Charles ...
I agree on the West Coast jazz.; its very melodic. All of the albums I recommended above are prime examples of it.
I use Spotify to play recommended recordings before I consider buying anything that has been recorded over the past 20 years or so ... including new recordings. For example, those recommended in Stereophile and TAS, or here on this site in the "music" forum. So many of them sound as though the recording occurred in a cave. I think some vocalists are recorded this way to cover a lack of talent. Sarah Vaughn, Billy Holliday, and Dinah Washington weren't recorded like this, right?
What some of these guys are listening to, and recommending, have been totally butchered by the recording engineer and/or the mastering engineer. You hear this stuff at audio shows all the time. To hear it done right, check out almost anything mastered by Kevin Gray. He's done almost all of the reissues for Impex records. The Julie London and the June Christy albums are prime examples of Kevin's excellent mastering.
If anyone reading this attends the audio shows, a visit to Ralph Karsten's room (Atmosphere), or Randy Cooley's room (Optimal Enchantment) should be on the short list. These two guys know great music and great recordings ... and that's what they play at the shows.
Just as a side note ...one of the very best sounding recordings in my entire collection was recorded by Ralph. Its a small chorale group singing upbeat folk songs. Its uncannily real. I love playing it for the digital download guys just to demonstrate how good vinyl can sound.
Jafreeman ...
I hope you'll take advantage of the recommended recordings I listed. They are really something else.
Take care ...
