High Resolution
Digital Audio
Music Reviews

  We're taking the "universal" hi-res route again this month and reporting on a mix of both SACD and DVD-Audio new discs. We have so many it's been divided into three separate pages instead of the usual two! The initial trickle of SACDs (aside from Sony) has now become a very steady stream, and the fitful startup of the DVD-A format seems to be going a bit more smoothly, with one label devoted entirely to reissues of worthwhile two-channel material from the past. Some DVD-A labels have even begun to release their standard CD and DVD versions simultaneously. Of course the SACD labels (aside from Sony again) wouldn't have to do that double inventory (which drives CD stores nuts) since hybrid SACDs (a standard CD layer underneath the hi-res layer) are the norm.

As I'm writing this the half-dozen first multichannel Vanguard SACDs just arrived in the mail. I've been awaiting those for a long time - they include to my mind the best classical quadraphonic recordings made during that era. In four-channel open reel tape versions they settled the argument of whether SSfM [Surround Sound for Music] made any sense. Now we'll have them without tape hiss, noise, print-thru or rewinding. My report on them will be in the July-Aug. Issue.

 

FERDE GROFÉ: Grand Canyon Suite; Mississippi Suite, Niagara Falls Suite - Bournemouth Symphony Orch./William T. Stromberg - DVD-A/DTS & Dolby 5.1, Naxos 5.110002:

Naxos' second DVD-Audio release brings us a trio of works ranging from chestnut to not-before-recorded. Grofe is a good choice since all three of these works are a sort of Hollywood version of Respighi's Roman trilogy - colorful widescreen sonic spectaculars. The five familiar movements of the Grand Canyon Suite seem much more involving auditorily than any of the two-channel versions out there. The five Canyon landscape photos set the scene, but Naxos missed a natural not including some burros in the On the Trail photo. Also they ruined the nature photography with some crudely brushed-in storm clouds in more than one shot. Probably to tie in with the Cloudburst movement.

But then the music is the focus here - you can hear this fine disc without use of your TV screen to display the thirteen paintings illustrating the various movements. It was recorded using 24-bit but only 48kHz instead of 96kHz sampling. However, sonics are clean and very wide range, with a natural, ungimmicked feeling of the hall in Dorset, UK where it was recorded. If you lack DVD-Audio playback, you won't find any additional video material using the Dolby Digital or DTS layers on the disc. Grofe's Mississippi Suite has always been a favorite of mine, and I love to play the jazz staple Daybreak, which is the lovely melody taken from the last movement - Mardi Gras. In the last movement of the Niagara Falls Suite - The Power of Niagara - Grofe seems to be attempting an American version of Mosolov's Iron Foundry. Mechanistic music at its mightiest. I can understand why this hasn't been recorded before...

- John Sunier

 

MOZART Requiem; J. C. BACH: Introitus and Kyrie from the Totenmesse - Soloists, choir and orchestras of the Netherlands Bach Society/Jos van Valdhoven (in J.C. Bach - double choir and orch. of the Netherlands Bach Society) - multichannel SACD Channel Classics CCS SA 18102:

An intimate requiem, with the total performers involved, including the orchestra, I count as 41. The orchestra plays on period instruments and the score used was edited by a noted Mozart expert who had been artistic director of the Concertgebouw Orchestra for many years. Conductor Veldhoven is also a musicologist and has staged many authentic versions of Bach works. While not boasting the excitement of the barnstorming full modern orchestra and huge chorus - which in some performances makes one think you're hearing the Berlioz or Verdi Requiem instead of Mozart's - the clarity of the chamber music approach, when combined with the higher resolution of DSD and the natural envelopment of surround sound, makes this a very moving and affecting musical experience. The improved separation of the soloists from the rest of the ensemble and of the chorus from the instrumentalists adds immensely to the listener's involvement in the work. I didn't even want to get out one of the other more lavish (but two-channel) Mozart Requiem recordings to compare; this one was so satisfying. The note booklet says Live Recording, so I gather this was recorded during a public performance. If so, Dutch audiences are certainly quieter than most others I've heard. I once recorded a choral-orchestral performance binaurally sitting in the audience. Someone in an adjoining pew blew their noise frequently. No way that performance would ever be issued commercially.

- John Sunier

 

BENJAMIN BRITTEN: Suites Nos. 1, 2 & 3 for Cello Solo - Peter Wispelwey, cello - multichannel SACD - Channel Classics CCS SA 17102:

Solo cello in surround sound? Why?, you may ask. At the start of the stereo era many asked why record a solo instrument such as piano in stereo? It's not difficult to switch between the stereo mix and the surround tracks on this disc, and if your preamp/receiver allows it, to also switch the stereo mix to mono. Compare all three and see if you would still ask why bother. A definite feeling of a real instrument in a real space in front of you is achieved by the surround version that the stereo and mono cannot achieve. One should be completely unaware of the surrounds if all levels are properly set. There's no temptation for a gimmicky producer to place instruments in the surround channels because there aren't any other instruments.

Bach's great suites for unaccompanied cello of course come to mind when approaching the Britten work. But there are two other more recent homages intended by the British composer: to Shostakovich and Rostropovich. Both were sources of inspiration for Britten and he knew both musicians. Shostakovich's musical signature is woven into the Third Suite. The three contrasting suites are considered milestones in the literature for the cello, but I have to admit they are far from my favorite Britten works. I'd much rather hear the Bach Six again. But that may just be me; I'm going to sit down and give them another chance soon.

- John Sunier

 

A pair of vocal music collections on SACD multi-channel...

