Undercurrent +4 [SACD Hybrid]

Product Number :ESSJ-90317
JAN:4907034226047

Song List
1. My Funny Valentine
2. I Hear a Rhapsody
3. Dream Gypsy
4. Romain
5. Skating in Central Park
6. Dawn That Dream
7. Stairway to the Stars
8. I'm getting sentimental over you
9. My Funny Valentine (Alternate Take)
10. Romain (Alternate Take)

[Machine Translation]

The immortal duo, still audible after all these years, is now available for the first time as a Super Audio CD hybrid.
In the revived sound quality, enjoy the musical dialogue more than enough, and pay attention to the fiery melancholy hidden in the serene performance!

This is a supreme album that reigns supreme at the pinnacle of duo albums in jazz.
This is the first Super Audio CD hybrid release of the immortal duo album "Undercurrent", which has not faded away since its release more than 60 years ago. Jim Hall, who always followed the standard path of the jazz guitar, but gradually and steadily changed and refined his musical dynamism and sensitive sensibility.
Undercurrent, recorded by Bill Evans (August 1929-September 1980) and Jim Hall (December 1930-December 2013) in April and May of 1962, is a masterpiece of interplay between the two musicians' delicate songwriting, romantic lyricism, and intellectually sophisticated improvisation. Undercurrent is a "special" duo work in which the delicate songfulness, romantic lyricism, and intellectually sophisticated improvisation of the two musicians are sublimated into a brilliant interplay. Duo playing is the smallest format of a jazz combo. In this duo format, where the players' personalities are exposed, the two players seem to be enjoying a full musical dialogue while demonstrating their individual strengths. The serenity of the performance is hidden within the fiery melancholy of the music. Although many duo masterpieces have been produced in the jazz world, this album is one of the best duo albums that still reigns supreme over the passage of more than 60 years.


Bill Evans, who faced a sudden misfortune at the peak of his career and began to search for his subsequent activities, and Jim Hall, who entered a period of maturity, had a chance encounter that matched their musicality.
With an innovative sense of harmony that could be likened to the impressionism of classical music, Bill Evans was establishing a new style of expression that would revolutionize the piano trio format. The new piano trio sound was created with bassist Scott Ruffalo and drummer Paul Motian. Ruffalo's bass, in particular, not only plays the traditional role of rhythm keeper, but also sings like a horn player, intertwining with Evans' piano and creating thrilling emotional exchanges. The result was the immortal "Waltz for Debbie" and the live album "Sunday at the Village Vanguard. Shortly after recording these albums, however, Ruffalo suddenly passed away in July of 1961 at the age of 25 due to a car accident. Evans, who had lost his irreplaceable partner, was so brokenhearted that he could not bring himself to play the piano for a while. After about six months had passed, Evans resumed his activities and began to try various formats, including solo piano and combo playing as well as trio playing. The spring of 1962, when this album was recorded, was exactly the time when Evans began to be eager to venture into the unknown.
Jim Hall, like Bill Evans, had been active since the mid-1950s, and had been playing with the Sonny Rollins Quartet since late 1961. While playing various roles including accompaniment in a quartet without a piano, he seems to have achieved great growth and became a musician of a larger scale musically. This work was recorded at a time when he was about to enter such a mature period. Hall's guitar playing, which has been scaled up musically, has a naive sensitivity that he has always possessed, and his playing, which makes melodies sing with suppleness, has deeper nuances, and his unique style, which explores the sound of introspective harmony rather than external brightness, is consistent with Evans' musicality, His unique style of exploring introspective harmonies rather than outwardly bright ones was a perfect match for Evans's musicality.


Miraculous performance that far exceeds the producer's musical goals
The album was produced by Alan Douglas. Douglas would later work with Jimi Hendrix and John McLaughlin under his own Alan Douglas Productions, but at the time, he had just started producing jazz music. When United Artists, a film company, established a new jazz division, Douglas approached Jim Hall and offered to make a duo album. Hall responded, "I'd like to work with Bill Evans," and this session was born. Douglas also proposed the idea of making an album centered on ballads, and it is clear from the album that the producer's intentions were more than met. However, the content of the performance greatly exceeded Douglas' intentions, and a "superb duo session" that went far beyond the realm of ordinary ballad works unfolded. The symbol of this is the fast-paced "My Funny Valentine" at the beginning. Evans and Hall's performance here is different from any other performance of "My Funny Valentine. The tempo is so up-tempo that one might say, "What, at this tempo?" The melody is played as material for thrilling interplay, while the beauty of the original lines and harmonies is utilized, and the improvisation is performed at will. The tension and tension is sustained by the mutual inspiration of the musicians, each of them pushing their own individuality more than enough. This performance is the opposite of what one would expect from a "ballad"! Jazz is always something that doesn't go as one expects, but something that greatly exceeds one's expectations.


