The Gene Harris / Scott Hamilton Quintet – At Last (1990) [2004, Remastered, Hi-Res SACD Rip]

The Gene Harris / Scott Hamilton Quintet - At Last (1990) [2004, Remastered, Hi-Res SACD Rip]

The Gene Harris / Scott Hamilton Quintet – At Last (1990) [2004, Remastered, Hi-Res SACD Rip]
SACD Rip | ISO / DSD / 1bit / 2.8224MHz | FLAC Tracks / 24bit / 88.2kHz | Stereo & Multichannel
Hybrid SACD | Full Scans Included
Total Size: 4.10 GB (ISO) + 3.17 GB (FLAC Mch) + 1.16 GB (FLAC Stereo) | 3% RAR Recovery
Label: Concord Jazz | E.C | Cat#: SACD-1036-6 | Genre: Jazz

This matchup by pianist Gene Harris and tenor saxophonist Scott Hamilton, in a quintet that also includes guitarist Herb Ellis, bassist Ray Brown, and drummer Harold Jones, is fun although it does not reach the excitement level one might expect. The ballads work best, while the stomps never really catch fire or explode. Harris and Hamilton always play at a high level, but their collaboration falls short of being the expected classic despite some good moments. Continue reading “The Gene Harris / Scott Hamilton Quintet – At Last (1990) [2004, Remastered, Hi-Res SACD Rip]”

Cristina Branco – Ulisses (2005) [Hi-Res SACD Rip]

Cristina Branco - Ulisses (2005) [Hi-Res SACD Rip]

Cristina Branco – Ulisses (2005) [Hi-Res SACD Rip]
SACD Rip | ISO / DSD / 1bit / 2.8224MHz | FLAC Tracks / 24bit / 88.2kHz | Stereo & Multichannel
Hybrid SACD | Full Scans Included
Total Size: 3.29 GB (ISO) + 2.83 GB (FLAC Mch) + 1.01 GB (FLAC Stereo) | 3% RAR Recovery
Label: Universal / EmArcy | France | Cat#: 982 666 9 | Genre: World, Folk, Country

First-time listeners to this Portuguese chanteuse may become so instantly infatuated with her beautiful, expressive voice and the plucky native guitar of Custódio Castelo that they may not truly care about the fado music traditions the two are carrying on via this enchanting collection. Continue reading “Cristina Branco – Ulisses (2005) [Hi-Res SACD Rip]”

Bløf – Omarm (2003) [Hi-Res SACD Rip]

Bløf - Omarm (2003) [Hi-Res SACD Rip]

Bløf – Omarm (2003) [Hi-Res SACD Rip]
SACD Rip | ISO / DSD / 1bit / 2.8224MHz | FLAC Tracks / 24bit / 88.2kHz | Stereo & Multichannel
Hybrid SACD | Full Scans Included
Total Size: 4.58 GB (ISO) + 3.63 GB (FLAC Mch) + 1.40 GB (FLAC Stereo) | 3% RAR Recovery
Label: EMI / Capitol | Netherlands | Cat#: 7243 5846800 7 | Genre: Pop Rock

Omarm is BLØF ‘s sixth studio album released through EMI in 2003. Like its predecessor Blauwe ruis and its successor Umoja, the album was number 1 in the Dutch Album Top 100 for four weeks . Continue reading “Bløf – Omarm (2003) [Hi-Res SACD Rip]”

Aaron Neville – Nature Boy: The Standards Album (2003) [Hi-Res SACD Rip]

Aaron Neville - Nature Boy: The Standards Album (2003) [Hi-Res SACD Rip]

Aaron Neville – Nature Boy: The Standards Album (2003) [Hi-Res SACD Rip]
SACD Rip | ISO / DSD / 1bit / 2.8224MHz | FLAC Tracks / 24bit / 88.2kHz | Stereo & Multichannel
Hybrid SACD | Full Scans Included
Total Size: 3.06 GB (ISO) + 2.44 GB (FLAC Mch) + 955 MB (FLAC Stereo) | 3% RAR Recovery
Label: Verve Records | EU | Cat#: 0044007606223 | Genre: Vocal Jazz

Aaron Neville’s voice exists in that rarefied air occupied by only the most lyrical musicians, including Paul Desmond’s alto saxophone and Miles Davis’ muted trumpet. Sweet and throaty, reedy and always crying, it’s capable of bewitching anyone within hailing distance — including, in some cases, the singer himself. Nature Boy: The Standards Album, his first record for Verve, is naturally a jazz/vocal date; Neville tackled a dozen songs from the popular songbook, with accompaniment from a backing trio comprised of pianist (and arranger/conductor) Rob Mounsey, bassist Ron Carter, and drummer Grady Tate (plus one or two appearances each from Roy Hargrove on trumpet, Ry Cooder on guitar, and Ray Anderson on trombone). Continue reading “Aaron Neville – Nature Boy: The Standards Album (2003) [Hi-Res SACD Rip]”

