I continue to be impressed with the new releases from Speakers Corner Records. They sound like I want my Hi-Fi gear to sound: warm, a little bit dark, detailed & dimensional, with analogue ease & liquidity in full display, and with a high degree of emotional involvement & musical impact. The way the musical content of the recordings that are the subject of this Today's Fresh Catch post are presented is pure artistry (harmony, melody, rhythm, tempo, beat, etc.), as are the presentation of the timbral textures and colors. I'm not sure who is doing the remastering for Speakers Corner Records, but wow(!), they sure are doing a fantastic job!

I'm having a really nice Saturday morning, drinking a cup of coffee and listening to Kenny Burrell's Guitar Forms and Mancini's The Pink Panther, which are just amazing me. A Saturday morning spent with a good Hi-Fi rig and some great LPs can be such a treasure!

Here's what the Acoustic Sounds web site says about Guitar Forms:

"Gil Evans produced excellent arrangements for various combinations of instruments during the course of his career as a musical arranger. Guitar Forms with Kenny Burrell as main soloist is a must-have for lovers of soft tones, finely chiselled compositions, guitar fans and friends of Latin Jazz. Just listen to how genially the drums and low-register horns are contrasted with one another, in "Lotus Land" for example, and how the number swings from beginning to end, and Spanish flair is generated. This title and "Greensleeves" are highly recommended to start off listening to this LP.

Also impressive is the line-up of first-class studio musicians who took part in this recording. Although Steve Lacy, Lee Konitz, Richie Kamuca and Jimmy Knepper do not participate as soloists before the microphone, together they produce a rich carpet of sound. Only Kenny Burrell is permitted to distinguish himself — also in three numbers with a small ensemble. When released back in 1965, this LP was not a big seller, probably due to the fact that jazz fans were oriented more towards free jazz. But retrospectively, Guitar Forms certainly earns to be put on a par with Gil Evans's collaborations with Miles Davis. Recording: December 1964 and April 1965 at Van Gelder Studios, Englewood Cliffs, N.J., by Rudy Van Gelder."

What more can you ask for? Great musicians, great jazz, a great recording by none other than Rudy Van Gelder, and an exquisite job of remastering by Speakers Corner Records - very highly recommended!

Here's the description of Henry Mancini's The Pink Panther from the Acoustic Sounds web site:

"Outstanding recording of an absolute classic. Terrific sound.

"Henry Mancini is one of the most talented fellows one could wish to meet. He has made quite a name for himself. That of Mancini, to be exact, and very famous in the bargain. But lest I be thought guilty of gross flattery, I feel I should point out that in private life he can be rather difficult. I once pointed this out to him and he kicked my shin. A lot of his music has been issued in the form of long-playing records. The great advantage of this is that you can sit and listen to Hank’s score without having to sit through the film. As yet, you cannot see the film without having to sit through the music. However, I understand that scientists are perfecting a device that may make this possible." — Peter Sellers, from the original album notes"

I really love the Pink Panther film series with Peter Sellers as Chief Inspector Clouseau - I've got them all on DVD. The music on the Pink Panther is fantastic too, thanks to Henry Mancini. As I was listening to the Speakers Corner Records version of the Pink Panther this morning I was thinking how lucky we all are to have access to these sorts of musical treasures on vinyl. This record is so good it just blows my mind. It also reminds me what a small world this is: my friend Jeff (another Jeff!) knew Blake Edwards because his girlfriend (now wife) was the personal assistant of Blake's wife, Julie Andrews, back when Jeff had just got out of college. Jeff was telling me a story about how he had gone over to pick up his girlfriend after work from Blake's and Julie's house, and he saw Blake's car in the driveway (if I remember the story correctly, a Bentley). Jeff was/is a car and motorcycle enthusiast and he couldn't help but lay down on the driveway to peer under the Bentley to check it out. Blake came walking down the driveway, saw Jeff's feet sticking out from under the Bentley, and said "Hey Jeff, you want to take it for a spin?". The stuff of dreams. Jeff said the Edwards were the nicest people you could imagine, being kind, personable, and approachable.

Many thanks to Peter, Blake, Julie, and Henry for all the beauty and fun they've brought to us all over the years through their abundant talents, and many thanks to Speakers Corner Records for these releases - don't miss them!