Re: High Resolution Audio
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Joined: Oct 2012
Posts: 2,021 Likes: 1
connoisseur
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OP
connoisseur
Joined: Oct 2012
Posts: 2,021 Likes: 1 |
HDtracks is not cheap but they do have promotions quite often and it's common to save 15%. It's not much but it does add up. I am however very selective with what I get in order to keep costs down. I don't much listen to music any more at home, my equipment is primarily for movie watching but I do have a nice small selection of mostly Jazz that I like to play from time to time and it is awesome to listen to. Another great place for high quality digital recordings is http://www.chesky.com. I have picked up a few from there. Can you reccomend some Jazz for listeners who don't?
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Re: High Resolution Audio
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Joined: Nov 2011
Posts: 172
veteran
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veteran
Joined: Nov 2011
Posts: 172 |
Jazz is a huge genre with styles ranging from big band sounds of the 30's to contemporary stuff. I listen to contemporary stuff say 50's and later and more specifically I stick to the sound of smaller bands (trios, quartets) with bass, one maybe two horns, vocals and drums. I do not listen to big bands. I especially like women vocalists. This is my taste and along those lines here are some stuff to listen too.
- The Bill Evans Trio. The Waltz For Debby album on HDtracks is wonderful and sounds awesome. - Miles Davis. Kind Of Blue and Milestones in particular. Many consider Kind Of Blue one of the best Jazz albums ever. - Melody Gardot. I just discovered her and new The Absence album. Very distinctive vocals and sound. - Diana Krall. Lots of stuff. Some of my favorite songs are Temptation, Cry Me A River, The Look Of Love, So Nice. - Norah Jones. I have Come Away With Me and Little Broken Hearts albums. - Branford Marsalis. He is just awesome. Eternal is one of my favorite albums. - Madeleine Peyroux. Very distinctive vocals. I love her early stuff, albums Dreamland and Careless Love in particular. When I first discovered her I was totaly smitten. - Holly Cole. She has a lot of good stuff, songs like Too Darn Hot and Hum Drum Blues. - Stan Getz. Samba sounds of the 60s. Tenor Sax at its best. Albums Getz For Lovers, Getz/Gilberto, Jazz Samba are some examples. - Finally not jazz but I'll just toss in Regina Spektor and her new What We Saw From The Cheap Seats album. Man this girl has talent. Again, a very distinctive sound.
Finally there is a local Jazz station here in Toronto that you can listen too online at jazz.fm. It's heavily donor supported and has minimal commercials. I have been listening to it for years and donate quite often. This is the station that turned me on to Jazz several years ago.
For every expert, there is an equal and opposite expert.
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Re: High Resolution Audio
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Joined: Jul 2006
Posts: 12,077 Likes: 7
Founder, Axiom Upgrade Club shareholder in the making
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Founder, Axiom Upgrade Club shareholder in the making
Joined: Jul 2006
Posts: 12,077 Likes: 7 |
- Finally not jazz but I'll just toss in Regina Spektor and her new What We Saw From The Cheap Seats album. Man this girl has talent. Again, a very distinctive sound. Definitely a fun album. While perhaps not strictly jazz, if you haven't heard it, you should check out her first album, 11:11, since it has a stronger jazz feel than anything since. While it's the one I listen to the least, it has some truly great moments, and it's nice to hear her when she was younger and less refined.
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Re: High Resolution Audio
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Joined: Nov 2011
Posts: 172
veteran
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veteran
Joined: Nov 2011
Posts: 172 |
I haven't heard 11:11 but I do have Far. Her vocal style and the way she plays with words (for lack of a better description) is amazing. Of course her piano work is also top rate.
One of my favorite tracks on Cheap Seats is All the Rowboats. It took me a while to figure out what she was singing about.
For every expert, there is an equal and opposite expert.
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Re: High Resolution Audio
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Joined: Oct 2012
Posts: 2,021 Likes: 1
connoisseur
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OP
connoisseur
Joined: Oct 2012
Posts: 2,021 Likes: 1 |
Thanks. Once my internet is back up (writing on my note) I will check out jazz.fm. Everywhere I look I see people talking about Diana Krall. Think I'll give her a listen too.
