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SACD

Chris Gestrin – Stillpoint (2002) [SACD / Songlines Recordings – SGL SA 1540-2]

adminSeptember 13, 2025 303 Views

Title: Chris Gestrin – Stillpoint (2002)
Genre: Jazz
Format: MCH SACD ISO + DSF DSD64 + Hi-Res FLAC

Vancouver pianist and composer Chris Gestrin has drawn comparisons to Bill Evans and Keith Jarrett, if either of those masters were young today and equally at home with the acoustic and the electronic, jazz and ambient. Gestrin’s handpicked versatile quintet, featuring trumpeter Brad Turner, creates rich images in sound. From a tender solo piano improvisation to swirling group inventions, a narrative of almost cinematic sweep unfolds. Gestrin’s compositions range across jazz, experimental music, new age and world music for their ideas, but this is not “fusion” in any ordinary sense; there is too much originality and panache for that. The multi-channel remix opens on an imaginary environment that connoisseurs of surround sound, whether jazz fans or not, will surely appreciate.
Vancouver, Canada-based keyboardist Chris Gestrin crosses an amalgamated array of perceived borders on this curiously interesting release. As an acoustic pianist, he often insinuates a theme via delicately constructed melodies and an open-ended approach. Gestrin and his musical associates pursue ambient dreamscapes and climactically driven passages throughout this beautifully recorded production. Moreover, this high-tech recording (Direct Stream Digital) might be analogous to the sonic characteristics often witnessed on the German ECM Records label. Nonetheless, a good portion of this outing features Gestrin’s clever use of synths, dulcimer, and various electric/acoustic percussion instruments. Saxophonist Jon Bentley and trumpeter Brad Turner frequently serve as the equalizers due to their ambient and/or fiercely enacted exchanges, while drummer Dylan van der Schyff’s cymbal swashes and rumbling tom fills provide the undulating rhythms. Many of Gestrin’s frameworks are built upon simple melodies and modulating crosscurrents, as the musicians delve into a few dark corners here and there. The ensemble is equally adept at segueing through a multitude of free jazz/crash-and-burn type endeavors or executing ethereal soundscapes amid multifarious perspectives. Recommended.

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2 min read

SACD

Chris Gestrin – After The City Has Gone: Quiet (2007) [SACD / Songlines Recordings – SGL SA1568-2]

adminSeptember 13, 2025 314 Views

Title: Chris Gestrin – After The City Has Gone: Quiet (2007)
Genre: Jazz
Format: MCH SACD ISO + DSF DSD64 + Hi-Res FLAC

In the summer of 2004 Vancouver keyboardist Chris Gestrin spent three intense days in the studio on a Steinway D, recording in high resolution DSD with nine different duo and trio groupings of musicians from Vancouver’s vibrant music scene. Apart from a handful of compositions including a few solo piano pieces, all the music was completely improvised, exploring the process of spontaneous composition with concentration, finesse and expressive power. In the exposed settings on this 2007 release, success depended on sustaining the inspiration of the moment.

Recorded over a three-day period in 2004, this two-disc set of stark improvisations places pianist Gestrin in ever-changing trio, duo and solo settings with a dozen compatriots from Vancouver’s creative music scene. The pieces are quiet and roomy, suffused with a cool northwestern mist as they roam through soft scribblings, mysterious foreign landscapes and composed-sounding impressionist sketches. Remarkably, the diverse pieces all feel like parts of a planned whole, a freeform Zen suite to be contemplated and absorbed.

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1 min read

SACD

Chris Botti – Night Sessions (2001) [SACD / Columbia – CS 85753]

adminSeptember 13, 2025 298 Views

Title: Chris Botti – Night Sessions (2001)
Genre: Jazz
Format: MCH SACD ISO + Hi-Res FLAC

At the precise moment when a corporate reshuffling and a reduced roster led to death knells in the press for Columbia Records’ jazz division, Chris Botti was signing on after three albums at rival Verve, the jazz arm of Universal. Along with Bela Fleck, poached from Warner Bros., Botti seemed to represent the new lean-and-mean Columbia Jazz, an eclectic, contemporary artist with considerable crossover potential to go with his jazz legitimacy. While the dominant sound on Botti’s Columbia debut is naturally his haunting, minor-key trumpet playing, highly reminiscent of the more introspective aspect of Miles Davis, his original music, co-written with one-name producer Kipper, is strongly reminiscent of the pop-jazz approach of his most recent employer, Sting, whose tour hiatus created the opportunity for the recording of the album. Sting even contributes a song, the samba-paced “All Would Envy,” complete with lyrics describing a wealthy May-December marriage, sung by Shawn Colvin. But elsewhere his spare, stylish, multi-cultural music provides a guiding principle. Botti is true to the basic tenets of smooth jazz, which hold that a steady beat within a propulsive rhythm track must be maintained, over which the soloist makes his presence felt. But he and Kipper keep things simple, often using an acoustic guitar to create musical textures more suggestive of Rio than west Los Angeles, where the record was actually cut. And even with his less-is-more style of playing, Botti is capable of coming up with melodies that would be strong enough to support lyrics if someone wanted to write them. (A good example is “Light the Stars.”) “Easter Parade,” the final track, is by the members of the Blue Nile, another good touchstone for the trumpeter’s moody, atmospheric sound. The result is a step above most of the cookie-cutter contemporary jazz albums of the day.

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2 min read

SACD

Chlara – In A Different Light (2016) [SACD / Evosound – EVSA375S]

adminSeptember 13, 2025 323 Views

Title: Chlara – In A Different Light (2016)
Genre: Pop
Format: SACD ISO + Hi-Res FLAC

The fast rising Anglo-Asian singer-guitarist, Chlara, returns with an album of guitar-centric classy interpretations of her favourite pop classics, including Hotel California, Stuck On You and True Colors, alongside contemporary hits including Hello (Adele), Stay With Me (Sam Smith) and Jealous (Labrinth). Many of the songs have been a part of Chlara’s live shows over the past few years, so working on the tracks on the studio was an easy fit.

