Masada possesses a
rich catalogue of live albums, that in size almost rivals that of the studio
works, but in quality is just something else. Like the studio sets however the
live collections also suffer from having a dud here and there. ‘Live In Taipei
1995’ then is that dud.
The quartet is
playing on top form throughout, delivering blistering takes on material from
the studio albums volume 5 through to 7. And the highlights here are both
exhilarating and enchanting, with typically brilliant interplay between the
four men.
However it,
surprisingly given Masada’s usual quality standards, is a substantially below-par
sound recording. The acoustics are all wrong, and noticeably distorts Dave
Douglas’ trumpet, while the bass is swampy and blurred. And that’s what
effectively knackers the album for most, especially when a good number of the
performances here exist in better recorded versions on other live sets. The
sound is not terrible, but it is a deal below what you would expect –
especially from an official release.
Not a terrible
album, just a lesser quality one, and any fan would do well to get hold of
every other live effort before this one, but for the dedicated many, once you
have everything else, this isn’t a bad completion to the live collection.
***
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