Top Recordings of 2015

[Bolle]

I would find it a good idea if we would recommend new recordings that are worthwhile, as the year moves along. If possible please post links for purchase and sound samples.

Let me start out with ''Impromptu'' a marvelous audiophile recording
that captures two of the best European Jazz musicians playing and interacting at on a telepathic level. The Sound quality is marvelous,
especially the upright bass sounds truly stunning.
Available as adownload in DSD , PCM and Flac.
''Impromptu'' Sound Liaison Music Shop (http://www.soundliaison.com/)
9805
The room was filled to the brim with audio enthusiasts, the closest listener being just a few feet from the musicians and the microphones.
When the audience is so close to the musicians, a synergy occurs. The audience becomes part of the music making and help spur the musicians on to great heights.
The musicians feeling the empathy from the audience dare to take chances that one rarely hears in a studio recording.
Tony and Bert had not performed together as a duo before, and no rehearsal had taken place prior to the Rhapsody concert, but the music these two masters of improvisation created that sunny afternoon in Rhapsody, is simply breathtaking.
from the liner notes, more reading; Sound Liaison Music Shop (http://www.soundliaison.com/)

[Kaudi]

I recommend the new Doug McLeod, same stunning audio quality as his previous RR recording.http://referencerecordings.com/images/RR-135CoverS.jpg

His new album EXACTLY LIKE THIS is his third release with Reference Recordings. This is 'Genuine Original Acoustic Music' at its very best, in a richly detailed recording by Grammy-winning engineer Keith Johnson, made at Skywalker Sound in Marin County, CA.
Reference Recordings - RR-135 Detail (http://referencerecordings.com/RR-135_DETAIL.asp)

[Kaudi]

The Sound Liaison sampler is an excellent collection of stunning SQ.
But of course some of the tracks are a couple of years old.
9863 but a great collection it is.

[Kaudi]

Found this review in Danish!


9878
Der´ ingen grænser…

Musik fra hollandske Sound Liaison.

Af Kurt Lassen

Musik har ingen grænser, ligesom kærlighed heller ikke har. Kærligheden til musikken er da også det første som man får øje på, når man klikker sig ind på hollandske Sound Liaisons hjemmeside. Vi finder indtil videre ialt 11 albums, hvoraf nogle er test skiver, så du kan prøve at se (og høre) hvad hollænderne har gang i. Du kan også prøve forskellige filformater af, måske kan din DAC slet ikke gengive forskellen på hhv. en 24/96 WAV eller FLAC fil?
Ud over god lyd og skøn musik, har Sound Liaison også en masse facts om optagelserne, de benyttede konvertere og mikrofonerne.

Sampler
Du kan starte med deres Music Sampler med ialt forskellige 11 numre, som er en dejlig appetitvækker af de helt store. Der er en bred vifte af selskabets udvalgte sange. Og på deres website kan du smuglytte til sangene, og blive forført af både musik og lydkvalitet før du køber. Music Sampler koster fra 10 til 15 Euro, afhængig af opløsningen som du kan vælge imellem:
DSD64-DSF
DSD64-DFF
PCM (96/24)
FLAC (96/24)

Musik
“Time Will Tell” fra Carmen Gomes Inc er gudesmuk at lytte til, med en lyd som nærmest er til at gribe ud efter og tage fat i. Og det er først når sangen slutter, og publikum begynder at klappe, at du finder ud af at det er en live indspilning! Man har benyttet de fremragende Schoeps MK5 kuglemikrofoner i en AB opstilling, suppleret med diverse støttemikrofoner.
Besætningen er:
Carmen Gomes - vokal, Folker Tettero på guitar, Peter Bjornild trakterer bassen og Marcel van Engelen tryller på trommerne.

