Ira B Liss – Big Band Jazz Machine – MAZEL TOV KOCKTAIL – CD Review
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Plastic – CD
Surface noise: N/A
Dynamic Range: 5-
Stereo Imaging: 5-
Image depth/perspective: 4+
Overall frequency response: 5-
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Track List:
- Gimme That
- High Wire
- Keys To The City
- Love You Madly
- Bass: The Final frontier
- You’d Better Love Me While You May
- Hazel Tov Kocktail
- I Wish You Love
- Spring Time
- Joy Spring
- West Wings
- Where Or When
Instrumental Line Up:
Everything, and almost the kitchen sink! Reeds, Trumpets, Trombones, Flute, Drums, Percussion, Electric Bass, Acoustic Bass, Guitar, Piano, Accordion, Vibraphone and of course vocals.
This album was recorded by Ben Moore and Robert Cartwright at Singing Serpent Studios, San Diego, CA. It was mixed by Robert Cartwright and Ira B. Liss at Perfect Wave Digital, San Diego, CA and mastered by Robert Vosgien at Capitol Studios, Hollywood, CA. The album was released on January 15th, 2021.
The Big Band Machine is a eighteen piece Jazz ensemble under the direction of Ira B. Liss, which he started in 1979. It is well known in Southern California for its fun and engaging performances. This recording is a collection of swinging, rollicking new and standard big band numbers containing several new compositions and arrangements. This is the bands 6th CD album release.
I really enjoyed this album, its full of terrifically tight musicianship and some great breaks, solos and vocals. There isn’t a bad track, with all the instruments sounding open and natural plus a great kit and bass sound. There is often a lot going on in these tracks, but despite this the image remained quite open and clean just lacking a little in physical separation and image depth information, but having a solid and stable stereo image. The instrumental spread being placed between my speakers with no instruments coming directly from either speaker. There was some none invasive light hiss and on T4 you clearly heard 120Hz hum as it opens up.
The stereo lineup is quite well spread across the generally clean stereo image, remaining fairly consistent between tracks, and there is little height information except for the kit. This is not uncommon for many studio recordings.
There were really only two issues; the first being that the snare and hi-hat imaging moved several times from right of center to left of center and I was rarely ever aware of the electric guitar except for its solo on T9, despite the sleeve notes saying that it is on every track. All I can say is that either I am going deaf or it is well down in the mix.
Most solos appear front-center. The exceptions are the sax and guitar solos on T9 that appear front mid L>C and mid C>R, and the trombone solo on T6 that was C>R.
The kit provided a great image with a detailed and punchy dynamic sound. The cymbals and hi-hat were bright and detailed showing no signs of hardness even at elevated levels. The snare had a short, solid well damped ring with clean brush work on T10 and some impactful rim shots. The toms were similarly well damped showing their punch on several tracks like T1 and T6. The ever present kick drum had a deep solid punch and slam with just a little beater noise audible during some breaks together with a nice acoustic decay. The kit is a very vibrant and an integral part of virtually every track so it doesn’t really get it’s own solo but there are several good breaks on T1. Additional percussion to include chimes and shaker appeared right of center having a clean, bright and detailed sound.
The acoustic and electric basses created a deep, tight, rolling tone that was well integrated with the kick drum. Generally the bass line is quite forward on many of the tracks creating a clean strong image that can dig quite deep but with good detail and no colorations. The electric bass solo on T5 is outstanding providing tight, edgy and deep rolling tones.
The woodwind section; trumpets(4), trombones(4) and one flute, spread across the entire image, being weighted slightly to the LHS. Trumpets provided a crisp, bright and relaxed natural sound while trombones created a warm mellow tone, all without any harshness or undue hard edges. With the mutes providing a clean detailed zing. The flute being mellow and airy with no wind noise. Solos of note would include T3, T4, T6, T9 and T10.
The reeds section; soprano, alto and tenor saxophones plus one clarinet, all sounded natural and open with no annoying over-bright or hard edges or signs of being strident. A couple of the sax solos having almost enough presence to “appear” in my room. There are many sax solos so take your pick, with a trombone solo on T6 and clarinet solo on T7.
The piano showed good attack and a clean, bright and mellow tone. It appears to be an electronic keyboard so no key or damper action was apparent. If it was electronic it provided a surprisingly wide image, front L>C. Solos of note would include T3 and T11.
I was surprised to hear the vibraphone that appears on T9, T11 and T12. It appears in two locations well left of center and for solos front-center. It had quite a wide image with a warm, solid, and mellow tone, having a pleasing decay.
To be honest I was never aware of the guitar parts that were supposed to be on every track. However, the electric guitar solo on T9 sat front midway C>R providing a mellow and warm bright tone with little finger or fret noise.
Last, but far from least, are the excellent vocals and vocal improvisation (scat). Standing right out front-center of the mix there were few restrictions to the dynamics of either singers range. Both vocalists are very natural, having excellent annunciation, with no noticeable emphasis to any part of the vocal range, creating a rich, mellow and warm tone, the close miking rarely accentuating any sibilance. Both Janet’s and Carly’s vocal presence was sufficient for them to make an “appearance” in my room.
All instruments were ‘wrapped’, with what I assume to be, synthetic reverb that showed a notable decay time and moderate level, not interfering with or coloring the musical performance, but managing to add warmth and openness to it.
I did find the mid-range, on occasions, just a little “thin” but overall the recording lacked very little. With, a little more depth perspective and a sightly fuller mid-range it would have pushed it to an overall 5 rating.
I thoroughly enjoyed this mix and performance listening to it several times, turning my level up a fair amount before finalizing my review. Even at this considerably higher level the mix didn’t become strident or harsh.
I would have really liked to hear this band recorded directly to vinyl or at least mastered and pressed on audiophile vinyl by some of the legendary masters. I am sure it would have sounded outstanding.
Each track had a little extra something to give the listener, be it an instrumental break, solo or a new take on an old number. With the vocals rounding out the entire performance. I am sure that many big band jazz fans and all of the Ira B. Liss Big Band Jazz Machine fan club will thoroughly enjoy this album. Recomended.
Playback note: Reviewed using my Denon DBP A100 over Denon Link 3. Speakers; a stereo pair of Genelec 1038’s and four SVS subs.
Disclosure: This CD was provided by Mouthpiece Music for my review. No financial compensation was provided.
Purchase the CD or digital download from Ira direct, Amazon, or Bandcamp.
See my other Mouthpiece Music reviews.
