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SACD

Dimitrie Cantemir, Hespèrion XXI, Jordi Savall – Istanbul: The Book of Science of Music (2009) [SACD / Alia Vox – AVSA 9870]

adminOctober 22, 2025 31 Views

Title: Dimitrie Cantemir, Hespèrion XXI, Jordi Savall – Istanbul: The Book of Science of Music (2009)
Genre: Classical
Format: MCH SACD ISO + Hi-Res FLAC

Jordi Savall’s continued interest in Mediterranean traditions brings him to Sephardic and Armenian music centered in Istanbul and an author who wrote The Book of the Science of Music, a volume that he discovered as he was preparing his earlier program Orient–Occident. Dimitrie Cantemir (1673–1723) had two brief spells as Prince of Moldavia but is better known as a leading intellectual of Eastern Europe and the only one with a reputation known in the West. His interesting background and career, told in the notes, need not be summarized here, but he grew up at the Sultan’s court while his father and brother were successive princes of Moldavia under the Sultan’s protection. Succeeding as prince, he transferred his allegiance to the tsar with disastrous results and spent his last 12 years in exile in Russia. His book contains 355 works, including nine of his own compositions, all notated in a system of his own devising. Seven works on this disc are makam taken from this source, another seven tracks are improvised preludes to each of them, and the remaining seven tracks are devoted to Sephardic and Armenian selections, the former drawn from Isaac Levy’s modern editions. Four other makam from the same book were heard in Orient–Occident.

While such an extended concert of unfamiliar and exotic instrumental music can be off-putting, repeated hearings become mesmerizing. The booklet identifies three separate groups of players for Turkish, Armenian, and Sephardic repertoire, but members of Hespèrion XXI are included in all three groups. The notes are printed in the label’s usual half-dozen languages as well as Turkish and Armenian (the last in its unique non-Roman alphabet). The 196-page booklet is lavish in its display of art and manuscripts of the period, photos of the performers, and the covers of the ensemble’s previous productions. The surround sound adds to the appeal of the production. Few labels are turning out such lavish albums as consistently and regularly as Savall’s own. – J.F. Weber, Fanfare “This is a typical Alia Vox Hesperion release: sumptuously packaged, richly illustrated, and supported by edifying scholarly notes about the music and its historical context. It’s recorded in clear yet atmospheric sound…In addition to the late Montserrat Figueras, there is wonderful singing by the Israeli Lior Elmaleh ad the Turk Gursoy Dincer.” BBC Music Magazine, June 2012 *****

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3 min read

SACD

Dick Hyman Trio – You’re My Everything (2012) [Japan 2018] [SACD / Venus Records – VHGD-274]

adminOctober 22, 2025 29 Views

Title: Dick Hyman Trio – You’re My Everything (2012) [Japan 2018]
Genre: Jazz
Format: SACD ISO + Hi-Res FLAC

Dick Hyman is a virtuoso jazz pianist whose career spans nearly 70 years. Fundamentally a swing pianist, he is also known for his research and mastery of all jazz piano styles known to man, from ragtime and bebop and beyond. His debut album for Venus Records is a Harry Warren songbook. Supported expertly by bassist Jay Leonhart and drummer Chuck Redd, Hyman performs these evergreens such as “You’re My Everything” and “42nd Street” with vigor and inventiveness. The tone of his piano is beautiful, and this particularly good-sounding disc captures it well. Recommended.

