Chie Ayado – Prayer (2011) [SACD / East House Records – EHSA 1008]

Chie Ayado - Prayer (2011)

Title: Chie Ayado – Prayer (2011)
Genre: Jazz
Format: SACD ISO + Hi-Res FLAC

Chie is a New York-trained international sensation, performing to dozens of packed houses a year. Her unique phrasing and soulful playing is adored by millions of fans. As this is the case with many international stars, Chie Ayado is not a household name in America. In her native Japan, she’s a superstar jazz performer with tens of millions recordings sold. She’s so in demand, she continues to play over forty large-venue concerts a year. Her label, East House Records, is making a name for itself with Three Blind Mice-style analog recordings of unbelievable accuracy and dimension. Vocals are listening-room immediate and the piano is detailed, full and beautifully balanced. Very little processing is used, so you hear Ayado’s unique vocal and piano playing without all the sonic distractions hiding many modern digital recordings.

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1 min read

Chie Ayado – Fifty (2007) [SACD / East House Records – EHSA 1001]

Chie Ayado - Fifty (2007)

Title: Chie Ayado – Fifty (2007)
Genre: Jazz
Format: SACD ISO + Hi-Res FLAC

As this is the case with many international stars, Chie Ayado is not a household name in America. In her native Japan, she’s a superstar jazz performer with more than 10 millions of recordings sold. She’s so in demand, she continues to play over forty large-venue concerts a year. Her label, East House Records, is making a name for itself with Three Blind Mice-style analog recordings of unbelievable accuracy and dimension. Vocals are listening-room immediate and the piano is detailed, full and beautifully balanced. Very little processing is used, so you hear Ayado’s unique vocal and piano playing without all the sonic distractions hiding many modern digital recordings.

(more…)

1 min read

Chie Ayado – Time (2004) [SACD / EWE Records – EWSA 0098]

Chie Ayado - Time (2004)

Title: Chie Ayado – Time (2004)
Genre: Jazz
Format: SACD ISO + Hi-Res FLAC

As this is the case with many international stars, Chie Ayado is not a household name in America. In her native Japan, she’s a superstar jazz performer with more than 10 millions of recordings sold. She’s so in demand, she continues to play over forty large-venue concerts a year. Her label, East House Records, is making a name for itself with Three Blind Mice-style analog recordings of unbelievable accuracy and dimension. Vocals are listening-room immediate and the piano is detailed, full and beautifully balanced. Very little processing is used, so you hear Ayado’s unique vocal and piano playing without all the sonic distractions hiding many modern digital recordings.

(more…)

1 min read

Chie Ayado – Seven (2004) [SACD / EWE Records – EWSA 0101]

Chie Ayado - Seven (2004)

Title: Chie Ayado – Seven (2004)
Genre: Jazz
Format: SACD ISO + Hi-Res FLAC

As this is the case with many international stars, Chie Ayado is not a household name in America. In her native Japan, she’s a superstar jazz performer with more than 10 millions of recordings sold. She’s so in demand, she continues to play over forty large-venue concerts a year. Her label, East House Records, is making a name for itself with Three Blind Mice-style analog recordings of unbelievable accuracy and dimension. Vocals are listening-room immediate and the piano is detailed, full and beautifully balanced. Very little processing is used, so you hear Ayado’s unique vocal and piano playing without all the sonic distractions hiding many modern digital recordings.

(more…)

1 min read

Chie Ayado – To You (2003) [SACD / EWE Records – EWSA 0078]

Chie Ayado - To You (2003)

Title: Chie Ayado – To You (2003)
Genre: Jazz
Format: SACD ISO + Hi-Res FLAC

As this is the case with many international stars, Chie Ayado is not a household name in America. In her native Japan, she’s a superstar jazz performer with more than 10 millions of recordings sold. She’s so in demand, she continues to play over forty large-venue concerts a year. Her label, East House Records, is making a name for itself with Three Blind Mice-style analog recordings of unbelievable accuracy and dimension. Vocals are listening-room immediate and the piano is detailed, full and beautifully balanced. Very little processing is used, so you hear Ayado’s unique vocal and piano playing without all the sonic distractions hiding many modern digital recordings.

