Venus – The Amazing Super Audio CD Sampler Vol. 21: Standards, Beatles, Hendrix and Chopin in Audiophile Jazz Sound

The opening bars of “This Is New” enter with the quiet assurance of musicians who understand that a familiar song does not need to be forced into relevance. Steve Kuhn sits at the piano, the trio gathers around Kurt Weill’s melody, and Venus – The Amazing Super Audio CD Sampler Vol. 21 begins not with spectacle, but with atmosphere. The notes are spacious, the rhythm is controlled, and the performance immediately creates the intimate sense of presence that has long defined the Venus Records sound.

Released in Japan on December 20, 2017, under catalogue number VHGD-261, the twenty-first volume in the Venus audiophile sampler series contains 15 representative tracks selected from albums VHGD-246 through VHGD-260. With a total playing time of approximately 75 minutes, the SACD brings together jazz standards, Broadway melodies, Brazilian and Latin influences, Beatles interpretations, Jimi Hendrix, Duke Ellington and the music of Frédéric Chopin.

That breadth gives The Amazing Super Audio CD Sampler Vol. 21 a distinct personality. Earlier Venus compilations often built their identity around romantic piano trios, vocal jazz or traditional standards. Volume 21 keeps those elements, but it also reveals a catalogue willing to move beyond conventional jazz repertoire. The journey begins with Kurt Weill, passes through Cole Porter and George Gershwin, enters the worlds of Leonard Bernstein, Lennon and McCartney and Jimi Hendrix, and ends with two pieces inspired by Chopin.

Steve Kuhn Trio’s “This Is New” is an ideal opening chapter. Written by Kurt Weill with lyrics by Ira Gershwin, the composition carries the dramatic elegance of musical theatre, yet Kuhn avoids theatrical exaggeration. His interpretation is thoughtful and harmonically rich, allowing the melody to emerge through carefully shaped piano phrases.

Kuhn has always been a pianist who understands the expressive value of space. A pause can carry as much meaning as a chord, and a simple melodic line can become emotionally complex through touch and timing. The trio supports him with restraint, creating a performance that feels private rather than polished for display.

For listeners approaching the album as an audiophile SACD, “This Is New” establishes the recording standard immediately. The piano has weight without becoming heavy, the bass remains clearly defined, and the drums retain both texture and natural decay. Yet the sound quality matters because it brings the musicians closer, not because it demands attention for its own sake.

Richard Wyands Trio follows with “So in Love,” one of Cole Porter’s most emotionally charged compositions. The song’s surface elegance conceals tension and obsession, and Wyands brings both qualities into the performance.

His piano playing is refined but never fragile. The left hand establishes a strong harmonic foundation while the right hand explores the melody with a mixture of grace and urgency. The trio allows the composition’s romantic drama to remain present without turning it into sentimentality.

The transition from Kuhn to Wyands also reveals the richness of the Venus piano-trio catalogue. Both musicians work within the language of mainstream jazz, but their voices are unmistakably different. Kuhn sounds reflective and exploratory, while Wyands brings a stronger connection to swing, blues and classic New York piano tradition.

Nicki Parrott’s “Walk On By” changes the emotional landscape. Written by Burt Bacharach and Hal David, the song is one of the great portraits of public composure hiding private heartbreak. Parrott approaches it with restraint, allowing its sadness to appear through phrasing rather than dramatic excess.

Her voice is captured closely, creating the illusion that she is standing only a few steps from the listener. Small details of breath and articulation remain audible, yet the recording retains warmth. The accompaniment is elegant and uncluttered, preserving the sophisticated harmonic character of Bacharach’s writing.

Parrott’s interpretation demonstrates why popular songs can work so naturally in a jazz setting. “Walk On By” already contains unusual chord changes, rhythmic subtlety and emotional ambiguity. The jazz arrangement does not need to dismantle the song. It simply opens more space within it.

Konrad Paszkudzki Trio then enters with “You’d Be So Nice to Come Home To,” another Cole Porter standard. The mood becomes lighter and more rhythmically direct. Paszkudzki’s piano style is deeply connected to classic swing, and his trio approaches the song with elegance, momentum and an obvious affection for melody.

There is nothing overly analytical about the performance. It moves naturally, the piano lines bounce against the rhythm section, and the familiar tune regains the freshness of a song being played for pleasure rather than obligation.

The recording captures the trio with clarity, but the instruments remain part of a single musical event. The bass is firm, the cymbals are crisp, and the piano has sufficient body, yet the most important quality is the groove. This is jazz that invites the listener into the room rather than asking to be studied from a distance.

Massimo Farao’ and bassist Aldo Zunino continue the journey with “Bohemia After Dark,” Oscar Pettiford’s hard-bop classic. The tune carries the atmosphere of 1950s jazz clubs, where sophistication, speed and blues feeling existed side by side.

Farao’ brings a forceful attack to the piano. His chords are physical, his rhythmic accents sharp, and his improvisation maintains the forward movement of the composition. Zunino provides a strong bass foundation, giving the performance both weight and flexibility.

