I am not sure there is a thread on what Sonos is truly about - the music, so this might be an interesting thread. I have left out classical because that deserves a thread of its own and modern pop because it all sounds the same to me.
I have Phil Keaggy strumming Solitude from his Acoustic Sketches album right now in the bedroom on a play 1 pair and sounding very good indeed.
Recently heard and equally good music and mastering:
1. Michel Petrucciani and NHOP
2. Beyond the Missouri Sky - Metheny and Haden
3. Chiaroscuro - Fresu and Towner
4. Jan Johannsen - Jazz pa Svenska
5. The Astounding Eyes of Rita - Anouar Brahem
6. Last Dance/Jasmine - Jarrett and Haden
7. Saturday Morning - Ahmad Jamal
8. Melos - Paolo Fresu
All but the last are ITunes 256kbps purchases, the last a lossless CD rip.
Very little lost in translation for the lossy thing and Sonos convenience.
Any recommendations on similar music that uses the silence between the notes effectively?
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Listened to a few times by now, it sounds very good indeed - the rest of the tracks are also quite good if the entire CD is to be bought.
And an old classic which still sounds fresh - Jazz Samba/Stan Getz and Charlie Byrd.
The Art of Conversation by Kenny Barron and Dave Holland.
For those that like Snarky Puppy, can I put in a recommendation for Jaga Jazzist.
For those that like Snarky Puppy, can I put in a recommendation for Jaga Jazzist.
Found that gem in a used CD shop over Christmas. Guess the previous owner isn't a fan of the piano/bass concept. I love the lively 'conversation,' and the album cover is stunning, also... few different covers depending on how you look at it.
Been playing Harry James' The Mellow Horn... Heard 'It's Been A Long, Long Time' in Captain America: The Winter Soldier. Such great old school trumpet/orchestra work.
Other excellent albums of this type are Night and the City/Barron and Haden, and Jim Hall - Charlie Haden, by the same name. Alone Together/Ron Carter and Jim Hall is also very good.
Tabula Rasa
The Melody of Rhythm
I really like Tabula Rasa - thanks. I wasn't expecting the banjo!
This reminded me to listen to an old favourite "Vision" by Shankar, Garbarek and Mikkelborg. The track "Psychic Elephant" is a particular joy.
Cheers, Peter.
Now I read about Bela Fleck, my comment about the banjo seems a bit silly 🙂 In any event, the combination of Indian-style music and banjo was unexpected but enjoyable.
This reminded me to listen to an old favourite "Vision" by Shankar, Garbarek and Mikkelborg. The track "Psychic Elephant" is a particular joy.
I am not overly fond of the violin here - although the mentioned track is very good. I prefer Garbarek on the Song for Everyone album that is east west fusion as well.
A few good recent finds:
Get me Joe Beck - Joe Beck led guitar/bass/drum trio jazz standards live set and also well recorded.
And two with the ever reliable Eric Clapton in a duo setting. Riding with the King, with B B King. And The Road to Escondido with JJ Cale.
For those that like Snarky Puppy, can I put in a recommendation for Jaga Jazzist.
Great suggestion - thanks. A most interesting band, and one that will take a while to explore. For the moment, I really enjoyed their "Live with Britten Sinfonia". It is rare to hear such fresh and different music.
What a wonderful voyage of discovery this is. I'd forgotten about Song for Everyone (including the fabulous Trilok Gurtu). I must have the record but not the CD. Deezer to the rescue!
In looking for the CD under "S", I rediscovered John Scofield's "Hand Jive". A happy and energetic album. Available on Deezer and GPMAA.
In looking for the CD under "S", I rediscovered John Scofield's "Hand Jive". A happy and energetic album. Available on Deezer and GPMAA.
In looking for the CD under "S", I rediscovered John Scofield's "Hand Jive".
Indeed, and there is so much excellent undiscovered music!
Another excellent east west album is Making Music/Zakir Hussain. Garbarek being too loud in the mix in some places apart, all tracks are brilliant.
Looking up Scofield, I found his tribute to Ray Charles - That's what I say. Very good, as is a Lee Ritenour led A Twist of Marley.