Throughout a busy musical career that got underway in the early ’50s, Dick Hyman has functioned as pianist, organist, arranger, music director, and composer. His versatility in all of these areas has resulted in film scores, orchestral compositions, concert appearances and more than 100 albums recorded under his own name. While developing a masterful facility for improvisation in his own piano style, Hyman has also investigated ragtime and the earliest periods of jazz and has researched and recorded the piano music of Scott Joplin, Jelly Roll Morton, James P. Johnson, Zez Confrey, Eubie Blake and Fats Waller, which he often features in his frequent recitals. Other solo recordings include the music of Irving Berlin, Harold Arlen, Cole Porter, George Gershwin, Richard Rodgers and Duke Ellington. Some of his recordings with combos are From The Age Of Swing, Swing Is Here, Cheek To Cheek, and If Bix Played Gershwin, plus numerous duet albums with Ruby Braff, Ralph Sutton, Shelly Berg, Ken Peplowski and others. With Hyman, we see a truly unique specimen of jazz. He has a brain that functions as a sort of comprehensive jazz encyclopedia. Along with that, he is a pianist with the skills to demonstrate perfectly almost every known technique and style to emerge during the course of the genre’s 100 year-plus history.

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2 min read

SACD

Dick de Graaf – Fo4r Winds (2002) [SACD / Turtle Records – TRSA0012]

adminOctober 22, 2025 29 Views

Title: Dick de Graaf – Fo4r Winds (2002)
Genre: Jazz
Format: SACD ISO + Hi-Res FLAC

Dutch saxophonist De Graaf was looking to make this album a sort of sequel to a previous session in which he had been invited to play with musicians from Mali in West Africa. He found it inspiring but he had to fit into their musical concept. In Fo4r Winds he has created a more personal concept album, using all his own compositions except for one, and making them the basis for improvisations which honor the various cultures of the members of his world music/jazz band.
I was immediately attracted to the inclusion in the band of both steel pans and the sophisticated African harp known as the kora. Also percussionist Burhoe plays some mean tablas on several of the tracks, lending an East Indian flavor to the music. Both kora virtuoso Diabaté and bassist Diallo are from Mali. Some attempted mixes of world music and jazz fall rather flat because it sounds like the two approaches to the music are just trying to fit in without stepping on each other’s musical toes. Not so De Graaf’s group – most of the tracks sound like completely integrated musical ideas that don’t cry out India / Caribbean / Africa and so on as you hear the various ethnic instruments featured. And there’s no lack of good tunes along with the catchy rhythms that make you want to get up and dance. This is a mostly instrumental album, the vocals are minimal. The clarity of the hi-res stereo puts you up close to the band and digging the unexpected instrumental sounds. The kora is especially well-represented; I don’t believe I had appreciated before what a rich and unique sound Mali’s national instrument has!

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2 min read

SACD

Diana Ross – All The Great Hits (1981) [Reissue 2018] [SACD / Universal Music Hong Kong – 5384122]

adminOctober 22, 2025 29 Views

Title: Diana Ross – All The Great Hits (1981) [Reissue 2018]
Genre: Disco, Funk, Soul
Format: SACD ISO + Hi-Res FLAC

All The Great Hits is a compilation album by Diana Ross released in 1981, the second Motown compilation set to capitalize on the success of 1980’s diana produced by Chic. Her duet “Endless Love” with Lionel Richie was from a movie with Brooke Shields and, just like 1980’s “It’s My Turn”, had already been released as a single and on a soundtrack album. The double-album detailing Ross’ career at Motown was released in the weeks preceding her RCA debut Why Do Fools Fall in Love and became her third album that year to reach the top 40 in the U.S. The album was certified Gold in the USA and Platinum in the UK.
Diana Ross is certainly a diva of goddess-like proportions. Whether joined by the Supremes, or out on her own, her voice is unmistakable and powerful, plus she possesses the uncanny ability to take songs penned by others and make them very much her own – to imbibe them with her very soul. This collection of Ross’ best-known and loved hits is perfect testament to her massive gift. Working closely with both singer/songwriting duo Ashford & Simpson, as well as producers Nile Rodgers and Bernard Edwards (both of Chic), Ross brought six songs to the top of the pop charts over a decade – all included here. From the early classic gospel-inflected “Reach Out and Touch (Somebody’s Hand)” and the empowering chest beater “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough,” to the lite soul of “It’s My House,” Ross demonstrates full range. Also featured are the massive club hits “Upside Down” and “I’m Coming Out,” cut with Rodgers and Edwards. Strong and up-tempo, both songs became disco manifestos across the country in the early ’80s and helped to keep the genre alive just a little bit longer. And, of course, this compilation is completed, naturally, with both the sultry throb of “Love Hangover” and the Lionel Richie duet “Endless Love.” If there is a failing at all, it is within the “Medley (With the Supremes).” This glossy track hits the highlights, but really, why butcher such amazing songs? Any one would be better off slipping a Supremes greatest-hits onto the old turntable. But for the casual listener, this probably hits the spot. It’s heavy on the chart-toppers, and a sweet sonic masterpiece by anyone’s standards.

