The dazzling sound and enigmatic performances of Patricia Barber’s latest jazz spellbinder Higher is the first of Impex’s latest high-end audio offering: Reel-to-reel tapes! They’ve given the “Impex Treatment” into very small runs of 15 IPS, 1/4” tapes as our LPs and digital products, making Impex REELS a step-above. Renowned mastering engineer Scott Hull at Masterdisk will record Jim Anderson’s original 32 bit/352.8 kHz DXD masters directly to tape with no additional processing. What you hear on Impex REELS is exactly what Anderson and Barber intended.

Impex REELS are made to order, one at a time, transferred and assembled by hand. Each package includes two 15 IPS 1/4” tapes in individual boxes, complete large-format booklets from the LP versions, a deluxe tip-on printed case for each reel in the set, and a certificate of authenticity from Scott Hull.

Pushing Boundaries

“Throughout my career as a singer, pianist, and songwriter, I’ve been pushing the boundaries of songwriting. I’ve recently been drawn to writing songs that combine lyrical poetry with a rich harmonic language, pulling from classical music as well as the circumscribed system of harmony in jazz and classic American song. Shulamit Ran, composer, friend, and mentor, has been instrumental in teaching me how to access a limitless harmonic vista. This album features “Angels, Birds, and I…,” a new song cycle that portrays this musical adventure, pushing the frontiers of my songwriting all the way into art song. I’m happy to say that classical singers as well as jazz singers are performing these songs.

In 2015 I had the honor of performing “Angels, Birds, and I…” along with other songs of mine at Chicago’s Harris Theater with the incomparable Renée Fleming. Together we also toured my songs in concerts in NY and Washington D.C., and in 2016 Renée sang them at a Carnegie Hall recital. Her performance of “Higher,” a song I wrote for my mother, at the sold-out 4,152-seat Krannert Center for the Performing Arts in Champaign-Urbana, was a gift she gave me I will never forget.

In 2016 Augusta Read Thomas and the Ear Taxi New Music Festival asked me to open the festival with these songs. I was honored by the request. The songs are at once “contemporary” and indebted to traditional jazz and classical harmony—art songs that are unique to my synthesis of sonorities and forms and offer a new landscape for singers and instrumentalists.

In addition to “Angels, Birds, and I…,” this album will include some instrumentals and covers, just for fun. We also hope to find an operatic soprano to sing one of the art songs, for my listening pleasure! and yours, of course.

Please join me as I share with you this very personal journey.”

– Patricia Barber

Please note: Mp3 preview excerpts are available for Tracks 1, 5, 6, 9, 10 and 11 only.

Patricia Barber – Vocals
Neal Alger – Acoustic Guitar
Jim Gailloreto – Tenor Saxophone
Patrick Mulcahy – Bass
Jon Deitemyer – Drums

The post Higher (Analog Reel to Reel Tape) appeared first on NativeDSD Music.

At High End Munich in 2019, the world’s largest audio show, a special event was held.  It was a preview of what Merging Technologies calls “a remarkable album” – singer, pianist, and composer Patricia Barber’s latest music project “Higher“.

Barber is a veteran of the Chicago Jazz scene and has received rave reviews of her albums in the audiophile world for many years.  The preview at High End Munich provided the invited listeners with a rare opportunity to hear the album in its recorded DXD resolution in Stereo and 5.1 Channel Surround Sound.

Until now, listeners could experience Higher as a Stereo CD and Stereo Download.  There were also a few chances for audio show attendees to hear Higher in DXD Stereo if they tracked down a Merging Technologies audio demo – or knew the way to Claude Cellier’s listening room. Since that time, many have wondered when they might have a chance to hear this album in its full Stereo and Surround Sound glory.

Now Available in Stereo & 5.1 Channel Surround Sound DSD 256, DSD 128 and DXD plus Stereo DSD 512

Now, NativeDSD is very proud to join Patricia Barber, the production and engineering team of Jim Anderson and Ulrike Schwarz at Anderson Audio NY, Seth Godin (Artist Share), and Abey Fonn and Robert Bantz at Impex Records with the worldwide debut of Higher in Stereo and 5.1 Channel Surround Sound DSD 256, DSD 128, DSD 64 and DXD plus Stereo DSD 512.

DXD has been a revelation for veteran producer and recording engineer Jim Anderson, an 11-time Grammy Award Winner.  He has established a formidable reputation as an engineer specializing in jazz and acoustic music. His initial involvement with surround came from film music mixing, but his first music-only project was with Patricia Barber and her album “Modern Cool” that won the Grammy and led to two highly successful surround sound albums with Jazz Soprano Saxophone player and Composer Jane Ira Bloom.  Ulrike Schwarz sums it up by noting “Once you start with DXD, there is no going back.”

Pushing Boundaries

“Throughout my career as a singer, pianist, and songwriter, I’ve been pushing the boundaries of songwriting. I’ve recently been drawn to writing songs that combine lyrical poetry with a rich harmonic language, pulling from classical music as well as the circumscribed system of harmony in jazz and classic American song. Shulamit Ran, composer, friend, and mentor, has been instrumental in teaching me how to access a limitless harmonic vista. This album features “Angels, Birds, and I…,” a new song cycle that portrays this musical adventure, pushing the frontiers of my songwriting all the way into art song. I’m happy to say that classical singers as well as jazz singers are performing these songs.

In 2015 I had the honor of performing “Angels, Birds, and I…” along with other songs of mine at Chicago’s Harris Theater with the incomparable Renée Fleming. Together we also toured my songs in concerts in NY and Washington D.C., and in 2016 Renée sang them at a Carnegie Hall recital. Her performance of “Higher,” a song I wrote for my mother, at the sold-out 4,152-seat Krannert Center for the Performing Arts in Champaign-Urbana, was a gift she gave me I will never forget.

