Avant Garde Project torrent 166 is up and running

[loudav]

AGP166 is a 24-bit, 48 kHz transcription of the LP "Open Air Suit" by the avant-garde jazz trio Air. The group was formed in 1971 by Henry Threadgill, who played saxes and flute, double bassist Fred Hopkins, and drummer Steve McCall. This LP is their fifth, and their first for the Novus/Arista label (AN 3002). For some strange reason, it has never been re-issued on CD, and at the moment the one used LP copy available on Amazon is going for $80.

The compositions on this LP are by Threadgill, but all three instruments participate as equals in the improvisations. Of particular interest are the complex, fluid rhythms that the group develops, with Threadgill and Hopkins sensitively responding to each other from moment to moment to develop the core rhythm, and McCall syncopating off of that--or so it seems to me. The effect is kaleidoscopic. Threadgill plays a different instrument on each track--alto, tenor, and baritone saxophone, and flute.

The LP was beautifully recorded, with all three players close-mic'd in a way that brings out the complex timbres of the three instruments brilliantly. The drum kit is distributed across both channels of the stereo mix, so it envelops the listener. The cymbals in particular are very nicely mic'd, and the 24-bit digitization does justice to fine edge of their sound. My LP copy is in excellent condition, with essentially no surface or pressing noise or tracking distortion.

Check it out at:

http://thepiratebay.org/torrent/5319387

Enjoy!