I am a sucker for any thing Dave Brubeck, and Vocal Encounters is no exception. This remastered CD, sounds reasonably clean and have good audiophile definition. As with most recordings from the 50's and 60's, if your system is up to mark, the vocal presence is full in density and very palpable. There's still some analog tape hiss noticeable depending from track to track, but did not prevent me from enjoying the music, most importantly.

The tracks feature guest vocalist, like Carmen McRae, Louis Armstrong, Tony Bennet, Lambert, Hendricks & Ross, amongst other leading some of Dave's favourite jazz improvising compositions.

For me at least, Louis Armstrong and Carmen McRae were the most outstanding of the vocals blending in to Dave's compositions. Both voices have great texture and melodious nature.

My favourite tracks from this CD are:

Track 2, Summer Song

Track 3, My Melancholy Baby

Track 4, It's a Raggy Waltz

Track 5, The Real Ambassador

Track 6, My One Bad Habit

Track 7, Because All Men Are Brothers

Track 10, Cultural Exchange

Track 12, Ain't Misbahavin'

Track 13, They Say I Look Like God

Track 18, Take Five

If you're in to Jazz Vocals or just plain Dave Brubeck Quartet fan, this one's worth your exploration.

once in a while, a voice comes along that completely knocks you off. such is the lure of zee avi (formerly kokokaina) that many international labels got interested once they heard the voice of zee in her youtube videos. and who would imagine a young malaysia could pull off this kind of feat?

young zee is already gigging all over in US. really, artiste like zee is too good for malaysia; she needs overseas exposures and she deserves overseas success. and knowing the tendency of malaysians to overlook homegrown talents, her move (to overseas) is indeed a very smart one.

it is not difficult to understand why foreign labels were interested in zee. her voice reminds one of divas of past like billy holiday; her tone is oh-so-rich and honeyed; her phrasing and intonation belies her young age; there is so much honesty and more than a hint of insecurity and fragility in her voice. she certainly has more texture, more emotions and more depth than joanna wang and recent singers who tread along the same genre of easy-listening.

the music here is light-folk and whimsical, sometimes reflective, a bit dark but nothing too heavy. at 23, zee's has got plenty of depth in her compositions, indicating her influences and musical depth and knowledge. it is quite amazing that brushfire records allows zee to showcase all her original compositions instead of asking some composers to write for her. this spirits of originality and creative freedom is worth applauding.

my faves are "first of the gang to die" and malay number "kantoi". zee's voice has a way to bring you back to some place far away and some time far far back. the music is wistful, pensive and latently melancholic. she has her way of story telling. it is as if she has been through a lot in her life.

as a debut, it is certainly great but it nevertheless has room for improvement, notably in her compositions. with more life experiences, we are going to see a more mature zee in the near future.

as a malaysian, i am already proud of zee avi. you should too.

[background of zee avi]

Zee Avi (born Izyan Alirahman, also known as KokoKaina). Zee Avi is just 23 but she’s an old soul. A huge talent in a petite frame bringing a universal message from the unlikely birthplace of Borneo, an ancient island east of Malaysia which remains an untouched, natural paradise, an apt description of her songs.

How Avi came to record her debut album in L.A., the first joint release from Ian Montone’s Monotone Label and Jack Johnson’s Brushfire Records, is a true 21st century tale of the way the Internet has transformed the music business and shrunk the globe in the process.

Born in the tiny town of Miri in Sarawak on the island of Borneo, Zee grew up near the South China Sea in a liberal, encouraging household where her father owned an energy consultancy. “I was bred to be a lawyer,” she says, but music was in her blood. Her father’s father sang and played double-bass, accordion, violin and guitar in bands.

At age 12, Zee moved from Borneo to Kuala Lumpur where she has been based since. At 17, Zee started locking herself in a room for hours on end to learn to play guitar. Guitar took a back seat for 4 years while she was studying fashion design in London. When she returned to Kuala Lumpur, she picked the instrument back up and began writing songs and performing with a band.

Zee began recording her songs on a webcam and posting them on YouTube for a friend to hear. “I remember getting so excited when there was one new comment from some random person I didn’t know… One read ‘I’m lost for words - I shall favorite it and ponder if that’s OK,’ ” which was written by Kris Rowley, a U.K. singer-songwriter with a YouTube following under the name Zzzzzzzzap. He began posting her videos on his site, which began a viral snowball effect.

The day before her 22nd birthday, Zee posted what she intended to be “my last video,” a holiday song, “No Christmas for Me.” By the time she checked her e-mail Avi had almost 3,000 messages including a slew of label offers. One email came from Ian Montone, who had been shown the YouTube clip by Raconteurs’ drummer, Patrick Keeler, prompting Montone to get in touch and offer to release her music on the Monotone Label.

Before she knew it Zee was on a plane to L.A. to record her debut with producer Robert Carranza at Brushfire’s Solar Powered Plastic Plant. “No Christmas for Me” was then featured on the holiday charity album, This Warm December, A Brushfire Holiday, Vol. 1.

With an eclectic pool of influences that range from such eccentrics as Cat Power, Regina Spektor, Leonard Cohen, Tom Waits, Jolie Holland, Daniel Johnston and Chris Garneau, to jazz greats Billie Holiday and Ella Fitzgerald, to classics like Velvet Underground and Led Zeppelin, this self-described “rock lover at heart” captures the dark, bittersweet qualities of romance with a crack left open for hope and optimism.

