The Sophisticated Lady Jazz Quartet Volume 1 180g LP (Vinyl)

TAS Super LP List! Special Merit: Informal

Jazz Album From Yarlung On 180g Vinyl LP!
Mastered by Steve Hoffman, Bob Attiyeh, & Bernie Grundman!

Jerome Kern's "I'm Old Fashioned", an arrangement by bass player Gary Wicks, was the first piece played by the quartet several years ago and has become one of the quartet's most requested tunes. By contrast, Andrew Boyle's "Gone", was a piece Yarlung commissioned and which Andrew presented to the quartet for the first time during this session. Gary surprised the group with his arrangement of Duke Ellington's and Billy Strayhorn's "Isfahan", which was one of the first takes in Cammilleri Hall. "Sophisticated Lady" is guided by JJ Kirkpatrick in a free improvisation on "Strange Fruit", the Abel Meeropol melody made so famous by Billie Holiday, a song instrumental in civil rights progress in the U.S. in the mid-20th Century.

The Sophisticated Lady jazz quartet pays homage to the Great Tradition of American jazz but most of their repertoire is written by members of the quartet. These tracks are complete takes, 'live to tape', without editing. The music on this recording is how Sophisticated Lady plays without the help of digital magic. Music cannot get fresher than this. When the members of Sophisticated Lady quartet first played in Cammilleri Hall their eyes lit up and excitement built. They responded to the beautiful sound in the hall immediately, and the acoustics enabled Yarlung to record this album with the characteristically minimalist approach.

"Yarlung did it again. This time it's their first jazz entry that has golden warmth of a Blue Note from its heyday as well as visceral instruments presence of a Contemporary Records. Recorded in Cammilleri concert hall using only a vintage tube stereo microphone, the sound of the (LP) is creamy like butter while the texture is so rich that you can easily discern which parts of the drum set the player hits and rubs." - Mori Shima, Stereo Sound, Japan

"More jazz records should be like Sophisticated Lady Quartet — relaxed yet focused, tradition-based yet modern, elegant yet conveying a sure sense of swing. The recording is so pure that you almost feel as if you’re eavesdropping on four musicians who seem completely in their element while performing, in a one-take environment, a set that’s evenly split between previously rehearsed arrangements and performances where they had one chance to turn a composition into a memorable piece of music. No splicing or editing here — just a live-in-the-studio recording where the mood, playing and sonics are so solid that that jazz lovers will wish that the mostly-classical label Yarlung wandered over to this side of the street more often." - Jeff Wilson, The Absolute Sound

"The Sophisticated Lady Jazz Quartet’s debut recording should be of great interest to fans of forwardlooking straight ahead jazz. Each of the four musicians is excellent both as soloists and in ensembles, the music that they perform ranges from melodic versions of standards to lyrical originals and freer explorations, and their subtle playing keeps one guessing. This [album] is well worth exploring and I certainly recommend it." - Scott Yanow, Los Angeles Jazz Scene

"Look out Brubeck, Sophisticated Lady's remarkable debut should perhaps be re-titled TAKE ONE. Why? Each tune was captured in one take! The [album] also celebrates Yarlung's audiophile venture into JAZZ with a splatter of Chet Baker's seductive, kicked-back Californication daubed with a drizzle of Miles at his mellowest. No matter how busy your day, an evening spin through this one will definitely move your mood." - David Thomson, Record Collector News

Features:
• 180g Vinyl
• Vinyl Mastering by Bernie Grundman
• Mastering Engineers: Steve Hoffman and Bob Attiyeh
• Made in Germany
• Recorded directly to RMGI 468 tape

Musicians:
JJ Kirkpatrick, trumpet, flugelhorn
Andrew James Boye, drums
Misha Adair Bigos, piano
Gary Wicks, bass

Selections:
Side A:
Jerome Kern
1. I'm Old Fashioned

Abel Meeropol
2. Strange Fruit

Gary Wicks
3. Night Night

Side B:
Duke Ellington & Billy Strayhorn
1. Isfahan

Gary Wicks
2. Weightless

Duke Ellington
3. Sophisticated Lady

Andrew Boyle
4. Gone

Recorded in the Brain and Creativity Institute's Cammilleri Hall at USC, October 24-26, 2013.