(more…)

1 min read

Chie Ayado – Shine (2003) [SACD / EWE Records – EWSA 0083]

Chie Ayado - Shine (2003)

Title: Chie Ayado – Shine (2003)
Genre: Jazz
Format: SACD ISO + Hi-Res FLAC

As this is the case with many international stars, Chie Ayado is not a household name in America. In her native Japan, she’s a superstar jazz performer with more than 10 millions of recordings sold. She’s so in demand, she continues to play over forty large-venue concerts a year. Her label, East House Records, is making a name for itself with Three Blind Mice-style analog recordings of unbelievable accuracy and dimension. Vocals are listening-room immediate and the piano is detailed, full and beautifully balanced. Very little processing is used, so you hear Ayado’s unique vocal and piano playing without all the sonic distractions hiding many modern digital recordings.

(more…)

1 min read

Chick Corea – Return To Forever (1972) [Japan 2017] [SACD / ECM Records – PROZ-1088]

Chick Corea - Return To Forever (1972) [Japan 2017]

Title: Chick Corea – Return To Forever (1972) [Japan 2017]
Genre: Jazz
Format: SACD ISO + Hi-Res FLAC

The legendary first lineup of Chick Corea’s fusion band Return to Forever debuted on this classic album (titled after the group but credited to Corea), featuring Joe Farrell on soprano sax and flute, the Brazilian team of vocalist Flora Purim and drummer/percussionist Airto Moreira, and electric bass whiz Stanley Clarke. It wasn’t actually released in the U.S. until 1975, which was why the group’s second album, Light as a Feather, initially made the Return to Forever name. Nonetheless, Return to Forever is every bit as classic, using a similar blend of spacy electric-piano fusion and Brazilian and Latin rhythms. It’s all very warm, light, and airy, like a soft breeze on a tropical beach – hardly the sort of firebrand approach to fusion that Miles Davis, Tony Williams, and the Mahavishnu Orchestra were exploring, and far less rooted in funk or rock. Corea also bathes the album in an undertone of trippy mysticism, not only in the (admittedly dated) lyrics, but in his cosmic keyboard wanderings, which remain melodic and accessible through most of the record. There’s one genuine pop song in the groovy samba “What Game Shall We Play Today,” and while “Sometime Ago” has similar elements, it’s part of an ambitious side-long medley that features a stream-of-consciousness intro and a jubilant, Spanish/Mexican-style closing section called “La Fiesta,” complete with castanets and flamenco modes. The title track is another multi-sectioned work, featuring Corea and Purim in wordless unison on two different, catchy themes, plus breezy work from Farrell and lots of Brazilian-flavored rhythmic interplay. And the dreamy, meditative “Crystal Silence” is an underrated gem waiting to be rediscovered. Certainly, this edition of Return to Forever wasn’t inclined toward high-voltage jazz-rock (as the next one was), but this group’s two albums still stand as some of the most imaginative and distinctive early fusion recordings.

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2 min read

Chick Corea – Rendezvous in New York (2003) [2x SACD] [SACD / Stretch Records – SCD2-9041-2]

Chick Corea - Rendezvous in New York (2003) [2x SACD]

Title: Chick Corea – Rendezvous in New York (2003) [2x SACD]
Genre: Jazz
Format: MCH SACD ISO + Hi-Res FLAC

Recorded at The Blue Note, New York, New York in December 2001. This album is destined to be ranked as one of the great live jazz concert albums of all time, right up there with ‘Live at the Village Vanguard’ and ‘Waltz for Debbie’. Rendezvous in New York was nominated for the 2004 Grammy Award for Best Jazz Instrumental Album. “Matrix” won for Best Jazz Instrumental Solo. “Armando’s Rhumba” was nominated for Best Instrumental Arrangement Accompanying Vocalists.