hraudio | allmusic | discogs

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3 min read

SACD

Diana Krall – The Look Of Love (2001) [Reissue 2002] [SACD / Verve Records – 589 597-2]

adminOctober 20, 2025 42 Views

Title: Diana Krall – The Look Of Love (2001) [Reissue 2002]
Genre: Jazz
Format: MCH SACD ISO + Hi-Res FLAC

The Look of Love doesn’t tamper with Diana Krall’s ongoing success, continuing the emphasis on romantic ballads and embracing them with lush string arrangements. At the core, of course, is Krall’s voice. She’s developing into one of the great torch singers, with an approach that’s both direct and subtly nuanced, true to the song and yet deeply personal.

Diana Krall has a good voice and plays decent piano, but this somewhat ridiculously packaged Verve CD seems like an obvious attempt to turn her into a pop icon, and sex symbol to boot. The bland arrangements by Claus Ogerman (who conducts the London Symphony Orchestra or the Los Angeles Session Orchestra on each track) border on easy listening, while Krall and her various supporting musicians, including John Pisano, Russell Malone, Christian McBride, and Peter Erskine (among others), clearly seem stifled by their respective roles. There are plenty of strong compositions here, including standards like “I Remember You,” “The Night We Called It a Day,” and “I Get Along Without You Very Well,” but the unimaginative and often syrupy charts take their toll on the performances. What is even sillier is the label’s insistence on attempting to photograph the artist in various sultry poses, which she evidently wants to discourage by refusing to provide much of a smile (the rumor is that she’s not happy with this part of the business at all). If you are looking for unchallenging background music, this will fit the bill, but jazz fans are advised to check out Krall’s earlier releases instead.

hraudio | allmusic | discogs

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2 min read

SACD

Diana Krall – The Girl In The Other Room (2004) [SACD / Verve Records – 0602498620465]

adminOctober 20, 2025 46 Views

Title: Diana Krall – The Girl In The Other Room (2004)
Genre: Jazz
Format: MCH SACD ISO + Hi-Res FLAC

Singer/pianist Diana Krall breaks new ground interpreting modern standards by Tom Waits, Mose Allison, and Joni Mitchell, as well as compositions by herself and new husband, Elvis Costello. Krall’s piano-jazz cred comes through loudly and clearly on her Count Basie-styled version of the Bonnie Raitt staple “Love Me Like a Man” (written by folk-bluesman Chris Smither). But it’s the collaborations with her spouse that unearth untapped emotional nuances of her velvet voice; many are reminiscent of Bill Evans’s moody, impressionistic pieces. The title track, “Narrow Daylight,” “Abandoned Masquerade,” and “I’m Coming Through” all deal with love and loss. “Departure Bay,” a picturesque ode to her hometown of Nanaimo, B.C., proves that this is the start of something big, and that two heads–and hearts–are better than one.