Great Opera Choruses of WAGNER: from Tannhauser, Parsifal, Lohengrin & VERDI: from Aida, Nabucco - Soloists/Czech Philharmonic Chorus of Brno/St. Florian Boy's Choir/Bruckner Orchester Linz/Bernhard Klee, cond. - multichannel SACD - Chesky SACD230:

Some of the most thrilling music in grand opera is found in the choruses, and Wagner and Verdi are two of the composers who have written some of the most exciting such choruses. Two of those selected for this disc will be familiar to most - the Grand March from Aida, and the very familiar Bridal Chorus from Lohengrin. Often backstage or off-stage instruments or singers are prescribed for certain operas. On some of the Verdi selections a small instrumental ensemble called a Banda is placed high on the left side of the hall. The chorus from Act I of Parsifal is perfect for SSfM - it features off-stage brass and percussion coming from high on the sides, the angelic voices of children wafting in from the rear surrounds, and also bells. I remember the Grand March from Aida as an early stereo tape demo which was very impressive. Now in 5.1 its really impressive. The printed notes don't indicate whether this is one of Chesky's SACDs that also includes a layer with their use of the center and LFE channels for high near-front side channels. I'll have to try that out when I get my speakers Nos. 7 & 8 installed.

- John Sunier

 

Love & Lament - MONTEVERDI: Lamento della Ninfa/FRESCOBALDI: Toccata 2a in F/MAZZOCHI: Lamento di David/KAPSBERGER: Toccata Settima/CIAIA: Lamentatio Virginis in dispositione Filii de cruce/ROSSI: Settima Toccata/CARISSIMI: Historia di Jephte

Soloists/Ensemble Cappella Fiuralis/The Netherlands Bach Society/Siebe Henstra, harpsichord/Mike Fentross, theorbo (lute)/Pieter Dirksen, organ/Jos van Veldhoven, conductor - Channel Classics Multichannel CCS SACD 17002 72:53:

This disc reminds me of my college days, when participation in the collegium musicum was required, and courses in "Music Before 1750" attracted those who were a bit fatigued with the excesses of Wagner and Tchaikovsky. It offers a mixture of vocal, dramatic dialogues and instrumental soli, several of which are virtuoso compositions of the period c. 1635-1670. The vocal works are basically monodic in character, with intricacies in the basso continuo and affetti, passing dissonances and ornaments. Besides the emotionally-wrought work of Monteverdi, the most passionate and intricate offering is by Carissimi, his Story of Jeptha, which exploits two-soprano echo-effects (spatially effective in surround), as well as a six-voiced chorus utilizing complex, polyphonic harmonies in the service of a powerful lament for the Biblical daughter of the victorious general who must sacrifice her as an (ironic) tribute to G-d.

The purely instrumental sections are quite florid, easily forward-looking to Bach's style of ornamented, devotional polyphony. The organ toccata by Rossi has a number of mannerisms, including broken-style chords and long dissonances. Kapsberger's "lute" piece is for the chitaronne. His is a Venetian style, and he makes expert demands on the player, who must strum, pluck, makes runs of dissonances and employ colorful harmonics. Frescobaldi's toccata for harpsichord is an extended piece with trills, pedal points, imitative sections, rhythmic intricacies, and a stubborn basso ostinato. The lengthy meditation by Ciaia on the Virgin Mary's taking her crucified son off the cross is worthy of anything in Gesualdo, with anguished dissonances and an almost Mozartean sense of choral ensemble. For the musically adventurous, this splendidly mounted (and sounding) disc will have great appeal, especially since it fills out the period with some new masterworks.

--Gary Lemco

 

Marcelo Alvarez, tenor, in French Arias by MASSENET, OFFENBACH, DONIZETTI, GOUNOD, VERDI, MEYERBEER & ROSSINI - Orchestra and Chorus of the Nice Opera/Mark Elder - Sony Classical stereo SACD (only) SS 89650:

Surprised to see those Italian composers in this program of French arias? Turns out they were much performed, and still are, in France. Verdi actually wrote Don Carlos - from which an aria about the forest of Fontainebleau is heard here - on a commission from the Paris Opera. Hailing from Argentina (one of his earlier CDs is songs of Gardel), Alvarez has a rich and youthfully strong tenor voice that seems to strain less than most tenors I've heard. Perhaps that's just the improved resolution of the hi-res format. (Have to admit I'm not an operatic aficionado, but some logistical problems dictate my writing this review.) The balance of his voice with the orchestra and chorus is better delineated in DSD than most vocal soloists with orchestra. The two arias from Offenbach's Tales of Hoffman are a delight when following the supplied libretto. Nice bite-sized pieces so I don't have to consume the whole thing... If I enjoyed this SACD opera lovers should adore it.

- John Sunier

 

A pair of Bachs in Hi-Res Surround are next...

BACH Organ Works - Toccata and Fugue in D Minor, Pastorale BWV590, Passacaglia and Fugue in C Minor, We All Believe in One God, Prelude in E flat major BWV552/1, Come Now Saviour of the Heathen, Christ Our Lord to Jordan Came, Wake Awake for Night is Flying, Fugue in E flat major BWV 552/2 - Hans-Andre Stamm, performing on Trost organ in Waltershausen, Germany - 6.0 DVD-Audio/5.1 Dolby Digital/PCM 44.1 stereo/much video content - Pioneer Classics PC-11544D:

Quite a production we have here! Three Neumann directional mikes were used for the frontal channels and two Sennheiser omni mikes for the surrounds in the church. They were connected thru a Studer console to 24-bit/96kHz converters and recorded to hard disk without compression or artificial reverb. The DVD-Audio thus utilizes the highest resolution possible with surround - 24-bit/96kHz. The historic Baroque organ was recently refurbished, was first built in Bach's time and is thought to have been performed on by the composer. The performances are marvelous and marvelously reproduced - my subs were flailing unmercifully at some of the pedal notes when I had the level up full. Evidently the below 80Hz or so frequencies picked up by the five mikes have been routed into the LFE channel.

