Soular Energy: The Ray Brown Trio—Concord Jazz/Analogue Productions 45 RPM 2LP Reissue [2024]

This 2024 45 RPM double album from Analogue Productions was gifted to me by Jack Graham of Straight Talk with Jack Graham. He was very impressed with this new pressing of Ray Brown’s great 1984 album and wanted me to hear it and review it for Audiophilia.

I’ll try to do justice to your generous gift, Jack.

The original recording on Concord Jazz is from 1984. Brown enlisted Gene Harris on piano and Gerryck King on drums to fill out a trio. The trio is joined by two guests for the track “Mistreated But Undefeated Blues,” Red Holloway on tenor and Emily Remler on guitar. The guests make a solid contribution, but the spotlight is definitely on the trio. Interestingly, this track, a Ray Brown original, is the only chart worked out before the recording session.

The recording date was at Coast Recorders, San Francisco, California, in August 1984. The original was engineered by Phil Edwards. This overtly audiophile recording has had a bit of a rerelease/remaster history, including a Japanese pressing on King Record Co (1985) and a Stan Ricker cut released on Pure Audiophile Records in 2002. I’ve not heard them or the original remaster for this repress from 2013 by Kevin Gray, but all had audiophile street cred.

This 2024 release is the same Kevin Gray cut from 2013. It is spectacular, typical of Gray’s work. The records arrived directly from Analogue Productions. Both LPs were flat, silent with labels centered and spindle holes cut correctly. The cover art is a little dated, but the gatefold is by Stoughton Printing Old Style Tip-On. Production is first class.

Brown and Harris in 1988.

Track Listing

Side 1 1. “Exactly Like You” 2.” Cry Me A River”

Side 2 1. “Teach Me Tonight” 2. “Take The ‘A’ Train”

Side 3 1. “Mistreated But Undefeated Blues” 2. “That’s All”

Side 4 1. “Easy Does It” 2. “Sweet Georgia Brown”

From the opening notes of “Exactly Like You”, were are in for a set of straight ahead swinging jazz. Nothing groundbreaking, just tuneful heads, inventive forms and virtuosic playing. If you know Ray Brown’s work, you get exactly what you bargained for.

Other than the very pleasant listening, you are getting a crackerjack audiophile recording. As I wrote, I do not know the originals, but enough said that Kevin Gray captures the enormity of Ray Brown’s sound and his musical taste and invention.

The three (five) players get a wider stage than many Van Gelder productions and, my word, there is center fill. Piano is full across the center with Ray and drums also filling much of center stage. That’s not to say there’s no width. There is, it’s just that the picture is more complete and focussed than I’ve heard from a jazz release in a long time.

The drums are heard clearly, but to be honest, this is the Ray and Gene show. And what a timbral light show it is. Brown’s bass is huge, tuneful, deep, with a lot of “slappa da bass!”. Great technique and tone. Listen to the close of “Cry Me A River” to experience Brown’s glorious sound and exceptional, tasteful musicianship.

The liner notes state about the two guests on Brown’s original “Mistreated But Undefeated Blues”, “…trying to outdo each other’s fire breathing solos”. Hardly. They’re fine, no more.

But the surprise on this album is the playing of Gene Harris on piano. What a player. Reminiscent of Oscar, with a massive tone and chops to die for. He’s also, like the leader, so tasteful. Check out his pounding treble throughout played back perfectly on the 45 RPM pressing.

This is my first time listening to the album. It’s both a musical and audiophile gem. Very highly recommended.

The Ray Brown Trio — Soular Energy

Mastering by Kevin Gray at Cohearent Audio, cut at 45 RPM from the original master tape!

Double LP pressed on 180-gram vinyl at Quality Record Pressings!