Editor's Choice Recordings
David W. Robinson

Vivaldi for Diverse Instruments, McGegan, Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra.
Reference Recordings RR-77CD.

No, I don't think that Vivaldi is "elevator music for yuppies." I loved Bach long before Vivaldi, and far better, but Vivaldi's work has always been joyous and delightful to me. And McGegan is one of my favorite Baroque interpreters.

In this disc, Keith Johnson rolls out his enhanced 24-bit HDCD™ process to lend very fine sonics to a half-dozen of Vivaldi's compositions. The Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra does lively work on these six concerti, and it's clear that McGegan has lost none of his verve in conducting. The presentation of the ensemble sonically shows good depth, and the tactile sense of wood, wind and string shows that the new HDCD™ has even greater command of the soundfield, of timbre, and of dynamics than its predecessor did.

If you love Baroque, then you'll love this disc. All in all, an exceptional Vivaldi — and congratulations to Johnson and Reference Recordings for a disc that is so very fine!

Slow Turning, John Hiatt
Mobile Fidelity GAIN 2™ UDCD 741.

What's this, what's this?! Someone finally got around to reissuing what is, in my opinion, John Hiatt's best disc! You can't wear out CD's in the same way that you can wear out an LP (unless you leave 'em in your car in the summertime), but if you could, I probably would have worn out this one. Every song is first-rate, reminding you that rock 'n roll was born southern and back country, somewhere between church and the local bar.

Favorite cuts? Yep, got those… "Drive South" with its haunting invitation to "…drive south, with the one you love"; "Tennessee Plates," a punchy rockin' been-a-bad-boy tune; "Ride Along" with its smokey sizzlin' lead licks…

Hmmm. This isn't going to work. I like all the songs on this disc!

The sound? Brother, this ain't even the same disc! No CD version of Slow Turning ever sounded this good. I have a couple of different pressings of the A&M LP; on the Linn LP-12 reference system it sounds grand. This CD slaughters — slaughters, I say! — the old A&M standard issue CD which I've listened to many times. The new DSD-based GAIN 2™ system with its SBM Direct™ 44.1/16-bit downsampling continues to impress me with each title that MoFi releases. Hiatt's raw voice is wonderfully and clearly placed, for the first time, the drum kit has better feel, especially around the cymbals, and the tone of the guitars just smokes!

Keep up the great work, MoFi! With A&R like this, via DSD/GAIN 2, music lovers are in for a helluva good time.

Glory, James Horner, The Boys Choir of Harlem
Classic Records 96/24 DAD 1008.

As a historian, one of my favorite subjects is the Civil War, and this is the soundtrack to one of my two favorite Civil War movies (the other being Gettysburg). When Glory was released in 1989, I was tremendously impressed by the action and historical detail, as well as by the superior acting. (This I would expect from Denzel Washington and Morgan Freeman; it is less common from Matthew Broderick!)

Underlying the entire movie, however, was the haunting score written by James Horner. It is impossible to watch Glory without being strongly affected by the music. It seems simultaneously to rise up out of the ground and float down from the heavens, and is a foundation to all that is seen on the screen. The Harlem Boys Choir is piercing in its ability to make the notes soar angelically, evoking the suffering and hope of men both black and white during the "irrepressible conflict." And those drums! Authentic sheepskin (as I recall) snare drums were used, which have an imperative sound unlike modern samples of the art.

Chad Kassem told me years ago, "Dude you gotta buy this LP! It's outstanding!" He was right...I bought the album from him...and it stomped the CD. The original recording was done at 15ips on a Studer, and is a wonderful example of what open reel analog can do. The LP has long since gone out of print, stranding listeners with the lesser CD only...

...until now! Classic Records 96/24 of this recording creams any standard CD. More than that, though, it allows you to listen to this recording without feeling the immediate urge to pull the LP out. The sense of soundstage depth is astonishing; higher resolution digital makes clear the spaciousness of the original in ways that only possessors of the LP knew heretofore. The tone and timbre of the choral voices is well rendered; the imperative rat-a-tat! of the drums is unmistakeable. The backing strings of the orchestra, its bells and percussives, and its deep bass, and luscious and striking.

In every way, this Classic Records release is a triumph.

Gershwin: All the Works for Orchestra & for Piano & Orchestra, Slatkin and the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra, Jeffrey Siegel, pianist
Classic Records 96/24 DAD 1018 (2 CDs).

Now we're talkin'! At last! The works of one of my best-loved 20th Century composers, in one reference-level place!

Mike Hobson & company have done music lovers a real service in this release. Originally recorded in 1974 by the notable production/engineering team of Nickrenz and Aubort for Vox/Turnabout, this recording was done before Slatkin was well known. Regardless, the performance of these masterworks of Gershwin was very well done. (I do prefer the pacing and rhythm of, say, Previn, but that's a different discussion.) And it's all here: the Concerto in F, Rhapsody in Blue, An American in Paris, Catfish Row, "I Got Rhythm" Variations...and more. Gershwin lovers will recognize them all.

The very first thing that I noted when I began to listen to 96/24 late last summer (via the excellent Cal Audio CL-20 playback unit...the review in our next issue!) was the depth that 96/24 was able to reveal. Soundstaging and imaging had clearly gone to a completely new level in the world of digital. The 96/24 DAD disc does an exceptional job of rendering the sheer spaciousness of the St. Louis, and the very fine job that Nickrenz & Aubort did to capture a strong sense of the space.

The timbre of strings is much improved over standard digital; the strings, for example, have a much better sheen, sounding more like strings, and less like wire. The brass is not brittle; the percussion is more rounded. The piano is well placed, and does not have a hard edge to it.

Overall, a brilliant re-issue by Classic Records, and very fine A&R. Encore!

Remember Me, Jimmie Lee Robinson
Analogue Productions Original CD, APO 2006.

Speaking of Chad Kassem, here's a fine blues recording for you. Jimmie Lee Robinson's foot-tappin', solo style of the blues drifts smoke and quiet fire your way. Robinson's voice has a rasp and a throaty power that lets life pour across like fine whiskey and tobacco...rich, deep, acrid.

And the music! Songs like "Wagon Wheels," mourning good lovin' gone bad; surprising good shuffle tunes like "See See Baby" (love them skifflin' ninths!) with its terrific whistling...this man can whistle!; classics like "Rollin' & Tumblin'", which Robinson makes his own (tough to do); and my favorite, the driving, fiery "Boss Man," a revolution and a warning in six strings.

The recording was done to pure analogue at Chad Kassem's Blue Heaven Studio. Chad's heart and soul is in his work at BHS — and it shows. Over the years, it's become evident to me that Chad loves both the music and the artists who do the blues and jazz. He has gone to extraordinary lengths to make sure that the artists are treated with the dignity and deep respect that they deserve, and that their creative work is preserved at the highest level possible.

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