TAS Super LP List! Special Merit: Informal
180g Audiophile Direct to Disc LP!
TAS Rated 4/5 Music, 4.5/5 Sonics in the July/August 2020 Issue of The Absolute Sound!
Chasing the Dragon have become known as one of the leading producers of audiophile recordings. A Day In The Life was rehearsed, recorded and cut live to vinyl, all in one day!
"We specialize in producing 'Direct Cut' recordings. This is where we pass the stereo signal from the Neve desk at Air Studios, up 2 floors to the record lathe in the mastering suite above. Once we begin to cut the lacquer there is no going back! We can not stop and edit, if there are any mistakes. This means, we have to choose our musicians who can not only get through each side non stop, but also who can give a fantastic performance.
For some years, we have wanted to record a jazz group. I cannot believe that the superb jazz trumpeter Quentin Collins only lived a short distance away from the studios. My mastering engineer John Webber said "you have to meet him!" Well, this is the amazing result. Quentin, Gary, Jason, Joe and Miles you are the best! What an album!" - Mike & Francoise Valentine
...no question that Mike Valentine really knows what he's doing as he pursues an 'everything matters' philosophy that has consistently produced recordings that will impress the most demanding audiophiles. Listening to ''Paxos/ Antipaxos'' once again as I write this, I ask myself the question Mike and Françoise asked countless times at the July 2019 AIR sessions. ''Happy?'' You bet I am!
"Chasing the Dragon's first jazz release aimed high: As the album cover states, the album features an all-star quintet... Knowing their mistakes will be etched into wax can hold musicians back on direct-cut recordings, but these veterans play with finesse and panache. Collins has a warm tone that's perfectly suited for the poignant "Left Unsaid" and the dreamy "Oliliqui Valley". I can understand why Andrew Quint, who attended this and another Chasing the Dragon recording session and described that experience in Issue 300, saved his highest praise for "Paxos/Antipaxos," with its catchy melody, infectious groove, and inspired soloing. Well-recorded small-group jazz has a rich tradition, and A Day In the Life, which boasts realistic and detailed sound with plenty of air, adds another gem to that lineage." - Jeff Wilson, The Absolute Sound, July/August 2020
Features
- 180g Vinyl
- Directly cut to vinyl
- Produced by Mike & Francoise Valentine
- Gatefold jacket
- Import
Musicians
| Quentin Collins | trmpet, flugelhorn |
|---|---|
| Gary Husband | drums |
| Jason Rebello | piano |
| Joe Sanders | double bass |
| Miles Bould | percussion |
Selections
- Angola
- Left Unsaid
- Paxos / Antipaxos
- Oliliqui Valley
- Modus Operandi
- Cashed-Up Bogan
