Hi-Res Downloads

96kHz/24-bit, FLAC; ECM Records 574 1910 (supplied by www.highresaudio.com)

Appropriately, the veteran bass player’s second album with his trio starts with a delicate, considered bass-led piece, ‘Contact’. It starts with taut, cleanly-recorded solo bass, gradually joined by the slightest of shimmers from Joey Barron’s cymbals and the odd subtle chord from pianist Marc Copland, before settling into a more familiar piano trio form. Even then, Peacock is constantly busy in the background, and Barron rock-solid. Split just about 50:50 between Peacock’s own compositions and a number of standards and covers, the set ranges from the subtle and melodic through to the evocative group improvisation ‘Empty Forest’ and the hard-charging ‘Tempei Tempo’, with the usual exemplary ECM sound throughout. Spiky in places, meditative in others, this may be one for the more hardened jazzers, but it’s nonetheless a fine listen. AE

Sound Quality: 80%

Hi-Fi News Lab Report

While the bulk of this 96kHz recording’s ~45kHz bandwidth seems occupied with content, almost everything beyond 8-10kHz emanates from the cymbal feed (inc. mic amp and electronics). It’s free of clipped samples, however. PM