Mike Richmond Quintet, September 1980 -- New Haven, Connecticut

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

detail image of tape reel-master tape copies from international phonographic inc.png

Mike Richmond Quintet, September 1980 -- New Haven, Connecticut

This is more of a personal note than you will usually find written on this website. Recording a quintet with just two microphones remains one of the most challenging tasks a recording engineer can face. That is exactly what happened here. My (now legendary) associate Dean Roumanis and I met with five brilliant musicians in New Haven, Connecticut at the Educational Center For The Arts in anticipation of capturing this world-class jazz quintet on tape using only two omni-directional microphones. The result is a fully natural presentation of 5 top NY area musicians (Mike Richmond – bass; Tom Harrell – Trumpet; Dave Liebman – Saxophones; Andy LaVerne – piano; Billy Hart – drums) playing the music they love, modern yet accessible. This is the only surviving recording collaboration between Dean and I, so retains a special meaning for me, and I hope for you as well.