Artist/Band Name : Susie Arioli Band
Album Title : Live at Montreal Internatinal Jazz Festival
Year of Recording : 2007
Genre : Acoustic Jazz, Gypsy Jazz, Swing
Language : English
Information about the artist/band/recording : The
Susie Arioli band is swing jazz band from Quebec, Canada. I first heard of them on
NPR a few years ago, and enjoyed their lively acoustic recordings with Susie Arioli on vocals and Jordan Officer on jazz guitar. I particularly like the guitar playing and the sound of the guitar, a good acoustic archtop jazz guitar sound similar to Tal Farlow/Johnny Smith played with a "Djangoesque" gypsy jazz accompaniment. This is a live recording from the Monreal Jazz Festival with an accompanying video of the
concert.
Your impressions : This is a live concert recording with a compilation of songs from a few of their albums, mostly traditional jazz tunes like Honeysuckle Rose, Pennies from Heaven and The way you look tonight, played with a lively swing feel. Some of the songs are a bit more bluesy in a Chuck Berry/Duane Eddy feel. The band is comprised of upright bass, drums (brushes), two guitarists (rhythm and soloist) and vocals. There is a lot of really great guitar soloing and the band swings hard, much to the audiences delight. The vocals are very warm and intimate. Being a live recording, there are some extraneous noises a few times like bottles clanking in the distance, but it didn't spoil the enjoyment IMO. Good foot tapping swing which guitar fans should love.
Best Track : Honeysuckle Rose, He's Funny that Way
Recording Quality : Decent quality. This is a live recording however, so be prepared for a few clanks and coughs. I would recommend their studio albums if you want the best quality, but live recordings have an energy of their own. The bass drum does sometimes hiss with the volume of the guitar amp causing it to resonate during some loud parts.
Similar albums/artists : From the same band, "Pennies from Heaven". Bireli Lagrene - Blue Eyes, Rosenborg Trio, Brian Setzer.
Which headphone/rig you think suits this album : Live acoustic recording with nice soundstage, I've enjoyed this with AD2000 and the HD650. The bass and vocals benefit more from the HD650.