Patricia Barber • Modern Cool
This newest reissue continues the series of Impex's Patricia Barber titles. Three previous titles -- Café Blue, Nightclub, and Companion -- were premium 1 Step releases, with handsome slipcases, and they each proved the advantages of the 1 Step process. Sales of these expensive packages have slowed, however, so Impex reissued Modern Cool as a regular two-LP set, without the 1 Step treatment, slipcase, and price. Unlike other audiophile-approved chanteuses, Barber is a longtime member of the American Academy of Sciences and performs at top jazz venues when she is on the road from her native Chicago. Here she plays piano and sings, backed by her usual sidemen: Michael Arnopol on bass, John McLean on guitar, and Mark Walker on percussion. For Modern Cool, Dave Douglas plays trumpet on six cuts, Jeff Stitely plays Udu (a Nigerian claypot instrument) on one, and the Choral Thunder Vocal Choir joins for one number. Twelve tunes, all but three written by Barber, are spread out over four sides. Three not written by Barber include The Doors' "Light My Fire," Paul Anka’s "She’s A Lady," and the Dietz-Schwartz composition "You & The Night & The Music." The performances are mostly deliberately paced -- some have found them a bit too slow. For me, the combination of Barber’s smoky voice and pacing results in a special noirish recording that, on most days, I prefer over all her other albums. Although The Doors cover received the most comment in press coverage, I find the nine Barber compositions to be by far the most interesting and effective. Indeed, if I need a quick fix, I play side four, with all Barber compositions, Dave Douglas and Jeff Stitely shining especially brightly on “Constantinople.” How does the sound of the new Impex pressing stack up to that of earlier pressings? It's easily better than that of my prior favorite, the Premonition 180-gram reissue from 2014. In its day, this release easily bested the 1998 pressing and even the 45rpm Mobile Fidelity box set from 2005, and it gave rise to the false assumption that Modern Cool could never sound better. However, Impex dug a little deeper and found room for improvement. This latest release achieves better separation and definition of the instruments, with the band playing in a deeper and more realistic space. In that respect, the music seems less “in your face” because of the added depth and overall dimensionality. The music simply sounds less digital, closer to that of an all-analog recording.
What is responsible for this improvement? First, Bernie Grundman mastered the new version, while Doug Sax mastered the 2014 release. The pressing was made at Fidelity Record Press, while the 2014 version was done at RTI. The 2014 pressing used a standard 180-gram vinyl formula, while this new pressing uses VR900-02, a translucent "super" vinyl formulation. Finally, the human touch is always important, and Abey Fonn and her crew at Impex curated this release. Their attention to detail always shows up in every aspect of an Impex release, from the sound to the particularly handsome packaging. Those who might dismiss Patricia Barber as just another
audiophile-approved female vocalist should give this amazing recording a chance, as an
example of high art. This is a remarkable musical performance from one of today’s
finest singer/composers. What a treat to have it reissued with such exceptional sound and
packaging. |
atricia Barber’s most adventurous release, Modern
Cool, was a Jim Anderson-engineered digital recording released in 1998 on CD and LP,
the latter under license to Music Direct. The excellent sound of the LP helped establish
the unexpected conclusion that even a digital recording can sound better on LP than as a
CD or download. After a joint imprint agreement with Blue Note expired in 2004,
Premonition licensed the Patricia Barber titles to Mobile Fidelity and after that reissued
Modern Cool itself on 180-gram vinyl in 2014.
