Search - John Basile :: Desmond Project

Music poetry

grok_ | San Diego, CA United States | 04/30/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"The Desmond Project is music poetry. This is lighter jazz, reminiscent of Vince Guaraldi, Diana Krall, and, Dave Brubeck. The selections are melodic. The quartet is composed of inventive and accomplished musicians who refreshingly do not feel the need to impress us with meandering and persistent solos. You will not find incendiary chops and riffs here. This is more contemplative. This digital recording is extremely clean and sharp. By employing single-point miking, the stereo imaging is pinpoint. The dynamics are exceptional (and even more so on the DVD-audio release of this material). Actually, this CD makes an excellent disk to demonstrate audiophile components. The music content is so good and so well played, you can listen critically or just enjoy the tuneful selections. So, turn up the stereo, sit back and enjoy. Most highly recommended."

Audiophile and jazz lovers treat

Mick Addis | Melbourne, Australia | 08/10/2001

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This recent release from Chesky is an absolute treat for audiophile and for jazz lovers. The Desmond project is a tribute to Paul Desmond, once a member of Dave Brubeck's group, but this album is modelled on Desmond's recorings with guitarist Jim Hall. The style is very laid back - you won't find any high energy tracks on this CD, but you will discover beautifully constructed jazz played by good players, even though they are not big names. Chesky specialise in audiophile recordings, and I own a lot of CDs from this label. This one has the best sound quality of all the Chesky albums that I have and therefore of all my CDs. It is way above the quality that you'll find on most recordings. On a hi-fi system which reproduces the soundstage well, like mine does, the realism is quite startling. Chesky have used a single microphone with the players grouped around it, and that's what it sounds like - almost a live jazz group in you lounge room. I've listed to this album to death and I still love it, which says something about the quality of the music as well as the sound."