The bonus features on this disc doesn't stop: they include a biography of the organist, liner notes, a glossary of musical terms, a history of the Baroque church and Trost organ, contemporary history about the selections, the organ registrations and other details and credits for the disc production. All these are text only, but you have also a choice of several options to occur while you listen to the music: Track listings of each movement, a slide show of the organ itself and the organist, or a running music analysis of each piece in text subtitles as the music progresses. Finally there is a most impressive full-motion video with DD 5.1 sound of Stamm's performance of the complete Toccata and Fugue in D Minor. My only grouse was that the audio default was to the PCM stereo tracks - probably done to protect speaker tweeters from the loud hash that would result if the user fed the Dolby Digital datastream directly into an analog input.

- John Sunier

 

BACH Classics - Sheep May Safely Graze, Badinerie from Orch. Suite No. 2, Adagio from Double Concerto, Passepied I & II from Suite No. 1, Air for G String, Chorale from Easter Cantata, Siciliano from Sonata No. 4 in C Minor, Giant Fugue, Bouree I & II from Suite No. 2, Chorale from The Little Suite, Aria from Cantata No. 170, Sleepers Awake Chorale from Cantata No. 140 - London Philharmonic Orchestra/Don Jackson - DVD-A & DTS 5.1 - DTS Entertainment 01075-9-5:

This is another in the series of great composers' greatest hits which have been issued on both the Silverline and DTS labels, first in DTS only on CD, then higher-res DTS on DVD, and now with both DTS & DVD-Audio. There are no visual extras, just the listing on the screen of the dozen tracks. However, you don't need to access track selection on a video screen - you can just play the DVD-A with a display. The performances are workmanlike but easily surpassed in many other recordings by name bands. The real fly in the multichannel ointment is a rather serious distortion on the front three channels. I tried the disc on two different DVD-A players and the results were the same. Played at background music levels it wouldn't be noticed but at concert level it's definitely there. Being between processors for a short time I wasn't able to see if the distortion was also on the DTS front channels.

- John Sunier

 

Mannheim Steamroller and the London Symphony: Fresh Aire 8 by Chip Davis - Two-sided DVD, DVD-A side is 5.1 hi-res surround with stills; DVD-V side is full motion videos, DD 5.1, DTS 5.1 or PCM stereo. Plus separate CD. American Gramaphone Home Theatre Products AG9888-7:

It's not difficult enough to decide how to organize music reviews with the many wild crossover efforts afoot nowadays, but discs such as this one seem to fall between DVD-Audio Music and music video DVDs so it's anyone's guess how to categorize it technically speaking. I hadn't heard much about Chip Davis and Mannheim Steamroller for some years, but he hasn't been just sitting on his laurels acquired by nearly all of their past albums selling in the millions. He's stepped full force into all the possibilities of multimedia via DVD video and audio with the eighth in the long running series of eclectic albums presenting his original compositions and arrangements of other music in various styles. It all grew out of the rock on Baroque instruments approach of the very first Mannheim Steamroller LP.

The video side of this lavish disc held more interest for me than the DVD-A side, since the theme is so fascinating and the production pulls out all the stops to achieve maximum visual and musical impact. There are eight "movements" titled as whole "8 Topics of Infinity." The idea of discussing infinity comes from the resemblance of the number 8, laid on its side, to the symbol for infinity. The sections are Infinity in Philosophy (Aristotle and the Greeks), Infinity in Cosmology (The Big Bang), the Infinite Thinker (da Vinci), Infinity in Mathematics (Fractal designs), Infinity in Art (Waterfall), Infinity in the Wedding Band (Circle of Love), Infinity in Music (The Steamroller), and finally Infinity in Egyptian Afterlife (The Heart & Feather). Whew! The use of the 5.1 surround medium in all the surround formats is extensive and certainly not confined to just frontal soundstage with ambience on the surrounds! Far from it. And as expected the DVD-A layer is the highest resolution and clarity, although the DTS tracks sound awfully good with the videos.

The mix of light movie-oriented music with professorial discussions on each topic, costume-drama settings in the Greeks and da Vinci sections, and everything from experimental video art to mixes of live dancers and an animated steamroller character to amazing fractal designs hits the viewer as both strangely naive and innocent on one hand and full of intellectual and technical chutzpah on the other. It's best to see the video side first to understand what some of the strange sounds are on the DVD-Audio side. For example, there's one loud whoosh that roars from front to back which can almost make one think something has blown out in your equipment, but on the video side you find that is a flaming planet or perhaps comet flung thru the cosmos.

Then there is all the extras here - altogether there are over four hours of content on this disc! A printed "site map" is in the provided note booklet, and it has sections such as Professor's Notes, Chip's Creative Insight and Approach, Behind the Scenes (video interviews with some of the "professors"), Interactive, About This Disc, Greek Thinkers Suite, and so on. The discussions of each separate topic by the professors are especially fascinating - I was captivated by the one on fractals. Doesn't seem like anything more could be crammed into this dense package, does it? Well, there is. A second disc of the music only is provided as a CD with HDCD encoding. The idea is you can play that one in your car and walkman. Even if you have an HDCD decoder you're probably not going to play this on your home system, but the slight HDCD compression is perfect for playback on a cheap portable or in a noisy vehicle on the road - just as undecoded Dolby'ized cassettes are/were.

