Customer Reviews

Scott Hamilton With Strings (Hybr)

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

The music is pleasant but the mood is ruined by the overly close miking of the saxophone.
The volume of the breathy sax is fine but the breathing and spit rattling around as Scott blows into the thing is often louder than the sound of the music coming out of it. It sounds as if a speaker is blown or one of the amplifier channels is breaking up. I wondered why they didn't just delete his playing (which was quite fine) and re-record his sax all over again. The liner notes indicate that it was recorded live in a studio with the string section, so I guess it was all or nothing. Considering the usual quality of this label I'm surprised they would have bothered to remix this for multi-channel and release it because, you can doubt me and buy this, but when you listen to it if you have a half-decent surround set-up and aren't going deaf, the rattling spit coming out of this guy's sax will really irritate you and blow the mood... cause it ain't relaxing! The surrounds are used mostly for ambience and are not strikingly obvious. This release was originally recorded for and released in stereo and it shows. Too bad really because the music was beautiful... but that sax man, that rattly phlegmmy sax... not pretty, not pretty at all.

Not having heard of Scott Hamilton, I decided to take a chance on this SACD because of the low price of the used copy. Boy, was I ever glad I did! I ABSOLUTELY LOVE this recording!! No, it is not pure jazz but it, nevertheless, is terrific music - particularly of you enjoy the saxophone. This is one of those recordings that you want to put on, just lie back, and mellow out. If you like Diana Krall's, David Sanborn's and Charlie Parker's releases with strings, the odds are that you will like this endeavor as well. The SACD is worth buying at the regular price and at the low price offered by a couple of sellers, it is a vertible steal!