The Heath Brothers Paris 76 180g LP

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Michael Fremer Rated 9/10 Music, 8/10 Sound!

Sam Records is proud to present a live recording The Heath Brothers gave in Paris at Studio 104, Maison de la Radio, on April 16, 1976. In addition to a superb version of "One for Juan," the band perform two tracks from the Marchin' On! album, "Watergate Blues" and a wonderful version of "Smilin' Billy."

"That was the first Heath Brothers album. Stanley Cowell had started the Strata-East label with Charles Tolliver, and they engaged us to do a record. It was a family affair, and we adopted Stanley because we thought he was amazing. That was a different type of record for us. We recorded it while we were on tour in Oslo, Norway. We used to get on the train and travel around Europe, and we'd be playing in these cabins on the train. Percy played a bass with a cello body that Ray Brown created, Tootie and I played flutes, and Stanley played a chromatic African thumb piano. People would stop and listen to us on these trains going from one country to the next, and it was something that they liked. It was like a chamber-music group. So we decided to include that sound on the record". — Jimmy Heath, I Walked With Giants: The Autobiography of Jimmy Heath

The sound is seriously fine with the instruments all well-recorded and closely mic'd and mixed in wide-soundstage stereo. The high resolution digital transfer and restoration leaves nothing on the table in terms of spaciousness, overall transparency, instrumental three-dimensionality and macro dynamic slam—Albert's drum kit on the right channel discharges powerful sonic spasms and the reedy quality of Jimmy's soprano sax is on full textural display. Cowell's mbira is particularly well reproduced, especially the transient metallic 'pluck' surrounded by lots of air... You won't regret picking one up for both the musical and sonic pleasure. And the packaging as well.