Pizzicanto - Bach Reflections er ligeledes optaget Live, det er dog ikke det som er det specielle, det særlige er derimod, at der en jazzet version af Bach! De fem dygtige musikere tager bidder af Bach og rearrangerer og improviserer - frækt og nyskabende. Og lydkvaliteten? Igen langt over hvad man er vant til. Det er yderligere vigtig at pointere, at det er en 1:1 kopi af optagelsen, som er foregået i 24 bit/96 Khz.
Et andet godt eksempel er Impromptu med Tony Overwater på bas og Bert van den Brink på piano. Det er faktisk første gang de to ekvilibrister optræder sammen, og så i en HiFi butik! Det var i High End audio shoppen ''Rhapsody" i Hilversum som havde 25 års jubilæum, og i deres bedste lytterum blev de to musikere optaget vha. 2 styk Neumann TLM 170 mikrofoner (piano) og bassen med en JZ V67. Ambient mikrofonerne var et stereo-sæt Sonodore RCM-402. Betingelserne var langt fra optimale, døren blev åbnet flere gange af nye tilskuere som ville nyde musikken, en espresso maskine gik igang, og pga varmen måtte man åbne vinduet, bare for at kunne høre en DJ som spillede sit sæt i det fjerne. Da han stoppede, kunne man til gengæld høre fuglene synge udenfor!

Mændene bag
De to herrer Frans de Rond og Peter Bjørnild er begge uddannede bassister. Sidstnævnte er forøvrigt fra Danmark, og har sideløbende med studierne på det Kongelige Musikkonservatorium fået bas undervisning af ingen ringere end Niels Henning Ørsted Pedersen! Senere pakkede Bjørnild bassen ned og flyttede til Holland.
Det er nemt at høre at det er to bassister som står bag Sound Liaison; bassen er der nemlig kælet rigtig meget for på alle deres indspilninger. Den akustiske bas kan være svært at “tæmme” på en live optagelse, forstået på den måde, at der næsten altid vil være nogle toner som vil stritte ud og være mere præsente end andre. Det er også grunden til at de fleste lydteknikere straks griber ud efter en kompressor når de hører ordet bas.

Vi har tidligere haft fornøjelsen at lytte til de samme højttalere som Sound Liaison bruger til mixning, nemlig Grimm Audio LS1. De har en fantastisk klarhed og opløsning over hele frekvens spektret. Yderligere benytter hollænderne bl.a. følgende udstyr:
Mikrofon kabler: Grimm Audio TPR
Hovedtelefonerne er Sennheiser HD800
Højttalere: Grimm Audio LS1 og TAD CR1
Master clock: Grimm Audio CC1
Alt sammen udstyr i den særdeles gode klasse, men ikke helt uopnåeligt for Hifi elskerne imellem jer og med pengepungen i orden. Så det ER faktisk muligt at få nøjagtig samme vellyd derhjemme ved at investere i højttalere og kabler fra Grimm.

Vi har downloaded flere af Sound Liaisons albums, fx Carmen Gomes Inc.´s Thousand Shades Of Blue (igen med Peter Bjørnild på bas), og Road To Memphis med Paul Berner Band, som er endnu en bassist på det hollandske label (amerikanske Paul Berner har spillet med bl.a. Shirley Bassey, Monty Alexander og Peter Erskine, for bare at nævne nogle få). Bassen er også her suverænt optaget med en JZ V67 mikrofon. Prøv at lægge øre til bandets version af Elvis´første single fra 1954 “That´s All Right”. Her er vellyd, dynamik og et swingende band så det er en fryd! Og igen er det en live optagelse!

Sound Liaison´s motto er: High Realistic Audio Recording. Og dét er da vidst lige hvad det er ;=)
in google translate that means;

Der' no limits ...