From the sensuous scat singing on “Honey Bee” to the sultry break-up song, “Is This the End,” recalling the existential longing of Peggy Lee’s “Is That All There Is,” Zee is hopeful of finding love, but equally aware of lurking heartache.

The songs on Zee Avi’s debut are about an outsider’s desire to belong and the tentative hope of moving on, filled with regret and loss, but boasting an impish, worldly wise sensibility.

“I tend to be a loner,” she nods. ” ‘Honey Bee’ is about a romance between two nonconformists who are different from the rest of the hive, and are trying to avoid the pressure to be like everybody else.”

“Just You and Me,” the first song she wrote on ukulele, has a ‘20s New Orleans swing jazz vibe.

“I get my melodic feel from the simplicity of classic jazz, people singing what they felt with straightforward lyrics and not too many harmonies,” Zee says. “Just a lot of honesty. I’m a girl of simple pleasures.

The elemental acoustic guitar of “Story of…” is enhanced with an Eno-like ambience that add to its shimmering quality, while “Poppy” is autobiographical “with a little bit of poetic license” that looks back at the demise of a two-year relationship.

“My stuff is pretty dark,” Zee admits. “Most of my songs are about the reality side of romance, outlets to vent my emotions.”

While her live experience amounts to playing gigs in Kuala Lumpur, Zee appeared this January on From the Basement, the U.K. TV webcast/broadcast that has featured Radiohead’s Thom Yorke, Damien Rice, the White Stripes and the Shins. From the Basement will also air on the U.S.‘s IFC Channel.

From Malaysia to Los Angeles, Zee Avi is enjoying the ride and ready to take on passengers. “I’m still pinching myself” she gushes. “My parents always told me it’s important to keep yourself grounded. I’m thankful, but at the same time, I just want to jump through the roof. It’s been a pretty amazing journey, getting to work with some really wonderful people, a blessing, really.”

Zee Avi’s Monotone/Brushfire Records debut returns that blessing…and then some.


Monotone Records is owned by Ian Montone, whose Monotone, Inc. manages the White Stripes, M.I.A., The Shins, Vampire Weekend, the Raconteurs, Against Me!, Cold War Kids, Crookers, among others.

Brushfire Records is owned by Jack Johnson and his manager Emmett Malloy and is home to artists like Rogue Wave, Matt Costa, Neil Halstead, Money Mark, G. Love, Mason Jennings, ALO and Zach Gill.

something exciting is happening in HK cantopop scene....

realizing commercial k-song (karaoke songs) is nearing its death, many producers are considering asking songwriters from the 80s to come out from their retirement and contribute to the dwindling music industry. early 80s to early 90s were the golden era of cantopop; we have seen many superstars in the likes of leslie cheung, danny chan, alan tam and jacky cheung emerged during that period of boom. their records used to sell by the millions. and seriously, cantopop then was so much better than the cantopop you hear today.

if you are a close observer of hk cantopop scene, you would realize that favourite k-song singers like miriam yeung and joey yeung are already going downhill and past their prime. new breed of singers like kay tse, hins cheung and even eason chan are starting to command their own destiny by "singing only the songs they like" with as little compromise as possible. this is indeed heartening. major labels letting their key artistes decide their own destiny? it can only happen to big artistes like kay, eason and hins, i suppose. still, i applaud these bold artistes and their spirits.

along this return to nostalgia, we have already seen how successful william so wing hong's latest outing is, now we have another gem in hins cheung's "love and living" [張敬軒:感情生活].

truth be told, i have never ever been a fan of hins cheung and i don't even own a single cd of his. but this album, you don't only buy one, you have to buy a few copies and give it to your friends as presents!

the cast of illustrious composers from the 80s include anthony lun (who got his fame from his close partnership with sandy lam), chui yatt kan (who got his fame from his major contribution to danny chan's career) and of course, the unmistakable "moustached music man" george lam chi cheung.

the result: it is almost like danny chan (pak keung) and alan tam being reborn.... what a fabulously nostalgic trip back to the glorious 80s! who cares about hins' vocal ability when the music is so great. at times, hins sounds so much like danny chan that had me quivering with delight!

the whole album is great but i have to single out track 3, track 4, track 7, track 8, track 9 as the outstanding ones. in particular, track 4 made my cry; such a melodious gem from great composer christopher chak.

if you stopped buying cantopop since alan tam's heyday, if you stopped buying cantopop albums because you think they are crappy.... you have to buy this album to regain your faith.

the glorious 80s era are back!

p/s heard that hins cheung is going to invite joseph ku (ku kar fei) to write for his next album... can you beat that?

What's a pretty gal like you doing sitting on a couch?

This CD is a 2006 JVC Victor release. "Oh no, not another audiophile CD?" I hear you asked? Actually, it is. Ha!Ha!

I first heard this CD in a recent home visit, and her voice reminded me of someone I used to know a lot. I spent the last few nights dreaming about her voice and how she renders 500 Miles. For me it's just mind blowing. Just in case you're wondering, 500 Miles is my favourite "karaoke" tune, He!He!

