Scott Hamilton - Ballads for Audiophiles (2017) [Hi-Res]

Tracklist
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01. Everything Happens to Me
02. All or Nothing at All
03. The Gypsy
04. Moon River
05. This Is All I Ask
06. Hey There
07. The Shadow of Your Smile
08. Baby All the Time
09. Se Todos Fossem Iguais a Voçê
10. Goodbye


Timeless Favorites! Pure ballad albums are not a rarity in jazz, but they are always a daring undertaking. So that such a record does not get boring, kitschy or banal, it needs already a skillful song selection, elaborate arrangements and above all first-class musicians. And all three conditions are met perfectly on this plate. The song selection ranges from Evergreens like Henry Mancini's "Moon River" through popular jazz standards such as "The Shadow Of Your Smile" or "All Or Nothing At All" to rarely heard numbers such as Richard Adler's "Hey There" or Billy Reids' The Gypsy ".

The arrangements for the classical jazz quartet were entirely in the know-how of the four musicians, and they are no strangers to Fone fans: Scott Hamilton (saxophone) was most enthusiastic about his albums "I Could Write A Book" and "Who Cares" ? "Together with pianist Andrea Pozza. On "Ballads For Audiophiles", Hamilton comes back with two colleagues, with whom he could be heard on "Bean And The Boys" at Fone: Paolo Birro on the piano and Alfred Kramer on drums. For delicate jazz ballads however a warm and elegantly played double bass is indispensable, and therefore on this album a fourth man is added: bassist Aldo Zunino. Together, the quartet has an impressive stylistic range: Hamilton and Zunino have the gentle swing in the blood, Paolo Birro is just as virtuosic as the keys on the keys thanks to his classical training, and drummer Alfred Kramer, who has a long career in Enzo Pietropaoli's exerimable space Jazz trio, with subtle grooves, the pieces skilfully contrast each other - from free-flowing ambience to seductively slow Latin beats, everything is here.

The place where this record was created has now also proved to be very successful at Fone: The ancient vault of the old hotel "Il Castello" in Florence. With the exception of Aldo Zunino, all the musicians of this recording had already appeared several times in these rooms in front of the microphone (in particular, of course, Alfred Kramer, the hotel), and Giulio Cesare Ricci, who conducted the recording as usual himself, now knows the acoustics of the old walls Already very accurate. It is also the fact that "Ballads For Audiophiles" has a wonderfully relaxed and family atmosphere, in which the music can unfold unimpeded, captured by Signore Ricci on a purely analog signal path in absolutely first-class sound quality. Especially the enormously detailed saxophone sound and the wonderfully warm double bass make this album a real audiophile treat. As always with Fone limited to 496 pieces - so strike fast!

Saxophonist Scott Hamiton, pianist Paolo Birro, bassist Aldo Zunino and Alfred Kramer, drums, combine on an audiophile ballads program that includes such timeless favorites as "Moon River," "The Shadow Of Your Smile," "The Gypsy" and more.

Scott Hamilton, saxophone
Paolo Birro, piano
Aldo Zunino, double bass
Alfred Kramer, drums

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