Specs & Pricing

Music
Jazz
harmonics that add luster to the Beatles’
“Julia.” Stick around for another decade to
see what the future holds.
Sonically, Out Louder is a mixed bag.
The bottom end can be a tad muddy,
especially when the bass steps into a
prominent role in the mix, as on “In
Case the World Changes Its Mind.” But
these recordings also display striking
detail; check out the melodic bass
line on “Tequila and Chocolate” or
Medeski’s crisp organ solo on “Tootie
Ma is a Big Fine Thing.” You’ll simply
need to find a happy medium on your
subwoofer or baton down the hatches.
Greg Cahill
Further Listening: John
Scofield: A Go Go; Medeski,
Martin and Wood: Note Bleu:
The Best of the Blue Note Years,
1998-2005
Music Editor bob
gendron’s system
BAT VK-300x integrated
amplifier; Gallo Nucleus
Reference3 loudspeakers; Rotel
RSX-1065 receiver; Sony SCD-
CE775 SACD player; Panasonic
DVD-RP91 DVD-A player;
Clearaudio Champion turntable;
Clearaudio Virtuoso Wood
cartridge; Bright Star Audio
IsoRock GR3 speaker supports;
Synergistic Research, MIT,
Monster Cable, and Audioquest
cables and interconnects;
SolidSteel 5.5 rack
SACD
Anthony Wilson Nonet:
Power of Nine.
Joe Harley, producer. Hybrid stereo.
Groove Note 1035 (SACD and two-45rpm
LPs).
After two albums in a trio setting, composer,
arranger, and guitarist Anthony Wilson returns on
Power of Nine to the large-ensemble format for which
he became known on his 1997 eponymous debut.
As the son of legendary Los Angeles bandleader
Gerald Wilson, you might expect that bop-based
jazz and richly-textured charts run in his blood. And
you’d be right.
Wilson, who also commands a clean, Wes
Montgomery-influenced guitar style, is tasteful and
innovative in his approach to material that ranges
from the swing of Duke Pearson’s “Make it Good”
to the ballad “I and Though,” one of two tracks
from Wilson’s four-song Tokyo Wednesday suite (the other is the exhilarating “Melatonin
Dream”). Diana Krall lends a breathy vocal to Cheryl Ernst/Jimmy Rowles’ ”Looking
Back,” a wistful remembrance of childhood. It’s a prime example of Wilson’s knack for
writing charts that embrace a melody, and allowing it to breathe on a bed of harmonic
color.
Such arranging abilities come to fore on the four-song “Quadra” suite, which forms
the heart of this release’s largely laidback Sunday-afternoon mood. Each piece is designed
to stand on its own, though each is linked to the others through metric modulations,
harmonic inventions of Ivan Lins, and melodic themes inspired by Brazilian New Year
holiday traditions. The pieces also serve as a chance for the eight musical guests to step
out and solo.
Power of Nine packs plenty of audiophile credentials. Started by Classic Records cofounder
Ying Tan, Groove Note was one of a handful of labels to participate in Sony’s
early SACD pilot program. For a nonet, it’s amazing how well the instruments lay out
on the soundstage, uncluttered but vibrant, with the intimacy of a house concert. The
bell-like tone of Gilbert Castellanos’ trumpet, the punch of Darek “Oles” Oleszkiewski’s
bass, and the sparkle of drummer Mark Ferber’s ride cymbal all are there. Power of Nine
also is available as a deluxe, 180-gram, 45rpm double-LP set that further opens the
soundstage and showcases the players with an even greater clarity. GC
Further Listening: Anthony Wilson Trio: Savity; Various: True Audiophile:
The Best of Groove Note
134 December 2006 The Absolute Sound