Jump to content

Wahoo


boomac

Recommended Posts

Just finished listining to Duke Pearson's "Wahoo" and for all of you that are just getting in to Bop & Hard Bop, get a copy on the asap and enjoy. At Allen Songer's recommendation I picked up both "Tender Feelins" and "Wahoo" and believe me, this is great stuff. My wife hates country music but would rather listen to country than jazz. While playing "Wahoo", up in the office area of the house, she came in shaking her 52 year old butt and kept it going all the way through the cut ESP. "Wahoo" features: Duke Pearson (p), James Spaulding (as&fl), Joe Henderson (ts), Bob Cranshaw (B) and Mikey Roker on the drums. In case you read this Allen, how come you didn't include Mickey Roker on you top 10 drummer list? The guy was fantastic on this LP. Anyway, try Duke Pearson. I just ordered "Sweet Honey Bee" and his Christmas LP "Merry Ole Soul" form Hiroshi @ Early Records in Japan. A great place to purchase LPs and CDs.

Another fine recommendation by AS.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Replies 57
  • Created
  • Last Reply

Top Posters In This Topic

Top Posters In This Topic

Posted Images

ALL RIGHT!!! "Wahoo" is one of the ten best jazz LPs from the 1960's!!!! I am SOOO glad you are digging this stuff!!! You're gonna love both of the records Hiroshi is sending you! "Sweet Honey Bee" is just a notch below "Wahoo" and Duke Pearson's Xmas LP ia THE BEST JAZZ XMAS LP OF ALL TIME!

Keep digging--check out "Profile" next, his debut LP on Blue Note. I just sold my one spare LP on ebay a couple of months ago or I'd send it to you!!!

Duke Pearson is one underrated MF that's for DAMN sure!!!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Nothing would make me happier than to start a small Klipsch-head Duke Pearson revival. This guy was a MONSTER and deseves the praise. In case you weren't aware, Mosaic Records is bringing out a modest box-set of his late-1960's Blue Note stuff. I have all of the LPs but I might pick this set up for the car and because it's so FAIRLY priced!

http://www.mosaicrecords.com/DisplaySelectionDetail.asp?SelectionID=1049

Link to comment
Share on other sites

----------------

On 12/6/2003 12:43:43 AM Allan Songer wrote:

Nothing would make me happier than to start a small Klipsch-head Duke Pearson revival. This guy was a MONSTER and deseves the praise. In case you weren't aware, Mosaic Records is bringing out a modest box-set of his late-1960's Blue Note stuff. I have all of the LPs but I might pick this set up for the car and because it's so FAIRLY priced!

----------------

I think I'll order this set also. I need some new commuting tunes anyway. Thanks for the link.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Just ordered "Profile" from Hiroshi @ Early Records and I will probably jump on that Mosaic offering as well.

Two questions for any musicians.

If you are familiar with Wahoo, What time signiture is the cut Wahoo?

In ESP, it seems Mickey Roker (the drummer) is ever so slightly behind or off the beat. I think I've heard of this technique in blues music. Am I hearing, or more appropriately, am I imagining this or not? Whatever is going on is cool as heck.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I just ordered some new La Scalas and I'm looking for some new types of music. You mention Hiroshi @ Early Records.what. what is the last part of the web addresse, .com .net ? IF these CDs are coming from Japan how long does it take? Any other music suggestions? Thanks for the info.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

http://www.earlyrecords.com/

Great place to do business. They specialize in Vinyl, both new and used, and have a good selection of CDs. Prices are fair and shipping is quite fast.

Also, check out CD Universe. They have sound clips for some of this music. There are others as well.

For music, check out SSH's Jazz Thread from this past summer. The information is excellent. Note the comments and if you get the feeling some of the guys know what they are talking about - they do. If you would like, e-mail me and I will shoot off a list that may be of interest to you.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

B000005HCL.01.LZZZZZZZ.jpg

This LP might just represent Duke Pearson's finest hour. Even though he is a "side man," Peasron wrote and arranged the tunes and PRODUCED the session! This is an LP that should be in EVERY music lover's collection and it's available as an RVG CD reissue CHEAP. You can pick up really clean "Liberty" pressings "Idle Moments" on ebay for about $20 as well.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

B000005H6G.01.LZZZZZZZ.jpg

New here's an LP where Pearson truly IS a sideman and he shines in VERY fast company! Donald Byrd, Hank Mobley and Jackie McLean!! Pearson wrote the best tune on the LP and his solos are all GREAT. This is also one of Donald Byrd's best efforts and he made A LOT of great LPs betwen 1958 and 1970!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

----------------

On 12/6/2003 12:43:43 AM Allan Songer wrote:

Nothing would make me happier than to start a small Klipsch-head Duke Pearson revival. This guy was a MONSTER and deseves the praise. In case you weren't aware, Mosaic Records is bringing out a modest box-set of his late-1960's Blue Note stuff. I have all of the LPs but I might pick this set up for the car and because it's so FAIRLY priced!

