pure Pleasure is…a pure pleasure! The sound is remarkably noise-free although this sound is a bit dry without a great deal of extreme top end. I would suppose that this had to do with the original mix and recording, but I don’t have it to compare. Cassandra’s rich voice is as distinctive as always. Some of the tracks are more impressive (musically) than others though none are losers. I doubted if Wilson could transform “Waters of March” into a non-Bossa Nova genre and make it her own, but I have to say, it was successful. Other tracks offer a combination of blues, soul and rock in their unique interpretations. “Darkness on the Delta” is a loosely swingin’ piano number that caught my attention immediately. “Drunk as Cooter Brown” is another standout upbeat tune with a gentle Caribbean vibe. Much of Wilson’s jazz style is not unlike Patricia Barber with less of the sung poetry that Barber often employs. There is a good mixture of different styles that help keep the listener interested and involved. Audiophiles will probably rush out and get this record, but the good news is the music is good too!
ZOOT SIMS: DOWN HOME
With one of the coolest names in jazz, it is not surprising that Zoot Sims was a creative force. A child of vaudeville performers, this Inglewood native learned to play clarinet and the drums. When he switched to tenor saxophone, he began to establish a legacy in the footsteps of masters like Lester Young. He was drawn to big band music. After dropping out of high school, he played with Benny Goodman prior to World War II. After the war, he played with Buddy Rich, Stan Kenton and Artie Shaw. Sims frequently toured with Gerry Mulligan’s Sextet and The Mulligan Concert Jazz Band.
His specialty was swing and he fronted his own bands. In the 50s and 60s, his partnership with Al Cohn defined his recording and performance career. Later, he also played alto and soprano saxophone. Sims recorded into the 80s with a variety of jazz musicians, including Sweets Edison, Ray Brown, Count Basie, Art Pepper, Oscar Peterson and Jack Kerouac, among many others. He was part of the ground-breaking Bethlehem Records label, whose catalogue drew critical praise and is being heard by a new generation of enthusiasts.
Pure Pleasure Records has achieved its customary, dynamic engineering on Zoot Sims – Down Home. Even in mono fidelity, the overall sound quality is vibrant and sharp. The topical liner notes (by Ira Gitler) divulge insight into the sessions. While not a groundbreaking release, this is one album that stands the test of time.
John Sunier - Audiophile May issue (Full reviews can be found @ www.audaud.com
JUST ARRIVED !!
The Dave Brubeck Quartet At Carnegie Hall
"At Carnegie Hall" - Dave Brubeck (p); Paul Desmond (as); Eugene Wright (b); Joe Morello (dr) Many critics regard Dave Brubeck’s Carnegie Hall concert from February 1963 as his greatest ever live appearance. But who can really determine that? For no one – apart from Brubeck himself – would have seen and heard his conservatively estimated 12,000 concerts. Although the twelve titles had already been released on LPs that had been recorded in the studio, these records were certainly not known to all those in the audience.
Lambert, Hendricks & Ross with Ike Isaacs Trio, feat. Harry Edis
The premier jazz vocal act of all time, Lambert, Hendricks & Ross revolutionized vocal music during the late '50s and early '60s by turning away from the increasingly crossover slant of the pop world to embrace the sheer musicianship inherent in vocal jazz. Applying the concepts of bop harmonies to swinging vocal music, the trio transformed dozens of instrumental jazz classics into their own songs, taking scat solos and trading off licks and riffs in precisely the same fashion as their favourite improvising musicians.
Earth, Wind & Fire: That's The Way Of The World
(Lpx1 Gatefold)
"That's The Way Of The World" - Maurice White (voc, perc, dr); Verdine White (voc, b, perc); Philip Bailey (voc, cga, perc); Larry Dunn (p, org, synth); Al McKay (g, perc); Ralph Johnson (dr, perc); Johnny Graham (g); Fred White (dr, perc); a.o. »OK, so it’s disco sound, but it’s really good.« Whoever says that today must have been pretty lively on their feet in the 70s and 80s and in the days of their youth they will definitely have noticed that the commercial fusion music they listened to on a Saturday night was buzzing with energy and excitement. Earth, Wind & Fire considered their amazing mix of Latin, Gospel, Soul, Funk and dynamic horn section as being of existential importance.
MARY BLACK: Stories from the Steeples
The album's opening cut, "Marguerite and the Gambler," written by Ricky Lynch, is certainly informed by the spirit of Bob Dylan's "Lily, Rosemary and the Jack of Hearts" (though Dylan's song was certainly informed by outlaw tales of the American South that came from centuries-old Celtic balladry in the first place, so there you go). It contains a stellar arrangement that highlights piano, mandolin, and McGranahan's lonesome fiddle. Three duets are strategically placed in this set. “Walking with My Love,” an easy shuffler, is sung with countryman and Irish music legend Finbar Furey, who also plays banjo on it. "Lighthouse Light" sounds like it could have come from Ireland in the early 1960s (and maybe its melody originally did), but it was actually written by the Boston-based Irish songwriter Ry Cavanaugh; it features Black singing with the incomparable Janis Ian. The real surprise though, is the album's first single, "Mountains to the Sea," written by Australians Shane Howard and Neil Murray. Walking the line between Celtic, contemporary folk, and pop, Black is joined by countrywoman and chart-topping rock & roll singer Imelda May.