“Bohemia After Dark” is one of the album’s clearest links to the hard-bop tradition. After the romantic and vocal material of the opening tracks, it introduces a more muscular sound. The performance swings hard, but it remains controlled, with every instrument clearly defined within the Venus SACD presentation.

Joe Beck Trio’s “Strangers in the Night” shifts the album back toward cinematic romance. The melody, made famous by Frank Sinatra, could easily become overly familiar or nostalgic. Beck avoids that trap through tone and understatement.

His guitar carries the tune with warmth, but also with a slight edge that prevents the performance from becoming decorative. Bass and drums provide subtle motion beneath him, and the trio allows the song to unfold without unnecessary complexity.

Beck’s playing demonstrates how an instrumentalist can preserve the identity of a popular song while creating a personal interpretation. The melody remains recognizable, yet the phrasing, timing and guitar texture belong entirely to him.

John Di Martino’s Romantic Jazz Trio follows with “Maria Cervantes,” a composition associated with Cuban pianist Noro Morales. The track brings Latin rhythm into the programme, but Di Martino treats it with the harmonic elegance characteristic of his trio.

The piano has both melodic and percussive roles. Chords reinforce the rhythm while flowing lines rise above the bass and drums. The trio avoids turning the piece into a superficial Latin-jazz exercise. Instead, it respects the composition’s cultural character while allowing space for improvisation.

The performance also expands the geographical reach of Volume 21. American standards and Broadway songs remain central, but the album continually moves outward, finding material in Cuban music, British pop, rock, African-influenced jazz and European classical tradition.

Richie Cole’s interpretation of “Tonight” brings Leonard Bernstein’s West Side Story into the jazz club. Cole’s alto saxophone is energetic, bright and immediately recognizable. He approaches Bernstein’s melody with the agility of a bebop musician but preserves its theatrical sweep.

“Tonight” already contains urgency and anticipation, and Cole intensifies those qualities through rapid phrasing and rhythmic momentum. The melody moves from Broadway romance into jazz improvisation without losing its identity.

The track is also an effective test of saxophone reproduction. A revealing audio system must preserve the instrument’s body and breath while controlling its brighter upper frequencies. The Venus recording allows Cole’s alto to sound vivid and present without reducing it to harshness.

Konrad Paszkudzki Trio returns with George Gershwin’s “Do It Again.” Compared with the earlier Cole Porter performance, the trio now adopts a more intimate and seductive mood.

Paszkudzki respects the song’s classic character, but his interpretation never feels old-fashioned. The piano phrasing is confident, the rhythm section moves lightly, and Gershwin’s melody is allowed to carry its own charm.

By featuring the same trio twice, the sampler shows different sides of its musical personality. “You’d Be So Nice to Come Home To” emphasized swing and movement. “Do It Again” focuses on suggestion, elegance and romantic tension.

The tenth track delivers the album’s most dramatic stylistic turn. Lonnie Smith Trio takes on Jimi Hendrix’s “Foxy Lady,” transforming the famous rock song through Hammond organ, guitar and drums.

The original composition’s blues foundation makes it well suited to jazz interpretation, but Smith does not simply reproduce Hendrix’s riff with different instrumentation. The Hammond organ expands the harmony, creating waves of sound that growl, swirl and breathe.

The guitar retains some of the track’s rock energy, while the drummer drives the performance with power and flexibility. The trio moves between groove, blues and improvisation, turning “Foxy Lady” into an extended soul-jazz statement.

For audiophile listeners, the track challenges a system in ways the quieter piano recordings do not. The deep organ frequencies require control, the guitar needs texture and bite, and the drums must remain dynamic without overwhelming the mix. When reproduced correctly, the performance has scale and physical impact.

Yet its musical significance is greater than its technical usefulness. Lonnie Smith demonstrates that Hendrix belongs naturally within the broader history of blues-based improvisation. The distance between psychedelic rock and organ jazz becomes much smaller once the musicians begin to play.

John Di Martino’s Romantic Jazz Trio returns with “For No One,” one of Lennon and McCartney’s most emotionally precise songs. The Beatles original describes the quiet ending of a relationship, and Di Martino preserves that sense of emotional distance.

Without lyrics, the melody must carry the entire narrative. The piano states it gently, while bass and drums create a subdued, almost suspended atmosphere. The arrangement does not attempt to turn the song into a dramatic jazz showpiece. Its strength lies in simplicity.

“For No One” is one of the sampler’s most reflective moments. The familiar Beatles melody becomes a modern jazz ballad, yet its sadness remains intact. Di Martino proves that the best popular songs do not lose their identity when transferred into another musical language.

Dewey Redman’s “Satin Doll” introduces one of the most distinctive saxophone voices in modern jazz. Written by Duke Ellington and Billy Strayhorn, the composition is often performed with polished swing. Redman brings a rougher, more exploratory character.