- John Sunier

 

RAVEL - Retrospection - Prelude, Minuet on the name of Haydn, Pavane for a dead princess, Sonatine, The Tomb of Couperin, Valses nobles et sentimentales, In the Manner of Chabrier, In the Manner of Borodin, Postlude (1913) - Dejan Lazic, piano - multichannel SACD - Channel Classics CCS SA 17502:

The subtitle of this Ravel collection, Retrospection, is not explained, except that pianist Lazic has already recorded CDs with that title of works of Mozart and Chopin. Again, the multichannel (actually only 4.0 channel) reproduction of the solo instrument adds a depth and realism missing in most stereo versions. However, the timbre of Lazic's Steinway is not terrible pleasant and worse is his strange approach to Ravel - exaggerating various elements and speeding through some selections at breakneck tempi. Sorry, this is not my sort of Ravel by any means. Try Angela Hewitt, reviewed in Classical CDs this month, or the wonderful Walter Gieseking reissue on EMI Classics reviewed some months ago.

- John Sunier

 

Getting a bit folky on you for the next several discs...

CELTIC SPECTACULAR - Cincinnati Pops Orchestra & Erich Kunzel with special guests: The Chieftains; James Galway, flute & whistles; John McDermott, tenor; Liz Knowles, fiddle; Keran O'Hare, Ulleann pipes & whistles; Silver Arm Celtic Band - multichannel SACD - Telarc SACD-60571:

I should admit up front that Celtic music is only slightly above Hawaiian music in my musical world, but aside from wincing slightly at Danny Boy and Irish-tenor classics of that ilk on the disc, I actually enjoyed this musical outing to the Emerald Isle. Of course there are the excerpts from Lord of the Dance and Riverdance, but also a track from the Chieftains and Galway in some lovely melodies for flute or whistle, such as Simple Gifts. There's plenty of lush Hollywoodish arrangements and clever but not excessive use of the surrounds for musical effects. There is a short surround sound effect titled Off to the Hunt. Even the bagpipes were not too painful.

- John Sunier

 

Belafonte at Carnegie Hall, 1959 - Orch. Cond. By Robert Corman - RCA/BMG 74321894852 stereo SACD:

This and the SACD below have been issued only in Hong Kong primarily for the Asian market and are not readily available in the U.S. Music of the Caribbean has long had a certain fascination for the Japanese, and perhaps other Asians - though I'm not sure about that. This classic Harry Belafonte concert, once a prized Victor Living Stereo LP, must be a sort of urtext for Caribbean folk music in Asia. The final five songs take off from the land of banana boats and tour the world. The note booklet reprints the original LP liner notes - entirely in English - a surprise considering the intended audience for the hi-res disc. There were not many live concerts taped this way at that time - getting such good sound on the fly (recording just two nights of his performance) was quite a feat. Belafonte bounced all over the stage and his backing ranged from a single guitar and bongos to a 47-piece orchestra. The clarity of his voice is almost uncanny - the tapes have obviously survived well over the years and the DSD medium allows their maximum impact to come thru. He may even succeed - 43 years removed - in getting you to join in his singalongs. No Boo Boos to Look-A on this Day O... [One of the few places to purchase this disc in North America is A4Audio.com]

Tracks: Intro/Darlin' Cora, Sylvie, Cotton Fields, John Henry, The Marching Saints, Day O, Jamaica Farewell, Mama Look A Boo Boo, Come Back Liza, Man Smart (Woman Smarter), Hava Nageela, Danny Boy, Cu Cu Ru Cu Cu Paloma, Shenandoah, Matilda.

- John Sunier

 

Los Indios Tabajaras - Always In My Heart - RCA /BMG 74321899002 stereo SACD:

These two Indian brothers lived in the Brazilian jungle and one day found a battered guitar discarded by a party of white men. Thus began the careers of the globe-circling Latin guitar/vocal duo who came to fame in l963 with the hit single Maria Elena. This SACD reissue from l964 is more of the same light and highly commercial Latin vocals. Sonics are superb. Tracks are: Always in my Heart, Por Que Eres Asi?, Over the Rainbow, More Brandy Please, Amapola, Wide Horizon, Moonlight and Shadows, You Belong to My Heart, Central Park, Magic is the Moonlight, New Orleans, Maria My Own. [One of the few places to purchase this disc in North America is A4Audio.com]

 

Herbie Mann, flute & Sona Terra - Eastern European Roots - Stereo SACD, HerbieMannMusic 01-2000:

Released on his own label, jazz flutist Mann's first SACD came about when the musician had a close encounter with mortality due to a cancer diagnosis. He realized he had played music influenced by many different folk cultures - including Brazilian, Latin, Japanese, Middle Eastern and African. Yet his roots were in Eastern European culture. He had written some music with an Eastern European feel to it years ago, which he now dusted off and played, along with composing new ones. A trip to Roumania broadened his interest in rediscovering his musical roots, and pianist Milcho Leviev shared his Eastern European music and soul with Mann. Mann plays several different flutes, and the nine musicians joining him on various of the 11 tracks play guitar, cimbalom, accordion, drums, percussion, mandolin, bass, soprano sax, fujara, and bouzouki. The centerpiece and longest track was recorded in Hungary during Mann's trip there. Six of the tracks are Mann's compositions. Engaging tunes and arrangements with super-clean sonics - especially of the occasional percussion instruments - due to the high-res medium. [If you have trouble locating the SACD, email: jarison@newmexico.com] Tracks are: Ayla, Gypsy Jazz, Gelem Gelem, Balalaika Love Song, A Dance at the Rise of the Moon, Jelek, Bucovina, Passing Through, Foreign Village, Magyar Dreams, Sera.

