Flutology – First Date (Super Audio Compact Disc)

 

Music: B+     PCM CD: B+     DSD Stereo: A-     DSD Multi-Channel: N/A     Extras: C-

 

 

Hey, don’t mess with me…I play the flute!  Ok, so maybe that line might never be uttered from someone’s mouth.  It would seem in this post-American Pie age that flute jokes are all too common, but something like Flutology, quickly brings back dignity to an instrument that has always been an underdog.  When we think Jazz, we commonly think trumpet, sax, and drums.  Rarely do we think flute! 

 

Flutology First Date features some of the most prolific musicians in their film coming together to create a rare experience.  Frank Wess on c flute & bass flute, Holly Hofmann on c flute, Ali Ryerson playing c flute & alto flute, pianist Mike Wolford, bassist Peter Washington and drummer Ben Riley, complete the lineup of players for this selection. 

 

Track Listing (Total Time 52:23)

 

Be Bop

Ceora

Sumpn’ Went Wrong

Rainesville

This I Dig of You

Pretty Is

Equal Parts

A Child Is Born

Flutopia

 

There is a certain familiarity with these selections, although they are original, they seem to trace certain melodies and common themes that we have heard before.  However, taking it up a notch or so, they have incorporated different arrangements making this experience fuller, richer, and interesting.  There are very few opportunities in Jazz to be part of an ensemble of flute players for a project like this, so when these individuals had the chance they took it for all they could.  In return we are given a project that justly returns the flute to its placement in Jazz. 

 

Most of the selections seem improvised, which they apparently are not, with exception of A Child Is Born.  Someone once said that there is no such thing as a good Jazz recording because ‘true’ Jazz only exists for the moment that it takes place, therefore recording it would only be attempting to capture a moment, but it cannot happen.  Not only that, but also that Jazz must be improvised for it to be real, in the sense that each player is so in touch with the other that the music comes forth in an unexplainable way.  Whether or not this is the case, Jazz can be many things and certainly arrangements such as this bring to mind the erratic and spontaneous recordings of Jazz, certainly that of Sonny Rollins (see the review for his SACD on this site as well). 

 

Brought forth by Capri Records Ltd. this SACD enables us as a listener to get the fullest from this recording.  As a Hybrid SACD, Flutology works in both regular CD players and SACD players.  Although the results are quite different from the CD layer and the DSD layer.  While the CD layer is good, it is far from the richness, fullness, and overall splendor of its DSD Stereo partner. 

 

Jazz fans will be delighted to have something as a slight departure from the typical Jazz lineup with Flutology.  As an SACD, this format serves Jazz quite well enabling the music to have a very naturalistic, accurate, and defined sound that is all the more important with this genre.  Very seldom are we introduced to a project such as this, and even less are we given an opportunity to hear it like this, but thanks to this SACD from Capri Records Lts. we get both!

 

 

-   Nate Goss