Description

Executive Producer: Lucile Grieder

Artist Pages: Andrew Boyle | Misha Bigos | JJ Kirkpatrick | Gary Wicks | Sophisticated Lady

Repertoire:

Bicycles, Gary Wicks
Los Barriles, JJ Kirkpatrick
Blue Corn Moon, Misha Bigos
For Sebastian, Misha Bigos
Sketches of a Melancholy Bass, Gary Wicks
Simpler Times, Gary Wicks

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. Unlike the majority of contemporary jazz recordings, which are carefully and surgically patched together in postproduction, this album remains raw and fresh. 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 manipulation.

Yarlung makes recordings in concert halls, not studios; our albums capture the sound of our musicians playing in real acoustic spaces. When the members of Sophisticated Lady quartet first played in Cammilleri Hall their eyes lighted up and excitement built. They responded to the beautiful sound in the hall immediately, and the acoustics enabled Yarlung to record this album with our characteristically minimalist approach.

We owe hearty thanks to our generous underwriting partners, executive producer Lucile Grieder and Yarlung’s North American vinyl distributor Elusive Disc.  Lucile began her Yarlung philanthropy underwriting Sacred Trance Music from Taos Mountain, which Yarlung recorded in New Mexico.  James Bantz, Abey Fonn and our close family at Elusive Disc (elusivedisc.com) do superb work distributing Yarlung vinyl.  Thank you for your inspiration, support and encouragement.

Sophisticated Lady Jazz Quartet rehearsed and performed some of these tunes before our concert and recording but many are the first time through; the quartet discussed the tunes and who would take what solo in which order but without rehearsal.  I wanted the intensity of raw improvisation.  This is possible when superb musicians tackle new material together, listening carefully to each other and playing as a single organism.  Right before we recorded For Sebastian, for example, I played the opening of Variation 25 from Bach’s “Goldberg Variations” on the piano.  Misha led the quartet’s improvisation from there.  Music cannot get fresher than this.

Many thanks to Altea Reed, Niazayre Bates and Kaja Grujic for frolicking in the surf of the Pacific Ocean for us on our record jacket.  You certainly take us back to the 1950s Cool Jazz Era. (Niazayre came up with the idea with her father, Yarlung’s photographer Cooper Bates.)

–Bob Attiyeh, producer

Executive Producer: Lucile Grieder
Producer and Recording Engineer: Bob Attiyeh
Mastering Engineers: Steve Hoffman & Bob Attiyeh
Vinyl Mastering: Bernie Grundman
Microphone Preamplification: Elliot Midwood
AKG C24 & C12 microphones: Gearworks Pro Audio
Steinway technician: Robert Koning
Graphic Layout: MikeDesign
Cooper Bates Photography

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