For me, this CD has 6 tracks so right but got some of the other songs so wrong, or should I say made me feel indifferent. The six tracks that haunts me are:
1)Smile
2)Don't let me be lonely tonight
3)Love letters
4)500 miles
5)Superstar
6)Bonus track in Japanese

For when the arrangements are right, I felt she could almost embrace me with the mellow, golden tone of her voice. The musician ship is good, and as expected coming from JVC Victor, the recording is superb.

However, as with so many other Japanese singing English songs, pronunciation error is sometimes noted, but Noon does it better than many in this respect.

Come to think of it, if you've got a thing for 2V1G, produced by Musictoxin, I think you'll quite like Noon too.

This was happening in my room last night. Cool!

I thought I'd take a break from hifi last night. I also wondered if, after all my hifi improvements, does my system, just ticks all the right audiophile boxes? or does it still have the pizzas to rock?

One of my all time favorite bands, Queen is always a good test! So I sat down and put in the Queen Greatest Hits CD in to my Marantz CD7 player. I have bought this CD 20 years ago and have listened to it more than a millionth times by now. I know all the songs by heart.

Queen Greatest Hits CD.

But last night, something magical took place, I was transported back in to the studios when the songs were recorded, for the very first time in a few years, no leap of faith was required. I finished the CD in no time, I reach for Queen Greatest Hits II, plonk it in to the CDP press play, and returned to the studio with Queen.

Queen Greatest Hits II.

The older Greatest Hits was more convincing in the illusion, despite the louder tape hiss! The rather cleaner sounding Greatest Hits II was clearer and had more definition, i.e. more hiss free, but proved just as fun. In the end the music took over, I played at near concert loud levels! yet my system never sounded noisy, staging and imaging was stable and it was never strained. Many a times when a system is pushed to the limits, harshness, staging and imaging disintegration sets in.

By the end of 2 hours, I was pretty tired, not from listening to music, but participating in music. Like I said, I knew all these songs by heart. I sang along side Freddie Mercury, played air guitar with Brian May, plucked bass lines with John Deacon , and jammed drums with Roger Taylor! I did a four things in rotation, as and when, what came naturally. No wonder I was tired.

It is rare days like this, when all the effort, money and time spent on improving the hifi pays off handsomely. For 2 hours, I was transported in to a musical event, and away from reality.

Bottom line is "My system still rocks!" and that, is a good feeling.

Now if only they were more days like this? Perhaps I am just in a good mood as weekend comes around again.

Jazz is the alternative universe of Classical music. Jazz is as free as classical music is structured; Jazz is improvisation, classical music is faithfulness to the score; Jazz is individualism first, team second, classical music is the other way round.

Family Photo - My Top 10 Jazz Albums

I started to listen to Jazz extensively only 3-4 years ago.

Before, though I was interested to listen and know more, I could not find the right start somehow. My problem was compounded by not having friends who were seriously into Jazz and could guide me. When I walked into the Jazz and Classical section of Tower Records in KLCC then, and wanted to pick something Jazz-y up, I was intimidated by the available artists and record titles, not knowing who was who, what was what. Though strictly speaking, Tower Records' Jazz section wasn't that big, I invariably would turn to the Classical music section because of the familiarity.
The first Jazz record that really bowled me over was a compilation of Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong's songs - 'Ella Fitzgerald & Louis Armstrong for Lovers' from Verve (0602498807989). Believe or not, this is the first CD I have of Ella Fitzgerald (now, you know how 'baby' I am in Jazz music). This compilation takes all the cream from the classic duet album between her and Louis Armstrong -"Ella and Louis", and put on one disc, with a few more great tracks from "Ella & Louis Again" and "Ella & Friends" thrown in - an extremely great value with surprisingly good cd transfer sound quality.

I was totally bowled over at the first track already, this disc became my favourite and was spinned again and again thereafter. Ella's phrasing and control was simply great, she imbued emotion into her songs but eschewed sentimentality, everything was done just right, and this warranted the disc to be heard again and again. The chemistry between her and Louis Armstrong was really something to marvel at.

I could not stop, I wanted more, I sought out more Ella Fitzgerald CDs, I went on to know Billie Holiday, then Sarah Vaughan.... Then I wanted to go elsewhere too.

I went onto Amazon.com and read people's recommendation lists and culled from them Jazz titles that cropped up again and again. Almost all are from that golden era of mid 20th century.

Out of all the Jazz albums I own, these are the top ten that I'll never want to go without:

Sonny Rollins (always melodious, always warm playing):

Saxophone Collossus (Prestige PRCD-8105-2)

Way Out West (XRCD24 VICJ-61040)

The Bridge (Bluebird 82876 52472 2)

John Coltrane:

A Love Supreme (Impulse! B0000610-02)

Blue Train (Blue Note 7243 5 41757 2 5 SACD)

Miles Davis:

(this one is from the Jazz heavens)
Kind of Blue (Columbia/Legacy CK64935)

Cannonball Adderley:

Somethin' Else (Blue Note 7243 4 95329 2 2)

Charles Mingus:

Ah Um (Columbia/Legacy CK65512)

The Dave Brubeck Quartet:

Time Out (Columbia/Legacy CK65122)

Duke Ellington

(Electrifying live atmosphere)

Ellington at Newport 1956 (Complete) (Columbia/Legacy C2K64932)

Happy Listening.

