Fortunately, the batches come frequent-ly. The latest releases, as I write in late October 2020, are very solid, musically and sonically.
Herbie Hancock’s reputation, at least with me and I think generally, is as a pianist of great versatility, which is to say, he is all over the place stylistically. That’s true on My Point of View, Hancock’s second record as a leader, which veers from soul-jazz (with Grant Green on guitar on several tracks, including “Blind Man, Blind Man” and the final track, “And What If I Don’t”), to modal jazz (at least it sounds modal to me; I’m thinking of “King Cobra” here) and to straight-ahead hard bop. All six cuts are Hancock compositions. I’m a sucker for that 1960s groove, so for me, the supersimple, unpretentious soul-jazz tracks are the record’s highlights.
Like most Blue Notes of its era, My Point of View was first issued in mono; it is reissued here in stereo. As for sonics, there’s some variation from track to track; “A Tribute to Someone” sounds very fine indeed. On other tracks, the sound is slightly fuzzy, a little hooded. In general, the horns come off well, especially Donald Byrd’s trumpet. The piano is less muffled than it sometimes is on Rudy Van Gelder recordings. Chuck Israels’s bass is balanced well— prominent—but also a little wooly: Some things even mastering engineer Kevin Gray can’t fix. The vinyl is flat, clean, and quiet.
This story is from the January 2021 edition of Stereophile.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the January 2021 edition of Stereophile.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
AURAL ROBERT
Another \"outlaw\" country artist
Nina Simone: Wild Is the Wind
By all accounts, Eunice Kathleen Waymon, aka Nina Simone, who passed in 2003, was a troubled person and a brilliant artist. Why she was not more acclaimed during her lifetime is a question several recent film projects have tried to answer. Did her fierce stand on civil rights lose her fans?
Vintage hi-fi, old and new
Many audiophiles and serious music lovers are passionate about vintage. Vintage has become a popular \"way in\" to the hobby, especially popular among younger folks.
Tekton Moab Be
LOUDSPEAKER
ARCAM Radia A25
INTEGRATED AMPLIFIER
Wharfedale Heritage Series 90th Anniversary Dovedale
LOUDSPEAKER
Technics Grand Class SL-1200/1210GR2
RECORD PLAYER
Thrax Audio Siren
Based in Bulgaria, European audio company Thrax has been active since 2009.
EMM Labs MTRS
STEREO POWER AMPLIFIER
SPIN DOCTOR
Alternative phono cartridge technologies and the DS Audio DS-W3 optical cartridge system