Carol Kidd – Debut (2004) [Hi-Res SACD Rip]

Carol Kidd - Debut (2004) [Hi-Res SACD Rip]

Carol Kidd – Debut (2004) [Hi-Res SACD Rip]
SACD Rip | ISO / DSD / 1bit / 2.8224MHz | FLAC Tracks / 24bit / 88.2kHz | Stereo & Multichannel
Hybrid SACD | Full Scans Included
Total Size: 2.50 GB (ISO) + 2.02 GB (FLAC Mch) + 783 MB (FLAC Stereo) | 3% RAR Recovery
Label: Linn Records | UK | Cat#: AKD 228 | Genre: Vocal Jazz
Continue reading “Carol Kidd – Debut (2004) [Hi-Res SACD Rip]”

Iron Butterfly – In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida (1968) [2020, MFSL Remastered, CD-Layer + Hi-Res SACD Rip]

Iron Butterfly - In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida (1968) [2020, MFSL Remastered, CD-Layer + Hi-Res SACD Rip]

Iron Butterfly – In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida (1968) [2020, MFSL Remastered, CD-Layer + Hi-Res SACD Rip]
EAC Rip | FLAC Image + Cue + Log
SACD Rip | ISO / DSD / 1bit / 2.8224MHz | FLAC Tracks / 24bit / 88.2kHz
Hybrid SACD | Full Scans Included
Total Size: 368 MB (CD-Layer) + 1.66 GB (SACD ISO) + 877 MB (SACD FLAC) | 3% RAR Recovery
Label: MFSL UltraDisc UHR | US | Cat#: UDSACD 2118 | Genre: Psychedelic Rock

Few songs are more instantly recognized – or more influential, infamous, and, yes, notorious – than Iron Butterfly’s “In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida.” The anchor of the mind-trip of an album of the same name, it occupies an entire side of an LP and runs for 17 minutes and five seconds, both bold moves in 1968 that changed how artists approached music in the studio and how listeners experienced it at home. Continue reading “Iron Butterfly – In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida (1968) [2020, MFSL Remastered, CD-Layer + Hi-Res SACD Rip]”

Various Artists – Total Music Immersion – Super Audio CD Sampler (2002) {Hi-Res SACD Rip}

Various Artists - Total Music Immersion - Super Audio CD Sampler (2002) {Hi-Res SACD Rip}

Various Artists – Total Music Immersion – Super Audio CD Sampler (2002) {Hi-Res SACD Rip}
SACD Rip | ISO / DSD / 1bit / 2.8224MHz | FLAC Tracks / 24bit / 88.2kHz | Stereo & Multichannel
Hybrid SACD | Full Scans Included
Total Size: 4.39 GB (ISO) + 3.62 GB (FLAC Mch) + 1.38 GB (FLAC Stereo) | 3% RAR Recovery
Label: Philips | Netherlands | Cat#: PH-SACD 313 | Genre: Jazz, Pop, Classical

Continue reading “Various Artists – Total Music Immersion – Super Audio CD Sampler (2002) {Hi-Res SACD Rip}”

Sarah Brightman & The London Symphony Orchestra – Time To Say Goodbye (1997) [2004, Reissue, Hi-Res SACD Rip]

Sarah Brightman & The London Symphony Orchestra - Time To Say Goodbye (1997) [2004, Reissue, Hi-Res SACD Rip]

Sarah Brightman & The London Symphony Orchestra – Time To Say Goodbye (1997)
[2004, Reissue, Hi-Res SACD Rip]

SACD Rip | ISO / DSD / 1bit / 2.8224MHz | FLAC Tracks / 24bit / 88.2kHz | Stereo & Multichannel
Hybrid SACD | Full Scans Included
Total Size: 3.86 GB (ISO) + 2.77 GB (FLAC Mch) + 1.02 GB (FLAC Stereo) | 3% RAR Recovery
Label: Angel Records | Germany | Cat#: 07243 5 57402 2 9 | Genre: Adult Contemporary

In the pop music world of the 1950s and 1960s, when you scored a hit single, you used to put together an album featuring the hit as the title song, with the disc filled out by soundalike songs that, with any luck, might give you a follow-up hit. Apparently, the world of contemporary classical crossover isn’t much different. Sarah Brightman, who enjoyed a European hit with “Time to Say Goodbye,” her duet with Andrea Bocelli, constructed an album beginning with that recording and continuing in kind. Continue reading “Sarah Brightman & The London Symphony Orchestra – Time To Say Goodbye (1997) [2004, Reissue, Hi-Res SACD Rip]”