- John Sunier

 

Jazz Concord - Herb Ellis & Joe Pass, guitars; Ray Brown, bass; Jake Hanna, drums - Concord Records/Hi-Res Music stereo 96K DVD-A HRM 2006:

The original l974 LP release of this session out of the early Concord Jazz Festival in California was one of the very first albums from the new Concord record label. It even had very simple cover art that looked like an early mono LP from around 1952. The recording was not made live at the festival but the well-known Wally Hyder Studio in Los Angeles. Both guitarists played Gibson ES 175 instruments and used amplification very sparingly. And with Ray Brown on bass you know the session is going to be a winner. This is a smashing duo in every way. Ellis offered "We just watch each other close and keep our ears open and some pretty fantastic things happen." They do and they did. The 96kHz reissue brings out every nuance of the improvisations of all four instruments. I have the original LP still packed away somewhere. If when I locate it I find it sounds better than this DVD-Audio I'll update this review. But I strongly doubt it.

- John Sunier

 

Three tribute albums are up next, first to two great trumpet players and thence to a great fusion jazz ensemble...

Bob Barnard, cornet & The Swedish Jazz Kings, featuring Roy Williams, trombone - A Tribute to Young Louis - multichannel SACD - Opus 3 CD 22013 (Distr. by May Audio Mktg.) :

Another newly recorded four-channel SACD from the Swedish label, following their first series which used surround channels that were derived from the Blumlein-mic'ed two-channel original tapes. This SACD, just recorded last year, is quite an international production. The music of this Swedish CD is from the early career of Louis Armstrong, Bob Barnard is Australia's No. 1 trad jazz star, and on most of the dozen tracks is heard one of Britain's top trombone players, Roy Williams. In their previous albums the Swedish Jazz Kings have shown themselves to be amazingly accurate and swinging interpreters of traditional jazz, mainly of Louis Armstrong. Now with all these great tunes from "The Bach of Jazz" and the topnotch guest soloists, they really shine. All tunes are from the period l924 thru l929 and Louis' Hot Five and Hot Seven bands, except for two tracks. The four discrete channels really immerse the listener in the center of the hot jazz cooking - perhaps the quad era wasn't so lame after all and four channels are all we need when the recordings are properly done, eh?

Tracks: Oriental Strut, You're Next, My Heart, Melancholy Blues, Ory's Creole Trombone, Georgia Bo-Bo, The Last Time, Wild Man Blues, Everybody Loves My Baby, Two Deuces, Keyhole Blues, Sunset Cafe Stomp.

- John Sunier

 

Clark Terry - One On One (with Monty Alexander, Geri Allen, Kenny Barron, Tommy Flanagan, Benny Green, Sir Roland Hanna, John Lewis, Marian McPartland, Junior Mance, Billy Taylor and others) Multichannel SACD - Chesky SACD231:

What a great idea the Cheskys had and what a lot of effort it must have taken to bring this all together - bringing in fourteen of today's greatest jazz pianists to improvise one-on-one with the trumpet player many consider the link between Louis Armstrong and Miles Davis. Plus the tunes they chose all are by or connected with earlier great pianists such as Ellington, Count Basie, Bud Powell, Fats Waller, Eubie Blake, Nat Cole, Art Tatum and Earl Hines. In the note booklet each recording pianist speaks briefly about both Clark Terry and about the pianist honored in their tribute duo. The recording was made in St. Peter's Episcopal Church in NYC and each of the guest pianists tickled the ivories on an extended-range Bosendorfer Imperial Grand Piano. The natural timbres of both instruments are preserved beautifully in the DSD process and the multichannel reproduction enhances the experience immensely with a strong feeling of the trumpet peaks bouncing off the distant walls of the large sanctuary. I'm looking forward to (as soon as I get it set up) trying out the provided six-channel option using the center and LFE channels to feed an additional pair of speakers high on the sides near the front.

- John Sunier

 

Celebrating the Music of Weather Report (Incl. Jay Beckenstein, Randy & Michael Brecker, Steve Gadd, Marcus Miller, Andy Narell, Joe Sample, David Sanborn & John Scofield) - Multichannel SACD Telarc SACD-63473:

A very worthwhile tribute to the top fusion jazz group of the 1970s. The task here was for producer/arranger Jason Miles to assemble a line of players able to capture the special sound-world of Weather Report but still show some of their own individuality. Looking over the long, long list of players it appears he did a fine job of it. Miles also was the keyboardist and did the drum and percussion synth programming. The group's big hits such as Birdland and Mysterious Traveller are here among the 11 tracks, sounding fuller and more impressive than I recall from the originals. But they're still not the originals. There seem to be more synthesizers than heard in the originals; of course synths have become a great deal more diversified and sophisticated since the 70s.

The album has now been issued by Telarc as both an SACD and DVD A, as with their 1812 Overture. While the two-channel mix on the DVD-A uses 24 bit/96kHz, the 5.1 surround tracks are limited to 24-bit/44.1kHz sampling. Thus the multichannel SACD has the edge right off due to a much higher sampler rate. Is this audible since the Weather Report sound is so synthesizer heavy anyway? Yes. Of course with the DVD-Audio you also get a 5.1 DTS option plus a Dolby Digital MP3 layer for your DVD-ROM computer drive. And some pictures on the screen if you want them. On both formats the bass drum and percussion is very prominent and has deep extension, mostly appearing on the center front channel. Since my front subs operate only on the left and right front speakers and at the moment I have no bass management, that meant I was losing some of the extreme low frequencies at my center channel speaker. Tunes: Birdland, Elegant People, Badia, Young and Fine, Cannonball, Pursuit of the Woman with the Feathered Hat, Mysterious Traveller, Harlequin, Man in the Green Shirt, Palladium, Cucumber Slumber.

