Special Features
Bill Berry - Shortcake - Pure Audiophile Records {vinyl}
Published on May 21, 2005
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Bill Berry - Shortcake (Bill Berry, cornet; Marshal Royal, alto sax
& clarinet; Lew Tabackin, tenor sax & flutes; Bill Watrous,
trombone; Mundell Lowe, guitar; Alan Broadbent & Dave Frishberg,
piano; Chuck Berghofer & Monty Budwig, bass; Franke Capp & Nick
Ceroli, drums) - Concord Records/Pure Audiophile Records PA-004 (2)
****:
Another double-disc transfer from Concord’s original analog 2-track master tapes to these analog LPs. (The sleeve says “180-gram Colored Virgin Vinyl” but mine were black; course that’s means colored with lampblack.) Bill Berry will be known to most audiophiles as the leader of a similar small group on the highly-sought-after M & K direct disc “For Duke.” There’s even three tracks of Ellington tunes here, so it’s almost a For Duke volume 2. Berry played for a while with Ellington and has been leading various big bands for some time now. There are actually two groups on this recording: a quintet with Dave Frishberg on piano and Mundell Lowe’s guitar pitted against Berry, and a septet with the guitar and with the youngest member of this seasoned bunch of jazz veterans, Alan Broadbent.
The alternations of the two ensembles adds a lot of interest to Shortcake - sort of like getting both strawberries and cherries on yours. One of the wildest arrangements is Berry’s take on the traditional Royal Garden Blues. There’s some dissonances never heard from a trad jazz band; all seem to have great fun with this one. The players are set securely in a wide soundstage in front of you and the switches from quintet to septet are usually clearly apparent. Piano reproduction is especially realistic, and there’s no guessing the contrasting styles of Broadbent and Frishberg at the ivories. The last three tracks are listed as bonus tracks but I’m not sure if that means they were not on the earlier CD version. This is terrific music presented with the utmost fidelity - all concerned deserve highest praise.
Tracks: Avalon, Betty, Bloose, I Didn’t Know About You; Royal Garden Blues, Moon Song, I’m Gettin’ Sentimental Over You, What Am I Here For, It Don’t Mean a Thing, Stella By Starlight.
Another double-disc transfer from Concord’s original analog 2-track master tapes to these analog LPs. (The sleeve says “180-gram Colored Virgin Vinyl” but mine were black; course that’s means colored with lampblack.) Bill Berry will be known to most audiophiles as the leader of a similar small group on the highly-sought-after M & K direct disc “For Duke.” There’s even three tracks of Ellington tunes here, so it’s almost a For Duke volume 2. Berry played for a while with Ellington and has been leading various big bands for some time now. There are actually two groups on this recording: a quintet with Dave Frishberg on piano and Mundell Lowe’s guitar pitted against Berry, and a septet with the guitar and with the youngest member of this seasoned bunch of jazz veterans, Alan Broadbent.
The alternations of the two ensembles adds a lot of interest to Shortcake - sort of like getting both strawberries and cherries on yours. One of the wildest arrangements is Berry’s take on the traditional Royal Garden Blues. There’s some dissonances never heard from a trad jazz band; all seem to have great fun with this one. The players are set securely in a wide soundstage in front of you and the switches from quintet to septet are usually clearly apparent. Piano reproduction is especially realistic, and there’s no guessing the contrasting styles of Broadbent and Frishberg at the ivories. The last three tracks are listed as bonus tracks but I’m not sure if that means they were not on the earlier CD version. This is terrific music presented with the utmost fidelity - all concerned deserve highest praise.
Tracks: Avalon, Betty, Bloose, I Didn’t Know About You; Royal Garden Blues, Moon Song, I’m Gettin’ Sentimental Over You, What Am I Here For, It Don’t Mean a Thing, Stella By Starlight.
- John Henry
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