While the jazz fascists (read: purists) may be screaming “sellout” because Diana Krall decided to record something other than standards this time out, the rest of us can enjoy the considerable fruit of her labors. The Girl in the Other Room is, without question, a jazz record in the same manner her other outings are. The fact that it isn’t made up of musty and dusty “classics” may irk the narrow-minded and reactionary, but it doesn’t change the fact that this bold recording is a jazz record made with care, creativity, and a wonderfully intimate aesthetic fueling its 12 songs. Produced by Tommy LiPuma and Krall, the non-original material ranges from the Mississippi-fueled jazzed-up blues of Mose Allison’s “Stop This World” to contemporary songs that are reinvented in Krall’s image by Tom Waits (“Temptation”), Joni Mitchell (“Black Crow”), Chris Smither (“Love Me Like a Man”), and her husband, Elvis Costello (“Almost Blue”). These covers are striking. Krall’s read of Allison’s tune rivals his and adds an entirely different shade of meaning, as does her swinging, jazzy, R&B-infused take on Smither’s sexy nugget via its first hitmaker, Bonnie Raitt. Her interpretation of Waits’ “Temptation” is far more sultry than Holly Cole’s because Krall understands this pop song to be a jazz tune rather than a jazzy pop song. “Black Crow” exists in its own space in the terrain of the album, because Krall understands that jazz is not mere articulation but interpretation. Likewise, her reverent version of Costello’s “Almost Blue” takes it out of its original countrypolitan setting and brings it back to the blues. As wonderful as these songs are, however, they serve a utilitarian purpose; they act as bridges to the startling, emotionally charged poetics in the material Krall has composed with Costello. Totaling half the album, this material is full of grief, darkness, and a tentative re-emergence from the shadows. It begins in the noir-ish melancholy of the title track, kissed with bittersweet agony by Gershwin’s “Summertime.” The grain in Krall’s pained voice relates an edgy third-person tale that is harrowing in its lack of revelation and in the way it confounds the listener; it features John Clayton on bass and Jeff Hamilton on drums. In “I’ve Changed My Address,” Krall evokes the voices of ghosts such as Louis Armstrong and Anita O’Day in a sturdy hip vernacular that channels the early beat jazz of Waits and Allison. The lyric is solid and wonderfully evocative not only of time and place, but of emotional terrain. Krall’s solo in the tune is stunning. “Narrow Daylight,” graced by gospel overtones, is a tentative step into hope with its opening line: “Narrow daylight enters the room, winter is over, summer is near.” This glimmer of hope is short-lived, however, as “Abandoned Masquerade” reveals the shattered promise in the aftermath of dying love. “I’m Coming Through” and “Departure Bay,” which close the set, are both underscored by the grief experienced at the loss of Krall’s mother. They are far from sentimental, nor are they sophomoric, but through the eloquence of Krall’s wonderfully sophisticated melodic architecture and rhythmic parlance they express the experience of longing, of death, and of acceptance. The former features a beautiful solo by guitarist Anthony Wilson and the latter, in its starkness, offers memory as reflection and instruction. This is a bold new direction by an artist who expresses great willingness to get dirt on her hands and to offer its traces and smudges as part and parcel of her own part in extending the jazz tradition, through confessional language and a wonderfully inventive application that is caressed by, not saturated in, elegant pop.

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5 min read

SACD

Diana Krall – Love Scenes (1997) [Reissue 2004] [SACD / Impulse! – 0602498627891]

adminOctober 20, 2025 42 Views

Title: Diana Krall – Love Scenes (1997) [Reissue 2004]
Genre: Jazz
Format: MCH SACD ISO + Hi-Res FLAC

