2023 NativeDSD Album of the Year – Vocals
The new edition of the Grammy Award winning album Modern Cool by Patricia Barber on Impex Records is Exclusively Available at NativeDSD.Com in Stereo & 5.1 Channel Surround Sound DSD 256, DSD 128 and DXD, Stereo DSD 512 and 5.1 Channel Surround Sound Dolby Atmos TrueHD and DTS MA MKV (with no height channels)
Album Recording Engineer and Surround Sound Producer Jim Anderson of Anderson Audio NY says “This release faithfully reproduces the original Stereo & 5.1 Surround Sound editions of the album.”
Patricia Barber’s Modern Cool was the recording that made Barber an International Jazz Star with a classic version of Light My Fire, first made famous by The Doors.
On the initial tour for this album, Barber played a four night stand at The Jazz Standard in New York where she was heard by Bruce Lundvall of Blue Note Records. This led to a string of Barber recordings for both Premonition and Blue Note, worldwide touring and unapologetic critical acclaim from which Barber never looked back.
Audiophiles were well aware of Barber from her 1994 Premonition recording Cafe Blue. Sonically, Modern Cool copied the Cafe Blue playbook: same recording studio, engineer, and recording approach. Musically, Barber added trumpeter Dave Douglas to her stellar working band and showcased her original compositions more than on any previous recording.
Grammy-Winning Audiophile Classic now with many First Time features:
- First time Modern Cool has been offered as a digital download
- Issued in Stereo & 5.1 Channel Surround Sound digital formats which Patricia Barber prefers for “maximum clarity and definition”
Sonically, one of the best recordings ever made by a Jazz Singer with small acoustic ensemble.
-Downbeat, rated 5 starsSmart songs about the way we think and live, not just about the way we love. This is the kind of art we need to be on the lookout for everywhere. The 21st century has started. We can’t afford to be left behind.
-New York TimesAn Album To Die For.
-Stereophile
Note: For the time being, Dolby Atmos MKV downloads are provided as direct download Dropbox links and are not available for download through the downloader app. The download link will be supplied at checkout.
Tracklist
Please note that the below previews are loaded as 44.1 kHz / 16 bit.Total time: 01:08:24
Additional information
| Label | |
|---|---|
| SKU | IMP7003 |
| Qualities | MKV 48k & 96k, DSD 512 fs, DSD 256 fs, DSD 128 fs, DSD 64 fs, DXD 32 Bit, WAV 384 kHz 32 bit, WAV 384 kHz, WAV 96 kHz |
| Channels | 5.1ch Surround, 2ch Stereo, 6ch Surround, Dolby Atmos TrueHD, 2ch Stereo & 5.1ch Surround |
| Artists | |
| Composers | Anka, Barber, Densmore, Dietz, Krieger, Manzarek, Morrison, Schwartz |
| Genres | |
| A/D Convertor | Pacific Microsonics Model 2 A/D Converter |
| Mic Preamp | John Hardy M-1 |
| Microphones | Brauner VM-1, DPA 4006, DPA 4007, Neumann USM-69, Sanken CU-41, Sanken CMS-2, Sanken CU-31, AMB-DI |
| Instruments | |
| Original Recording Format | |
| Recording Engineer | Jim Anderson |
| Recording Location | Chicago Recording Company (CRC), Studio 5 |
| Release Date | November 10, 2023 |
Press reviews
Positive Feedback
A music track that’s become one of my go-to references for exceptionally good recorded sound is the tune “Company,” that comes from jazz pianist and singer Patricia Barber’s classic 1998 album Modern Cool.
The version that I’ve become greatly enamored with in recent weeks is taken from Native DSD Music’s new Stereo DSD 512 transfer, which is offered in perhaps the finest sound quality this album has ever experienced.
The track features a quartet setting, where Mark Walker’s thunderous, propulsive drumbeat opens the track; Patricia Barber’s smoky/sweet alto voice speaks/sings the vocal entry over the drums, as Michael Arnopol’s subterranean bass underpins the goings-on. As the song continues, Dave Douglas’ trumpet punctuates the proceedings.
This is maybe the most dynamic jazz recording on my entire music server, especially in its new Stereo DSD 512 guise.
JazzTimes
Modern Cool is an atmospheric foray into the off-beat sensibility of Patricia Barber, a young pianist and singer from Chicago. Her compositions are intelligent observations of modern urban life, beginning with “Touch of Trash,” a portrait of a perfectly made-up woman who’s “just a culture short of class.
The New York Times
Smart songs about the way we think and live, not just about the way we love. This is the kind of art we need to be on the lookout for everywhere. The 21st century has started. We can’t afford to be left behind.
Down Beat Magazine
Sonically, one of the best recordings ever made by a jazz singer with a small acoustic ensemble.
2L
Wow! This is certainly a candidate for Best Surround Sound Album of 2012. A marvellous product.
CNET
Sultry jazz singer Patricia Barber’s “Modern Cool” album was a hit with the audiophile crowd soon after its release in 1998, so I was surprised to see it come out on Blu-ray with a new 5.1-channel DTS Master Audio mix. Even more surprised that the surround mix totally works. You’re in the middle of the band, which I usually don’t care for, but it clicks here. Barber wrote a lot of the tunes, but her cover of the Doors’ “Light My Fire” is a standout track.
1 review for Modern Cool
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I bought this album on CD and have always thought this was an excellent sounding recording. The DSD 128 version smokes the CD version! So much more detail. So much more depth to Barbers vocals. The sound stage opened up as well.
I am very pleased with this version and fully recommend it (or even higher rate DSD versions) to all Patricia Barber fans and fans of modern, progressive jazz.
I rate this as 5 stars, excellent!!
Cliff Collipriest (verified owner) –