Hi-Res Downloads

Serol Yapici & Héctor Sanz Castillo
Serendipity (88.2kHz-352.8kHz/32-bit, FLAC)
https://trptk.com; TRPTK TTK 0118

Dutch oboist Serol Yapici, joined here by pianist Héctor Sanz Castillo, describes this set as 'a collection of musical stories that reflect my personal journey of discovery and expression'. Serendipity takes in arrangements of pieces by a wide range of composers, plus Cor De Groot's 'Deux Figures Pour Hautbois et Piano', the only work here originally written for the instrument. It is a beautiful, reflective and superbly recorded programme of music, opening with 'First Meeting' by Eric Coates and then taking the listener on a musical journey around Europe and beyond: there's a lovely natural balance between soloist and the sensitive accompaniment, and a real sense of the two performing in a sympathetic acoustic – a Hilversum studio. The label says, 'At TRPTK, we quietly step back and let artistry take the spotlight' – job done, then. AE

Sound Quality: 90%

Lab Report

Recorded at DSD256 with Merging Technology gear (and Weiss SRC, p52) the bandwidth is overkill for piano and oboe, but these 88.2-352.8kHz files are the real deal and dynamic range is excellent. Pity about the mild spuriae at ~26kHz. PM

Norma Winstone & Kit Downes
Outpost Of Dreams (96kHz/24-bit, WAV)
www.ecmrecords.com; ECM 2811

In this, her first ECM recording for more than half a decade, 82-year-old singer Winstone is newly partnered with pianist Kit Downes, with whom she formed an alliance when her regular accompanist was unavailable for a show. The two clicked immediately, played some more gigs, and hence this new recording, made at Udine's Artesuono Studio, mixed at Bavaria Musikstudios, and produced by Manfred Eicher. Containing music by the likes of Carla Bley, Ralph Towner, and John Taylor, as well as Downes' own compositions, the interplay between the two reminds me of a recital by a great classical singer and a fine accompanist. Winstone's voice remains in fine fettle, and Downes gives her room to display it at its best, and to magical effect. A press release suggests the pair already have another album in the can, which should be eagerly anticipated. AE

Sound Quality: 90%

Lab Report

Sensitively recorded – there are no peaks exceeding –3.5dBFs – this genuine 96kHz file boasts an above-average dynamic range. Vocal bandwidth looks exceptional, suggesting some ultrasonics may, in fact, be mic preamp or other in-line THD. PM

Andrew Wilcox
Dear Mr. Hill (44.1kHz/24-bit, WAV)
www.truthrevolutionrecords.com; TRR Collective 7-14651-95402-4

The debut album by young American jazz pianist Wilcox is dedicated to legendary jazzman and composer Andrew Hill, who died in 2007 and was himself influenced by the likes of pianists Thelonious Monk, Bud Powell and Art Tatum. Wilcox sets it out as an exposition of his mentors and influences, and is joined in the enterprise by the veteran rhythm section of bassist Avery Sharpe and drummer Yoron Israel – they have a good few years on Wilcox, and have been part of the development process of a musician only just out of university. The result is an album that sounds fine, with all three members of the trio always clear in the mix, but – for all the care expended on the recording and production – this set is actually quite dull, the tracks blurring into each other due to the sameness of the principal's performances, and the music never really taking flight. AE

Sound Quality: 80%

Lab Report

Recorded at Ghost Hit Records, West Springfield, Dear Mr. Hill is a genuine 44.1kHz/24-bit rendering with slightly above average dynamic range. All tracks are normalised to a high –0.1 or –0.15dB, so intersample clipping is a possibility. PM

Ola Kvernberg
Steamdome III: Beyond The End (48kHz/24-bit, WAV)
www.grappa.no; Grappa GRCD4798

For this, the third part of his Steamdome undertaking, which started back in 2016 as a jazz project, composer Kvernberg has brought on board a non-too-shabby backing band, in the form of the Trondheim Symphony Orchestra. Thus the scale of the Norwegian multi-instrumentalist's ambition – and the sound of this album – has grown hugely compared to his earlier works, which can be found, along with this one, on Bandcamp. Taking in rock, Latin overtones, and of course that great orchestra with its silky strings, powerful brass and monumental slam when required, Steamdome III is a fully rounded album. 'The Purple Jack' could all too easily be a soundtrack for an imagined film, just as a swayingly cool 'Intermezzo' chills things out before the ominous then explosive 'Monolith' tests your speakers. It's intriguing, and pretty magnificent. AE

Sound Quality: 85%

Lab Report

Just keeping on the right side of 'intense', most tracks here are normalised to a high –0.25dBFs (so intersample clipping is a possibility with DACs lacking any digital headroom) and dynamic range is a little below average. Otherwise it's 'clean'. PM

Sasha Witteveene
Into The Light (88.2kHz-352.8kHz/32-bit, FLAC)
https://trptk.com; TRPTK TTK 0121

There might seem to be a slight problem for an aspiring classic double bass soloist: there's not that much music out there written for the instrument. It may be adept at supplying scale for an orchestra, and of course it's widely used and abused in the jazz world, but classical pieces? As it turns out, Into The Light suggests young bass player Sasha Witteveen has unearthed a rich seam of material for this, her debut album. It ranges from the accompanied title track to a romantic arrangement of Rachmaninov's 'Elegy No 3' – and then the set's centrepiece, seven double bass duets by American composer David Anderson, in which she's joined by Jose David Ospina Gaviria. I wouldn't call this work an easy listen, but it does provide a fine insight into what a double bass – or even two of them – can do. It's also an excellent showcase for the rich, yet revealing, recording. AE

Sound Quality: 85%

Lab Report

Our second trptk.com release this month is also recorded at DSD256 and then downconverted for mastering at 352.8kHz. Peaks range from –10dBFs to –1dBFs and dynamic range is excellent. The 88.2kHz option will suffice. PM