P.S., If you read chinese, you have to read the excellent article on his favourite jazz albums, written by Tay Cher Siang, the pianist of JZ8. Available in MTX Issue #1, downloadable from the link on the right of this page.

P.S., note to audiophiles, none of the sound qualities of the cd transfers mentioned can be described as excellent (the XRCD is the best among the lot). Some are mono recordings. I picked them more for their music content.

If anyone were to tell me that classical music as a genre is too quiet, boring, or too cultured, I'd like to sit the guy down in front of a good sound system, turn the volume knob up to the highest level that the amp, speakers and room can take, then blast the guy with Beethoven's Symphony #5. Then I'd like to hear him repeat his opinion about classical music again.

Ok, jokes aside. :-)

Beethoven's symphonies are grand, exciting, dramatic, at the same time it can sound raw, and even angry. This is, after all, sound crafted by an individual afflicted with the misfortunes of life (he was probably suffering from lead poisoning and was growing deaf), yet refusing to take it lying down.

Beethoven's 3rd Symphony marked a departure from the traditional symphonic form laid down by Haydn and Mozart before him, and he heralded the arrival of a new era, what musicologists call "Romanticism". Before this, music was composed for music's sake. Starting with Beethoven, composers used their music to express themselves more freely, music became more emotional, more dramatic, and personal.

Herbert von Karajan recorded a few cycles (four, I believe) of Beethoven's 9 symphonies, the version I have is his excellent 1963 cycle with the Berlin Philharmonic. It is vintage Karajan - majestic, sweeping and full of grandeur. If you want only one version of Beethoven's symphonies, this is arguably one of the top contenders.

Deutche Grammophon 429 036-2

My other Beethoven symphonic cycle is from Nikolaus Harnoncourt and the Chamber Orchestra of Europe. The first few times I listened to it, I did not 'get it', so I put it in cold storage for quite a while.

I did not 'get it' because I listened like I was listening to Karajan's version. Karajan highlighted and lingered on the many climactic moments in the symphonies. With Harnoncourt, I was waiting too for the same climaxes at the familiar places, but he just did not do these at all. With my expectations not met, I thought this cycle was simply, well, not up to par.

Teldec 2292-46452-2

How wrong I was! Later, listening to Harnoncourt in earnest again, it dawned on me that it was indeed an excellent cycle. Harnoncourt eschewed highlighting moments in this music for thrills - for example, contrast the opening bars of the 3rd and 5th symphonies between the two - Karajan's emphatic opening is exciting and sets the tone for the entire performance. Harnoncourt's is fleeting, almost nonchalant in his approach (I was thinking, "bummer, no excitement from these best moments in music.").

But what Harnoncourt did was to take an entirely different tack to these familiar tunes. Instead of focusing on the climactic moments, he adopted a very quick tempo, he held the energy and tension throughout his performance without letting go. The thrills for the listeners come from the sustained energy and clarity of his vision. The whole performance is done seemingly with one breath (the chinese expression for this is 一氣呵成). Each movement is presented as a unified whole, rather than as a string of moments.

Let me end with an analogy. Listening to Karajan is like you sitting in a big Merc, cruising on our North-South Highway at a good speed. Listening to Harnoncourt was like riding a zippy BMW, tearing downhill on the country roads of Cameroon Highlands.

Me? I like both Merc and BMW, depending on my mood. :-)

However, if you are just starting to sample Beethoven's symphonies, I'd advise you to start with Karajan, just like a comfy Merc will be preferred by most people, I believe. :-) (check out the normal culprits - #3, #5, #6, #9).

If you are already familiar with this music and want to get off the beaten path, Harnoncourt is cool.

Happy listening again.

P.S., another exciting Beethoven symphony cycle is from John Eliot Gardiner and the Orchestre Revolutionnaire Et Romantique. This one is even faster than Harnoncourt's, it is like sitting in a Ferrari. :-)

Still do not have much to write about hardware. What have arrived a few days ago are the Telos caps, both the gold and platinum versions. Still testing them out in my system, they are potent, to say the least. There are many combinations to check out, so I foresee a couple more weeks to conclude the work.

Instead, I thought to share some of the music that I listen to. I am no music critic, so I'll just write briefly about music that I go to time and again, this is music that have stood the test of time for me. Much of what I'll be writing about is from the real basic repertoire.

I'll start with (western) classical music. I have been listening to classical music before my first hifi system. I found myself gravitating towards classical more and more in my college years, very much attracted by its richness, discipline, and variety while operating within defined structure.

Classical music is of course a vast and diverse genre (I can't profess to have explored it in any extensive manner). However, with the survival-of-the-fittest principle operating on it for 200-300 years, what is left in the basic repertoire now is very much the cream of the crop.

The first classical CD I ever owned is a recording of Mozart's symphonies, and over the years, Mozart still pretty much forms the core of the classical music that I listen to. Mozart's music is almost all sunshine, optimistic, and extrovert. It will without fail lift my spirit at the end of a long hard day. Don't do any hifi analysis, just let the music wash over you, it is almost therapeutic. :-)

I'll just touch on Mozart's symphonies here, the version most satisfying for me is Neville Marriner's with the Academy of St Martin-in-the-Fields. Karl Bohm with the Berlin Philharmonic comes a very close second.

