Michael Fremer's 100 Recommended All-Analog LP Reissues Worth Owning - Rated 27/100!
Limited Edition AAA Pressing! Pressed on 180g Vinyl At RTI!
Mastered & Cut from Original Tapes by Ryan Smith at Sterling Sound!
Jazz saxophonist Paul Desmond is joined by guitarist Jim Hall and a string orchestra conducted by Bob Prince for this album of recordings from 1961. Recorded at Webster Hall in New York City.
Analog Spark: The best sources: We use the original tapes and work with the most respected mastering studios. The best pressings: Plated and pressed at the highest-rated pressing plants. Quality tested for a superior listening experience. The best jackets: Highest-quality jackets and protective inner sleeves.
"As intended, this album presents alto sax specialist Paul Desmond as never featured before, with the backing of a string orchestra. The record, filled with such beautiful jazz standards as "My Funny Valentine," "I've Got You Under My Skin," and "Body and Soul," is very rich in texture, yet subtle and mellow overall in mood. It's unyielding purpose: to soothe the souls of its listeners. Desmond's style and tone shine with an alluring quality, and the record is filled with melodies that don't fail to stimulate the sophisticated jazz listener. Desmond's melodies are eloquently detailed and charmingly spun in the midst of the string orchestra arranged and conducted by Bob Prince. The legendary Jim Hall is featured as guest guitarist, playing yet another scintillating role and using his classic comping style. Hall is perhaps the most highly respected of all jazz guitarists for his good taste and witty inventiveness. Desmond has always been most familiar to the jazz public for his sweeping scale passages and his seemingly effortless spontaneity during periods of improvisation, although here he is often featured in a more lyrical ballad style on such romantic tunes as "My Funny Valentine," "Late Lament," and "Then I'll Be Tired of You." This album is a highly innovative and meticulously crafted work, reflecting the ongoing success of both Desmond and Hall within the 1960s and the cool jazz period. Both of these musicians spent time working with Dave Brubeck and later lent themselves to many of Antonio Carlos Jobim's bossa nova projects. The arrangements are extraordinary throughout this collection, including the charming "Valentine," which begins with a fantastic Elizabethan flavor. The intro sets up the mood to carry Desmond into the first chorus, which then glides into a 20th century style. The tune "I Should Care" is "a shimmering debt to Ibert and one of the most imaginative blendings you will ever hear of strings, reeds, French horn and harp," according to the liner notes. The tone of the album: lush, reflective, thought-provoking, and soul-stirring. This work is quite a plus for any listener and especially those who consider themselves avid fans of Paul Desmond." - Shawn M. Haney /AMG
Features:
Limited Edition AAA Pressing
180g Vinyl
Pressed at RTI
Mastered & Cut from Original Tapes
Mastered & Cut by Ryan Smith at Sterling Sound
New Orthophonic High Fidelity Recording
Stoughton Old Style Tip-On Jacket
Musicians:
Paul Desmond, saxophone
Jim Hall, guitar (1,5,6,7)
String Orchestra
Bob Prince, conductor
Selections:
Side A:
1. My Funny Valentine
2. Desmond Blue
3. Then I'll Be Tired Of You
4. I've Got You Under My Skin
5. Late Lament
Side B:
6. I Should Care
7. Like Someone In Love
8. Ill Wind
9. Body And Soul
Recorded September 13 & 28 and October 2, 1961 at Webster Hall, New York City.
Limited Edition AAA Pressing! Pressed on 180g Vinyl At RTI!
Mastered & Cut from Original Tapes by Ryan Smith at Sterling Sound!
Jazz saxophonist Paul Desmond is joined by guitarist Jim Hall and a string orchestra conducted by Bob Prince for this album of recordings from 1961. Recorded at Webster Hall in New York City.
Analog Spark: The best sources: We use the original tapes and work with the most respected mastering studios. The best pressings: Plated and pressed at the highest-rated pressing plants. Quality tested for a superior listening experience. The best jackets: Highest-quality jackets and protective inner sleeves.
"As intended, this album presents alto sax specialist Paul Desmond as never featured before, with the backing of a string orchestra. The record, filled with such beautiful jazz standards as "My Funny Valentine," "I've Got You Under My Skin," and "Body and Soul," is very rich in texture, yet subtle and mellow overall in mood. It's unyielding purpose: to soothe the souls of its listeners. Desmond's style and tone shine with an alluring quality, and the record is filled with melodies that don't fail to stimulate the sophisticated jazz listener. Desmond's melodies are eloquently detailed and charmingly spun in the midst of the string orchestra arranged and conducted by Bob Prince. The legendary Jim Hall is featured as guest guitarist, playing yet another scintillating role and using his classic comping style. Hall is perhaps the most highly respected of all jazz guitarists for his good taste and witty inventiveness. Desmond has always been most familiar to the jazz public for his sweeping scale passages and his seemingly effortless spontaneity during periods of improvisation, although here he is often featured in a more lyrical ballad style on such romantic tunes as "My Funny Valentine," "Late Lament," and "Then I'll Be Tired of You." This album is a highly innovative and meticulously crafted work, reflecting the ongoing success of both Desmond and Hall within the 1960s and the cool jazz period. Both of these musicians spent time working with Dave Brubeck and later lent themselves to many of Antonio Carlos Jobim's bossa nova projects. The arrangements are extraordinary throughout this collection, including the charming "Valentine," which begins with a fantastic Elizabethan flavor. The intro sets up the mood to carry Desmond into the first chorus, which then glides into a 20th century style. The tune "I Should Care" is "a shimmering debt to Ibert and one of the most imaginative blendings you will ever hear of strings, reeds, French horn and harp," according to the liner notes. The tone of the album: lush, reflective, thought-provoking, and soul-stirring. This work is quite a plus for any listener and especially those who consider themselves avid fans of Paul Desmond." - Shawn M. Haney /AMG
Features:
Limited Edition AAA Pressing
180g Vinyl
Pressed at RTI
Mastered & Cut from Original Tapes
Mastered & Cut by Ryan Smith at Sterling Sound
New Orthophonic High Fidelity Recording
Stoughton Old Style Tip-On Jacket
Musicians:
Paul Desmond, saxophone
Jim Hall, guitar (1,5,6,7)
String Orchestra
Bob Prince, conductor
Selections:
Side A:
1. My Funny Valentine
2. Desmond Blue
3. Then I'll Be Tired Of You
4. I've Got You Under My Skin
5. Late Lament
Side B:
6. I Should Care
7. Like Someone In Love
8. Ill Wind
9. Body And Soul
Recorded September 13 & 28 and October 2, 1961 at Webster Hall, New York City.
