Joe Policastro Vibes Quartet -- May 2021 Chicago, Illinois

Finding an original pianist who can front a jazz trio and not sound like myriad others is a daunting task. How many jazz pianists have a fresh voice? Well, Reggie Thomas does. His soulful, hard-swinging brand of piano immediately grabs the listener, imparting joy and a positive energy. Ballads? Yes, he also plays those flawlessly and does so in in this outing. Joining Mr. Thomas is a veteran rhythm section with Dennis Carrol on bass and George Fludas on drums. Dennis and George both support and complement Reggie’s piano artistry with excursions of their own. The result is a masterful trio creating exquisite music. The performance was captured with the finest custom (tube) and vintage microphones including a pair of legendary cardiod AKG 414 EB’s on piano, two AKG ULS’s on drums and a single AKG ULS on bass, directly to a highly modified Studer/Revox 8-track master recorder. The result is an audio and musical gem.

Where technology meets art

Joe Policastro Vibes Quartet -- May 2021 Chicago, Illinois

This may be IPI’s best representation of great analog sound and music on tape. The configuration of instruments (bass, drums, piano and vibes) lends itself to a natural and startling experience, which is exactly what emerged here. Joe’s quartet is a world class group of jazz musicians and deliver the musical goods accordingly, playing mostly gorgeous ballads and medium tempo songs. The session was recorded at Pro Musica Chicago, directly to a Studer/Revox custom 8-track deck employing vintage microphones with engineering by Jonathan Horwich and Ken Christianson. If you wish to hear analog at its best (natural presence), this is the tape to own.