Review: Miles Jordan on Chico News and Review

Sophisticated Lady Yarlung Records

We are thrilled to have this new review on our album.

Review by Miles Jordan Chico News & Review

December 12, 2014

Sophisticated Lady is four guys—J.J. Kirkpatrick, trumpet/flugelhorn; Misha Bigos, piano; Gary Wicks, bass, and Andrew Boyle, drums—who met at USC during their graduate studies. Their CVs include work with Manhattan Transfer, Stevie Wonder, Chick Corea, Diana Krall and Plas Johnson, to name just a few. The music is rich and very fresh sounding, thanks to Yarlung Records, an audiophile label that chose to record the CD in a specially constructed concert hall at USC. They open with a lively rendition of Jerome Kern’s “I’m Old Fashioned,” which could also serve as Yarlung’s motto, as its use of an “analog recorder with tube circuitry” epitomizes its “minimalist approach” to this album. Two Duke Ellington numbers, “Isfahan” and “Sophisticated Lady,” get terrific treatments from Kirkpatrick and Bigos. The rhythm section performs flawlessly throughout, especially on the two trio selections. Eight of the 12 tunes are written by the group and their music is more cerebral than foot-patting, especially “Fields of Kurdistan,” a ruminative solo featuring the pianist, whose composition it is. A production mix-up resulted in Bigos’ “Ropes of Sand” (a peppy Latinate number with its composer moving into high gear) having its title switched with “Strange Fruit” (which gets a very strange interpretation).

Sophisticated Lady Jazz Quartet Album Cover

Bill Milkowski The Absolute Sound :: Sophisticated Lady Review

Bill Milkowski Review The Absolute Sound – Sophisticated Lady Review

Sophisticated Lady Jazz Quartet Album CoverSonics: 5 out of 5!

Sophisticated Lady Jazz Quartet.
Yarlung.

This band of young jazz musicians follows in the classy-cool tradition of Shorty Rogers & His Giants, a tasteful swinging late 50s-early 60s outfit led by a principal creator of the West Coast sound. Recorded in Cammilleri Hall in LA, this debut album sounds astoundingly good. Recorded live, it gives one the feeling of having a ringside seat at an intimate jazz club. It opens with a politely swinging rendition of Jerome Kern’s “I’m Old Fashioned” that’s underscored by drummer Andrew James Boyle’s deft brushwork at the intro. Every nuance of JJ Kirkpatrick’s bristling trumpet solo here can be readily felt while Boyle’s switch to sticks on the ride cymbal is like sparklers being set off in the dark. Boyle’s gentle ballad “Gone” is a lyrical highlight while the Ellington-Strayhorn song “Isfahan” is another showcase for Kirkpatrick’s bold tones and sly improvisations. Pianist Misha Bigos contributes the swinging “Finale” and delivers a dramatic solo piano piece, “Fields of Kurdistan,” while bassist Gary Wicks contributes the darkly beautiful “Night Night” and the somber “Weightless.” Kirkpatrick also turns in some bright trumpet work on a faithful rendition of Duke’s timeless “Sophisticated Lady.” A stellar first outing by a group that shows great promise. “

— Bill Milkowski
The Absolute Sound, December 2014