For the serious collector, not all copies of Smackwater Jack are created equal. The specific holy grail is the encoded in lossless FLAC . This article explores why this particular version has become the benchmark for audiophile listening.
By 1971, Quincy Jones was already a veteran of the industry. He had arranged for Count Basie and Frank Sinatra, and he had just come off the massive critical and commercial success of the 1967 film In the Heat of the Night and his own breakthrough album, Walking in Space (1969). However, Smackwater Jack was different. Quincy Jones - Smackwater Jack 1971 TQMP -FLAC-
For the uninitiated, "
You hear the separation. The left channel carries the guitar stab; the right channel carries the clavinet. Bernard Purdie’s snare is placed dead center, behind your speakers, creating a 3D holographic soundstage. You are not listening to a file. You are sitting in the control room at A&M in 1971. For the serious collector, not all copies of