Jazz at the Pawnshop

Imagine yourself wanting a good night out. You find yourself in an unfamiliar location, on cobblestone streets amid old buildings, in search of the ideal club to hang out in. Suddenly, you make a turn on a neon-lit side street, and chance upon a cozy nightspot. The ceiling is about four meters high, and a stage in the right hand corner is visible from the entrance. The place is so small that it can only accommodate a grand piano and a small band.

As you gingerly make your way inside, you’re overcome by the smell of cigarettes, pan-fried sausages and grilled beef. The smell of foamy beer morphs with the scent of sour wine and various perfumes steaming out of the bar’s regular habitués. Then you see familiar, welcoming faces, their raised goblets spewing tiny flickers of light.

For a few seconds, you’re overwhelmed by the thought that you may have been transported to Rick Blaine’s Café Americain, the fictional bar/cafe from the hit 1940s movie Casablanca. But as your eyes wander around the pub, you realize from the calendar posted on the right wall that this is December 6, 1976, and you are actually inside Stampen, a jazz club in Gamla Stan in Stockholm, Sweden. Lucky you! Because right then and there, Gert Palmerantz is getting his gear ready for a recording session which, unbeknownst to him, will become a cult recording among audiophiles and be regarded as the best jazz recording of all time. Stampen is a haven of Swedish jazz. Here, music thrives in an atmosphere filled with the taste and smell of malty, gritty beer. Here, music reigns amidst creative inspiration, medieval history and ancient resonance.

The club, which got its name from a pawnbroker’s shop that used to be on the same block, opened in 1968. The album, aptly named “Jazz at the Pawnshop” in its vinyl format, was one of the best-selling jazz albums of its time. To date, its musical artistry and sonic excellence remain deliciously sans rival.

Audiophiles from around the world must have owned one vinyl, and maybe even one CD, of this excellent album. But with the dawning of the direct stream recording (DSD) of the super audio CD (SACD) format, its recreation using the latest mastering technology of the extended resolution CD (XRCD), definition CD (HDCD) and 24/192 media streamers, “Jazz at the Pawnshop” has sprung out of its unparalleled musical magnificence.

Arne Domnerus (alto sax clarinet), Bengt Hallberg (piano), Lars Estrand (vibraphone) Georg Riedel (bass) and Egil Johansen (drums) combine their musical talents to bring us jazz classics such as Paul Desmond’s Take Five (Track 5, Vol. 2), Gershwin’s Lady Be Good (Track 1, Vol. 2), and Louis Armstrong’s Struttin’ With Some Barbecue (Track 5, Vol. 1).

Delicate music appearance and excellent details are reproduced with superior clarity. You can hear every slight chime of glassware and hum of conversation in the background, without losing the spectacle of the music.

As soon as I fired up “Jazz at the Pawnshop” on my audio system, a recreation of a conspicuous sound field with a good blend of body, imaging and detail engulfed my listening room. On Duke Ellington-Hodges’ Jeep’s Blues (Track 6 Vol. 1), the horns came alive, making me feel as though I was right there in Stampen enjoying every minute of it.

Some readers are asking me why I review mostly nostalgic music. It has definitely nothing to do with age. It’s simply because I define nostalgia not in the maudlin sense in which many people use the term. To serious musicians and to us, dedicated listeners, we love Ella Fitzgerald not because she represents a decade we may have belonged to. It is also not for the memories that Ella’s songs may evoke. We love her simply because she is an excellent singer, and one of the world’s best. We love old songs not because they are old but because they are good. They were made in an era when values were lofty, and brilliant thoughts and musical stimulation seemed boundless.

Play it again, Sam!

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For comments or questions, please e-mail me at audioglow@yahoo.com or at vphl@hotmail.com. You can also visit www.wiredstate.com for quick answers to your audio concerns.