Eldar Live at the Blue Note

[mauidan]

The dark sound of this Sony CD made me think it was a DSD recording downsampled to Redbook, so I contacted Aura Sonic, which the liner notes indicated provided the on site recording equipment.

Steve respond that it was a PCM recording.

I forgot to ask if it was done at 24/48, 24/176.4 or 24/192. I'm told 24/176.4 is the best FS to use for recordings that will be downsampled to 16/44.1.

The recording doesn't capture the feel of the Blue Note like the Half Note label's Blue Note recordings. One of my favorites is Kenny Werner's "Peace."

Don't get me wrong, this kid can really play, but IMO, it sounds like the recording engineer wanted to keep the drum kit in the backround.

Obviously, it takes more than just good equipment to recording Jazz in a small club.

Anyone else heard the Eldar CD?

[Remoteness]

Like I said to you in an email, maybe my speakers are fooling me but...
IMO, that Eldar record doesn't sound as bad as you heard it. My associates and I listened to the Eldar – Live at the Blue Note CD in the office the other day and I'm not sure if we completely agree with you but, we did notice that the recording is a bit darker than usual. The piano does sound darker -- I'm not sure if it's a bad sound. I kind of like that sound a lot. It was very rich and full sounding to our ears. Furthermore, that's how that piano sounded in the club. The piano tuner asked us if we need any changes in the tone or attack but, Eldar loved the sound of the instrument so, they kept the original adjustment and, I agreed with him on this.

IMO, the drums could have been mixed a bit more upfront but that’s what I’m keen on hearing in a mix.

As you may already know, it's all about taste and how the engineer and producer heard the sounds. With that said, although it's different than how I would approach jazz in a small club, I liked the sound of the record. The difference was not “bad” to me. Perhaps the drums could have been more upfront but, all in all I liked the mix.

As some of you already know, when I record and mix jazz records, I tend to go for a more "in your face" style of mixing. In any event, everyone has their own personal methodology. Both the producer and engineer on this recording are seasoned professionals that know what they’re doing and know what they want. And, I believe it’s how they wanted to heard it.
I enjoyed listening to this recording; Eldar is an amazing pianist. The sound of his instrument made me rethink how an acoustic piano should sound like. I took pleasure in listening to the darker sound of that instrument.

Mahalo for your kind words about the Half Note stuff. My associates and I are very proud of that work. Yes, “Peace” is one of my favorite HN records too. Wait until you hear the new Kenny Werner record we just finished. And if you can dig that, the new Gil Goldstein record is also pretty awesome. Both shall be released on HN records in the very near future.

Oh, I believe they recorded the Eldar record at 24/88.2…