Like a mink draped over mahogany, Diana Krall’s luxuriously supple alto adorns the vintage songs of romance and longing found on Love Scenes with a palpable aura of glamour and late-night cool. Her ostensibly effortless command of phrasing and intonation, whether the mood is seduction or a sweet sassiness, further fortifies the opinion that the Canadian vocalist-pianist possesses one of the great female jazz voices to surface in the late 1990s… Augmented by spare but skillful instrumentation from bassist Christian McBride and guitarist Russell Malone, Krall sustains a largely quiet (though hardly sleepy) ambience throughout the CD’s 12 selections, from Irving Berlin’s “How Deep Is the Ocean (How High Is the Sky),” which she also uses as a showcase for her touch at the keyboard, to Gershwin’s “They Can’t Take That Away from Me.” Her swing is artfully subdued (“All or Nothing at All”), and her wry, expressive approach to “Peel Me a Grape” is pure charm. Yet Krall shines most luminously on languid gems such as “I Don’t Stand a Ghost of a Chance with You” and “Garden in the Rain.” Anyone in search of an album ideal for watching city lights at 2 a.m. should keep Love Scenes in mind.
Vocalist/pianist Diana Krall was a very hot property by the time this Impulse CD was released. Teamed in a trio with her regular guitarist Russell Malone and bassist Christian McBride, Krall here mostly emphasizes ballads having something to do with love. She is at her best on “I Don’t Know Enough About You,” “I Don’t Stand a Ghost of a Chance With You,” and “How Deep Is the Ocean.” However, Krall’s earlier Nat King Cole tribute had more variety in tempos and moods and is recommended first. A decent but not essential release.

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2 min read

SACD

Dexter Gordon – Go (1962) [Analogue Productions 2010] [SACD / Analogue Productions – CBNJ 84112 SA]

adminOctober 20, 2025 41 Views

Title: Dexter Gordon – Go (1962) [Analogue Productions 2010]
Genre: Jazz
Format: SACD ISO + Hi-Res FLAC

From the first moments when Dexter Gordon sails into the opening song full of brightness and confidence, it is obvious that Go! is going to be one of those albums where everything just seems to come together magically. A stellar quartet including the stylish pianist Sonny Clark, the agile drummer Billy Higgins, and the solid yet flexible bassist Butch Warren are absolutely crucial in making this album work, but it is still Gordon who shines. Whether he is dropping quotes into “Three O’Clock in the Morning” or running around with spritely bop phrases in “Cheese Cake,” the album pops and crackles with energy and exuberance. Beautiful ballads like “I Guess I’ll Hang My Tears Out to Dry” metamorphosize that energy into emotion and passion, but you can still see it there nonetheless. Gordon had many high points in his five decade-long career, but this is certainly the peak of it all.

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1 min read

SACD

Dexter Gordon – Dexter Calling (1961) [Analogue Productions 2008] [SACD / Analogue Productions – CBNJ 84083 SA]

adminOctober 20, 2025 39 Views

Title: Dexter Gordon – Dexter Calling (1961) [Analogue Productions 2008]
Genre: Jazz
Format: SACD ISO + Hi-Res FLAC

Dexter Gordon’s second recording for Blue Note is a solidly swinging affair, yet constantly full of surprises. It’s not unexpected that Gordon’s tenor at this time (1961) was one of the most enjoyable in mainstream jazz, but his transition from the cool California scene to the hotter music environs of New York City had energized his sound and attitude. A first-time pairing with bassist Paul Chambers has something to do with this, but it also inspires pianist Kenny Drew to a great extent, while drummer Philly Joe Jones is his reliable, energetic self, and always works well with Gordon. Where Gordon’s fluent melodic sense is perfectly demonstrated during the simple-as-pie groove waltz “Soul Sister,” the steady, steamy bopper “I Want More,” and the familiar Charlie Chaplin evergreen “Smile,” his sense of expanding the specific line upon soloing is truly remarkable. He constantly keeps the song form in mind, riffing on and on without violating the basic note structures, constantly reharmonizing, shuffling the chords like a card dealer and updating the song form. “The End of a Love Affair” takes this concept into an area where his deep, subtle voice is translated directly into the low-slung voicings of his horn. The remarkable “Modal Mood” combines hard bop with Drew’s three-chord piano repetitions and Gordon’s soulful, simplified sax, while the equally impressive “Clear the Dex” steamrolls the competition as the band — cued by Jones — skillfully pushes or pull tension and release elements, then busts loose into joyous swinging in a true signature tune that is immediately recognizable as only the long, tall tenor man. The sad ballad “Ernie’s Tune” is based on a yin/yang theme via Freddie Redd’s stage play The Connection and the crazy character that ran wild or tame. The excellent band, solid musicianship, and memorable music on every track make this one of the more essential recordings of Gordon’s career.

