I wrote enthusiastically about Just Listen Records a couple months ago (HERE). We were impressed by what this label was accomplishing, and we've been enjoying more of their deliciously well-recording acoustic music releases since then. They continue delivering innovative music from very talented artists, recorded in live single takes, with exceptionally natural, high resolution sound. (Oh, goodness, that's a mouthful in one sentence!) As the name of the label says, Just Listen!—you'll understand why we recommend recordings from these folks.
My point? If you enjoy acoustic contemporary jazz, world music, or folk music, you really should explore the Just Listen catalog of recordings. With this article, I'm back with three additional recordings to encourage your further explorations.
- Caravan II - Julian Schneemann & Friends
- Raís - Jean-Jacques Rojer, Kris Berry, Randal Corsen
- The Duke Book - Angelo Verploegen, Jasper van Hulten
Caravan II, Julian Schneemann & Friends, Just Listen Records. (2019 (DXD, DSD256) HERE
Caravan II features 11 compositions that travel through the worlds of classical, jazz, and folk music connecting from East to West. Together with the Syrian oud player Jawa Manla, violinist Emmy Storms, and percussionist Jeroen Batterink, pianist/composer Julian Schneemann sets out on a journey, ignoring borders altogether. On the way they have adopted into their group three expressive singers with roots in yet other countries. Madhu Lalbahadoersing has Indian-Surinamese roots, Shishani Vranckx Namibian and Wasim Arslan Syrian.
Julian Schneemann, Shishani Vranckx, Madhu Lalbahadoersing (left to right)
The diversity of countries, cultures, and musical traditions brought together for this recording weave and blend through the innovative compositions created by Julian Schneemann, who writes: "On the album, all three singers have their own song, but in later tracks they come together more and more. Lyrics were written by them, in Hindi, Oshiwambo and Arabic, and the collaboration inspired me to write music that I would never have written without their influence. For all of us, this was a unique and enriching experience and I think the album is at least a beautiful document of our quest together!"
Recorded live in front of an audience at MCO, Hilversum, the Netherlands, the album captures an energy one only hears in live performances. The album opens with the sly and evocative "Timor of Turkey," creating an immediate mental image and a smile on my face. Simple hand slaps and percussion establish the opening rhythm. Then suddenly a crash, and the other instruments begin joining in a swirl of dance with harmonies from the east, violin riffs reminiscent of Irish jigs and a fun good time by all. The next cut, "Nda Manguluka," initially takes me to vocal sounds of Ireland but quickly identifies as from another world entirely, yet eerily familiar to these Western ears.
Artists on Caravan II with Jonas Sacks (far left) and Jared Sacks (center left)
Such is the journey on which this album takes us. And your journey with this album will, I'm sure, be different than mine because it will pull upon your experiences and influences as you come to terms with the music Julian Schneemann has created, and as these performers interpret and deliver these compositions.
The recording allows us to clearly follow the differing musical lines and artists. Even in this live performance, Jared Sacks has managed to capture details and instrumental timbre perfectly for the attentive listener. The recording has immense dynamic range, from the soft subtle sounds of the oud, to the quietly sung vocal sections, to the crashing sound of 9' concert grand piano and percussion—so be careful with your volume control.
Very enjoyable and a refreshingly new listening journey!
Raís, Jean-Jacques Rojer, Kris Berry, Randal Corsen, Just Listen Records. (2020 (DXD, DSD256) HERE
This is a wonderfully engaging collection of music from the south Caribbean. It is performed by artists who all grew up with this music and the language in which these songs are sung. Jean-Jacques Rojer explains in the liner notes, "Curaçao is an island in the south Caribbean off the coast of Venezuela, where centuries of cohabitation between people from European, African, and Amerindian descent, albeit not in the nicest of ways, have created a rich mixture of people, language, and culture. And the language that evolved and is spoken here, Papiamentu, is an offspring of mostly Portuguese mixed with some Spanish, Dutch, African and Amerindian words. Just like with Portuguese, words in Papiamentu are very rhythmical and percussive in structure and they also blend well into one another, making it an excellent language to sing in."
Kris Berry's expressive and beautifully sung lyrics are accompanied by Jean-Jacques Rojer on guitar and Randal Corsen on piano. The harmonies and rhythms are clearly rooted in those of the Carribean and South America, but with a distinctly modern and contemporary flair. Influences have come from many sources, but the beautifully expressive Papiamentu brings a melodic expressive beauty that ties all together. Having worked in all types of other genres over the years, Jean-Jacques Rojer says "to do a repertoire of mostly songs in Papiamentu…, going-back-to-the-proverbial-root-of things was a very organic experience for all of us. Hence the title of the album, Raís, which is the Papiamentu word for root."