A couple of years ago, I tracked down a set of Marriner's Mozart symphony cycle (part 1 of Philips' Complete Mozart Edition, pictured above) on ebay. And it is now my definitive version. Marriner with the ASMF are fleet of foot, light in heart and, most importantly, they let the music speak for itself, with no self-indulgence or self consciousness. Always a very enjoyable listen.

If you are starting with Mozart, also seek out his Eine Kleine Nachtmusik (A little Night Music), a serenade, you'll recognize the tune at the first few bars. Again my favourite is Marriner's, pictured below.

I planned to continue to write on Beethoven, the 'punk rocker' of the classical era to me, but it is late now, I'll leave it for my next post.

Leaving you with a picture of my Mozart and Beethoven box sets:
Left - Complete Mozart Edition - Symphonies (12 CDs, Nevillet Marriner, ASMF. Philips 464 770 2);
Middle - Beethoven 9 Symphonies (5CDs, Herbert van Karajan, Berliner Philharmoniker, 1963 edition. Deutche Grammophon 429 036-2);
Right - Beethoven 9 Symphonies (5CDs, Nikolaus Harnoncourt, The Chamber Orchestra of Europe. Teldec 2292-46452-2)


Happy listening.

Note: all recordings here are not exactly of audiophile quality, but boy, are they satisfying musically. :-)

This is the CD that matter!

I first saw Andre Rieu Live at Maastricth on one of the Astro special channels during the 2009 New Years program. It was an excellent introduction to the violinist's gifted musical performance, not to mention, very entertaining too. The concert ends with the whole of Andre's hometown folks dancing in carnival like party ambiance! Andre's ability to connect with his audiences and me, the television viewer is great. You can't help but to like him, and his music.

If you missed the Astro telecast, you can get the DVD of the Maastricht concert in either packaging design, also available from the www mentioned below.

I promptly went on to purchase this CD at the http://www.amazon.com/ site, along with a few other items. I've being hooked on this CD ever since.

Andre is Dutch, but has many a gift for all Strauss melodies and Waltzes. His rather light handed playing style makes the music of Strauss come alive, free from a certain heaviness of sound structure that plague so many of other Straus interpretations. My favorite march track, Redetsky's March, has a certain flow to it, played during track 1, tittled Strauss Party, which is a quick medley of the composer's most popular music. Track 2, aptly named Second Waltz, is also makes an enduring listen.

The CD's sound quality is pretty good, but not quite up to the standards set by some of the best DG or Decca recordings. An example is the Sophie Anne Mutter's interpretation of Carmen-Fantasie, recorded in 4D Stereo(Whatever that means?) by DG. Also from my own personal point of view, the track 11, Meditation taken from Thais, by Jules Massenet, Andre's lighter touch on the violin seems to have also taken out some of the emotional sadness, so felt by Sophie Anne Mutter's interpretation of the same tune. But well, that's just me and my beef!

I love the pretty Sophie Anne Mutter! and her Carmen Fantasie performance, including the filler, Meditation from Thais, by Jules Massenet. The recording is first rate too!

Overall, I'd consider this to be an easy, like able first step entry in to the classical genre, or for those whom seems to have heard em' all, a refreshingly light hearted take in to an otherwise serious music genre.

since there is a surge of interest on this cd. i am re-posting here my previous review. interglobal malaysia will most likely bring in this cd to malaysia. check with interglobal 03-41428133.

this review is grossly belated. my apologies to sebastian koh, the boss of audiophile label groove note, s'pore.

i met seb 3 months ago during the emi fujita concert and he passed me this cd, at the same time showed me on his camcorder the entire direct-to-2-track recording process of this audiophile album. i must admit i was intrigued but never really had the urgency to listen to the cd. i left the cd untouched for months, also partly because i didn't have a system to listen to.

and 3 months later, tonight, to be exact - after i get back my system, performing at its peak - i am rendered speechless by the sheer quality of this direct-to-2-track recording.

skye, the singer, is a regular crowd-puller in st. james power station, a popular pub in the largest entertainment hub in singapore. she has a rather husky voice with much power and dynamic. as you know, to record direct-to-2-track, the singer has to be flawless cos you can't edit the vocals, as the recording bypasses the mixing board and goes straight into a 2-track DSD recorder. also, there is no mastering done to the recording - it is simply the most honest and raw way of doing recording. every off-pitching from the singer can be heard, bare and naked. i must say, i am impressed with skye's pitching throughout the album.

recording engineer is todd garfinkle from M.A recording. todd is famed for his recordings using specially-made B&K microphone. this recording must be one of his greatest. the recording took place in the studio hall of republic polytechnic of s'pore.

i must admit, i am not a fan of skye's voice. she comes across as a tad too jaded for my liking, tho' i am deeply impressed with the dynamism and explosiveness of her voice.

but what took me by surprise is how real and transparent the direct-to-2-track recording is. images are vivid and eeriely palpable. in fact, the most shocking thing of this recording is the image specificity or localization (in cantonese we can "ting wai") of each instruments/musicians. one could pinpoint the exact position the each musician within the sound field very accurately, even with the eyes closed, without much effort. it is right in front of my eyes, like an event taking place in real time.

the dynamic contrast of skye's voice is captured superbly; from soft crooning to loud climaxes, one could discern the wide gap in dynamic easily. this is precious attribute indeed and it does remind me of rickie lee's "pop pop" where the dynamic constrast is equally impressive but very hard to re-produce on an average system. your system must be revealing enough to enjoy this sort of attribute. i couldn't get this aspect with all my previous sub-RM10K cables, until i bought my stage 3 ASP gryphon interconnects.

the best track is track 2, a cover of sally yeh where all the instruments are distinctly heard and well captured within the acoustic space of the republic poly's studio hall. the ambience of the recording is gorgeous. it is shockingly real and palpable.

whoever says that singapore don't produce world-class audiophile recordings probably hasn't listened to skye's "deep blue". i urge you to get a copy, eventho' you may not dig skye's vocal style.

i am proud of you, seb! i hope we can collaborate one day.

