| Review by FirstChair March 1, 2003 (1 of 2 found this review helpful)
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Performance:  Sonics: |
I wasted $20 on this thing. Its problems are insurmountable. First, the solos sound like a beginners in a high school jazz band. Painful, embarassing. You know the feeling: you are listening to jazz wannabes who are pretentiously trying to imitate actual jazz performers.
Second, for some bone-headed reason, Chesky decided to either record this thing in a night-club or tried to simulate a night-club performance. He did this by having applause after each little lousy solo. This applause is in-your-face applause. It adds nothing and drives the listener to distraction.
Third, the sonics are weak. The overall sound is paper thin. Clean of course, but it has no body, no sense of space etc.
Forget it.
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| Review by Tom March 2, 2003 (1 of 1 found this review helpful)
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Performance:  Sonics:  |
I got this SACD from a person who did not care for it. It has strong bass and realistic sound. The music seems lively to me, and true to its name, "Swing Live", is a live recording with crowd noise, etc. Still, the tempo doesn't seem as fast as some Benny Goodman performances. It also lacks the "big band" sound, but I think its because the band is not a large band. Probably it was only 5-6 performers and not 20 plus. In addition, some of the performances seem to have a comtemporary edge to them. This may bother traditionalists, but to me, it adds to the music. I recommend this SACD.
August 2003 Update: Not sure why I rated this a 3. After 6 months with this disc, I put the performance as a 4. I guess its grown on me. I continue to be impressed with the sonics.
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| Review by Khorn June 30, 2003
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Performance:  Sonics: |
This remindes me of something that I would be happy listening to at a nightclub while dining if the food was good. Unfortunately, it sounds like you are listening to it from outside the door of the club while munching on a hot dog beside a cart.
Not the most engrossing of efforts, unfortunate.
This SACD was listened to in 2 channel stereo.
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| Review by tream August 5, 2003 (1 of 1 found this review helpful)
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Performance: Sonics: |
| I'm surprised by the reviews for this disc. It seems like the reviewers just don't get it. "Swing Live" does what the Chesky's wanted it to do-put you right into a live jazz hall. The sound is fabulous-lots of headroom, the instruments sound real, and the ambience is there. As for the music, the players are old pros and sound like it. If you like swing, you'll love it. If you don't, you won't. The claims of non-professionalism are dead wrong. Don't believe me, believe Stereophile and The Absolute Sound, both of whom loved and recommend this disc. Made to be listened to in multichannel, by the way.
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| Review by Newt September 17, 2004 (2 of 2 found this review helpful)
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Performance: Sonics: |
| Wow, I too am surprised at some of the reviews of this recording. I think the essence of the performance was really captured well. As a previous reviewer stated, if you like Swing, you're going to love this disc. Highly recommend.
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| Review by eesau October 17, 2004 (1 of 1 found this review helpful)
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Performance: Sonics: |
| The SACD made me believe in multi-channel audio. After hearing this, I could not claim any more that multi-channel is just a gimmick. This is the future of high fidelity and Chesky records is undoubtly the king of multi-channel recording. The performance in outstanding and the players are highly skilled professionals. Remember to check Chesky's Persuations sing the Beatles,too
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| Review by Bogart February 13, 2005
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Performance:  Sonics: |
| I would have said I didn't care much for "swing" or Goodman style jazz, but this recording converted me. It is incredibly engaging (I listen in two-channel) and has a sense of being in the front row of a fun night of music (I would have loved to have been there for this). If you like clarinet, you will love this. It makes you take notice if you try to do something else while listening.
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| Review by Barb November 18, 2007 (2 of 2 found this review helpful)
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B. Pizzarelli g, P. Appleyard vib, B. Purdie ds, A. Vache cl, M. Moore b, Chesky 2001.
The line-up of instruments, the music, the club-atmosphere, everything reminds of the classic “Jazz at the Pawnshop” – recordings by Proprius from 1976. And as that one has been of extraordinary audiophile quality, this one is of today`s reference quality for live recording either. Thank god for the Cheskys. They are audiophile purists and make real great sounding records.
And this band makes real good music, Benny Goodman`s swinging fun music. One can almost see the smile on the musician`s faces while listening to that live performance that must have been big fun. You can hardly keep your seat playing this record of swinging, stomping rhythms with superb soloing. And that`s not a surprise because this was the dancing music of the swing era, an nobody was sitting then. But as I have never been much a dancer I stay in my couch and rock my toes.
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