Extremely well recorded jazz double bass? cymbals?


I'm trying to decide on some speakers and have concerns about their ability to resolve on stand up bass.

Can you recommend a CD with acoustic, stand up bass on which you can hear the "wood," the "whiz" of the strings vibrating in the air...or just, something with fine detail?

Several of my CDs have great, prominent bass (Ray Brown, Patricia Barber, Diana Krall) but it's not that well recorded.

Would also appreciate something well recorded at the other end: extremely detailed cymbal and drums.

Thanks,
Jim
river251

Showing 5 responses by river251

Thank you all. Some great suggestions.

If you have never heard your CDs on a system that resolves the way a $100k system at the shop does, what is the point of listening to your CDs? You don't know what resolution is there and what's not even if you have listened to them 100 times. And there may not be anything there. That's why I am asking for CDs on which the resolution in the bass IS there.

You can't test a speaker with a poorly recorded CD. You can only tell how well the CD is recorded to the level your accustomed speakers can resolve.
Wow! Thank you everyone.

Thanks for the suggestion of Brian Bromberg. Check out his CD "Hands," it's all acoustic bass and should be a great test, man what an amazing recording.
http://brianbromberg.net/audio/hands/hands.html
Great harmonics playing...And listen to the slap on the bongo reverberating...great room sounds..."Solar" and "Black Orpheus" are great...

I'm going to work my way through the rest of these suggestions. Thank you so much!

Jim
Edorr - "Jazz in the Garden" -- cymbals are amazing. That will work.

Geez, I've only listened to two and both blew me away. Thanks...
Edorr - holy cow, Tethered Moon is even better. And wonderful music. This CD has space and air. The piano recording is amazing, and the cymbals are probably the best recorded I've heard. Of course, until I get to the next suggestion :-).

OK, I'm going to force myself not to clutter this fine thread with my grateful ebullience at every suggestion, but thanks all...not only do I have some killer test CDs but some really fine music that's new to me. Now to go back to the shop to test those speakers.....

Really thanks. Keep them coming.
A couple comments on the first suggestions which I've now received. Tethered Moon is extremely nice. The piano by Masabumi Kikuchi is very exploratory and thoughtful, very engaging. Lots of long sustained notes and harmony, and at other times lots of very dynamic, almost percussive, chordal word. Very interesting piano, a far cry from Bill Evans, my favorite. Very enjoyable. The drums by Paul Motian are a match in thoughtfulness. Bass is not prominent, but there appropriately and very good. The recording quality on this is just excellent. Really as good as or better than anything in my collection. Some really intelligent, thoughtful jazz.

The Stanley Clark is a revelation. I remember him from eons ago, but don't remember in what context...more electric funk?
The jazz on this disk is superb straight ahead acoustic work with a great pianist. I have listened 3 or 4 times and love it for the great music. This CD's recording quality is truly exceptional, even better than Tethered Moon. I've been having trouble with booming with my Snell Es in my smallish room, but the bass is so tight and precise, there is no boom, but there is strong bass up and down the register. The quality is very natural, wooden. The real amazing thing though is the cymbals and snare....it is the best I have heard. The sound quality on this CD is even and of amazing accuracy and realness. It's certainly my best test CD now. And terrific, rhythmic jazz. Thanks very much Edorr. I look forward to working my way through the rest. Have the Modern Jazz Quartet but haven't had a chance to listen, CDs arrived yesterday.

Thanks again
Jim