bobo stenson,peter erskines earlier stuff(as it is). |
Christian McBride's "Gettin To It" on Verve. It has what youre looking for in spades. The jazz luminaries backing him are Joshua Redman, Roy Hargrove, Cyrus Chestnut, and Lewis Nash on drums. One cut, "Splanky" even has a bass trio consisting of McBride, Milt HInton, and Ray Brown! |
Pierre Favre- Portraits, Christian Jormin- Sol Salutis and Andrew Cyrille- C/D/E stand out as being exceptionally good scores during the last several years of ravenous buying and listening binges...same goes for Jerry Granelli Another Place.
PS
Proof that its a crazy world...you can get the Granelli disc "like new" on Amazon for $2.50 and the Andrew Cyrille for $5 right now at Amazon. |
Glad you like my recommendations. Sound quality aside, this is just very good music. Stanley Clark had done a lot of funk, but he is brilliant Jazzman, and Masabumi Kikuchi is my biggest discovery in Jazz of the last five years.
If you are into computer audio, you may want to download a copy of "Mirror" by the Charles Lloyd Quartet from HDTracks in 88/24 . If you are strictly buying discs, I would get "Sangam" first, which I slightly prefer musically. These recordings create a musical landscape similar to Tethered Moon. |
Hello,
Try "Homecoming" by Gateway ie Abercrombie/Holland/DeJohnette for both bass and drums/cymbals reproduction. Also,"I can see your house from here" by Metheny-Scofield duo,especially good in drums dept.I have just cleared the dust this excellent cd has collected for years.Vis a vis both gentlemen's productions over the years,this one is something of a lost pearl!
Cheers!
Kris |
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 |
Tethered Moon - drummer is Paul Motian, same guy who is on Waltz for Debby with Bill Evans and Scot LaFaro from 1961. He also played a lot with Keith Jarrett, although not as part of the famous Trio. He even played with Arlo Guthrie at Woodstock. I really like his Room Above Me with Bill Frisell and Joe Lovano (20004), but you cannot go wrong with most of his recordings. He recorded for over 50 years and seems to run under the radar a lot, as drummers often do. But he was one of the best. Unfortunately, he passed away last November. |
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. |
Edorr - "Jazz in the Garden" -- cymbals are amazing. That will work.
Geez, I've only listened to two and both blew me away. Thanks... |
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 |
I have a decent semi-recent issue LP of "Waltz for Debbie" on frequent rotation around my place. It's a fave...amazing. |
Try Waltz for Debby by Bill Evans with Scot LaFaro on bass and Paul Motion on drums. The best CD version is the Complete Village Vanguard set CD from which Waltz for Debby was taken. There are also high rez versions on HDTracks, although I have not tried them. I just ripped the Compete VV set. Usually considered Evans best and unfortunately LaFaro's last recording. |
Consider "Trio Jeepy" by Branford Marsalis featuring Milt Hinton on bass and Jeffrey "Tain" Watts on Drums. Good stuff. |
I have a few Alan Broadbent things with Bromberg on bass...sort of "Jazz Comfort Food" as it is really easy to listen to, and great stuff. On "Round Midnight" the bass is recorded SO "in your face" hot that I have to turn my sub down for balance. Also there's an obscure band from Vermont called "Vorcza" with one release...Keith Jarrett's son Gabe is the drummer and might be the best drummer I've ever seen. Interesting music too. |
Second the Wood suggestion mentioned above - Brian Bromberg is bass player. Fantastic album.
Try also Charlie Haden Montreal Tapes and Musica Nuda - Ferruccio Spinetti e Petra Magoni. |
Charlie Haden & Pat Metheny, 'Beyond the Missouri Sky' |
For good cymbal sound check out releases from ECM. Joke was that ECM stood for "Extra Cymbal Mic" :^) Terrific sound all around. |
Ed Bickert Trio "Third Floor Richard" Concord, 1989 |
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. |
The Bass on Dave Brubeck's "Take Five" studio recording has been a pretty good indicator for me.
Good speakers have allowed me to distinguish the spatial difference between the note and slap/string noise. (The slap sounds like it is coming from a higher position than the note which sounds like it's coming from the body of the bass-like it would sound to you in person). This was through Dynaudio Special Ones, driven by Rotel 1080-BX. Source was cd played on a Harman Kardon DVD player
in an acoustically lousy small room with a tube tv and entertainment center between the speakers. I only mention it because your system/room and set-up are likely better. |
I second Frogman's recommendation. I have never understood why some folks use recordings they have never heard before to evaluate a system or components thereof. |
Eberhard Weber-"Pendulum".
A well recorded ECM recording of a younger Eberhard playing
a double bass. Mostly solo pieces. Keith Jarrett "Live at the Blue note" the 6 cd set has many Gary Peacock double bass solo's-Jack Dejohnette detailed cymbals/drums... |
Consider "Bass on Top" by Paul Chambers as it has both wonderful con arco and plucked bass.
"Parker`s Mood" by Roy Hargrove and "Finger Painting" by Nicholas Payton both feature very fine bass by Christian Mc Bride. |
May I suggest a different methodology: Use recordings that you already have and are VERY familiar with; deficiencies and all. Then listen for which speakers let you hear more of what you have been missing. Good luck. |
There is actually a recording called "Wood". I am blocking on the name of the bass player at the moment, though. I would (no pun intended) check that out. You could also try some of Dave Holland's recordings...i.e., his solo discs or those with very limited acoustic instrumentation. |
For bass, also check out Harvie S with Kenny Barron, "Now Was The Time" and Michel Petrucciani & Niels-Henning Orsted Pedersen "Petrucciani/NHOP." Second the Keith Jarrett trio releases on ECM. Careful though...I find that "extremely well recorded" discs tend to sound great no matter what the speakers/system. What the speakers/system does with "average" recordings can be very telling too. |
My all time favorite that meets your question is the high quality CD from the Japenesse JVC pressings; Oscar Peterson, 'We take Requests'...its one of my favorite; the first track has a double base being played by the bow; you can easly hear the growlof the strings; and the deep resonate bass notes; then the piano; and drums kick in; and cymbals...then plucked double base...I use this to test out gear, and enjoy the music of one of the greats...hard to find in this version; check out West Wind Audio here on the west coast; or Amazon...and let me know if it floats your boat. |
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Renaud Garcia-Fons "Linea Del Sur". Extremely well-recorded and most importantly, terrific music
Esperanza Spalding "Chamber Music Society" is another good one |
Virtually any of the Keith Jarrett Trio sides on ECM. |
You can have both on the same disc. Lenny white on drums, very busy on cymbals, and Stanley Clarke on acoustic bass - well recorded. Get "Jazz in the Garden".
Another well recorded disc to get with nice acoustic bass and fine drumming is Tethered Moon. My favourite disc is "First meeting". |
