Hi-Res Downloads

96kHz/24-bit FLAC, Neuklang NCD4091 (supplied by www.highresaudio.com)

We’ve only just been introduced, and already 32-year-old Cuban-born Ms Pacheco is sitting at her piano in just her drawers – what is one to think? Actually, Marialy Pacheco already has six previous releases under her belt (not that she’s wearing one), and is an acclaimed classical and jazz pianist. This is simply her first album for the Neuklang label, and finds Pacheco going back to her Havana roots, accompanied by Colombian bassist and drummer Juan Camillo Villa and Miguel Altamar. It’s a tight little trio, able to kick back on tracks such as ‘Cambodian Smiles’ or motor through ‘En El Camino’, while the album centres around the pianist’s three-part ‘Cuban Suite’, exploring the country’s dance styles. And the ‘klang’ here is certainly impressive: yes, the piano is rather spotlit, but the bass and drums are resolved well, and this is a very attractive-sounding set. AE

Sound Quality: 95%

Hi-Fi News Lab Report

The bandwidth of the piano is necessarily limited to ~12kHz but percussion makes better use of this 96kHz file’s 40kHz+ span. The artefacts at ~30kHz/41kHz [see Graph] are from the piano feed and absent from the vocal intro on trk 7. PM