AudioQuest / Valley Entertainment was not so much founded as it was
evolved. Created by Bill Low in 1980, the company was just a small
variation of the audio activities he had already started in 1972.
Primarily a blues label, the AudioQuest mission was to create the
highest standard audiophile recordings based on the technology available
at the time. Their titles are all analog recordings, made using custom
built tube electronics and eschewing noise reduction, compression,
equalization or sound limiters. By recording the most proficient artists
available at the highest possible standards, these recordings have been
adapted to every subsequent audiophile platform.
Pianist Bruce
Katz's experience as an artist is very similar to his music: classically
trained, then absorbed into jazz, honky-tonk and psychedelic rock, then
back to Berkeley College to earn a Masters in jazz and then back to the
blues life on the road with Ronnie Earl, Big Mama Thorton, Bo Diddley
and Johnny Adams. His music encompasses blues, jazz, New Orleans
rhythms, gospel and soul. Recently he has begun to attract audiences
from the jazz bands like Medeski, Martin and Wood, as well as Phish, and
is poised for his biggest selling record.
It has been said that
instrumentalist Bruce Katz has one foot in jazz and the other foot in
the blues, but those aren't the only styles that interest the
organist/pianist; rock, soul, and gospel are also part of what he does.
All of those influences assert themselves on Three Feet Off the Ground,
which tends to be more aggressive and rockin' than the album that
preceded it, 1997's Mississippi Moan. "Wrecking Ball" and "Beef Jerky"
(which brings to mind Lee Morgan's "The Sidewinder") are definitely
among the more forceful things Katz has recorded, and his guitarist
Julien Kasper sounds equally uninhibited. Although Katz is a talented
acoustic pianist with a healthy appreciation of Albert Ammons, his piano
playing takes a back seat to the organ this time. Katz's Hammond B-3
dominates the CD, and one is reminded how appealing he is on the
instrument. As an organist, Katz has a gritty, earthy sound that is
somewhere between Jimmy Smith and Stax hero Booker T. Jones (of Booker
T. & the MG's fame).
Bruce's fan base includes fans of
traditional jazz (Hammond B3 lovers) and lovers of the blues. Because of
his extensive touring, those fans are spread out across the country.
Recently, he has begun to get considerable attention from fans of other
`jam bands'. Like many of the young bands currently offering compelling
mixtures of musical styles coupled with entertaining live shows, Bruce
has recently seen a surge in fans who follow such artists as Leftover
Salmon, String Cheese Incident, Dave Matthews Band and others.
"Three
Feet Off the Ground is a release that blues, jazz, and rock fans alike
will want to hear.” - Alex Henderson (All Music Guide)
This listing is for a rare audiophile Hybrid SACD title - a FACTORY SEALED Hybrid SACD PRESSED and ISSUED by AudioQuest Music / Valley Entertainment of a highly collectible title from their music catalog, featuring -
The Bruce Katz Band
Hybrid SACD Title -
Three Feet Off The Ground
Track Listing -
1. Beef Jerky
2. In The Shadow
3. Wrecking Ball
4. Way Down Time
5. Three Feet Off The Ground
6. Walk With Me
7. You're It
8. Jet Lag
9. The Hook
10. Key To The City
11. Switchin'
Performers -
Bruce Katz - piano
Blake Newman - acoustic bass, double bass
Julien Kasper - guitar
Ralph Rosen - drums
Also: Duke Robillard
The Hybrid SACD is from the rare AudioQuest Music / Valley Entertainment series of audiophile titles.
-
Hybrid SACD catalog # AQ-SACD 1056
Hybrid SACD issued in 2000
Hybrid SACD made in the USA
The Hybrid SACD, JEWEL CASE and INSERTS are all assumed to be in MINT overall condition as this item is actually BRAND NEW and FACTORY SEALED!
This CD is an audiophile quality pressing (any collector of fine MFSL, half speeds, direct to discs, Japanese/UK pressings etc., can attest to the difference a quality pressing can make to an audio system).
Do not let this rarity slip
by!