Chie Ayado – Best II (2005) – EWE Records
Best II continues Chie Ayado’s retrospective catalogue with a broader selection from the period in which she worked extensively with producer and arranger John Beasley. The 2005 EWE release was remastered at Sony’s Tokyo studio, according to contemporary audiophile retail information. The program includes New York State of Mind, Sunny, What a Difference a Day Made and Take Me Home, Country Roads, offering a useful mixture of piano-led intimacy and richer ensemble arrangements.
Sound Quality
Ayado’s voice has a strong grain and emotional density that should remain clear even when the arrangements become fuller. Piano attack is another major reference: it needs speed and harmonic body without sounding brittle. The remastered presentation should preserve the contrast between intimate self-accompanied material and tracks with larger backing groups. Bass and drums need enough definition to support the groove while leaving the vocal unobstructed.
Audiophile Listening Experience
Best II rewards attention to dynamic scale. Ayado’s phrasing can be almost conversational before opening into a powerful sustained note. A good system should reproduce that transition without flattening it. Listen to the stereo image during ensemble passages, then return to the voice-and-piano material to check whether the center remains natural. The album is also useful for judging whether a system can combine warmth with transient precision.
Reference Tracks
New York State of Mind is useful for vocal authority and piano texture. Sunny tests rhythm and ensemble energy, while What a Difference a Day Made reveals phrasing and midrange realism. A Whiter Shade of Pale offers sustained vocal and keyboard textures, and Take Me Home, Country Roads is useful for dynamics and the layering of the backing musicians.
Audiophile Verdict
Best II is a strong overview of Ayado’s expressive range and a useful Japanese vocal-jazz reference. Its remastered presentation makes the contrast between voice, piano and ensemble easy to explore. The essential qualities are dynamic life, vocal texture and the natural attack of Ayado’s piano playing.
Ayado’s performances benefit from a system that respects dynamic contrast. Her voice and piano can sound intimate one moment and physically powerful the next. Compression, excessive warmth or aggressive treble can reduce that contrast. With neutral playback, the listener can hear the small timing relationships between voice, piano, bass and drums that are central to the vitality of these recordings.
Best II continues Chie Ayado’s retrospective catalogue with a broader selection from the period in which she worked extensively with producer and arranger John Beasley. The 2005 EWE release was remastered at Sony’s Tokyo studio, according to contemporary audiophile retail information. The program includes New York State of Mind, Sunny, What a Difference a Day Made and Take Me Home, Country Roads, offering a useful mixture of piano-led intimacy and richer ensemble arrangements.