Gary Karr is one of the world's foremost contra bass player. Here, he appears with his long time partner, Harmon Lewis, accompanying with either and grand piano or piped organ.

This CD is a selection of songs loved by audiophiles, like me, which includes tracks like O Holy Night, a popular Christmas Carole and Playful Rondo, which is my favorite track. Others like Air from Orchestral Suite No.3 in D Minor, which is a popular wedding song and Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring.

I first heard this XRCD in a trully super high end rig, comprising of top range Burmester CDP and Pre amp, feeding a pair of 4pc McIntosh mono blocks rated at 2000W, sound coming out thru a pair of Wilson X-2 speakers. All cablings are MIT Oracle! I remember as Air from Orchestral Suite No.3 in D minor was played, Gary was indeed standing in the room, playing his contra bass in life size presentation and the pipe organ companion, just behind. Somewhat behind the studio wall, I actually heard the compressor, powering the pipe organ start and stop in between the music. It was surreal....., as if I was in the studio!

That experience was really and ear and eye opener! I started to look for this XRCD soon after, but never could find it. Until last Friday, I saw it on the bargain bin(price RM$45.00/pc) of a music store in 3rd floor, Endah Parade, Seri Petaling called Action Valley Trading(I'll try to find out the shop's telephone no., so as to if interested, readers from Klang Valley can go and get it).

This version is the better XRCD2, well at least to me it is! Compared to the original XRCD releases which I was never a fan off. Whilst XRCD2 has just as much details emphasis as the original XRCD, the presentation of the said resolution is more organic, and better integrated in to the overall musical coherence, unlike the original, which can sound distracting and lead to fatigue if listened for longer periods of time.

I asked the shop owner, why is this excellent CD in the bargain bin, when it used to cost RM$120/pc? His reply was that this CD is hard to reproduced properly, and many systems do not have the necessary low end extension to carry it thru convincingly, and hence shunned by most audiophiles whom are using bookshelf speakers.

I had no trouble enjoying this XRCD2 thru my system, despite it being on the side of smaller scale and a relatively modest set up(compared to the super high end rig mentioned above!). What matters most is musical presented honestly and enjoyably.

Just got my hands on these two hifi soft wares, and to share some music with the younger audiophiles. The more experienced guys would have probably heard both these great recordings before, the usual 'Seen that, heard that" group. But if you've missed it previously when released here is your chance again.

Linda Ronstadt, For Sentimental Reasons.


Released in 1986, it's song's are typically classic American Song book choices. However, with the backing orchestra under Nelson Riddle's direction plays superbly. This recording, apparently is the last done by Nelson Riddle, features Linda Ronstadt for vocals. She doesn't do her usual singing style here but appears to have accommodated the orchestra really well.

The mood of the music is very well portrayed by the orchestra, from the dreamy opening track, Wish Upon a Star, to the really romantic tittled track, For Sentimental Reasons and the really dark sounding, Round' Midnight.

The DAD recording is superb, with very fine, soft, airy highs, lush string sounds and the vocal presented slightly up front, but never forward or bright sounding. The hall ambiances is realistically captured. In high resolution systems, you can even hear Nelson Riddle counting in the back ground while Linda sings!


Micheal Ruff, Speaking in Melodies.


I got this on the latest reissued 180gsm 2 vinyl set. This Shefield Labs recording bears all the hallmarks of the Shefield Labs sound. Great separation, gutsy dynamic bass guitar and drums, warm piano reproduction with realistic decay, horns comes with burnish tone, textured Hammond B-3 keyboard and great vocal focus.

The music is typical 80's A&R friendly pop, but performed with great musicianship and presentation. I constantly found myself doing the "Air Guitar" unconsciously. Lyrics range from inspirational to romance and doing good for the world sort a thing.

