The 14 Jazz Orchestra – Cartoon Bebop – 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:
- Cartoon Bebop
- Misturada
- Dayride
- I’m All Smiles
- Got A Match?
- Driftin’
- Wood Dance
- When I Look In Your Eyes
- Duende
- Infant Eyes
- A Day Tripper’s Blues Buffet
Instrumental Line Up:
- Everything but the kitchen sink! Reeds, Trumpets, Trombones, Drums, Percussion, Electric Bass, Acoustic Bass, Guitar, Piano and Keyboards.
This album was originally recorded, engineered and mixed by Mike Levine at Downtimes Studio, Miami, Fl. It was mastered by Paul Hoyle at Olde Bear Music Studios, Miami, Fl. The album was released on the Dabon Music label on January 15th, 2021.
The 14 Jazz Orchestra is a thirteen piece Jazz ensemble under the direction of Dan Bonsanti, with a basic instrumentation of 4 saxes/woodwinds, 2 trombones, 3 trumpets, guitar, bass, keyboard, and drums. The ensemble takes a contemporary approach to a wide assortment of Jazz Styles with this album providing a swinging mélange of straight-ahead, pop, and fusion compositions. This is their 3rd CD album release.
Neither studio named above appears to be listed on line. So after a little digging, I concluded that they are privately owned by the respective Mike Levine and Paul Hoyle. Even the Dabon Music label seems to be illusive appearing to belong to the orchestras director Dan Bonsanti. One point to be born in mind when listening to this album is that the final mix was assembled from material created at various home studios around North America. Read the production notes here.
This recording sounds very good, with all the instruments sounding open and natural with a great kit sound. Musicianship was very good providing a tight, enjoyable and really entertaining performance having no obvious bum or fluffed notes. There is often a lot going on in these tracks, and I found the instrumental separation a little lacking. The kit was clearly well set back and filled virtually the entire space between my speakers. The remaining instruments, and there are many, mostly filling one forward front plane between my speakers. This caused the instruments to “pile up” on each other and it felt as if the recording was done in a very small studio using panned stereo to position them. They still maintained a good open and clean sound, just lacking a little in physical separation and image depth information, but having a stable stereo image with many brass, reed and guitar solos being placed front-center. In fact almost every instrument got its turn at a break or solo.
There is no significant background mix noise or hum during the quiet sections or as tracks are faded up and down. The recordings overall dynamics being very good showing no obvious signs of compression.
The kit provided a great image with a detailed and dynamic sound. What I found confusing was that the snare drum moved around, being mainly just right of center but on occasions appearing panned over to the left speaker. This was especially noticeable on T2 with the detailed and clean brush work. The hi-hat also had a tendency to move to the left hand speaker. This may have been deliberate, a different drummer setup (there were 4), or a second percussionist. The kick drum was always solid, deep and well damped with just a little beater noise occasionally. Its tone integrated well, in particular, with the electric bass and you could clearly hear its reverb decay on several tracks. Snare and tom work was dynamic and impactful all with well damped and tight decays, the toms having a pleasant “ring” to them. Hi-hat and cymbals were all nicely detailed, bright and clean and showed no hard edges. Some great solos and breaks were to be heard throughout including T2, and particularly T5.
Both electric basses created a deep, tight, rolling tone that was well integrated with the kick drum. While the two double basses provided a clean and uncolored natural tone with no obvious finger noise. At no time was any bass instrument lost in the mix, being clearly heard helping drive the numbers along and on occasions coming well to the front of the mix. One notable bass solo would be T5.
The brass section; trumpets(3) and trombones(2), spread across the image, but being weighted to the RHS. 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. Solos of note would include T1, T2, T6 and T8.
The reeds section, of which there were many instruments, all sounded natural and open with no annoying over-bright or hard edges or signs of being strident. A couple of the sax’s, having almost enough presence to “appear” in my room with many great solos, almost one or more on every track. The piccolo and flute were very open, mellow and bright providing pleasing solos on T4 and T5.
The acoustic piano showed good attack and an uncolored, bright and mellow tone. No key or damper action was apparent. It provided a somewhat wider image than the electric piano that reminded me of a Fender Rhodes. Imaging tended to be right of center to left of center for the acoustic piano and center to right of center for the keyboards. There are several solos of note to include T2, T3, T4, T6, and T10.
To be honest I was never aware of the acoustic guitar but the electric guitar provided a mellow and warm bright tone with little finger or fret noise. Solos of note would be T3 and T10.
All instruments were ‘wrapped’, with what I assume to be, synthetic reverb that was of medium decay and level, not interfering with or coloring the musical performance, but managing to add warmth and openness to it. It was especially notable in creating a distant and open feel to the kit.
What this recording lacked, was very little, but a little more depth perspective and presence would have gone a long way to an overall 5 rating.
I thoroughly enjoyed this mix and performance listening to it a second time, turning my level up just a touch before finalizing my review. Even at this considerably higher level the mix didn’t become strident or harsh.
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. The numerous instrumental breaks and solos giving the listener time to get to ‘know’ the instruments. I am sure that many contemporary jazz fans and all of The 14’s fans 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.
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