Hot Stamper Pressings of Contemporary Jazz Albums Available Now
A recent shootout produced this shootout winning pressing with amazing sound.
STUNNING Shootout Winning grades or close to them bring Kessel’s inspired jazz album to life on this original Contemporary stereo LP (the first copy to hit the site in years).
Here are just a few of the things we had to say about this killer copy in our notes: “tubey, sweet, and lively midrange”…”lots of room around the guitar and horns”…”excellent space and detail”…”great energy”
Tubey Magic, richness, sweetness, dead-on timbres from top to bottom – this is a textbook example of Contemporary sound at its best. The sonics are gorgeous – all tube, live-to-two-track, direct from the Contemporary studio to you, on glorious un-remastered analog vinyl.
For those of you who appreciate the sound that Roy DuNann (and Howard Holzer on other sessions) were able to achieve in the 50s at Contemporary Records, this LP is a Must Own (unless you already have it, which is doubtful considering how hard it is to find a copy in clean condition). Their stuff just doesn’t get any better than this.
From an audiophile point of view, how can you beat a Roy DuNann recording of so many instruments? It’s audiophile heaven.
Talk About Timbre
Man, when you play a Hot Stamper copy of an amazing recording such as this, the timbre of the instruments is so spot-on it makes all the hard work and money you’ve put into your stereo more than pay off. To paraphrase The Hollies, you get paid back with interest. If you hear anything funny in the mids and highs of this record, don’t blame the record. (This is the kind of record that shows up audiophile BS equipment for what it is: audiophile BS. If you are checking for richness, tubey-magic and freedom from artificiality, I can’t think of a better test disc. It has loads of the first two and none of the last.)
Two of the best sounding jazz guitar records in the history of the world were made by Barney Kessel for Contemporary: this one, and Music To Listen To Barney Kessel By. I used to have them both in my personal collection (but they have since gone to good homes).
Such a wonderful idea for an album. The melodies from Bizet’s Carmen are unforgettable and perfect fodder for jazz improvisation. Don’t think that this is just guitar and rhythm. This is a full band with lots of horns, clarinets of all kinds, bassoons, oboes, flutes, piano, vibes — the variety of sounds to be found on this album is practically unlimited. And with Roy DuNann’s engineering, you will never hear richer, fuller sound with more accurate timbres for all the instruments mentioned above. The guy was a genius. His recordings define High Fidelity for me. I know of none better.
Instruments Used on This Album
Guitar
Flute
Alto Flute
Oboe
Clarinet
Trombone
Saxophones
Bassoon
Bass Clarinet
Piano
Bass
Drums
And because the record is so well recorded, and this pressing is so transparent, you can hear them all!
Side One
Swingin’ the Toreador
A Pad on the Edge of Town
If You Dig Me
Free as a Bird
Side Two
Viva el Toro!
Flowersville
Carmen’s Cool
Like, There’s No Place Like…
The Gypsy’s Hip
AMG Review
During an era when many Broadway and movie scores were recorded in jazz settings (thanks in part to the success of Shelly Manne’s best-selling My Fair Lady album), guitarist Barney Kessel chose to interpret nine melodies from Bizet’s opera Carmen.
The guitarist is heard in three different settings: joined by five woodwinds and a rhythm section; with five jazz horns (including altoist Herb Geller and trumpeter Ray Linn) and a trio; and with vibraphonist Victor Feldman in a quintet.
Kessel also wrote the arrangements, which pay tribute to the melodies while not being shy of swinging the themes.
Further Reading