My favorite track is actually the bonus track that came with this 2 LP set, which takes up the whole side 4. The full performance of I'll Find You There runs for 6 mins or more, and the last 3 mins are a jam session between the back up singers, saxophone, bass guitar and drums! At one point I heard 3 singers, evenly spaced behind my speakers, 2 ofthem in the room corners and Micheal in the middle, very palpable and in my room, doing a jingle, each heard clearly, teeth, tongue and all, add the bass guitar, then drums kick in to full dynamic effect. It's a cracker!

i didn't buy. i think her debut album is better.

my standard of a good audiophile cd is very simple - it must be musical and not too audiophile sounding. which means it must not sound boring, too clean, too anti-septic, too sterile and the same applies to the singer and her singing as well. my perfect audiophile cd is one which is able to cross-over to pop and appeal to those genuine music lovers who don't give two hoods about audiophile recording. if it can achieve that then it is a good audiophile album.

very few know that actress-singer chiu hock-e (赵学而, bondy) can sing; even fewer know that she sings darn well. bondy is 36 and at this age, she knows she can't do pop anymore. and she knows for her first audiophile album, she can't do original compositions. just for your info, bondy has a modest hifi system which is made up of epos speakers and arcam electronics.

this is a special project funded by bondy herself and she is very critical in the kind of music that she wants to do in her first audiophile album. her producer, tommy ho, sees the opportunity in audiophile music business and they have got some of the best musicians and recording/mastering engineers in the biz to be involved in this project.

this is not your ordinary audiophile cd in the following aspects: (1) it is not boring and sterile sounding (2) it has plenty of pop sensibility (3) the arrangement is generally good (4) the recording is superb (5) the singer and musicians are good (6) the songs are well chosen

audiophiles believe the quality of replicated CD will make a difference in sound quality. the production team is also beware of it. this album is made in UK by docdata. the cost for each replicate disc is enough to create triple amount of CD in HK. the mastering guru, kent poon provided a super low BLER CD-MASTER. the industry standard BLER (block error rate) is C1 220. this album has a C1 rating of just 0.8 on the CD-Master. if you read from other places, the FIM Ultimate CD is within BLER C1 5.

my fave song in the cd - alex toh's [杜德伟] "be your love" (a hit in the early 90s) has been rearranged into a cool and breezy bossa number that is totally engaging. we may want to produce this song for 2v1g! bondy also covers songs by leon lai, danny chan, jacky cheung and chi-lam. most of the songs have a jazzy, chill-out feel, which hock-e carries with conviction.

hock-e's voice is not the powerful kind but her diction, pitching and phrasing are solid. she is not the technical kind of singer and yet she can sound immensely musical.

what's so precious about this album is that it crosses well between pop and audiophile, just like the kind of albums that musictoxin aims to produce. i have passed a copy of the cd to my jz8 singer, lydia, for reference and she likes it too.

this is the kind of album that the more you listen the more you like it. my personal fave audiophile album of 2008.

you can read about the mastering engineer, kent poon's account of the mastering process here.



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The best things in life are free!

How many times have you heard that quote before?

Are the best things in life really free? As in costing you nothing to acquire?

Well, I recently went in to CMY audio store to satisfy some of my audiophilia cravings and whilst there also took the opportunity to auditioned their Usher Dancer series speakers. The speakers were built to exquisite levels, and they do look a lot bigger than on pictures would suggest. The speakers, driven by Usher's pre & power amps sounds pretty good too!

But I was surprised that as I was paying for my purchases, Chan, the store manager slipped in a Usher Demo CD in to the shopping bag, "with compliments" he said.

I went home and put on this demo CD, and track after track, I could say the mastering of the CD is very good. The musical contents are pretty mixed up as there is a track to cater to every audiophile check list.

You want female vocals? checked, western classical? checked, chinese classical? checked, male vocal? checked, mass choir gregorian chant?, checked, big,big drums? checked, jazz tracks? checked.

I don't think the demo CD missed out any music genre!

The CD is fun to listen too because it made my humble if, flawed system sounded like a million bucks! Staging and imaging stability is good, with very balanced tone presentation. The CD cover's tag line "Be there", and this CD did just that! It brought me "there" to the music.

The great part is most of the tracks I've never heard before, and it serves to me as a sampler to look for new music. The guys in Usher must be congratulated for producing an excellent demo CD. And the best part, it's FREE!

Some times in life, you take a gamble and it pays off handsomely. That's how I'd describe my purchase decision of the BVSC at Carnegie Hall on a 180gsm x 2 LP set. I had pre-ordered prior the official release date which is on 30th September, and the LPs arrived in perfect condition 2 weeks later.

I've seen the BVSC studio album released 10 years ago advertised in some audiophile mag. I never saw or heard the actual CD/LP prior to this purchase.

I totally just bought by gut feeling, based on the few recordings that I've heard performed in the Carnegie Hall to my liking.

Apparently, the recorded concert was 10 years ago or so, I wondered why it took them so long to release the recording? By now, most of the artist performing on that eventful night would no longer be around to enjoy it.

The music has a core Latin feel, that dates back to a period of romanticism. Side one starts of with some traditional fast numbers like Chan Chan, by the time side two begins with Buena Vista Social Club, the momentum builds up and the music start to get very exciting. Side three sees the musicians peaking and playing as if they are all having the time of their life!, especially Ruben Gonzales on piano. Side four starts to get a little retrospective as the music winds down and closes romantically with a duet called Silencio.

I do not understand Latin or Cuban as languages but this music I like!

And how's the recording? I hear the audiophile in you ask? I would rate it as good as any live recording gets. Like most of the Carnegie Hall recordings that I've heard, the hall ambiance is warm, the staging & imaging aspect is good, with no vocal sibilance. I can't be too sure about it as my vinyl playback front end is pretty modest. It was set up just to play all my exiting old LPs. However, I've lately found myself listening and buying more LPs. Should my financial position permits, an upgrade in this area could happen soon.

