TAS Super LP List! Special Merit: Informal
Jazz Album From Yarlung On 180g Vinyl LP!
Mastered by Steve Hoffman, Bob Attiyeh, & Bernie Grundman!
Jerome Kern’s “I’m Old Fashioned”, an arrangement by bass player Gary Wicks, wasthe first piece played by the quartet several years ago and has become one ofthe quartet’s most requested tunes. By contrast, Andrew Boyle’s “Gone”, was apiece Yarlung commissioned and which Andrew presented to the quartet for thefirst time during this session. Gary surprised the group with his arrangement ofDuke Ellington’s and Billy Strayhorn’s “Isfahan”, which was one of the firsttakes in Cammilleri Hall. “Sophisticated Lady” is guided by JJ Kirkpatrick in afree improvisation on “Strange Fruit”, the Abel Meeropol melody made so famousby Billie Holiday, a song instrumental in civil rights progress in the U.S. inthe mid-20th Century.
The Sophisticated Lady jazz quartet pays homage to the Great Tradition ofAmerican jazz but most of their repertoire is written by members of the quartet.These tracks are complete takes, ‘live to tape’, without editing. The music onthis recording is how Sophisticated Lady plays without the help of digitalmagic. Music cannot get fresher than this. When the members of SophisticatedLady quartet first played in Cammilleri Hall their eyes lit up and excitementbuilt. They responded to the beautiful sound in the hall immediately, and theacoustics enabled Yarlung to record this album with the characteristicallyminimalist approach.
“Yarlung did it again. This time it’s their first jazz entry that has goldenwarmth of a Blue Note from its heyday as well as visceral instruments presenceof a Contemporary Records. Recorded in Cammilleri concert hall using only avintage tube stereo microphone, the sound of the (LP) is creamy like butterwhile the texture is so rich that you can easily discern which parts of the drumset the player hits and rubs.” – Mori Shima, Stereo Sound, Japan
“More jazz records should be like Sophisticated Lady Quartet relaxed yetfocused, tradition-based yet modern, elegant yet conveying a sure sense ofswing. The recording is so pure that you almost feel as if youre eavesdroppingon four musicians who seem completely in their element while performing, in aone-take environment, a set thats evenly split between previously rehearsedarrangements and performances where they had one chance to turn a compositioninto a memorable piece of music. No splicing or editing here just alive-in-the-studio recording where the mood, playing and sonics are so solidthat that jazz lovers will wish that the mostly-classical label Yarlung wanderedover to this side of the street more often.” – Jeff Wilson, The AbsoluteSound
“The Sophisticated Lady Jazz Quartets debut recording should be of greatinterest to fans of forwardlooking straight ahead jazz. Each of the fourmusicians is excellent both as soloists and in ensembles, the music that theyperform ranges from melodic versions of standards to lyrical originals and freerexplorations, and their subtle playing keeps one guessing. This [album] is wellworth exploring and I certainly recommend it.” – Scott Yanow, Los AngelesJazz Scene
“Look out Brubeck, Sophisticated Lady’s remarkable debut should perhaps bere-titled TAKE ONE. Why? Each tune was captured in one take! The [album] alsocelebrates Yarlung’s audiophile venture into JAZZ with a splatter of ChetBaker’s seductive, kicked-back Californication daubed with a drizzle of Miles athis mellowest. No matter how busy your day, an evening spin through this onewill definitely move your mood.” – David Thomson, Record Collector News
Features:
180g Vinyl
Vinyl Mastering by Bernie Grundman
Mastering Engineers: Steve Hoffman and Bob Attiyeh
Made in Germany
Recorded directly to RMGI 468 tape
Musicians:
JJ Kirkpatrick, trumpet, flugelhorn
Andrew James Boye, drums
Misha Adair Bigos, piano
Gary Wicks, bass
Selections:
Side A:
Jerome Kern
1. I’m Old Fashioned
Abel Meeropol
2. Strange Fruit
Gary Wicks
3. Night Night
Side B:
Duke Ellington & Billy Strayhorn
1. Isfahan
Gary Wicks
2. Weightless
Duke Ellington
3. Sophisticated Lady
Andrew Boyle
4. Gone
Recorded in the Brain and Creativity Institute’s Cammilleri Hall at USC, October24-26, 2013.