EVEN MORE REVIEWS !!!
SYL JOHNSON: Total Explosion
Quite why Johnson's music- like that of William Bell, Johnnie Taylor and many other awe-inspiring soul belters - remains the province of quasi-academic collector types is a mystery, because his best work ranks up there with Stax's or Atlantic's finest.
As powerful as something Wilson Pickett might have delivered, this treasure was released in 1975, during his time with Hi Records, so aficionados know what to expect: Willie Mitchell production quality, the cream of Memphis studio musicians and killer material.
One oddity is a slow rendition of stablemate Al Green's Take Me To The River`, quite unlike Green's familiar masterpiece, but no less arresting.
Ken Kessler Hi-Fi news - June Issue
PETE BROWN AND HIS BATTERED ORNAMENT:
A Meal You Can Shake Your Hands In The Dark
"The Harvest label had a certain innate hipness in the late 60s, while Pete Brown's debut Lp also enjoyed instant credibility because he was a lyricist for Cream and especially, for Jack Bruce. This album would have found shelf space with Soft Machine thanks to it's jazziness, with Graham Bond or Groundhogs Lps for it's blues content. But the real appeal is the Cream connection.
'Station Song' sounds like it could have been on 'Disraeli Gears' or 'Wheels of Fire' wothout any modification. Brown's group included prominent members of the UK prog/art/jazz rock scene; this Lp also had an early sighting of Chris Spedding.
Ken Kessler Hi-Fi news, May issue
NEW RELEASES from SPEAKERS CORNER:
THE CLIFFORD BROWN & MAX ROACH Emarcy Albums
- Clifford Brown (tp); Harold Land, Sonny Rollins (ts); Richie Powell (p); George Morrow (b); Max Roach (dr) In 1954, months before the Jazz Messengers, spearheaded by Art Blakey and Horace Silver, formed serendipitously at a Blue Note recordings session, Max Roach was forming his own quintet with Clifford Brown in Los Angeles. It would become the first defining group in the music that would soon be known as hard bop. There was some trial and error in landing on the perfect combination of players. But by August, the group's line-up with Harold Land, Richie Powell and George Morrow and a major label deal with Emarcy Records were secured. Four marathon sessions that month yielded "Brown And Roach Incorporated" and most of the second album "Clifford Brown And Max Roach".
The chemistry between Rollins and Brown was immediate. In January and February 1956, they cut the quintet's final album "At Basin Street" which was actually a studio album. On fact, it was stunning studio Format: 4LPs 33rpm /Box, booklet.
JONNY WINTER: Second Winter
This legendary band’s steadfast commitment to blues is apparent in every single note they play, although tender emotions are all the more discernible in hard, rock’n’roll-like outbursts than ever before. Winter blends his crystal-clear, unmannered guitar playing with the gravelly charm of his raspy voice to produce a compact sound in which both his own compositions and old favourites ("Johnny B. Goode") are revived. It is quite clear that the white shooting star is on a par with the giants of blues as far as vocals and guitar playing are concerned.
CHUCK MANGIONE:The Chuck Mangione Quartet
"The Chuck Mangione Quartet" - Chuck Mangione (flh, el-p, perc); Gerry Niewood (fl, ss, tu, guiro); Joel Di Bartolo (b); Ron Davis (dr, cga, perc) Now – These recordings, all of them absolutely fantastic numbers, have been made by flugelhornist Chuck Mangione with his marvellous quartet without a piano in a sort of 'jam session'. On this LP, which has long been out of print, Chuck Mangione comes into the limelight in wonderfully melodic and mellow solos such as "Land Of Make Believe" and "Little Sunflower" – and the latter certainly needs not fear a comparison with the original by Freddie Hubbard!
Mercury’s recording technology was of the very best in the Seventies, and that makes itself heard when listening to this recording on a new high-end vinyl LP instead of the original pressing. Recording: 1971 at Mercury Sound Studio, New York, by Chuck Irwin Production: Chuck Mangione Format: 1LP 33rpm
The Art Of The Primadonna: Joan Sutherland
"The Art Of The Primadonna" - Joan Sutherland sings arias from operas by Thomas Arne, Vincenzo Bellini, Leo Delibes, Charles Gounod, Georg Friedrich Händel, Giacomo Meyerbeer, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Gioachino Rossini, Giuseppe Verdi, a.o. The 'art of the prima donna' stands out like a shining star in the firmament of virtuoso song repertoire and the world of grand opera. And this double LP pays homage to this cult.
PURE PLEASURE now has it's own FACEBOOK page with our latest releases and news. So go ahead and "LIKE"
Pure Pleasure Records is pleased to announce that it is now the exclusive distributor in the UK & Eire for Speakers Corner's full catalogue.
Dealers please contact:
F Minor
Tel: 013 2373 6598 email: paul@fminor.com
contact: Paul Callaghan
Or for further information please contact Tony or Jessica
Tel: 020 8744 9143 or email: tony@purepleasurerecords.com/jessica@purepleasurerecords.com
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