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Review by vonwegen January 23, 2005 (6 of 7 found this review helpful)
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Performance:  Sonics:  |
Many people remember the 60s as the golden age of pop & rock music. An equally strong case can be made for the 50s being the same for jazz, and this album is one of that era's cornerstones. Simply put, nobody else but these 4 excellent musicians could have made exotic rhythm shifts sound so effortless and natural--and had a top-40 pop hit in the process.
Needless to say, the performance of all concerned is top-drawer, so I'll concentrate on the sonics: this album was recorded at the same studios as "Kind Of Blue", on vintage 3-track. Consequently, the 5.1 MC mix has some built-in limitations. In contrast to the aforementioned Miles Davis classic, the surround mix here is basically an expansion of the stereo mix--the surrounds are used exclusivly for room ambience and only become really noticeable during peak moments like the drum solo during "Take Five," where Joe Morello's snare rolls are really emphasized, to good effect.
Because the MC mix is so conservative that I was tempted to deduct half a star from what otherwise is a good _vintage__ 4-star rating--but in the end, I relented. I emphasize the term "vintage" here because nobody should expect a 4-star MC mix of a 1950s-era recording to sound nearly as full as a 21st century-era DSD one--but what a solid 4-star rating should indicate here is that the clarity is strong and hidden details of the performance make listening to this very special indeed. Overall, the lack of tape hiss is very good, as is the overall 'punch', and there are no annoying aspects of the mix to detract from the sterling performances contained here. If you like jazz and don't already own this, get it ASAP.
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