Hi-Res Downloads

François Couturier & Dominique Pifarély
Preludes And Songs (96kHz/24-bit, WAV)
www.ecmrecords.com; ECM 2819

Pianist François Couturier and violinist Dominique Pifarély made their debut for the ECM label way back in 1997, and have been playing – and improvising – together for 30 years. And while there are familiar composers on this latest release, including Jacques Brel, Duke Ellington and George Gershwin, the sound is anything but, so comprehensively do the two fire off each other in their finely honed pieces, and so spare is the sound of their instruments. Pifarély’s violin is almost entirely free of vibrato, giving it an unusually clean bite, while Couturier’s piano is similarly restrained. Songs such as 'A Nightingale Sang In Berkeley Square' and 'I Loves You Porgy' lie among the original compositions, and the effect, helped no end by an atmospheric recording by the ECM team, is both compelling and somewhat mesmeric. AE

Sound Quality: 90%

Lab Report

This genuine 96kHz recording has the distinction of possessing the widest dynamic range (typically 19dB peak-to-RMS) of this month’s selection while also letting each track retain a ‘natural’ peak level between –7dBFs and –0.1dBFs. PM

Yuval Cohen Quartet
Winter Poems (88.2kHz/24-bit, WAV)
www.ecmrecords.com; ECM 2818

Recording for ECM is clearly a Cohen family thing – Israeli-born soprano saxophonist Yuval is joining his brother Avishai and sister Anat as label-mates with this, his debut release for the German-based label. Classically trained, Cohen brings a freshness and almost a sense of chamber music to this set of original pieces, ably supported by pianist Tom Oren, bassist Alon Near and drummer Alon Benjamini, all long-time collaborators. That’s much in evidence in the improvisational style here, underpinned by a clear confidence in working together as Cohen’s style drifts from familiar jazz forms to folk and near-classical influences. From the upbeat “Aviva” to the beautiful title track, in which one can almost imagine the snow falling, this is a remarkable recording, in performances as well as sound quality. Perfect for a seasonal – umm – chill-out listening session. AE

Sound Quality: 90%

Lab Report

This is a true 88.2kHz/24-bit rendering from Studios La Buissonne, France, albeit with some low-level spuriae from 19kHz-38kHz [black]. Peaks range from –5.2dBFs to –0.7dBFs, track to track, and dynamic range is slightly above average. PM

Ute Lemper
Pirate Jenny (192kHz/24-bit, WAV; DSD64)*
www.theaudiophilesociety.com; The Audiophile Soc. AS31

Lemper is justifiably celebrated as a performer of Kurt Weill’s work, her first handful of albums being dedicated to the composer, so it’s no surprise to find this ‘reimagined’ set opening with perhaps his best-known song, 'Mack The Knife'. But it’s very different from past recordings: gone is the strict Weimar traditional style, replaced with samples punctuating the intro and a mixture of electronica and lounge-style backing to give a new, slightly unnerving feel to tracks including 'Surabaya Johnny', 'My Ship', and of course 'Pirate Jenny'. The cast of characters, dissolute and nefarious, are familiar, but there’s a new world of darkness and decadence here, sounding like a cabaret set from an imagined club. It’s very much rooted in the present, not 1930s Germany, and captured in a clean, open mix that allows these new touches the space to enhance and refresh the music. AE

Sound Quality: 85%

Lab Report

‘Recorded in Mega-Dimensional Sound’ says the booklet... As supplied, these files will register as 192kHz [red/blue] and DSD64 [black] on your streamer and/or DAC but look rather more like upsamples from a 48kHz master. PM

Jo-Yu Chen
Rendezvous: Jazz Meets Beethoven, Tchaikovsky & More (96kHz/24-bit, WAV)
www.sonymusic.com; Sony Music Entertainment Taiwan, n/a cat. no

Taiwanese-born pianist Chen drifted from classical music to jazz while studying at New York’s Juilliard School, and this, her latest album for Sony Music, where she remains the only Taiwanese jazz artist, sets out its stall with an entirely self-explanatory title. Read the list of tracks and you’d be forgiven for thinking her choices are somewhat unadventurous, with many well-known pieces. Yet Chen makes the familiar fresh with inventive approaches, and while the overall feel of the album is very much relaxed, not least due to the almost reverential backing of bassist Chris Tordini and drummer Tommy Crane, there’s more than enough to hold the interest in Chen’s piano playing. It’s beautifully captured in an intimate, if slightly spotlit, recording produced by Chen herself, and the result is consistently entertaining. AE

Sound Quality: 85%

Lab Report

Captured at Samurai Recording Studio, this is a full 96kHz/24-bit file and yet the decision has been made to normalise all tracks to a high –0.17dBFs. Piano carries up to 10kHz with percussion to 40kHz. Trk 8 has the widest dynamic range. PM

Stanley Cowell
Musa – Ancestral Streams (96kHz/24-bit, WAV)
www.mackavenue.com/collections/strata-east; SES-19743-25

First released in 1973 on Cowell’s own Strata-East label, and now re-issued in hi-res, this album by the pianist is simply a remarkable tour de force. It’s just him playing solo throughout, yet it is crammed with tonal colour, shifting rhythms and everything from calm reflection to flat-out exuberance. Cowell plays piano, both acoustic and electric, as well as the kalimba finger harp, in a programme of music that’s both intimate and rich and proud. He’s clearly just going for it and enjoying every moment – the album is obviously very personal, covering pieces written by Cowell over quarter of a century, and taking its title from the pianist’s Muslim name. At turns bluesy, jazzy, rocking and even sometimes verging on the classical, this is a superb listen, and one in which to immerse yourself, letting go just as Cowell does at the keyboard. AE

Sound Quality: 80%

Lab Report

Sampled at 96kHz from 1950-’60s tape, the noise floor is necessarily 30-40dB higher than might be achieved from a modern digital recording, but dynamic range is still good. Tracks 1-3, 5, 7 and 9 are normalised to 0.0dBFs. PM