Whole Lotta Love: The Music of Led Zeppelin
Recorded in mid-December of 2020 at Spin Recording Studios in Long Island City, Whole Lotta Love . . . features a quartet of top East Coast musicians reinterpreting ten Led Zeppelin classics. Kevin Hays (piano), Bob Franceschini (saxophone), Orlando Le Fleming (acoustic bass), and Obed Calvaire (drums) each demonstrate their jazz chops and instrumental proficiency as they navigate the sometimes peculiar changes of songs such as the title song, “Dazed and Confused,” “Kashmir,” and “In My Time of Dying.” What results is a wild trip into the imaginations of these fine musicians. The title tune pays homage to the original, complete with the insistent, iconic bass riff. It soon turns into a rather straightforward jazz jam, with nice solos from Franceschini and Hays. They both know their instruments and play with conviction and passion. The drive and momentum of the piece are fueled by the fine rhythm section and continue a frantic pace until the song fades into silence. “Dazed and Confused” follows, featuring especially fine soloing by Franceschini. “Immigrant Song” is introduced with acoustic bass followed by piano, after which the duo give way to the sax of Franceschini wailing the theme over some inventive drumming. An air of mystery hangs over this music despite some frantic playing. A lovely piano solo gives breath to the ballad “Ten Years Gone,” which gets a pensive treatment, with Franceschini “singing” through his horn. “Kashmir,” through its harmonies, evokes the spirit of foreign lands, as sax and piano propel the music forward over the martial-like beat (faithful to the original) established by Le Fleming’s bass and Calvaire’s drums. Listening to “For Your Life,” I’m reminded of the great Keith Jarrett quartet of the late 1970s, with Jan Garbarek on sax, Jon Christensen on drums and Palle Danielsson on bass. That group was among my favorite of Jarrett’s, and this song is one of my favorites on the album. Ethereal describes “Battle of Evermore.” With its especially pleasing, airy, evocative and lyrical mood, it ends far too soon. The easily recognizable “In My Time of Dying” returns to a more traditional jazz style tinged with a bit of funk. The easygoing funk of “Custard Pie” follows, with a nice bass solo from Le Fleming. Finally, the unexpectedly ambient “No Quarter,” with Franceschini flitting over, around and through the melody like a butterfly, and Hays’s closely miked piano, ends the event. I could not fault the sound of these 24-bit/192kHz files
(CD resolution is also available), my only quibble being the relatively long time required
to download them. With this release, Chesky has continued its leadership among audiophile
record labels. The music captures the spirit of Led Zeppelin in a recording as fresh,
revealing and dynamic as we have come to expect from this label. |
or well over a
quarter of a century, with releases on LP, CD, DVD, SACD, and high-res digital files,
pioneering record label Chesky Records continues recording exciting musical performances,
even during the continuing COVID-19 pandemic. With this release, David and Norman Chesky
departed from their usual single-microphone technique. Instead, they used multiple ribbon
mics to record the musicians, who, due to safety concerns, had been placed in isolation
booths. It was David Chesky’s hope that this arrangement would re-create “the
same natural, warm, and intimate sound of a jazz combo that you would get listening to
them at your favorite jazz club.” My ears tell me he has succeeded.