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Jason Moran - Bandwagon


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I really love this CD as well. The sound-quality might not be as perfect as a studio recording, but the performance is amazing.

I've heard a couple others complain about the sound, but frankly - I really don't think it's nearly as bad as some people make it out to be. (I wouldn't call it the best sounding modern CD recording I've ever heard, but it's no worse than average.)

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I have to admit, it is surprising at first listen. A live Vanguard recording should sound more "live," no? The other element that took some getting used to was the acoustic bass guitar. I have come to the conclusion that I would much rather hear Mateen playing an upright. The upper registers on the guitar instrument have much less presence than the lower octaves, which is a shame considering the amount of time he spends in the upper octaves.

I am personally amazed by this trio. I have yet to see them live, and look forward to doing so. Although I do not own Modernistic, I am a fan based on the high standard that Moran has set, releasing consecutive high quality albums that chart a growth and a cooperative progress.

For more insight on his compositional methods, click here.

To listen to Jason Moran in an interview, explaining the linguistic pieces, click here.

To answer Joe's question, these are not overdubs. The vocal parts are pre-recorded however. As I understand it, these are commissioned pieces. I forget where I read this. The guy is definitely not your run of the mill pianist. I think Joe does a great job of describing what makes Jason Moran, and I infer this, potentially great. I also sense a certain lack of excitement from his write-up on Bagatellen.

I could be wrong Evan, but I think you may change your mind on this recording. You'll just have to adjust the volume!

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FWIW, I like both Moran and THE BANDWAGON a lot. And I think he is a great example of a truly important young "jazz" artist. That is, he is doing vital, enjoyable, potentially important and even innovatory work without abandoning his roots. To me, musicians like this are in sadly short supply these days.

That said, THE BANDWAGON sounds little better than a bootleg in terms of recording quality.

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well, glad to see i'm not the only one who complained about the sound quality. since the lovano cd was at the vangard also, and also has lousy sound, is it possible that the lousy quality has something to do with the venue?

Im sure i read in a review of this

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that only 1 of the vans/lorries used for recording was allowed outside the club for security reasons , but it was recorded 10 days after 9/11.

I'll see if i can dig out the review this evening.

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I saw Bandwagon play three sets at the VV last month, and they sounded great, both in a musical and accoustic sense. (The pre-recorded parts were played off of a mindisc recorder.) The VV is the best place on earth to listen to small group jazz, so I imagine any deficiencies are the recording engineer's.

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I was at the VV the week the cd was recorded. The music is great.

But, I agree that the poor recording quality is simply inexcusable. Live recordings have been made at the VV since the Colossus in '57. Recording technology has improved since then, but you would not know it from this cd. I was very disappointed, especially with the prices that are being charged for jazz cds these days ($18.99 + tax).

What is even more confounding is that Joe Lovano's live VV cd suffers from the same poor recording quality. I love the music, but the shitty sound quality does f it up. It should not have been released in this fashion. It does a diservice to the good music, and I haven't listened to it much due to the f'ed up sound quality. There is no good reason for a recording to sound like that in the 21st Century.

Don't make excuses for this type of bullshit (Moran or not)!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :angry:

Edited by sonnyhill
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I have to agree...particularly when these recordings were MADE to be released (e.g. this isn't just some fan putting it down for posterity or for a boot). What the hell do the record companies DO exactly with the money they make? Certainly they're not pouring it into decent live recording rigs...

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I agree that this is a poorly recorded live session. But after seeing Moran play at the Kennedy Center in October, I realise that it is in part due to the way the trio is playing. The piano is not in the foreground at all, rather, it is on the same level as the bass and drums. Often the other instruments will dominate a tune, with the piano in the background, other times not. I find it very challenging.

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Both Moran's "Bandwagon" and Lovano's "On This Day" were engineered by Kurt Lundvall, none other than the son of Blue Note President Bruce Lundvall. I have a feeling that anyone else would have been canned had they engineered two live discs (by high profile talent, to boot) that sounded this crappy. I listened to "Bandwagon" on headphones recently, and I found that it improved the listening experience. I picked up a lot more than I had on open speakers.

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I listened to "Bandwagon" on headphones recently, and I found that it improved the listening experience. I picked up a lot more than I had on open speakers.

Perhaps he monitored on headphones only, and since all models sound different, it may have sounded fine on his, but not on others or speakers.

If so, a newbie's error .....

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I listened to "Bandwagon" on headphones recently, and I found that it improved the listening experience.  I picked up a lot more than I had on open speakers.

Perhaps he monitored on headphones only, and since all models sound different, it may have sounded fine on his, but not on others or speakers.

If so, a newbie's error .....

Very possible.

BTW, Lovano defended Lundvall in a recent letter to (I think) Downbeat. He said that he wouldn't have released something he felt was inferior.

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