Ludwig van Beethoven / Pieter Wispelwey / Dejan Lazić – Complete Sonatas & Variations (2005) [Hi-Res SACD Rip]

Ludwig van Beethoven / Pieter Wispelwey / Dejan Lazić - Complete Sonatas & Variations (2005) [Hi-Res SACD Rip]

Ludwig van Beethoven / Pieter Wispelwey / Dejan Lazić – Complete Sonatas & Variations (2005) [Hi-Res SACD Rip]
SACD Rip | ISO / DSD / 1bit / 2.8224MHz | FLAC Tracks / 24bit / 88.2kHz | Stereo & Multichannel
Hybrid SACD | Full Scans Included
Total Size: 7.33. GB (ISO) + 5.06 GB (FLAC Mch) + 2.18 GB (FLAC Stereo) | 3% RAR Recovery
Label: Channel Classics | Germany | Cat#: CCS SA 22605 | Genre: Classical

These works have been well served on disc, from the classic Rostropovich/Richter to the recent Schiff/Fellner (both on Philips). This set certainly belongs among the great ones, and it offers sonics of breathtaking naturalness and realism. Pieter Wispelwey and Dejan Lazic work exceptionally well together. Two strong-willed artists, everything that they do serves the music, not least in the three sets of variations, which are chock-full of personality and clear delight in Beethoven’s early compositional virtuosity (the set based on Handel’s “See the conqu’ring hero comes” is especially impressive). Continue reading “Ludwig van Beethoven / Pieter Wispelwey / Dejan Lazić – Complete Sonatas & Variations (2005) [Hi-Res SACD Rip]”

Sara K. – Play On Words (1994) [2004, Remastered, Hi-Res SACD Rip]

Sara K. - Play On Words (1994) [2004, Remastered, Hi-Res SACD Rip]

Sara K. – Play On Words (1994) {2004, Remastered, Hi-Res SACD Rip}
SACD Rip | ISO / DSD / 1bit / 2.8224MHz | FLAC Tracks / 24bit / 88.2kHz | Stereo & Multichannel
Hybrid SACD | Full Scans Included
Total Size: 3.46 GB (ISO) + 1.77 GB (FLAC Mch) + 0.98 GB (FLAC Stereo) | 3% RAR Recovery
Label: Chesky Records | US | Cat#: SACD278 | Genre: Jazz-Rock, Folk

Play On Words – a musical and lyrical masterpiece with Sara K. on vocals and four string guitar, makes its way through a number of styles, such as country and blues, and invigorates these rather staid genres with a new content and meaning. Continue reading “Sara K. – Play On Words (1994) [2004, Remastered, Hi-Res SACD Rip]”

Sarah Brightman – Eden (1998) [2004, Reissue, Hi-Res SACD Rip]

Sarah Brightman - Eden (1998) [2004, Reissue, Hi-Res SACD Rip]

Sarah Brightman – Eden (1998) [2004, Reissue, Hi-Res SACD Rip]
SACD Rip | ISO / DSD / 1bit / 2.8224MHz | FLAC Tracks / 24bit / 88.2kHz | Stereo & Multichannel
Hybrid SACD | Scans Included
Total Size: 4.37 GB (ISO) + 3.19 GB (FLAC Mch) + 1.17 GB (FLAC Stereo) | 3% RAR Recovery
Label: Angel Records | Germany | Cat#: 07243 5 57795 2 6 | Genre: Vocal, Adult Contemporary

Sarah Brightman’s 1999 release Eden applies her rich, supple voice to 16 tracks that range from classical to pop to haunting ballads. The album features “Il Mio Cuore Va,” Titanic’s “My Heart Will Go On” sung in Italian; “Scene d’Amour,” the theme from The English Patient; and “Nessun Dorma” from Puccini’s Turandot. Brightman’s pop side emerges with tracks like “Dust in the Wind” and the Richard Marx-written and -produced “The Last Words You Said.” Eden’s wide range and Brightman’s beautiful voice are a winning combination. Continue reading “Sarah Brightman – Eden (1998) [2004, Reissue, Hi-Res SACD Rip]”

Sarah Brightman – La Luna (2000) [2004, Reissue, Hi-Res SACD Rip]

Sarah Brightman - La Luna (2000) [2004, Reissue, Hi-Res SACD Rip]