- John Sunier

 

Natalie MacMaster ­ In My Hands; Hybrid Stereo SACD Rounder 11661-7025-6:

The first track on this disc starts off as a nice alternative pop song, with a good beat and pleasant instrumentation, and then, the fiddle shows up! Yes, this disc is chock full of jigs and good ole Scottish style music, despite the fact MacMaster is from Nova Scotia, Canada. Recording quality sounds very natural, and percussion and the instruments in the mix all sound great. It's hard to listen to this disc and not want to get up out of your seat and dance around. About half of the tunes are mellow, while the other half of them are rhythmic and upbeat. "Flamenco Swing" plays exactly as it sounds, and clearly shows the mastery of this group. Songs included are: In My Hands, Welcome To The Trossachs, Gramma, Blue Bonnets Over The Border, New York Jig, Flamenco Fling, Space Ceilidh, Olympic Reel, Father John MacLeod's Jig, Get Me Through December, The Farewell, Moxham Castle, Mom's Jig, Flora MacDonald.

- Brian Bloom

 

Cowboy Junkies ­ Open; Hybrid Stereo SACD Latent 01143-1020-6:

This disc seems much grittier and harder than previous Cowboy Junkie releases like Lay It Down. If you are unfamiliar with the band, their music can best be described as a blend of folk and rock. It was a little hard to reconcile the sound of the guitar with Margo Timmin's soft vocals on a few of the cuts. The sound quality of the instruments and voice were very impressive. "Thousand Year Prayer" is a noteworthy exception to that hard and brash sound. It's a touching, soft, melodic song that harkens back the sound of the Trinity Sessions record-an audiophile favorite. The Junkies strength has always been in the more finely crafted tunes wherein you don't have to turn the sound up and bang your head! The types of songs in the latter half of the CD are going to be much more familiar for fans. Songs included are: I Did It All For You, Dragging Hooks (River Song Trilogy: Part III), Bread And Wine, Upon Still Waters, Dark Hole Again, Thousand Year Prayer, I'm So Open, Small Swift Birds, Beneath The Gate, Close My Eyes.

- Brian Bloom

 

Now a trio of two-channel and even one-channel jazz reissues...

Sonny Rollins - Saxophone Colossus (with Tommy Flanagan, piano; Doug Watkins, bass; Max Roach, drums) - Prestige/Fantasy/Analogue Productions Mono SACD CAPJ 7079SA:

This is one of those jazz classics that has been reissued many times, similar to Miles' All Blues. At the time (1956) Rollins was playing in the Clifford Brown/Max Roach Quintet and this album established him as at the top of his improvisational form. Three of the five tracks are Rollins' originals, opening with the witty Caribbean-influenced St. Thomas. It disturbs me that although audiophile labels always go into great detail about the technical side of the particular recording if it is stereo or multichannel, when it is a reissue of a mono original, usually nothing whatever is said, and that is true of this SACD. There's nothing wrong with it being mono - this is one of Rudy Van Gelder's "deep mono" masters that lacks little in impact save a spatial separation of the players on the soundstage.

I had at hand the 1998 JVC xrcd reissue of this album (at least that one mentions it is mono on the label of the actual CD). I often make comparisons of an SACD with the separate CD version - avoiding comparing to the CD layer on hybrid discs in case there is a quality loss due to residing on a lower layer or other variances in mastering. I played both on the same player of course. I found an extremely close match between the two. It took quite a number of A/B tests to come up with subtle improvements in the SACD version. (While in this case I didn't have the original CD I found the CD layer on the hybrid disc very dulled and opaque in comparison to the other two formats.) At the beginning of Track 3, the hard-driving Strode Rode, a wood block is struck six times and then repeated shortly. On the xrcd the strikes on the block were greatly improved in clarity over the 44.1kHz CD layer, but on the SACD they had still more air and a longer tail of reverberant sound immediately following the strike of stick on block. I really should pick up the inexpensive Fantasy OJC LP of this album if it's still available and bring it into the comparisons. In this case I wouldn't be shocked if it was the equal of the SACD at a lot less money.

- John Sunier

 

Ben Allison & Medicine Wheel - Riding the Nuclear Tiger (Allison, bass; Michael Blake, tenor & soprano sax; Ted Nash, tenor, alto, soprano sax & bass clarinet; Ron Horton, trumpet & Flugelhorn; Frank Kimbrough, piano & prepared piano; Tomas Ulrich, cello, Jeff Ballard, drums) - Palmetto/Hi-Res Music stereo 96K DVD-A HRM 2007:

This seemed at first like an unlikely choice for a hi-res reissue but after a couple auditionings it seemed very appropriate. Perhaps one thing the label people had in mind was the enhanced ability of a 96K reissue to illuminate the unusual and avantgarde instrumental techniques used in many of the tunes as well as impart greater impact with this seven-man ensemble. Among the departures from normal playing approaches are the pianist strumming on the strings inside the piano above the bridge, the bass playing doing the same, one of the reed players playing two saxes at once a la Roland Kirk, Kimbrough "preparing" his piano for Swiss Cheese D by lacing some Metro transit cards thru the strings, and the drummer placing small cymbals and gongs on the drum heads for the track titled Tectonics. The band grew out of New York's Jazz Composers Collective, and while playfully avant it is not so brashly non-tonal as to enrage the more conservative ear. In fact on the second hearing I loved it. And I love his tune titles too. The penultimate track came by its title due to an unidentified person opening the door of the studio near the end of the take (you can only hear it with headphones; that would be a good test for resolution!): Riding the Nuclear Tiger, Jazz Scene Voyeur, Love Chant Remix, Swiss Cheese D, Weazy, Charlie Brown's Psychedelic Christmas, Harlem River Line, Mysterious Visitor, Tectonics.