British-born Filipina singer / songwriter Chlara (born Chlara Isobel Magtultol) labeled as Philippines acoustic songbird, Chlara spent the early years of her life living in England before moving to the Philippines at the age of nine. Her father Cesar who passed away when Chlara was only two years old was a music lover and left with Chlara his love of music. From the age of three Chlara was already singing and was very much influenced by the music that was constantly played at home, listening to Michael Jackson, Stevie Wonder, Air Supply, The Carpenters, Christina Aguilera, Whitney Houston and Celine Dion. After moving back to the Philippines, Chlara’s mum Gina enrolled her into a few singing schools, While regularly joining the school singing programs and plays Chlara also began playing the guitar at the age 11, learning from his brother and with her own self study, she would watch & learn from videos on YouTube. Before starting college Chlara had already started writing her own songs. Growing up all Chlara ever wanted to do was sing and have the world hear her songs and now is fully focused to reach her dreams having signed a long term management and recording agreement with Evolution. She was featured in Evosound’s album “Voices of Love” together with the finest female vocals featuring Susan Wong, Olivia Ong, Julienne Taylor, Emi Fujita, Stacey Kent, Katie Melua, Chantal Chamberland with her version of Lionel Richie’s Stuck on You.

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2 min read

SACD

Chip Davis, London Symphony Orchestra – Mannheim Steamroller: Fresh Aire 8 (2000) [Audio Fidelity 2016] [SACD / Audio Fidelity – AFZ5 238]

adminSeptember 13, 2025 296 Views

Title: Chip Davis, London Symphony Orchestra – Mannheim Steamroller: Fresh Aire 8 (2000) [Audio Fidelity 2016]
Genre: Classical
Format: MCH SACD ISO + Hi-Res FLAC

Mannheim Steamroller is an American rock band, founded by Chip Davis, that is known primarily for its series of Fresh Aire albums, which blend classical music and rock, and for its modern recordings of Christmas music. The group has sold 28 million albums in the United States alone. Fresh Aire 8 is the final album in the Mannheim Steamroller Fresh Aire series, subtitled as “Eight Topics of Infinity”. Fresh Aire 8 has a full sound that offers a well-balanced blend of synthesizers and orchestra richly augmented by the London Symphony Orchestra. Always thematic affairs, the topic this time is Infinity and how it relates to all facets of human life, love, art, philosophy, mathematics and of course music. This allows for some rather bizarre musical pieces as classic Mannheim Steamroller riffs weave their way through the tapestry of new sounds.

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1 min read

SACD

Chip Davis, London Symphony Orchestra – Mannheim Steamroller: Fresh Aire 8 (2000) [Audio Fidelity 2016] [SACD / Audio Fidelity – AFZ5 238]

adminSeptember 13, 2025 298 Views

Title: Chip Davis, London Symphony Orchestra – Mannheim Steamroller: Fresh Aire 8 (2000) [Audio Fidelity 2016]
Genre: Classical
Format: MCH SACD ISO + Hi-Res FLAC

Mannheim Steamroller is an American rock band, founded by Chip Davis, that is known primarily for its series of Fresh Aire albums, which blend classical music and rock, and for its modern recordings of Christmas music. The group has sold 28 million albums in the United States alone. Fresh Aire 8 is the final album in the Mannheim Steamroller Fresh Aire series, subtitled as “Eight Topics of Infinity”. Fresh Aire 8 has a full sound that offers a well-balanced blend of synthesizers and orchestra richly augmented by the London Symphony Orchestra. Always thematic affairs, the topic this time is Infinity and how it relates to all facets of human life, love, art, philosophy, mathematics and of course music. This allows for some rather bizarre musical pieces as classic Mannheim Steamroller riffs weave their way through the tapestry of new sounds.

hraudio | discogs

(more…)

1 min read

SACD

Chie Ayado meets Nobuo Hara and His Sharps & Flats – My Way (2010) [SACD / East House Records – EHSA-1005]

adminSeptember 12, 2025 404 Views

Title: Chie Ayado meets Nobuo Hara and His Sharps & Flats – My Way (2010)
Genre: Jazz
Format: SACD ISO + DSF DSD64 + Hi-Res FLAC

Japanese unique music band, Nobuo Hara, Sharps & Flats, and a rare jazz singer who repainted the history of Japanese jazz over the past 10 years. Chie Ayado meets saxophonist Nobuo Hara and His Sharps & Flats for this recording of 13 standards. The No.1 “For Once In My Life” with special big band arrangement is sure to become a hot topic. Only Chie Ayado can sing George Gershwin’s famous song “Swanee” so expressively. A surprisingly performance!
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, EWE, 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. Nobuo Tsukahara, better known as Nobuo Hara is a Japanese jazz saxophonist and bandleader. Hara played in a military band during World War II and in a Tokyo officer’s club after the war. He took leadership of the ensemble Sharps and Flats in 1952, which he would lead until the 1980s. This band recorded copiously and appeared at the Newport Jazz Festival. Sharps and Flats accompanied Chiemi Eri and included sidemen such as Norio Maeda, Shotaro Moriyasu, and Akitoshi Igarashi.

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2 min read

SACD

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

adminSeptember 12, 2025 371 Views

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.

hraudio | discogs

(more…)

1 min read

SACD

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

adminSeptember 12, 2025 396 Views

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.

hraudio | discogs

(more…)

1 min read

SACD

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

adminSeptember 12, 2025 407 Views

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.

hraudio | discogs

(more…)

1 min read