Got my copy of Sidewinder a few hours ago and I'm having a tough time turning off my rig long enough to get my chores done.
Talk about analog sweetness! It's just impossible not to get thoroughly drawn into the music and enveloped in the creamy goodness of every note.
Of course it has that "piano in the other room" sound that Van Gelder seems to be so fond of but it makes the depth seem so much greater when Morgan or Henderson come jumping out of the speakers.
And there's plenty of depth going on in this recording. I swear I can hear the sides of the horn during Morgan's solos and the distance from the cymbal rides and the snare hits seem to be about 10 feet.
The bass is just heavenly. I always wonder how that Van Gelder piano sound (which seems like it's got more than it's fair share of lower mids) can live along side a nice full bass sound without totally muddying up the sound. Somehow it just works.
And while this tape makes all this stuff as plain as the nose on your face, the sound and the performance has such drive and pace that it just couldn't be more involving!
So my thanks again to Python, Mamba and Diamondback! Fantastic job guys!
(btw the fit and finish of the packaging, packing and all that other stuff that probably drives you guys nuts, is freakin perfecto)