SUPER FIDELITY

| Lonely Woman | Atlantic SD1381 (‘62) /Pure Pleasure Records (2016)

The famous album from 1960, Jazz in the Space Age, is finally available as a digital download in several hi-res formats.

This gorgeous remastering of one of the very best MJQ albums is the work of Ray Staff at Air Mastering. John Lewis decided to honour one of the great innovators in jazz—Ornette Coleman—by having the first track and the title of this album reflect one of his great compositions. Lewis saw Coleman as the first jazz genius since Parker, Gillespie and Monk. While not following Coleman’s harmolodic theory, Lewis emphasises the often-overlooked strength of his compositional ideas. The MJQ adds a chamber music-like feeling to its interpretations of Lewis originals Fugato and Trieste. Ray Mouly’s liner notes talk about being tempted to call the Fugato and some other tracks ‘third-stream-and-a-half’ for the remarkable quartet arrangements of what were originally works for full orchestra. Lamb, Leopard is from Lewis’ original ballet ‘Original Sin’ and is a total delight.