Hi-Res Downloads

88.2kHz/24-bit FLAC, ECM 475943 (supplied by www.highresaudio.com)

Your heart kinda sinks when you read that this, trumpeter Cohen’s principal artist début for ECM, is dedicated to his late father, and was written in the months following Cohen Sr’s passing. And when the album opens with the cheerily-titled ‘Life And Death’, which is all tinkling background piano and ponderous bass, brushed drums and muted horn, you get to thinking you’re going to be in for a long night of solemnity. However, while this set is undeniably contemplative and downbeat, it’s far from dull, not least due to the quality of musicians Cohen has assembled around him. These include Branford Marsalis sidesman Eric Revis on bass, and Nasheet Waits wielding the sticks, and a typically gorgeous ECM recording, which misses nary a detail. So while it’s not one to trouble your tapping-toe, perhaps, this is a lovely late-night listen. AE

Sound Quality: 85%

Hi-Fi News Lab Report

This jazz quartet is recorded at a very low mean level and released at 88.2kHz – not 44.1kHz with upsampling or DSD64 with downsampling. This is the preferred sample rate for many engineers mastering content for CD release. PM