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Re: High Resolution Audio
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Joined: Sep 2011
Posts: 1,767
connoisseur
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connoisseur
Joined: Sep 2011
Posts: 1,767 |
I've been an electric blues guy for the longest time & still am; however, since I bought a SACD player last summer, I've branched out into jazz as it is so widely available on SACD. I really like fusion (modern?) such as Spyro Gyra whose SACDs are some of the finest, fullest sounding recordings that I've ever experienced.
Similarly, through my Shortwave listening - Cuba, Brazil, etc, - I've come to like latin jazz (samba, mambo, salsa) with their wonderful percussion sections. I have some big band stuff as well & it is quite impressive; however, I find that they tend to overdo the amount of vocal tunes as I prefer mostly instrumentals.
An interesting recent jazz release (DVD & CD combo) is Wynton Marsalis & Eric Clapton 'play the blues'. Wonderful live concert that demonstrates the prowess of both players plus Wynton's great band.
The only female singer that I follow is 'Sade' - I never tire of her first 3 albums of 20 years ago - but her newer stuff not as much. I don't know if her music can be classified as jazz, but it sure is a unique & wonderful sound that has been superbly recorded. Unfortunately, I find Krall & Jones to be rather boring - just not my taste I guess...
TAM
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Re: High Resolution Audio
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Joined: Oct 2006
Posts: 484
devotee
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devotee
Joined: Oct 2006
Posts: 484 |
I quite enjoy most of Sade's Soldier of Love. Great voice.
I've only ever bought SACDs with multi-channel content, so that limited the purchases somewhat.
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Re: High Resolution Audio
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Joined: Nov 2011
Posts: 172
veteran
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veteran
Joined: Nov 2011
Posts: 172 |
Sade is totally awesome, I have always loved her myself and I do have several of her songs in my Jazz collection. On a KLM flight to Amsterdam a couple of years ago there was a documentary of Sade doing many of her famous songs. I watched it twice. She is beautiful and has a voice to die for. I hardly ever come across anyone who knows her music though. I didn't even know she has more recent stuff.
For every expert, there is an equal and opposite expert.
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Re: High Resolution Audio
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Joined: Sep 2011
Posts: 1,767
connoisseur
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connoisseur
Joined: Sep 2011
Posts: 1,767 |
SADE (ADU) was a huge name in the mid 1980s; however, she then took 10 years off & faded from the scene. For me, her first 3 albums - 'Diamond Life' (1985), 'Promise' (1985) & 'Stronger than Pride' (1988) - really are her best works that easily stand the test of time.
'Lover's Rock' in 2000 (then another LOA) & 'Soldier of Love' in 2010 both have some good moments, but not to the extent of the original 3 where every track was good. Her backup band is absolutely tight & top notch & are a big part of her unique sound. Their skillful infusion of African rhythms in the first albums set her music apart from the general mediocrity of the normal fare at that time
There are 2 live concert DVDs & 1 BD available - 'Sade Live' (DVD - SD) in 1994, 'Lovers Live' (DVD - SD) in 2002 & finally her latest world tour 'Bring Me Home Live 2011 (BD - HD) in 2012. All are well worth owning as a lot of her original works are included in all three videos. The overall sound quality is good to excellent. The genuine appreciation that the audiences have for her is amply evident throughout.
And yes, she still goes barefoot on stage that was her trademark way back when. She still looks as good as she did almost 30 years ago & continues to be just a wonderful, humble & classy lady who remains a cut above the latest crop of female entertainers IMHO.
I've now seen Clapton & Santana live - SADE is the last one on my bucket list but it is doubtful that it will ever happen, sniff...
TAM
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Re: High Resolution Audio
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Joined: Apr 2012
Posts: 350 Likes: 3
devotee
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devotee
Joined: Apr 2012
Posts: 350 Likes: 3 |
Tam, I also share your appreciation for Sade. Lovely voice, and for me she was, when I first heard her, just a unique talent. I still listen to her early albums, and have the concert "Lovers Live" DVD. She really does connect with her audiences. Jeff
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