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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?
Found a couple of gems in the used CD store earlier this week... Sue Raney's 'When Your Lover Has Gone,' and Dinah Washington's 'What A Diff'rence A Day Makes.' Yeah, K, they are string heavy, but oh so sweet!
Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats - S.O.B. Love this song.
Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats - S.O.B. Love this song.



Interesting R&B and soul influences; Ray Charles and Van Morrison come to mind. Listen to Ray's early records to get a very similar groove.
Couple of new finds:

A jazz piano trio that does things that trios are well known for, but does it very well indeed - the Jeff Hamilton Trio. Tight and in the pocket are words that come to mind. Check the track Poinciana on the album The Best Things Happen to see what I mean. All tracks are good, but the trio gives a fresh new approach to music that Ahmad Jamal has owned for decades now.

And a new to me lady jazz vocalist who is Italian but still does an very good job with the American Songbook: Roberta Gambarini. Her debut album is excellent - Easy To Love. Well named, with a high quality back up ensemble as well..
And for piano jazz with a fresh twist, check out Jacky Terrasson, album Smile. Listen to Nardis and Autumn Leaves to get a sense of what he does to refresh old tunes. Recording is audiophile quality, best heard on a play 1 pair in the near field.
Andra Day has been getting a lot of attention lately for her R&B/Soul/Jazz influenced singing. I love the fact that she has such a great sense of style and grace, so unlike most of today's singers. Not to mention a great voice.



She talks about her jazz influences, among other things, here:



https://www.yahoo.com/news/video/know-andra-day-margaret-cho-144415024.html
I don't know if you already talked about that, but I usually just listen to jazzradio.com when I am "too lazy" to pick my songs or I just use it as an inspiration, they have quite a big variety on their playlist.
Jazz radio was a favourite, right up to the time they stopped streaming to many countries outside the US.
Another wonderful fadista, Helena Sarmento. The timeless art of Fado.



I've no doubt mentioned Irene Kral here before, but the search on this forum is sooooo bad. Was she the perfect jazz vocalist? Her albums with Alan Broadbent have me believing it.



Yes, I think you have mentioned her earlier:-). I know, I bought that album.



Have I mentioned Roberta Gambarini? Easy to Love is not just the name of her debut album. And So in Love is the outcome...

Both albums with excellent backup musicians - Hank Jones, James Moody and more - but she still gets to remain front and center all the time. Highly recommended.
Also check out the second album, Countdown, by the 13 year old jazz prodigy, Joey Alexander, that is possibly even better than his extraordinary debut album, My Favorite Things.
Love Roberta. How is it that one of the best Great American songbook interpreters is Italian? She's also very easy on the eyes, lol.
And her diction is very clear in spite of being Italian, in a music genre where this is a challenge. And an aside on the easy on eyes subject - how many successful and ugly female singers have you come across? Double blind tests aren't only valid for audio kit, but I don't plan to go down that road much further:-). Eye candy always works.

Top of the line jazz, that. Chris Potter on some tracks is a nice bonus too.
Yes, very enjoyable. Thanks. And this guy's 13! I gotta say the second track, "Sunday Waltz", reminded me of of the Peter Allen song "I Still Call Australia Home".
I've no doubt mentioned Irene Kral here before, but the search on this forum is sooooo bad. Was she the perfect jazz vocalist? Her albums with Alan Broadbent have me believing it.







He, do I see a Quad ESL63 in the background? Great speakers. Irene Kral is going to sound great on that!
Has anyone mentioned the Spanish singer Andrea Motis yet (I missed a page in this thread)? Also check out her stuff on youtube. Watch her carefully on some of the older videos, she is only 16 and sings like a pro (with a dreadful English accent)! She has matured since then, but she charms my socks off!



Oops, saw Kumar recommended her on a previous page. I should have known.
Kumar,



Have you come across Anat Cohen yet? I would strongly recommend a track originally written by Dr "And The World Weeps". It is on her album Claroscuro but I prefer the live Youtube version with Paquito D'Rivera.
Oops, that should read Dr Lonnie Smith.
Emile, yes and I have her Vanguard album, I will look up Chiaroscuro, thanks. Couple of other Cohens too - Avishai Cohen who I think is a brother, is a good jazz trumpet player and another Avishai Cohen, on double bass. Also interesting, though I don't care for all of his music.




He, do I see a Quad ESL63 in the background? Great speakers. Irene Kral is going to sound great on that!



Good eye! Yes, she sounds very natural through the QUADs, as does most anything I listen to, if well recorded. I drove them with a Connect:Amp for years, but couldn't resist the "eye candy" appeal of the ONIX when it showed up on Craigslist for a song, lol.
I used to drive them with a (modified) Quad 306 (no eye candy I am afraid) and they sounded fantastic. The Onix looks smashing. I also love the contrast between it and the rough cabinet. Do you feel there is enough bass in the low register or do you compensate for that by means of a subwoofer?



Apologies for straying off topic.
Not a rock fan, so plenty of natural bass for my tastes. I've had plenty of sealed and ported designs, all sounded unnaturally boomy/boxy to me. The sound from the ESLs is just in the room, doesn't sound like it's coming from boxes, far more natural sounding to these ears.
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