His tenor saxophone has a broad, vocal quality, capable of elegance but also of grain, urgency and abstraction. The melody remains present, but Redman does not treat it as a fixed path. He moves around it, stretches phrases and introduces a stronger sense of unpredictability.

The performance adds another layer to the story of Volume 21. Standards are not simply preserved; they are challenged and renewed. “Satin Doll” can remain sophisticated while also becoming earthy, open and modern.

Roma Trio’s “All of You” returns to Cole Porter, but with a distinctly Italian sense of lyricism. The trio approaches the song with clarity and warmth, combining romantic piano playing with an assured rhythmic pulse.

The melody unfolds naturally, and the musicians avoid overcrowding it with elaborate decoration. There is sophistication in the harmony, but the emotional message remains direct.

Within the album’s sequence, “All of You” serves as a bridge between the more adventurous sound of Dewey Redman and the classical influence of the closing tracks. It restores a sense of balance before the programme turns toward Chopin.

Derek Smith’s “To Love Again” begins that final classical chapter. The melody is based on Chopin’s Étude in E major, Op. 10, No. 3, a work whose lyrical theme has frequently been adapted into popular song.

Smith brings the composition into a jazz-piano setting without erasing its Romantic-era character. The melody retains its tenderness, but jazz harmony and rhythm allow it to move more freely.

The result is neither a formal classical reading nor a novelty arrangement. It is a meeting between traditions. Chopin’s melodic gift provides the foundation, while Smith’s jazz sensibility reshapes the timing, harmony and emotional emphasis.

The album closes with John Di Martino’s Romantic Jazz Trio performing “Night Flower,” based on Chopin’s Nocturne No. 15 in F minor, Op. 55, No. 1. The title itself suggests the atmosphere: something beautiful unfolding in darkness.

The trio approaches the nocturne with respect, but not with excessive reverence. Di Martino allows Chopin’s melody to emerge clearly before opening it into improvisation. The bass and drums introduce a subtle pulse, transforming private Romantic melancholy into a conversation among three jazz musicians.

“Night Flower” is an inspired conclusion because it gathers many of the album’s themes into one performance. It contains elegance, sadness, transformation and the meeting of different musical cultures. It also ends the journey quietly, allowing the final piano resonance to fade into the room.

The official track sequence of Venus – The Amazing Super Audio CD Sampler Vol. 21 includes “This Is New,” “So in Love,” “Walk On By,” “You’d Be So Nice to Come Home To,” “Bohemia After Dark,” “Strangers in the Night,” “Maria Cervantes,” “Tonight,” “Do It Again,” “Foxy Lady,” “For No One,” “Satin Doll,” “All of You,” “To Love Again” and “Night Flower.” These selections represent 15 consecutive Venus SACD releases, from VHGD-246 through VHGD-260.

As an audiophile jazz compilation, Volume 21 offers a wide variety of sonic material. The piano trios reveal tonal balance, touch and harmonic decay. Nicki Parrott’s vocal tests centre imaging and midrange realism. Joe Beck’s guitar exposes texture and warmth. Richie Cole and Dewey Redman reveal whether a system can reproduce saxophone energy without becoming aggressive. Lonnie Smith’s “Foxy Lady” challenges bass control, dynamics and large-scale presentation.

But the album’s real strength is musical rather than technical. Its programme feels adventurous without becoming incoherent. Kurt Weill, Bacharach, Cole Porter, Gershwin, Bernstein, Hendrix, the Beatles, Ellington and Chopin all appear within 75 minutes, yet the record remains recognizably jazz.

That unity comes from the musicians. Each artist treats the source material as a starting point rather than an object to be copied. Popular songs become vehicles for improvisation. Classical themes acquire swing. Rock enters the Hammond-organ tradition. Broadway melodies find new emotional shades.

For collectors of Japanese jazz SACDs, The Amazing Super Audio CD Sampler Vol. 21 is an important entry in the Venus Records series. It documents a period when the label continued to combine historic jazz repertoire with broader popular and classical influences. For newcomers, it offers an unusually varied introduction to the Venus sound.

The compilation also demonstrates why the word “sampler” does not fully describe the listening experience. These tracks may have been chosen from separate albums, but the sequencing creates its own narrative. It begins with the reflective modernism of Steve Kuhn, travels through romance, swing, Latin jazz, Broadway, Hendrix and the Beatles, and closes beneath the nocturnal shadows of Chopin.

When the final notes of “Night Flower” disappear, the album has covered more musical territory than many conventional jazz releases attempt. Yet the journey never feels like a collection of disconnected demonstrations. It feels like a story about the adaptability of jazz.

Venus – The Amazing Super Audio CD Sampler Vol. 21 ultimately shows that jazz does not survive by remaining unchanged. It survives by listening to everything around it. A Cole Porter standard, a Beatles ballad, a Hendrix riff and a Chopin nocturne can all become part of the same language when interpreted by musicians with imagination, discipline and soul.

The SACD sound brings those musicians into sharp focus, but the technology remains only a means of transportation. The destination is the music itself: romantic, rhythmic, adventurous and alive.