One of Chick Corea’s most ambitious projects was the recording of almost 60 hours of music with nine different groups over a three-week run at the Blue Note in December 2001; it must have been a challenge to choose the dozen performances for this two-CD set. The first disc begins with scat singer par excellence Bobby McFerrin joining the pianist to scat his way through three selections, including a stunning medley of an excerpt from Rodrigo’s “Concierto de Aranjuez” and Corea’s “Spain.” Bassist Miroslav Vitous and ageless drummer Roy Haynes provide the pulse to his extended work “Matrix.” Corea’s well-crafted tribute to Bud Powell, with Terence Blanchard and Joshua Redman in the front line, combines two of Powell’s greatest works, “Glass Enclosure” and “Tempus Fugit.” But Corea is at his most lyrical when old friend Gary Burton joins him to revisit the pianist’s masterpiece, the shimmering “Crystal Silence.” The second disc is also full of great music, though disc one clearly gets the edge, with the possible exception of the virtuoso duo piano interpretation with Gonzalo Rubalcaba of the same medley performed with McFerrin on the first CD. It is safe to say that no fan of Chick Corea will be disappointed with this wide-ranging compilation of live music, and it is also a great starting point for those not familiar with his voluminous works. Highly recommended.

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2 min read

Chick Corea – Now He Sings, Now He Sobs (Remastered) (1968/2025) [SACD / Esoteric – ESSB-90308]

Chick Corea - Now He Sings, Now He Sobs (Remastered) (1968/2025)

Title: Chick Corea – Now He Sings, Now He Sobs (Remastered) (1968/2025)
Genre: Jazz
Format: SACD ISO + DSF DSD64 + Hi-Res FLAC

Recorded March 14, 19, and 27, 1968. Limited Edition Hybrid SACD! Featuring ESOTERIC’s Proprietary Re-Mastering Process to Achieve the Highest Level of Sound Quality! Japanese Pressing, Deluxe Digi-pak Packaging, THE Definitive Performance on SACD! Classical masterpiece collection The reissue of classical music masterpieces by ESOTERIC has attracted a lot of attention, both for its uncompromising commitment to recreating the original master sound, and for using hybrid Super Audio CD technology to improve sound quality. This series marks the first hybrid Super Audio CD release of historical recording selections that have been mainstays of the catalog since their initial release. These new audio versions feature ESOTERIC’s proprietary re mastering process to achieve the highest level of sound quality.

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1 min read

Chicago – VI (1973) [MFSL 2013] [SACD / Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab – UDSACD 2132]

Chicago - VI (1973) [MFSL 2013]

Title: Chicago – VI (1973) [MFSL 2013]
Genre: Rock
Format: SACD ISO + DSF DSD64 + Hi-Res FLAC

This is the sixth album from the jazz/pop/rock combo Chicago, and was likewise the first to be recorded at the plush, well-lit, and custom-built Caribou Studios in Nederland, CO. The facility was owned and operated by the band’s manager and producer, James William Guercio, and eventually became the group’s retreat for their next five (non-compilation) long-players. Another and perhaps more significant change was the incorporation of several “outside” additional musicians – most notably Laudir De Oliveira (percussion), who would remain with the band for the next seven years and eight LPs. Although Chicago had begun as a harder-edged rock & roll band, popular music styles were undergoing a shift during the mid-’70s into a decidedly more middle-of-the-road (MOR) and less-aggressive sound. This is reflected in the succinct pop and light rock efforts, contrasting the earlier lengthy and multi-movement epics that filled their earlier works. Nowhere is this more evident than on Chicago VI’s (1973) two Top Ten singles: the easygoing James Pankow (trombone) ballad “Just You & Me” as well as the up-tempo rocker “Feelin’ Stronger Every Day,” which Pankow co-wrote with Peter Cetera (vocal/bass). This more melodic and introverted sensibility pervades the rest of the disc as well – especially from Robert Lamm (keyboard/vocals), who is particularly prolific, penning half of the material on the disc. Even his sardonically titled “Critics’ Choice” – which is undoubtedly a musical rebuttal to Chicago’s increasingly negative critical assessment – is a languid and delicate response, rather than a full-force confutation. “Darlin’ Dear” – another Lamm contribution – on the other hand, is a horn-fuelled rocker that actually recalls Little Feat more than it does most of Chicago’s previous sides. Compositions from other bandmembers include the heartfelt Terry Kath (guitar/vocals) ballad “Jenny,” which features some fluid fretwork much in the same vein as that of Jimi Hendrix’s “Angel” or “Castles Made of Sand.” Additionally, Peter Cetera’s (bass/vocals) “In Terms of Two” includes a more down-home and countrified acoustic vibe. While Chicago VI is an undeniably strong effort – supported at the time by its chart-topping status – many bandmembers and longtime enthusiasts were beginning to grow apart from the lighter, pop-oriented material.

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2 min read