Andy Summers Trio
The Van Dyck
Schenectady, NY
November 22, 1997
Late show
Source: ECM 717's > D8
Transfer: MDAT > Fostex D-15 > Ardour @ 48k
Master: Wavelab 6.10 (tracking; 48 > 44.1; Ozone L3 to improve dynamics) > FLAC
One Set:
1. World Gone Strange
2. But She
3. The Last Dance of Mr. X
4. banter
5. Afro Blue
6. Stranger
7. banter
8. Mexico 1920
9. banter
10. Lonely Woman
11. Big Thing
12. Blues For Snake
13. crowd
Encore:
14. ? >
15. Message In A Bottle
Thanks to Tom Reizes for the DAT.
Van Dyck is a supper club, and the clink of silverware is occasionally heard. At one point Andy Summers talks about the sounds of the audience chewing. It's not entirely clear he's happy to be there. It sounds like this tour wasn't well publicized or attended, and the Ramada Inn was unwelcoming. By the end of the show, though, he seems pleased.
The taper stealthed the show, first time using these mics, and was not happy with the experience. Personally, I think the recording sounds great, with good dynamics and a solid backbone. But, I tweaked it a bit with the Ozone 3 to bring out the sparkle in the drums and the midrange. There's a discontinuity about 4:30 into track one, probably in connection with a stealth level check gone bad, which has been crossfaded, and then the levels re-adjusted across the set. There are also a few spots that sound like the mic cord jiggling, which appear only between songs, and I have muted them considerably. During the banter you can hear a bit of the mic rubbing, etc., as the taper shifted postition. I imagine him sitting still as a rock during the songs, and then desperately scratching every itch before the music starts again. All hail the taper!
Even without the crowd noise, this will not quite fit on a single CD. Split it wherever you like.
In November 1997, Andy Summers Trio was:
Andy Summers - guitar
Jerry Watts - bass
Bernie Dresel - drums
Enjoy!
--mhg :: 04/19/12