In 2016 Augusta Read Thomas and the Ear Taxi New Music Festival asked me to open the festival with these songs. I was honored by the request. The songs are at once “contemporary” and indebted to traditional jazz and classical harmony—art songs that are unique to my synthesis of sonorities and forms and offer a new landscape for singers and instrumentalists.

In addition to “Angels, Birds, and I…,” this album will include some instrumentals and covers, just for fun. We also hope to find an operatic soprano to sing one of the art songs, for my listening pleasure! and yours, of course.

Please join me as I share with you this very personal journey.”

— Patricia Barber

Please note: Mp3 preview excerpts are available for Tracks 1, 5, 6, 9, 10 and 11 only.

Though labelled as ‘5 Channel’, this recording’s Surround Sound edition is actually in 5.1 Channel Surround Sound.

Note: Stereo DSD 1024 playback requires the use of Signalyst HQ Player 4 software and a DSD 1024 capable DAC from Denafrips, Holo Audio, Matrix, Musician or T+A.

Patricia Barber, Vocals
Neal Alger, Acoustic Guitar
Jim Gailloreto, Tenor Saxophone
Patrick Mulcahy, Bass
Jon Deitemyer, Drums

The post Higher (DXD Edition) appeared first on NativeDSD Music.

iFi enjoys PCM and DSD, which is why the specially selected Burr-Brown chip was chosen as it keeps each format in its native state as it travels through the dac chipset. Both iFi and NativeDSD Music care passionately about the ultimate in sound quality and when it comes to DSD recordings, Native DSD Music continues to push the boundaries – with DSD256 recorded music. This is why we made this album for you, the listener.

Joachim Eijlander
Josep Colom
Smoke & Mirrors Percussion Ensemble
Thomas Baggerman and Eva Scholten

The post iFi Stereo DSD 256 Sampler Album appeared first on NativeDSD Music.

The album features performances in Swing Jazz, Vocals, World Music and Classical Music from artists including the Breno Viricimo Group, De Gebroeders, Harteveld and Fretz, Kobra Ensemble, New Amsterdam Voices, Odd Pearls, The Pipays, Thomas Baggerman and Eva Scholten and Vercammen & Roinishvilli.

An Introduction From The Producers

‘Recording in DSD’ is not a term that musicians are usually familiar with. In fact, none of the musicians we asked to participate in 8 Ensembles in 1 Bit had the slightest idea what it was at first! Surprisingly, without exception, all immediately said yes and were very keen to learn about it.

Especially on the recording days, March 4th and 5th, 2015, they soon learned what it’s like to record acoustically in DSD. “Hey, you, cellist, a little closer to the mics please” and “Could the saxophone player take two steps back and one to the right?”. With the microphones spread around above their heads and the prospect of no post recording mixing at all, the sound balancing had to be made right there and then at the recording session.

Once the musicians and engineers were happy with the balance, the recording began. Not only audio, but also visual! Jonas Sacks filmed each take of each ensemble, dancing fluidly around the musicians. This way, when the best take was chosen, we would always have a ‘1 take’ video to go with the ‘1 take’ DSD audio!

Seeing the expression on the faces of the musicians when they listened to themselves in DSD for the first time in the studio proved that Native DSD had organized something quite special. Most of them immediately shouted out in excitement: “We are playing right here in this room for ourselves to listen to!” A few others closed their eyes, made no sound, and sat totally still apart from the occasional jaw drop.

Well, that brings us to the point of why we did this. We are spreading the message of what the incredible DSD recording technique can deliver. At the same time, we are enriching the libraries of music fans with the music of some of the most promising Dutch musicians who would otherwise not have been recorded in DSD.

We intend to flabbergast the musicians as well as our Native DSD customers by facilitating a one-off chance to record – and listen to them – in DSD. And who knows, perhaps the next step will be to record a complete album with the most popular ensemble? Or can we go to other places and do the same? One thing is for sure: Native DSD will keep exploring the ‘beyond’ part of our “DSD and Beyond” mission!

Music in DSD 256, DSD 128 and DSD 64

The music on 8 Ensembles in 1 Bit is being provided in both Stereo and Multichannel sound in the recorded resolution DSD 256 (quad rate DSD). For listeners with DSD 256 systems you will enjoy hearing the music exactly as it was recorded.

We know that many listeners do not own DSD 256 converters and players today. Tom Caulfield, the Mastering Engineer at Native DSD used specially developed software from Jussi Laako (the maker of the Signalyst HQ Player software player) for the conversion from DSD 256 to DSD 128 and DSD 64.

Adding Metadata and Uploading the Files for You

Once the three sets of Stereo and Multichannel DSD files were completed, the tracks were then converted from the DFF to the DSF file format. This enables Native DSD to add metadata to the recorded tracks. Finally, the DSF tracks, cover art and album booklet in Acrobat PDF format are uploaded to our server where they can be purchased and downloaded for your musical enjoyment.

We hope this brief overview provides some insight into how we recorded the music on the new 8 Ensembles in 1 Bit album. There is more information in the booklet. We think you will really love what we heard in the recording studio – and you are about to hear at home.

Breno Viricimo Group
De Gebroeders, Harteveld and Fretz
Kobra Ensemble
New Amsterdam Voices
Odd Pearls
The Pipays
Thomas Baggerman and Eva Scholten
Vercammen and Roinishvilli

The post 8 Ensembles In 1 Bit [Pure DSD] appeared first on NativeDSD Music.