I suspect it might be too close to pop for some of you, but I've recently come across First Aid Kit - kind of folk-ish.
You guys should check out the NPR Tiny Desk Concerts available on Youtube. Lots of new artists I hadn't heard of before. A little bit of everything! Here's a playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL1B627337ED6F55F0
You guys should check out the NPR Tiny Desk Concerts available on Youtube. Lots of new artists I hadn't heard of before. A little bit of everything! Here's a playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL1B627337ED6F55F0
Lots of wonderful suggestions for which thanks!. I have recently come across Cassandra Wilson who blew me away (like Chantal Chamberland, mentioned earlier).
I am not huge fan anymore of Jan Garbarek but do like other Scandinavian jazz:
Lars Danielson - "Pasodoble" and "The time"
Bobo Stenson - "Serenity", "Indicum"
Esbjørn Svensson - "Viaticum"
Tord Gustavsen - "Being There", "Changing Places", "The Ground"
If you like the clarinet try Gianluigi Trovesi - "In Cerca Di Cibo"
Bordering on pop but very spirited and uplifting: Melissa Laveaux.
For those who don't shy away from an interesting mixture of baroque and jazz you might want to try L'arpeggiata - "All'Improvviso" (esp. the tracks with Gianluigi Trovesi).
I am not huge fan anymore of Jan Garbarek but do like other Scandinavian jazz:
Lars Danielson - "Pasodoble" and "The time"
Bobo Stenson - "Serenity", "Indicum"
Esbjørn Svensson - "Viaticum"
Tord Gustavsen - "Being There", "Changing Places", "The Ground"
If you like the clarinet try Gianluigi Trovesi - "In Cerca Di Cibo"
Bordering on pop but very spirited and uplifting: Melissa Laveaux.
For those who don't shy away from an interesting mixture of baroque and jazz you might want to try L'arpeggiata - "All'Improvviso" (esp. the tracks with Gianluigi Trovesi).
An excellent new release in jazz - mostly trumpet, bass and drums - is Dark Nights/Avishai Cohen. He has earlier albums as well, but I preferred the mood on this one.
Tord Gustavsen - "Being There", "Changing Places", "The Ground"
Those are probably the best of Tord.
Another great piano trio is the Marcin Wasilewksi led one. January, Faithful and Trio are excellent. Spark of Life is good too, as is their early music on Habanera, when they called themselves the Simple Acoustic Trio.
They play in some Tomasz Stanko quartets as well, many of which are excellent.
Excellent recent release led by drummer Wolfgang Haffner - Kind of Cool. Modern take on jazz standards like So What, Autumn Leaves, Summertime and some others and some original music. Clean fresh sound for a new spin to some classic jazz. I liked this one.
What's it with the Scandinavian jazz scene that keeps turning up new approaches to jazz, particularly trio sets?
I just found a new one to me, that ticks all the boxes - Norwegian this time, Hello Troll by the Helge Lien Trio. Piano/bass/drums, very well recorded/mastered too.
I just found a new one to me, that ticks all the boxes - Norwegian this time, Hello Troll by the Helge Lien Trio. Piano/bass/drums, very well recorded/mastered too.
Great music, mostly from the jazz genre, that I discovered recently:
1. Clifford Brown - a recent discovery on my part. With Strings, A Study in Brown and Clifford Brown and Max Roach are all superb albums. The sound of his trumpet is still fresh and eminently listenable even now.
2. Lynne Arriale piano trio - Come Together, Inspiration are excellent. Nuance has more of Randy Brecker's trumpet on it, but also very good.
3. Another great sound on the trumpet is from Kenny Dorham. Afro Cuban for a party groove and Quiet Kenny for less noisy occasions.
4. More party grooves on Funky Abba, by the Nils Landgren Funk Unit. Abba music is of one flavour, so this album also ends up like that and is best used in a shuffled playlist.
5. I was looking for a good version of Harlem Nocturne and that turned up the Sonny Stitt version on his 37 minutes and 48 seconds album. Perhaps the best version of the tune, but the rest of the eighteen tracks are also very good.