Music from Dutch Sound Liaison.
*
By Kurt Lassen
*
Music has no boundaries, just as love does not have. The love of music is also the first that one sees when one clicks on Dutch Sound Liaisons website. We find so far a total of 11 albums, some test discs, so you can try to see (and hear) what the Dutch have started in. You can also try different file formats, perhaps your DAC does not reproduce the difference respectively. one 24/96 WAV or FLAC file?
In addition to good sound and great music, the Sound Liaison also a lot of facts about the filming, they used converters and microphones.
*
Sampler
You can start with their Music Sampler with a total of 11 different numbers, which is a nice appetizer of the greats. There is a wide range of the company's selected songs. And on their website you can secretly listen to the songs and be seduced by both the music and the sound quality before you buy. Music Sampler costs from 10 to 15 Euro, depending on the resolution that you can choose from:
DSD64-DSF
DSD64-DFF
PCM (96/24)
FLAC (96/24)
*
Music
"Time Will Tell" from Carmen Gomes Inc is gudesmuk to listen to, with a sound that is almost to reach out and grasp. And it is only when the song ends and the crowd starts to clap, that you find out that it is a live recording! Man has used the excellent Schoeps MK5 ball microphones in an AB setup, complemented by various supporting microphones.
The crew are:
Carmen Gomes - vocals, Folker Tettero on guitar, Peter Bjornild excels on bass and Marcel van Engelen conjures on drums.
*
Pizzicanto - Bach Reflections are also recorded Live, it is not what it is special, the special is, however, that a jazzy version of Bach! The five talented musicians taking bits of Bach and rearrange and improvising - bold and innovative. And the sound quality? Again, far above what one is accustomed to. It is further important to emphasize that it is a 1: 1 copy of the recording, which took place in 24 bit / 96 Khz.
Another good example is Impromptu with Tony Overwater on bass and Bert van den Brink on piano. It is the first time the two equilibrists occur together, and so in a HiFi store! It was in High End audio shop '' Rhapsody "in Hilversum which had its 25th anniversary, and in their best listening room, the two musicians recorded using. 2 units Neumann TLM 170 microphones (piano) and bass with a JZ V67. Ambient microphones were a stereo set Sonodore RCM 402nd conditions were far from optimal, the door was opened several times by new fans would enjoy the music, an espresso machine went to work, and because the heat had to open the window, just to hear a DJ as performed its set in the distance. When he stopped, one could, in turn, hear birds singing outside!
*
The men behind
The two gentlemen Frans de Rond and Peter Bjørnild are both trained bassists. The latter is incidentally from Denmark, and in parallel with studies at the Royal Conservatory of Music received bass lessons by none other than Niels Henning Oersted Pedersen! Later packed Bjørnild bass down and moved to the Netherlands.
It's easy to hear that these are two bassists behind Sound Liaison; bass is there for lavished so much for all their recordings. The acoustic bass can be difficult to "tame" a live recording, in the sense that there will almost always be some notes that will stick out and be more presented than others. It is also the reason that most sound engineers immediately reach for a compressor when they hear the word bass.
*
We have had the pleasure of listening to the same speakers as Sound Liaison use for mixing, namely Grimm Audio LS1. They have an amazing clarity and resolution across the frequency spectrum. Additional uses include Dutch the following equipment:
Microphone Cables: Grimm Audio TPR
The headphones are Sennheiser HD800
Speakers: Grimm Audio LS1 and TAD CR1
Master clock: Grimm Audio CC1
All of this equipment in the excellent class, but not quite unattainable for Hifi lovers between you and wallet in order. So it IS actually possible to get the exact same melody at home by investing in speakers and cables from Grimm.
*
We have downloaded several of Sound Liaisons albums, such as Carmen Gomes Inc.'s Thousand Shades Of Blue (again with Peter Bjørnild on bass), and Road To Memphis with Paul Berner Band, which is even a bass player on the Dutch label (American Paul Berner has played with Shirley Bassey, Monty Alexander and Peter Erskine, just to name a few). The bass is also where sovereign recorded with JZ V67 microphone. Try to listen to the band's version of Elvis'første single from 1954 "That's All Right." Here is harmony, dynamics and a swinging band so it is a delight! And again it is a live recording!
*
Sound Liaison's motto is: High Realistic Audio Recording. And that is as known just what it is

[unleasHell]

My favorite releases of 2015 include:
Papir: III-IV
My Sleeping Karma: Moksha
Follakazoid: III

and I am really looking forward to the new Dead Sea Apes: Spectral Domain due on in Sept 2015

cheers

[-Jar-]

My favorite releases of 2015 include:
Papir: III-IV
My Sleeping Karma: Moksha
Follakazoid: III

and I am really looking forward to the new Dead Sea Apes: Spectral Domain due on in Sept 2015

cheers

Wow, see what I'm missing!? I'm checking out the Dead Sea Apes right now and I'm totally digging them. I completely missed out on these guys! Thanks, if there's anything else along these lines you've heard recently, I'd be interested in hearing about them as well.

[unleasHell]

Wow, see what I'm missing!? I'm checking out the Dead Sea Apes right now and I'm totally digging them. I completely missed out on these guys! Thanks, if there's anything else along these lines you've heard recently, I'd be interested in hearing about them as well.


