Tag: Strange Fruit

Audiophile Audition Review

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Sophisticated Lady – Jazz Quartet  – Yarlung Records

Sophisticated Lady Jazz Quartet Album CoverSophisticated Lady is thrilled to have a new review which you can find on Audiophile Audition.

A big Shout Out to Yarlung Records for the outstanding production quality of our album.

“A rare combination of expert jazz and modern recording technology.”

Published on December 9, 2014

Quote from Audiophile Audition Review:

Review from Robbie Gerson

“There are several original numbers that are captivating. Drummer Andrew Boyle contributes two songs. “Green Eyed Monster” is harmonic and filled with trumpet/piano counterpoint. “Gone” is a hushed ballad, nudged along with Boyle’s gentle brush strokes. Pianist Adair contributes three unusually complex tunes. “Ropes Of Sand” has a haunting quality and seems to capture the group at its most creative. “Finale” has that crisp, swinging quality of a Brubeck jam with well-time bold strokes. “Fields Of Kurdistan” demonstrates the nuanced flow of a classical piece of music, but with some bluesy flair. All three maintain their freshness after subsequent plays. Bassist Wicks creates a meditative lullaby on “Night Night”, while “Weightless” emphasizes early Miles Davis chord structures (as stated in the incisive liner notes).”

Read the full review at Audophile Audition.

Review: Miles Jordan on Chico News and Review

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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

Dave Sumner Wondering Sound Review – Sophisticated Lady

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Sophisticated Lady Jazz Quartet Album Cover“Sophisticated Lady Jazz Quartet, Sophisticated Lady: Nice debut from a young quartet that clearly burns for a traditional jazz sounds, and covers of songs like “Strange Fruit,” “I’m Sentimental,” and a couple by Ellington speak to passion, both in song selection in the way the quartet chooses to express it. What kicks the session up a notch is that when they throw in an original constructed more like something of the present day, it doesn’t sound that far removed from the traditional material as to shatter the album’s cohesion. The way a song like “Ropes of Sand” fits neatly into the stream of songs is the best proof of this. The quartet is trumpeter JJ Kirkpatrick, pianist Misha Bigos, bassist Gary Wicks, and drummer Andrew Boyle. A good one for old-school fans who like a little bit of a modern flair from time to time.”

— Dave Sumner, Wondering Sound: “New Jazz This Week: Ryan Keberle, Mario Castro, Ananda Gari“