Without Deception

MUSICAL CONTENT- 5⭐️ Very smooth, fast paced performances with each artist demonstrating impeccable timing. This 2LP album takes the listener on a journey into the world of these masters. Jazz at its absolute best.STUDIO PRODUCTION- 5⭐️ Perfection; Every note and tone, no matter how subtle is beautifully captured with no hint of harshness or distortion. All three musicians are given an equal stage, without Johnathan Blake being resigned to the corner of the studio- in fact he comes across as the star of the show with some mesmerising solo drum intro’s.VINYL PRESSING- 5⭐️ Very impressive. My benchmark record label is ECM who consistently produce 1st rate vinyl. This Dare2 vinyl is at least on a par, with negligible surface noise, runs true on the turntable and despite being ‘only’ 140grams (?) against ECM’s usual 180g, is still top quality. One minor issue is the choice of all-polythene record sleeves- boy, do they produce some amount of static! This is easily remedied with some replacements, so if this is my only negative observation I really am getting into the territory of splitting hairs.

Kenny Barron and Dave Holland are musicians absolutely at the top of their respective trees and their playing here is marvellous. Barron's regular tour drummer Jonathan Blake has a distinctive beat which suits the material very well. It's not the fault of this disc that an earlier Barron and Holland collaboration, The Art Of Conversation on the Impulse label - sans drummer- is to my ears superior in every way. Without Deception is still a fine record and I'm glad to have added it to my collection.