We are once again at the acoustically delightful MCO in Hilversum the Netherlands, but not a live performance. Still, as is usual for Just Listen's recordings, the music sounds like each track was taken as a single take without splicing in alternate takes. There is a delightful "wholeness" to the music presented. And the performers sound very much like they are standing the same stage together making music in a natural acoustic setting (as they are!), not a glass-booth studio on headphones.
Rojer writes: "Because of the way Jared Sacks records in DSD, the recording itself was a very interesting experience. Randal had to contain himself, sitting at a huge concert grand, while Kris and I had to push more for volume, all of us continuously listening very intently to each other as there were no monitors used during the sessions. We ended up with a very intimate recording. Jared had set us up in a very large hall in the MCO building in Hilversum and besides the occasional voice messages over a little speaker in a corner, he was very much absent. It therefore really felt like the three of us in a room making music together."
Yes! And the recording sounds like this—well done!
The Duke Book: The Music of Duke Ellington and Billy Strayhorn, Angelo Verploegen, Jasper van Hulten, Just Listen Records. (2019 (DXD, DSD256) HERE
When two very skilled artists come together to create a musical performance with music by Ellington and Strayhorn, one's hopes ride very high. Verploegan and Hulten do not disappoint. Can you imagine an hour's worth of music with just flugelhorn and drums? Well, when the performers are this good, all I have to say is, "Please give me more!"
In my first article about Just Listen Records (HERE), I highlighted another of Angelo Verploegen's albums with a different set of collaborators: The Sweetest Sound. With that earlier album, Verploegen's first outing with Just Listen, I was completely captivated by his musicianship and skills. Ann's comment was, "This is really excellent music, and Verploegen's playing is fantastic." We both looked forward to hearing more from him. And now we have more. And the more is great!
The album opens with the sparse but elegant Ellington tune "Blues in Blueprint." I was initially surprised to hear the Verploegen's flugelhorn play the opening notes, just a tick here, then a tick there. I was expecting Ellington's piano of course. But it works! And then the van Hulten comes in on drums, brushes, and a bit of cymbal, and the piece begins to flesh out. After another minute they'd hooked me.
By the time we get to "Caravan" I know I don't want this album to stop. "Satin Doll" comes with rounded mellow tones from Vanpluegen and energetic, inventive percussion from van Hulten. Good stuff.
And so the album continues through interesting new interpretations of mainstream, well known, tunes. "Take the A Train," "In a Sentimental Mood," "It Don't Mean a Thing"—they all simply work, even with just the two instruments of these two very creative artists. Closing the album with "Sophisticates Lady" just made me want to go back for more. So I did. Just played it all the way through from the beginning right then.
Verploegen provides a bit of spice in between some of the pieces with five "Interludes" of his own composition. Just 50-60 seconds or so each, they add a nice degree of variety to the album.
This album is a master class in control, technique, and innovative music making. Fifteen tracks: ten well-known pieces by Ellington and/or Strayhorn and five very short Interlude tracks by Verploegen. Simply delightful music-making.
Verploegen writes of this album, "The Duke Book is about melody and rhythm, about sound and time, about exploring the music of Duke Ellington and Billy Strayhorn in all kind of ways alongside exploring the sonorities of our instruments…
"Ellington set the standard for melody, form, rhythm in the jazz idiom. So when I was given the opportunity by label manager Jonas Sacks to make a new recording for Just Listen I grabbed it with both hands and invited Jasper van Hulten to join me on this musical journey. Somehow Jasper's musical intuition and incredible sensitivity fit my playing like a glove. His open mind, inventiveness and great dynamics make him a perfect match for this adventure."
And you know this is coming or I wouldn't be taking your time: Highly Recommended!
A note about the recording format and resolution for these recordings:
Each of these albums was recorded by Jared Sacks in DSD256 to separate microphone tracks. The tracks were then mixed and balanced in DXD to create a final DXD edit master using Merging Technologies' Pyramix Digital Audio Workstation. Minimal additional processing was applied other than balancing the tracks. Tom Caulfield, NativeDSD's mastering engineer, then uses Pyramix Album Publishing and Signalyst HQ Player Pro to produce first generation DSD deliverable bitrates from this DXD edit master. (See my interview with Tom HERE.) Jared tells me that all of his original DSD tracks are archived pending some day in the future when technology will have developed to the point that DSD can be mixed directly to create that final DSD edit master. That day is coming, he and Tom believe. I'm looking forward to it.
Photos courtesy of Just Listen Records
