Hi-Res Downloads

96kHz/24-bit FLAC*, Blue Note 254726939 (supplied by www.highresaudio.com)

Trumpeter and composer Blanchard joins forces with his regular quintet to deliver an album of covers and originals combining plenty of funk and groove, along with lush, deep washes of sound and moments of sparkling musical genius. Executive producer here is Blue Note president Don Was, and the material ranges from a soulful version of Hank Williams’s ‘I Ain’t Got Nothing But Time’ to the take on Coldplay’s ‘Midnight’ used to close the set. The sound ranges from the stripped down to the near-orchestral, with Blanchard’s instrument always sounding glorious, and the band – Donald Ramsey on bass, Oscar Seaton on drums, guitarist Charles Altura and Fabian Almazan – has that intuitive ability to break free and bounce the tunes around when required. Mixed sample rates notwithstanding [see Lab Report, below], this is one superb-sounding album. AE

Sound Quality: 85%

Hi-Fi News Lab Report

More obviously on some tracks than others, this 96kHz rendering appears to contain samples (from a synth feed in particular) at 48kHz. Rare ultrasonic bursts indicate limiting on the boldest peaks but, otherwise, this is clean. PM