----------------

I bought this based on your recommendation, and it arrived today!

EXCELLENT!!! all the way through. I'm really enjoying this set of CDs. They're sonically good, the music is really groovin', and the xmas selections on disc 3 are oh so hip/seasonal.

Forrest

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 3 weeks later...
  • 2 weeks later...
  • 2 weeks later...

I just got Wahoo on cd and listened to a few tracks.

I found that the recording lacked bass, and not deep bass per say, but just overall fullness from the low midrange on down. The piano sounds like a toy, there's just no depth or fullness to the sound of the piano.

I also found the overall mix to be terrible. The horn solo's are about twice as loud as they should be in comparison to the rest of the band. I was diggin it when the bass, drums, and piano are going, and then BLAM!, the horn section blasts in at two to three times the volume of the piano solo.

I also didn't like the sound of the horns, very honky, without detail in the top end, and again, no fullness, tibre, richness, etc...

I do hear some really cool live sounds coming out once in a while, cymbals and bass come to mind. I'll have to listen to it some more, maybe I can get the enjoyment from it without the fidelity if I listen for the right things. First impression was disappointing. I like this kind of music, but I am too picky when it comes to the engineering, mix, master, and sound quality.

A great quote I read recently from Steve at Audio Classics in NY, he said, "some people buy equipment to listen to their music, and others buy music to listen to their equipment". That really struck me, because I think I'm the latter.

Greg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

What CD version do you have? The recording you are describing is NOTHING like what I have been listening to for the last 25 or so years! I have NOT heard this Japanese CD, but I have heard some other Blue Note RVG series CDs I can't imagine Wahoo is anywhere as bad as this! "Wahoo" is a VERY well recorded and mastered LP both in Stereo and Mono (I have both) --the horns are PERFECT, the bass is VERY lifelike and even the piano sounds right (not always the case with RVG)!

You say you like "this kind of music." What other mid-1960's advanced hard bop do you listen to? What recordings from this era do you like? I'd really be interested to know . . .

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I have two different Japanese CD versions and the bass, in my opinion, is not lacking in either. I also don't understand the comments about the horns being too loud, honky and without top end detail. Piano sounds like a toy? You know those Khorns need to be in corners! I would also like to know which CD Version you have. I recently missed out on a Wahoo LP but the CDs will do fine until I can find another. This is one of my favorite hard bop recordings. It reinforces my opinion that most of us really overlooked some fantastic music back in the 60s. BTW Greg, I was only kidding about the Khorns and your comments are very welcome. Hey, they forced me to listen to both my copies tonight. Wahoo!!!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I have a Blue Note cd, dated 1995 by Capitol Records.

But as far as the mix goes, it doesn't matter which version of the cd you're talking about.

I spent 8 years behind a 24 channel board and a 3000 watt P.A. mixing sound for a blue's band, so I know what a "mix" is supposed to sound like. Every night I took the raw, complex, and ever-changing sound that the musicians were producing, and minute by minute, I tweaked, remixed, contoured, and produced what the audience heard. I still miss it, even though it's been 12 years since I stopped going out on the road.

There's just no denying, no matter what system you're listening to it on, or what cd version that you have, that in this recording, the horn solo's are twice as loud as they need to be, in order to be out in front of the mix, or "forward", and that takes away from the enjoyment of listening to the performance of the band while that soloist is playing.

I understand that we all hear instruments differently, so I don't want to argue the sound of the instruments here. Also, the music I like to listen to is electronically enhanced and electrically amplified, which is quite different from the sonics of an acoustic group in a live setting. Maybe this fundamentally explains the differences we are experiencing here. Steely Dan is a far cry from Duke Pearson, one cd to another. But I played piano myself for many years, the piano on that recording is missing a lot of the lower midbass timbre of the instrument's sound.

I also understand the date of this recording. So, when it comes to the tonal quality of the recording, the fidelity, and the sound quality of each instrument, I wasn't expecting that much actually. But I was hoping for a decent mix.

To be truthful, I'm having a difficult time right now with music. My whole audio world got turned upside down this year with that stupid SET amplifier, and now the music that I used to listen to doesn't sound good anymore! Also, I'm getting older, and tired of classic rock, but I haven't yet moved on to Jazz, even though it intrigues me. Jazz really does intrigue me, because I believe if recorded, engineered, and produced in the right way, it could sound wonderful, and musically it is appealing to me. By that I mean that it is clean, melodic, interesting, all the instruments have their space.

But I have not found jazz recordings that sound the way I like music to sound. Everything for me starts with the kick drum and the bass guitar, that is the foundation. Listen to one of the two most recent Steely Dan cd's. That to me is what a kick drum, bass guitar, keyboards, vocals, the overall mix, and production should sound like. I have not heard any Jazz recordings that sound like that. I dont expect older recordings to be able to match the sonics of these, but I would expect that new jazz cd recordings could. I just haven't found them yet.

Sorry so long.

Greg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.


×
×
  • Create New...