Audiophile L.A. FOUR Going Home - East Wind LP EW-10004

$

43

benjamin.ong Store

 

ARTISTE                    : L.A. FOUR

ALBUM TITLE            : GOING HOME

LABEL                       :  EAST WIND – EW-10004

FORMAT                    : VINYL LP – MADE IN JAPAN

RECORD CONDITION : NM

COVER CONDITION   : NM

Musicians:

Bud Shank - Alto Saxophone, Flute

Laurindo Almeida - Guitar

Ray Brown - Bass

Shelly Manne - Drums

Direct cutting audiophile album. A must-have for every jazz lover. Very popular in this category.

To date, Ray Brown is one’s favourite jazz bassist, since my discovery of him in the genre.  His tone, attack and timing are, for me, impeccable.  He has a way of being able to play a lot of notes, but not sound decadent or excessive, and each note played simply belongs.  He is capable of beautifully intricate lines, while avoiding overtly flashy playing.  Most importantly, he knows when to remain in the background, and let others have their moment to shine.

What makes Going Home so much different than the other Brown material I’ve personally heard is the meshing between his bass and the drums, and the flute material from Bud Shank.  When all three combine, it makes a visceral yet graceful, palpable snappy sound.  Shank’s sax material, by itself, is even stronger than his flute variety.  As a whole, I feel as though everything has been tightened up somewhat, and is best illustrated within the flute passages.  Ray is still able to play in his loose style, but the overall effect is a tight, staccato sound for much of the record.  Factor in the quick Spanish guitar backing chords, and Almeida’s technique of strumming that somehow is quick and decisive, but gives all the notes room to breathe and have their own individuality, and we have quite the interesting jazz record.

Calling it a jazz record may be putting too fine a point on it though.  Almeida is more of a classical player, so there really isn’t any straight-ahead jazz.  A longer, verse-based record is the result, from what I can tell.  There are no long stretches of avant-garde solos; they are shorter and end up being more intertwined with whatever verse or section of the song they originate from.  In short, everyone is kept in check, and bound by the song structure, as opposed to being free to roam about and see where things go.  Luckily, there is no shortage of straight-ahead or free jazz discs out there, so this change ultimately makes for a more interesting counterpoint in Ray’s discography.

The short intro of “Softly, As In A Morning Sunrise” would be an exception to that rule, with the exclusion of bass and guitar.  Flute accompanies drums for a stout, kicky little segment, until eventually everyone else joining in.  Its also one area of the album where I feel the full potential is never realized.  The classical and jazz differences don’t usually bring anything down, but Almedia’s playing here seems uninspired in a few places.  He echoes Ray Brown, which seems a bit redundant.  The track does have a bit of an open, airy feel to it (as does much of the record overall), so he probably wanted to avoid bogging it down further, and let the flute remain the dominant instrument, but providing a counterpoint to Ray’s playing throughout would have been a better choice.  He does so in a few places with chord work, but not the individual note material.  Its not wrong per se, it just seems a tad obvious.  That said, if this is the biggest point of contention for me, than I’d feel comfortable saying its still an outstanding album.  Almeda’s strumming chord work playing off the bass and drums goes a long way to blur the line between tight, regimented playing, and maintaining a loose pocket.  This is where the classical and jazz best meet.  The chords are still classically executed, but its when he plays them that makes all the difference.  This interplay is strongest on “Recipe of Love.”

Shelly Manne’s drums are probably most responsible for the album’s snappy sound characteristics.  He attacks very confidently, yet uses a soft touch which often reminds me of Joe Morello’s work with Dave Brubeck.  This similarity is particularly strong in the snare work.  Its nuances like these that allow Bud Shank’s flute to make such a large impact, achieving that airy sound mentioned earlier.  There’s just enough bite in the cymbals to give everything a sharp edge, without becoming overly brittle or harsh.

Its worth noting that the sixth track, “Romance de Armor” is a solo guitar piece.  It is an exquisite one at that.  The second half of the album is where much of the pyrotechnics kick in, and that track could be thought of as a sort of bookend to it all.

Tracklisting:

Side A :

1. Going Home

2. Softly As In A Morning Sunrise

3. Greensleeves

Side B :

1. Things Ain’t What They Used To Be

2. Recipe Of Love

3. Romance De Amor

4. Django

SHIPPING RATES via Registered Airmail Parcel for 500gms packed weight:

Hong Kong = US$10.00
Japan = US$14.00
Thailand = US$7.50
Indonesia = US$10.00
Philippines = US$8.00
Taiwan = US$10.00
China = US$12.00
South Korea = US$12.00
Rest of Asia = US$12.00
United Kingdom = US$15.00
Germany = US$15.00
France = US$15.00
Italy = US$17.00
Spain = US$13.00
Rest of Europe = US$16.00
Russia = US$22.00
USA = US$15.00
Canada = US$15.00
Africa = US$20.00
South America = US$24.00

Shipping rates quoted are only applicable for single LP with normal standard cover.
180gm/200gm pressings, gatefold covers, double LPs and boxed sets would attract a different rate, please enquire. 
Combined shipping for multiple items can be arranged.

SHIPPING POLICY:

We ship all international packages by unregistered standard airmail. It is the cheapest, safe, tried & tested method. We will be pleased to insure your package on request, however in an inevitable situation that the package does not arrive, we cannot be held accountable. We also ship using DHL with special rates cheaper than normal courier rates, please enquire.

We are only able to ship to Israel via trackable courier. If your destination address is Central Asia, Middle East, Africa, Mexico, South Pacific, Bermuda, Central America or South America, please enquire for shipping options and rates.

Quoted shipping above is best-effort estimate only. Feel free to enquire for closest quote. Any excess paid for shipping fee will be refunded.


BIDDING POLICY:

No restriction on bidding despite your feedback. We believe everyone deserves a chance.  However joybidders or non-paying bidders will be dealt with appropriately with a warning from eBay and a negative feedback.

We accept PayPal, international bank draft, international money order, bank transfers and COD self-pickup.

Please do not pay until you have received an invoice.

Note: This is an ACTUAL image of item being sold.

You buy LPs and not CDs, as LPs sound much superior. Love live analogue!!



THANKS FOR LOOKING and BID WITH CONFIDENCE !