Tweet
Audio discussions often devolve into the chicken or egg routine. For example, how many times have you see someone pose the question, "what's the most important component in the audio chain" and someone chirps up it's all about the recording? Well congratulations, you've won the Tim McCarver Stating the Obvious Award! (and if that's the case, then why isn't the front-end the most important then?)
Truth be told, everything in the audio chain makes a difference and even the best recording in the world can easily be ruined or marred during the mixing or mastering process. Case in point: Jonathan Horwich's latest release “The Mark Colby Quartet.” The Mark Colby Quartet is now the second tape that I've had the pleasure of listening to since Jonathan recently adopted the Manley tube mixer and it's simply nothing less than sensational earning an 11 musically and sonically.
Jonathan clearly has his finger on the pulse of the Chicago jazz scene and this latest tape recorded in 2014 features four veteran Windy City performers including the amazing Mark Colby on tenor sax, Eric Hochberg on bass, Bob Rummage on drums and Steve Million on piano. All four musicians have at one time or another performed with other leading jazz artists such as Sinatra, Jaco Pistorious, Bob James, Maynard Ferguson, Pat Methany, Pharaoh Sanders, Patricia Barber, Nat Adderly and a host of other musicians. Songs on this tape include Charlie Haden’s “Our Spanish Love Song,” Michael Brecker’s blues inspired “Midnight Voyage,” Johnny Griffin’s “When Were One” and “Double Rainbow (Fades).” The quartet masterfully navigates all four songs and handles both the slow and more upbeat tempo with equal aplomb. All four tunes are excellent with Colby’s playing on sax really standing out.
Sonically, the recording is a winner too. The sense of instrumental tonality, richness and liquidity especially on the bass and tenor sax are positively uncanny. In fact, this is as good a recording of a bass as one is likely to ever encounter. An intimate recording, all the instruments, especially the sax, are positively holographic in nature. Both qualities are a sizeable improvement over Jonathan's earlier efforts.
Finally, a little on the recording session. Jonathan recorded the Mark Colby Quartet on a customized Studer/Revox 8-channel machine using a custom stereo tube microphone (drums), the legendary Neumann C-24 stereo microphone (piano), both a B&K 4006 instrument mic and Neumann U-49 (bass) and the amazing Neumann U-67 (sax).
The Mark Colby Quartet is one of the best tapes that have come my way so far in 2016 and comes highly, highly recommended! Now I wonder if this was all the songs Jonathan recorded from that session or there is more?
Truth be told, everything in the audio chain makes a difference and even the best recording in the world can easily be ruined or marred during the mixing or mastering process. Case in point: Jonathan Horwich's latest release “The Mark Colby Quartet.” The Mark Colby Quartet is now the second tape that I've had the pleasure of listening to since Jonathan recently adopted the Manley tube mixer and it's simply nothing less than sensational earning an 11 musically and sonically.
Jonathan clearly has his finger on the pulse of the Chicago jazz scene and this latest tape recorded in 2014 features four veteran Windy City performers including the amazing Mark Colby on tenor sax, Eric Hochberg on bass, Bob Rummage on drums and Steve Million on piano. All four musicians have at one time or another performed with other leading jazz artists such as Sinatra, Jaco Pistorious, Bob James, Maynard Ferguson, Pat Methany, Pharaoh Sanders, Patricia Barber, Nat Adderly and a host of other musicians. Songs on this tape include Charlie Haden’s “Our Spanish Love Song,” Michael Brecker’s blues inspired “Midnight Voyage,” Johnny Griffin’s “When Were One” and “Double Rainbow (Fades).” The quartet masterfully navigates all four songs and handles both the slow and more upbeat tempo with equal aplomb. All four tunes are excellent with Colby’s playing on sax really standing out.
Sonically, the recording is a winner too. The sense of instrumental tonality, richness and liquidity especially on the bass and tenor sax are positively uncanny. In fact, this is as good a recording of a bass as one is likely to ever encounter. An intimate recording, all the instruments, especially the sax, are positively holographic in nature. Both qualities are a sizeable improvement over Jonathan's earlier efforts.
Finally, a little on the recording session. Jonathan recorded the Mark Colby Quartet on a customized Studer/Revox 8-channel machine using a custom stereo tube microphone (drums), the legendary Neumann C-24 stereo microphone (piano), both a B&K 4006 instrument mic and Neumann U-49 (bass) and the amazing Neumann U-67 (sax).
The Mark Colby Quartet is one of the best tapes that have come my way so far in 2016 and comes highly, highly recommended! Now I wonder if this was all the songs Jonathan recorded from that session or there is more?
Comment