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2 min read

SACD

Destiny’s Child – Survivor (2001) [SACD / Columbia – CS 61063]

adminOctober 20, 2025 43 Views

Title: Destiny’s Child – Survivor (2001)
Genre: R&B
Format: MCH SACD ISO + Hi-Res FLAC

Survivor is the third studio album by American girl supergroup Destiny’s Child. n the US, the album debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 chart on May 19, 2001 with first-week sales of 663,000 units and stayed at number one for two consecutive weeks. It earned Destiny’s Child three Grammy nominations for Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals, Best R&B Song, and Best R&B Album. Survivor was certified quadruple Platinum by the RIAA on January 7, 2002. Billboard magazine ranked Survivor at number 70 on the magazine’s Top 200 Albums of the Decade. The album has sold over 15 million copies worldwide.

Nobody would have predicted that Destiny’s Child would rule over the contemporary R&B scene in the beginning of the new millennium — not after “Bills, Bills, Bills” hit the top of the charts, not even after “Say My Name” became an anthem in 2000. But nobody challenged their position, so they reigned supreme in the early 2000s, eventually inheriting the title of the great girl group of their era. Since they had a couple of pretty good singles, namely the aforementioned pair, most conceded them that position, particularly since they seemed more talented than their peers, but Survivor, their first album as full-fledged superstars — also their first album since most of the group disappeared due to managerial conflicts — is as contrived and calculated as a Mariah Carey record, only without the joy. This is a determined, bullheaded record, intent on proving Destiny’s Child has artistic merit largely because the group survived internal strife. So, whatever pop kitsch references the title may have — and it’s hard not to see it as an attempt to tap into the American public’s insatiable love for CBS’ brilliant reality TV show of the same name — the title is certainly heartfelt, as the members of Destiny’s Child want to illustrate that they are indeed survivors. This doggedness may fit on occasion, as on “Independent Women, Pt. 1,” the theme to Charlie’s Angels, but it usually takes precedence over the music — such as on the title track, a flat-out terrible song and the worst the group has ever recorded. “Survivor” is painfully labored, stuttering over a halting melody that Beyoncé Knowles breathlessly pushes to absolutely nowhere, working it so hard that it’s difficult to listen. Unfortunately, that pattern repeats itself way too often on Survivor, as the group undercuts its seductive mainstream R&B with repellent pandering and naked ambition. This isn’t even the case where you can rely on the label and its cohorts to find the best tunes for the radio, since the moments where Destiny’s Child sound the best are when the group is not vying for airplay. When the group swings for the bleachers, Beyoncé oversells the song, rivaling Christina Aguilera in the diva sweepstakes. There are moments where the group makes it work, but this is a truly uneven record, bouncing between appealing mid-tempo soul numbers and hard-sell feminist anthems, where the ambition of Beyoncé and her cohorts is too naked. You can hear them work on “Nasty Girl,” as they appropriate the theme from Salt-N-Pepa’s “Push It,” then inexplicably borrowing “Tarzan Boy” for the chorus. You can hear them trying to take Andy Gibb’s “Emotion” slow, attempting to give it emotional resonance, yet such heartfelt overtures are toppled by the arrogant “Gospel Medley,” where their secular pyrotechnics sound mannered, not inspired. Each of these are intended to give Destiny’s Child a different level of depth — a pan-cultural, knowing appropriation of pop’s past, balanced by a chart-savvy cover of a pop classic, plus a showy display of prowess. Each of these steps are calculated, as is the album itself. It’s a record that tries to be a bold statement of purpose, but winds up feeling forced and artificial.

hraudio | discogs

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4 min read