- John Sunier

 

Bit of a video snafu on this next DVD-A...

Hamamura Quintett with Skadi Lange, vocalist - Er'Told (Masako Hamamura, piano; Jeremy Stratton, bass; Dominik Doppler, drums; Guiido Ruckert, sax) - Audionet DVD-A & DVD-V (PAL) Standards No. 1:

First of all, the music - that always should come first, right? It's straight-ahead modern jazz vocals in a quartet environment, except for the two tracks titled Trio in Experience, which are extreme free jazz. The singer is not terribly individual or creative but pianist Hamamura has some interesting twists on his solos. (Track list at end of review.) Now there are several unusual techy things about this DVD: First, the initial two characters of the title, the E & R, are actually backwards. I have lots of different fonts on my Macs but none with in reverse. I also have no idea what the title means - it doesn't spell anything backwards in English. Next, the disc features five different options for playback: stereo audio at 192K, 5-channel audio at 48K, video with 5 channels of Dolby Digital audio, video with two channels of 96K audio, and finally video with two channels of 16 bit/48k audio. There are different groups of selections for each of these five options.

Now a little problem comes up: while the opening seven tracks of 24-bit/192kHz stereo play fine and sound terrific, in order to get the next four tracks which are 5-channel 48K sampling, you must display the main menu on the video screen and select that option. Unfortunately the video image has no vertical hold and flips over continually. It even continued after removing the disc until I insert and started up another DVD-A disc. In the note booklet for this German-made DVD-A it states it is the very first DVD that meets both the high-resolution DVD-Audio standard and the DVD-Video standard. Well, it may meet those standards in Europe but not here in the U.S., because the video portion is PAL format rather than NTSC, and nowhere on the disc does it state that fact. Without a proper video display one can't access the rest of the DVD-A, so there you are. If you do have access to a PAL or universal DVD player, here are the tracks (without repeating those offered multiple times in the different formats): How Insensitive, My Funny Valentine, Falling in Love with Love, You Don't Know What Love Is, Alone Together, One Note Samba, Trio in Experience I & II, Nostalgia, Moonglow, Sophisticated Lady. [I've only seen this advertised one mail order list, so if you are interested in it, contact the label directly at: audionet@t-online.de]

- John Sunier

 

Heard of the Opera Without Singing albums? Well here's Sinatra Without Singing...

Nice 'N' Easy - Celebrating Sinatra - The Arrangements of Nelson Riddle - Erich Kunzel and the Cincinnati Pops "Big Band" Orchestra - Telarc multichannel SACD-60532:

Here's yet another tribute album, and I must say I found it more enjoyable than the Celtic one reviewed above. Sinatra went thru a lot of different styles and approaches during his long career, but for most of us the classic collaborations between The Voice and Nelson Riddle during the 50s and early 60s is the sound of Sinatra with which we are most familiar. Riddle was skilled when Sinatra hired him, but he hadn't developed his own style as yet. Working together with Sinatra he created one of the most distinctive styles in pop music - one that supported the singer's voice to the utmost while contributing all sorts of fresh-sounding ideas of orchestration. Among them was a special use of the trombone section and establishing an important role for the flute.

In preparing for this session Kunzel and his staff discovered that Riddle's orchestrations sounded like they had been written for the Cincinnati musicians all the time. All they had to do was re-tool the vocal charts into all-instrumental pieces and give the vocal solos to the guest soloists on reeds and brass. These guests included Ken Peplowski on tenor sax, Jim Pugh on trombone and the trumpets of Rick Baptist and Randy Sandke. There's more than just hall ambience on the surround channels, and with this kind of music that's perfect. This disc will really make you want to do what the late Harvey Rosenberg decreed was the final goal of the right combination of recording and playback equipment - making you want to get up and dance! Tracks are: Night and Day, Zing Went the Strings of My Heart, September in the Rain, You and the Night and the Music, I've Got You Under My Skin, Let's Face the Music and Dance, Summer Wind, I Get Along Without You Very Well, Nice 'n' Easy, The Lady Is a Tramp, Get Happy, What's New, I'll Get By.

- John Sunier

 

Now for a real variety of real singers...

Philip Bailey ­ Soul On Jazz; Hybrid Multichannel SACD Heads Up HUSA 9068:

This recording is one of the best sounding of the bunch that I received this month. Bailey handles a few different jazz tunes that should be instantly recognizable by title, mixed in with a few originals. There is a distinct R&B/soul flavor to the presentations, but all are particularly enticing in their own way. This is a tremendous disc to be used for demonstrating system capabilities with music that most people will find pleasant and highly listenable. The piano and chorus of vocals on "Dear Ruby" is great. Bailey does nothing too avant-garde or wild in his interpretations of the songs, but many of the tunes include vocals. With more listening, it is clear that Bailey does quite a memorable job with the songs on the disc, and leaves the listener wanting more. Songs included are: My Indiscretions, Dear Ruby, Compared to What, Nature Boy, Bop-Skip-Doodle, Unrestrained, Mercy, Mercy, Mercy, Keep Your Head To The Sky, Sometime Ago, Tell Me A Bedtime Story, On The Red Clay.