The sound quality! There is a decision to be made...
There were many people who wanted to hear this work in a better sound after it was converted to a Super Audio CD hybrid format. This has been a long-held wish of ours, but we have been unable to make it a reality. Each of the many releases of the CDs seemed to have not solved the problems we faced each time. It seems that each time we hit a mastering wall. I think the main cause was hiss noise originating from the master tape. We tried several noise countermeasures, but the answer we came up with this time was to "faithfully engrave the master sound as it was on the disc," which could be said to be the starting point. Rather than attempting to cut noise, we decided to seek the sound as it is, with as little loss of power, freshness, and detailed expression of the sound as possible. For the above reasons, this was the first time to hybridize Super Audio CDs. As in the past, no compromises were made from the selection of the master to the final DSD mastering process. In particular, Esoteric Mastering was used for DSD mastering. The Master Sound Discrete DAC and Master Sound Discrete Clock, ESOTERIC's top-of-the-line equipment, were carefully tuned. The generous use of MEXCEL cables enabled us to transfer the information from the original master to disc with a smooth sound.
The sound of the tube guitar amps of the time, the slight distortion that occurs when picking strongly, and the delicate nuances of Bill Evans' piano touch, all of which are lost when tape-derived hiss noise is removed.... These are the nuances that we really wanted to express, and we hope that you will enjoy the unprecedented sounds of the piano and guitar on this disc.


The opening song, "My Funny Valentine," is amazing! There is no other example that gives us such a deep taste of the true joy of a duo.
This is a performance in which the possibilities of duet playing are explored. Well-known songs are presented in a completely new way. The interplay between Bill Evans and Jim Hall, who are well matched in terms of their qualities, inspires each other to enter into the world of one alone. The interplay between Bill Evans and Jim Hall, who are also well suited to each other's talents, inspires each other and takes them into a one-man world, especially on the opening "My Funny Valentine," which has little in the way of the original ballad." Jazz Record Encyclopedia '79, 1979, Swing Journal Inc.


Of the many duo albums out there, this one ranks among the best. The dialogue between these two introspective types is so wonderful that it's hard to describe. There is no other example of a duo at its most profound." Modern Jazz Masterpieces 500" 1993, Ongaku no Tomo Sha MOOK


The up-tempo performance of "My Funny Valentine" at the beginning is the highlight of the album. It is a stunning performance. The two white jazzmen are extremely creative and musical, and their high level of musicality and chemistry is impressive. Ongaku no Tomo Sha MOOK (1999) , "Complete New Edition of 500 Modern Jazz Masterpieces" (in Japanese) .


Bill Evans himself is a guitarist, and he is a great guitarist. Bill Evans himself never changed his style to suit the guitar, and his performance was meticulous. The improvised performance by both musicians is truly divine." Jazz Giants: This is the Definitive Edition, 1986, Swing Journal, Inc.


Bill Evans (p)
Jim Hall (g)


[Recorded April 24 (2.4.8) and May 14 (1,3,5,6,7,9,10) , 1962 at Sound Maker, New York
[First issue] U.S. United Artists Jazz UAJS15003 (August 1962)
[First appearance in Japan] "Dark Stream" Nippon Columbia Records UAS-1029J (1963)


[Original Recording]
[Produced by] Alan Douglas
[Recording Engineer] Bill Schwarter


[Super Audio CD Producer] Minoru Yoshida (Esoteric Mastering Center)
[Super Audio CD Executive Producer] Motoaki Omachi (ESOTERIC Mastering Center)
[Super Audio CD remastering engineer] Shinya Higashino (ESOTERIC Mastering Center)
[Super Audio CD remastering] August 2025 Esoteric Mastering system, Esoteric Audio Room
[Commentary] Masamichi Okazaki, Ryusuke Nozawa
[Planning and sales] TEAC Corporation
[Planning and Cooperation] Tokyo Denka Co.

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