And I'll bet you have some stuff that I have missed as well, might I interest you in some cd-r swaps... private message me your email and we can discuss further..

But I will leave you with this:
https://youtu.be/KNpY9Lc515s

[Davey]

My favorite record so far this year is Marriages Salome, but it's not the best sounding record. Doesn't sound bad, but not much dynamic range. The new one from Natalie Prass really sounds good, especially the vinyl.

[Kaudi]

I would find it a good idea if we would recommend new recordings that are worthwhile, as the year moves along. If possible please post links for purchase and sound samples.

Let me start out with ''Impromptu'' a marvelous audiophile recording
that captures two of the best European Jazz musicians playing and interacting at on a telepathic level. The Sound quality is marvelous,
especially the upright bass sounds truly stunning.
Available as adownload in DSD , PCM and Flac.
''Impromptu'' Sound Liaison Music Shop (http://www.soundliaison.com/)
9805 from the liner notes, more reading; Sound Liaison Music Shop (http://www.soundliaison.com/)

The new trio Album download from the Witmer trio has that same gorgeous Sound Liaison piano sound but is maybe a bit more accessible in terms of listening.
Even the drummer is playing melodic!
And I think it surpasses Impromptu in SQ as well.9900 Sound Liaison Music Shop (http://www.soundliaison.com/)
from the liner notes;
When creating the sound stage, we spent a great deal of time getting the balance of the trio as optimal as possible using the ambient microphone stereo pair placed in the ''sweet spot'' in studio 2, before adding the spot microphones.
We wanted to create a sound field that was intimate but also with enough depth to have a visual representation of the instruments.
In a sense we adopted the same philosophy as Cajan Witmer in his arrangements, we wanted the melodic part of each instrument to stand out but not overshadow the whole, thus the paino and the drums have been given a position in the sound field, not spread out Left to Right as are more common in commercial recordings.
The benefit with this approach is that you can actually see the trio in front of you between the speakers, standing left to right, instead of the more common, commercial radio friendly approach, with the instruments piled on top of each other.
In a sense we are old fashioned, maybe we listened to too many old jazz recordings, but on the other hand........

''The memory of things gone is important to a jazz musician. Things like old folks singing in the moonlight in the back yard on a hot night or something said long ago."
(Louis Armstrong)

[Kaudi]

http://www.linnrecords.com/img/album/larger/ckd-469d.jpg

This is the premiere recording of J.S. Bach's Magnificat heard for the first time within its original liturgical context, alongside the beautiful Christmas Cantata.
Linn Records - J.S. Bach: Magnificat & Christmas Cantata (Digital Deluxe Version) (http://www.linnrecords.com/recording-magnificat.aspx)

[Maudi]

I concur, lovely Bach recording.

[Maudi]

The new trio Album download from the Witmer trio has that same gorgeous Sound Liaison piano sound but is maybe a bit more accessible in terms of listening.
Even the drummer is playing melodic!
And I think it surpasses Impromptu in SQ as well.9900 Sound Liaison Music Shop (http://www.soundliaison.com/)
from the liner notes;

I prefer the bass sound on Impromptu but on the other hand the bass sound on
EN AZUL fits the sound stage perfectly.
p.s. both albums are on sale at the moment.

[Maudi]

all those Sound Liaison downloads are on sale until january 4th, 33%-50% off;
The Little Blue album is one of my favorites this year.
http://www.soundliaison.com/images/Littlblue300shadowv2.png

[frenchmon]

I would find it a good idea if we would recommend new recordings that are worthwhile, as the year moves along. If possible please post links for purchase and sound samples.

Let me start out with ''Impromptu'' a marvelous audiophile recording
that captures two of the best European Jazz musicians playing and interacting at on a telepathic level. The Sound quality is marvelous,
especially the upright bass sounds truly stunning.
Available as adownload in DSD , PCM and Flac.
''Impromptu'' Sound Liaison Music Shop (http://www.soundliaison.com/)
9805 from the liner notes, more reading; Sound Liaison Music Shop (http://www.soundliaison.com/)

Yes indeed! I down loaded a DSD copy a few months back!