- Brian Bloom

 

Robert Lockwood, Jr. ­ Delta Crossroads; Hybrid Multichannel SACD Telarc SACD-63509:

Much like Chesky, Telarc tends to put out some of the best sounding SACDs. The aliveness and presence of this recording is fabulous. Music-wise, you get exactly what the title says-an album filled with great delta blues. Robert Johnson taught Lockwood, so you can expect a darn good performance. The songs are all solo guitar with voice, but the quality of the play and recording almost makes you believe you are hearing an entire group. Five of the sixteen tunes are originals while the others are covers of songs from Robert Johnson, Leroy Carr, Jazz Gillum, and "Lightning" Hopkins. If you like the blues, then you are sure to love this disc. Songs included are: 32-20 Blues, Mean Mistreater Mama, This Little Girl of Mine, Stop Breakin' Down Blues, My Woman came Waking Down, C.C. Rider, Little Queen of Spades, I Believe I'll Dust My Broom, In the Evening (When the Sun Goes Down), We're Gonna Ball Tonight, Mr. Downchild, Run Your Mama, Ramblin' On My Mind, Love In Vain Blues, Train My Baby, Keys to the Highway.

- Brian Bloom

 

Robert Walter's 20th Congress ­ Money Shot; Hi-Res Music HRM 2003 DVD-A:

This disc has sort of a retro 70s sound to it. I'd go so far as to say it was a little Steely Dan meets Emerson, Lake, and Palmer. The first cut has a Hammond organ, which lends a swinging bluesy feel to it. The next song is really funk sounding, and includes the addition of a horn as well. After listening for a while, it was easy to let the sound and music grow on me. Like the other Hi-Res recording, this one is strictly two-channel and it is clearly a better recording than what you would normally get in this genre of music. There is an "Album Art" section, but the song title on a static screen is all that is available during playback. Songs included are: White Russ, (Everybody Wanna Get Rich) Rite Away, Rack & Pinion, Instant Lawn, The Yodel, Shemp Time, Money Shot, I'm Over It, Blues For Y2K.

 

Mofro ­ Blackwater; DVD-A Hi-Res Music HRM 2002:

The music on this disc is a cross between rock, blues, and bluegrass, with a little funk mixed in for good measure. The band sounds like a cross between Blues Traveler, Stone Temple Pilots, and George Thorogood. All the tunes are upbeat and get your head bobbin'. They all tell funny or interesting stories, about things such as the good ole days of the band's roots, among other things. The audio mix is strictly two-channel and comes across very well. It sounds better than all but the highest quality CD recordings. The disc offers still pictures in the "Album Art" section, but the only thing you see while the music is playing is a static screen with the album title. There is also a "Tech Talk" section with information about the production and the recording process. With the Rotel RDV-1080 DVD-A player I was using I was unable to pause during the songs. However, on the computer I was able to pause and start again with no trouble. If you are into modern blues, with a little different flavor then you will enjoy Blackwater. This is one to kick back or get down and thoroughly enjoy. Songs included are: Blackwater, Ho Cake, Air, Jookhouse, Nare Sugar, Free, Florida, Cracka Break, Lazy Fo Acre, Santa Claus, True Love and Freedom Frog Giggin', Whitehouse, Brighter Days.

- Brian Bloom

Dishwalla ­ Opaline; DVD-A/ DD Immergent 287009-9:

This album is the third from Dishwalla, and has a lot of the qualities that made their first album so popular-catchy tunes with nice instrumentation and hooks. Even if you aren't a fan, there is a lot here that will appeal to many different listeners. If you've already heard the single "Somewhere In The Middle" and like it, keep in mind there are even better songs on the disc. Most of the sound is up front, but occasionally you'll hear instruments or effects in the back. All in all, it isn't overdone and suits the music. If you prefer two-channel, you can select that instead. The recording quality is very good both tonally and spatially. You can select to view either the song lyrics or art while the music plays. When you turn the commentary on, it plays over the music track (like with most DVD movies). In the extras area, there are stills of live performances and stills in the studio. In the "Studio Scrapbook" section, there is a video. Apparently, this disc is one of the first (if not the first) DVD-A discs to be released concurrently with the standard Compact Disc. In addition, there are "Easter Eggs" hidden on the disc that include videos and demo versions of a few of the songs. Songs included are: Opaline, Angels Or Devils, Somewhere In The Middle, Every Little Thing, When Morning Comes, Home, Today, Tonight, Mad Life, Candleburn, Nashville Skyline, Drawn Out.

- Brian Bloom

 

Get out those old tie-dyed Ts and that bong for this next one...

The Grateful Dead - American Beauty - Warner Bros./Rhino DVD-A R9 74385-93:

This album of l970, along with the same year's Workingman's Dead, showed the band getting into less psychedelic and more acoustic American roots music genres. Bob Dylan and The Band had shown the way, and the songwriters in the Dead were leaning more toward layered, laid-back vocals and less electronics. There is only one electric guitar track on the album but Jerry Garcia was enamored of the pedal steel guitar at this point and is heard on it frequently, though he doesn't take a single solo. The disc's extras include special individual interviews with members Bob Weir and Mickey Hart, plus a photo gallery and lyrics to all the songs displayed in sync with the music on the screen. A feature of DVD-As I'm beginning to view as more and more useful.

Hart explains during the interviews that his concept of the surround mix for Sugar Magnolia was to put the listener in the middle of the band, so this one is not at all limited to typical secondary percussion sounds at the surrounds. You are really surrounded by the Dead, and you don't need any artificial additives to achieve that effect either. Great fun, and I'm certainly not a Deadhead. As on many DVD-As, Hart didn't leave the stereo mixdown to the automatic feature of the player but created a special mix just for the disc. I tried it briefly and it sounded flattened and mushed together compared to the wonderful surround version. Tunes: Box of Rain, Friend of the Devil, Sugar Magnolia, Operator, Candyman, Ripple, Brokedown Palace, Till the Morning Comes, Attics of My Life, Truckin'.

- John Sunier