Should you feel a little adventurous to try some new, or should I say "old" music, go to http://www.elusivedisc.com/prodinfo.asp?number=WEALP79872

Firstly, this is not an LP bashing CD post.

Just feeling a little frustrated, and need to let it off my chest, that's all. Many months ago, I spotted this particular LP lying around in my hi-fi buddy Wong's place. Ever curious and wondering why my dad loved the Weavers so much, I took the LP home for a spin.

From the moment I put on the LP, starting with the ever popular "When the saints go marching" I was spell bounded by the music. The recording had richness and weight to all the seven vocalist and instruments that kept me spellbound, replaying that same LP for hours! It was also especially good at re-capturing the acoustic time and space of Carnegie Hall. All the singers were lined up from extreme left to right, beyond the room's perceived physical confinement.

I thought this music is something I gotta have, so went all over the place searching for it, but eventually found a CD copy at http://www.amazon.com/ website. I bought it, waited a few weeks impatiently for it's arrival, hoping to re-kindle the same magical moment I've heard not so long ago.

I put the CD in to the CDP, press play, and what greeted me was a very flat, lifeless, 2D mechanical rendition of the concert. If the LP was as tasty as a bottle of freshly opened cold coke, the CD was stale, fizzled and warm. I was broken.

Then a guru, showed up and told me, for this, you should only get the LP, and there are quite a few versions of it too, each sounding different. Sadly, all are out of print, I've been told.

Now, that I feel better, after that rant. I'll go and listen to the CD again, if not for it's audiophile qualities, then for the musical performance at the very least.

Hey! if it doesn't sound good, you can still just enjoy the music(I borrowed this from a dear friend), right?

once in a while, a concert performance comes along that completely blows your mind away. i couldn't get enough of tonight's concert at DFP (dewan filharmonik petronas).

anyone who was at DFP last night and tonight must have come out from the hall, like us, totally mesmerized over the superlative performance by korean jazz princess, nah youn sun. for the five of us, we went completely ga-ga. how could anyone who's into jazz music could possibly afford to miss such a stunning performance?

i went with winnie (of 2v1g) and her friends who are all in the music line and all of us had nothing but the highest praise for nah and her band. everyone of us thinks we had the best concert ever for the year. for me, it is one of the very best concerts in the last few years, a few notches above diana krall's concert last month.

nah has the silkiest of voice i have ever heard. it not so much of her tone but he extraordinary voice control. some singers can be soft and velvety; some can be power-packed and explosive but nah has everything. she could be tender and sweet one moment, the next moment she could be hitting the high notes and power-packing the song with so much energy. every singer (like my winnie girl) would be envious of the talents of nah. she has the most perfect of pitch; i couldn't find any faults in her singing eventho' it is a live performance. and her scatting, wow, is absolutely out of this world, i am telling you.

another thing worthy of mention is nah sang many original compositions, which normally would not elicit instant response from the crowd because they are not familiar with the tunes but nah's compositions are so good and packed a pop sensibility that even first-timers could appreciate it instantly.

nah sings a few songs in spanish, cuban and french and she even sang a convincing malay classic "jauh jauh" just to please the malaysian audience.

we met interglobal's boss, cheah mun kit there, who distributes nah cd in malaysia (see the cover above). ever the jovial guy, cheah introduced me to nah's producer, who is also called nah. i showed cheah two thumbs-up sign after the concert and cheah the joker jested "i finally met a singer who could sing as well as me!". cheah, you can't sing la!

concert like this enriches our musical life and leaves a permanent mark in our memory. i couldn't believe that i didn't invite all my friends to this memorable occasion. and audiophiles who are always talking about how good music and good singer should be - you really need to watch out for DFP's programme for future performances of nah youn sun. you can bet that i would return for her future performances.

another note. DFP's acoutics are as usual fantastic but i would prefer a bit more midrange thickness and density. i sat on the 6th row and i did feel that the mid-highs were a bit emphasized. but that's the neurotic audiophile in me talking la!

fabulous, superb, memorable, breathless, stunning, what a night!

p/s now go and get the album "memory lane" from interglobal!

i blogged about abc records' HD- mastering two months ago.

finally, i got my hands on shirley's voice, a compilation of all previous shirley's releases using HD-mastering. i got down to do an A/B comparison and the results are startling....

story to come....

this year is the 50th anniversary of the musical genre called bossa nova and record labels are rushing to cash in on the popularity of this genre.

one of the best-selling albums in cd shops in malaysia for the past few months is this album called "back to love in bossa moments". it is a cover version album of pop classics done in bossa nova style by unknown singers.

i picked up a copy and was quite horrified by what malaysians like to listen today. while "bleeding love" (leona lewis) and "you are beautiful" (james blunt) were quite successfully re-arranged into bossa nova, the rest of the songs sound decidedly contrived and out-of-place. can you imagine kylie minoque's "i should be so lucky" and elton john's "your song" done in bossa nova? i shudder in disgust.

let me tell you, not every song is suitable for bossa nova or jazz arrangement. the problem with this album lies on the weak arrangement, wrong choice of songs and ordinary performance by the singers.

but this is what the malaysian market wants, i suppose :-(

listen to roger wang's re-arrangement of cai qin's audiophile classic "oblivious time" (bei yu wang de shi guang) below and you would understand what i meant by "the correct choice of song for bossa nova".