1. Clifford Brown - a recent discovery on my part. With Strings, A Study in Brown and Clifford Brown and Max Roach are all superb albums. The sound of his trumpet is still fresh and eminently listenable even now.
2. Lynne Arriale piano trio - Come Together, Inspiration are excellent. Nuance has more of Randy Brecker's trumpet on it, but also very good.
3. Another great sound on the trumpet is from Kenny Dorham. Afro Cuban for a party groove and Quiet Kenny for less noisy occasions.
4. More party grooves on Funky Abba, by the Nils Landgren Funk Unit. Abba music is of one flavour, so this album also ends up like that and is best used in a shuffled playlist.
5. I was looking for a good version of Harlem Nocturne and that turned up the Sonny Stitt version on his 37 minutes and 48 seconds album. Perhaps the best version of the tune, but the rest of the eighteen tracks are also very good.
Number 1 is intriguing to me because of the 'with strings' part. Thanks, K. Looking forward to sampling these for acquisition.
Charlie Parker with Strings is also very good. As with the Clifford Brown album, the strings do not drown everything in sugar coating on this one as well.
The live album, Bird With Strings is one of those gems I found in a used CD shop years ago. Ben Webster, Chet Baker, Cannonball Adderley, and Lee Konitz all have great 'with strings' albums. Though I'm not that big a fan of Chet's vocals... His horn playing, though... man.
I just downloaded Clifford Brown's album from Amazon. Really liking it...
I just downloaded Clifford Brown's album from Amazon. Really liking it...
Chet Baker In Paris Barclay sessions is brilliant - only one track, the last, is where he breaks into unwelcome song!
Art Pepper also has a good strings album - Winter Moon.
If you liked Clifford with strings, you might want to try Quiet Kenny as well. Not strings, but his only single horn quartet session. Right up there with Brown and Diz where trumpet chops are concerned, this is Kenny for late nights.
Art Pepper also has a good strings album - Winter Moon.
If you liked Clifford with strings, you might want to try Quiet Kenny as well. Not strings, but his only single horn quartet session. Right up there with Brown and Diz where trumpet chops are concerned, this is Kenny for late nights.
1. Clifford Brown - a recent discovery on my part. With Strings
What a phenomenal album. Just got back from running my errands and was able to listen to it completely through. His interpretations of the standards are incredible... especially 'What's New.' That staccato method he's using for some of the melody is brilliant, and fits so well. Awesome recommendation... thanks.
Clifford Brown - The Singers Sessions is a compilation of his individual pairings with Sarah Vaughan, Dinah Washington and Helen Merrill, all quite special, if you're into vocal jazz.
Another good album that has vocals on about half the tracks - Melody Gardot, Cassandra Wilson, Norah Jones, Diana Krall and some others - is Sophisticated Ladies by the ever dependable Charlie Haden quartet.
Any jazz addict that has seen Tom Hanks in the Terminal will remember the last few minutes to be the most memorable of an otherwise forgettable movie - when Benny Golson breaks out into his signature tune, Killer Joe.
I had not heard of Benny till I saw the movie and I then hunted down the album Art Farmer/Benny Golson meet the Jazztet that has this and other great tunes on it.
I have just discovered another great and recent Golson album - Terminal 1, performed/released along with the movie ten years ago, Golson and band in fine form.
Recommended music for sax and trumpet jazz fans.
I have to say that both my Connect Amp based set up as well as the play 1 pair+Sub main system render this and similar music brilliantly.
Sadly, nothing at home can capture the magic of being in a club where a top class jazz set is on.
I had not heard of Benny till I saw the movie and I then hunted down the album Art Farmer/Benny Golson meet the Jazztet that has this and other great tunes on it.
I have just discovered another great and recent Golson album - Terminal 1, performed/released along with the movie ten years ago, Golson and band in fine form.
Recommended music for sax and trumpet jazz fans.
I have to say that both my Connect Amp based set up as well as the play 1 pair+Sub main system render this and similar music brilliantly.
Sadly, nothing at home can capture the magic of being in a club where a top class jazz set is on.
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