Sarah Brightman – La Luna (2000) [2004, Reissue, Hi-Res SACD Rip]
SACD Rip | ISO / DSD / 1bit / 2.8224MHz | FLAC Tracks / 24bit / 88.2kHz | Stereo & Multichannel
Hybrid SACD | Full Scans Included
Total Size: 4.03 GB (ISO) + 3.17 GB (FLAC Mch) + 1.16 GB (FLAC Stereo) | 3% RAR Recovery
Label: Angel Records | Germany | Cat#: 07243 5 57794 2 7 | Genre: Vocal, Adult Contemporary

Broadway star Sarah Brightman lends her ethereal, angelic vocals to another combination of classical and pop, resulting in a solid, stirring collection. This outing, the ex-Mrs. Andrew Lloyd Webber adapts Rachmaninov (“How Fare This Spot”), Beethoven (“Figlio Perduto”), and Handel (“Solo Con Te”) alongside the brothers Gibb and Simon and Garfunkel. The uncanny thing is how canny Brightman is at bridging the contemporary with the classics so that they seem timeless. Continue reading “Sarah Brightman – La Luna (2000) [2004, Reissue, Hi-Res SACD Rip]”

VA – Master Female Audiophile (2005) [Hi-Res SACD Rip]

VA - Master Female Audiophile (2005) [Hi-Res SACD Rip]

VA – Master Female Audiophile (2005) [Hi-Res SACD Rip]
SACD-ISO / DSD / 1bit / 2.8224MHz
FLAC Tracks / 24bit / 88.2kHz
Full Scans Included
Total Size: 1.10 GB (ISO) + 1.21 GB (FLAC)
Label: Master Music | Germany | Cat#: MASA 50572 | Genre: Jazz, Folk

This Master Music Female Audiophile SACD sampler includes the beautiful and timeless voices of Radka Toneff, Simone, Lisa Wahlandt, Katinka Wilson, Kari Bremnes, Inger Marie Gundersen, Kate Purcell, Chie Ayado and more! Continue reading “VA – Master Female Audiophile (2005) [Hi-Res SACD Rip]”

Kriya – Kriya (2006) [Hi-Res SACD Rip]

Kriya - Kriya (2006) [Hi-Res SACD Rip]

Kriya – Kriya (2006) [Hi-Res SACD Rip]
SACD Rip | ISO / DSD / 1bit / 2.8224MHz | FLAC Tracks / 24bit / 88.2kHz | Stereo & Multichannel
Hybrid SACD | Full Scans Included
Total Size: 2.82 GB (ISO) + 2.42 GB (FLAC Mch) + 1.13 GB (FLAC Stereo) | 3% RAR Recovery
Label: Alba Records | Finland | Cat#: ABCD 210 | Genre: Folk , World, Country

Talk about crossover! Kriya recorded their album in Finland, the songs are mostly translated from the original Sanskrit to Finnish, & the music generally sounds to me like a mix of Indian, Irish & Finnish. There are English translations printed of the lyrics, but this is another of those graphic failures where the background art or photography obscures the type & it is often unreadable. There do seem to be some connections between East Indian Sanskirt & Finnish, though I don’t know the details. Several of the songs have traditional Indian lyrics. Continue reading “Kriya – Kriya (2006) [Hi-Res SACD Rip]”

Mongo Santamaria – Live At Jazz Alley (1990) [2003, Remastered, CD-Layer + Hi-Res SACD Rip]

Mongo Santamaria - Live At Jazz Alley (1990) [2003, Remastered, CD-Layer + Hi-Res SACD Rip]

Mongo Santamaria – Live At Jazz Alley (1990) [2003, Remastered, CD-Layer + Hi-Res SACD Rip]
EAC Rip | FLAC Image + Cue + Log
SACD Rip | ISO / DSD / 1bit / 2.8224MHz | FLAC Tracks / 24bit / 88.2kHz | Stereo & Multichannel
Hybrid SACD | Full Scans Included
Total Size: 486 MB (CD-Layer) + 4.09 GB (SACD ISO) + 3.32 GB (SACD FLAC Mch) + 1.32 GB (SACD FLAC Stereo) | 3% RAR Recovery
Label: Concord Picante | US | Cat#: SACD-1016-6 | Genre: Afro-Cuban Jazz

This is as close to Latin purist Mongo as we have heard in recent years, an eight-piece salsa band — including several members of the 1997 Tito Puente ensemble, like trumpeter Ray Vega, altoist Bobby Porcelli and tenorman Mitch Frohman — playing a brace of Mongo classics and Latin jazz pieces live before a hushed crowd in Seattle’s Jazz Alley. Continue reading “Mongo Santamaria – Live At Jazz Alley (1990) [2003, Remastered, CD-Layer + Hi-Res SACD Rip]”