Well, it looks like Tony Minasian did it again. First, it was
Drums & Bells, recorded in good old 16 bit and bettering any high rez. Granted, it was just some wonderfully recorded percussion, but it had 50db of dynamic range and put to rest the notion that Redbook CDs were a thing of the past.
This time it's
Hang Around, by the Tonian Trio. It's comprised of Brian Walsh on clarinet and bass clarinet, Brad Dutz on percussion, and Chris Votek on cello. Real music this time! The best I can describe it is, it sounds like meditative music to do yoga by, some of the time. At other times, it sounds contemplative, like a soundtrack. Still, other times, a form of jazz fusion or world music.
All of it was improvised and done in one take. No overdubbing. The only manipulation was to the levels since each musician had a mike. And once again, it's simply amazing how thoroughly satisfying 16 bit resolution is, provided it's done right. With my Kinki integrated, I normally listen at around 20-30 but with this CD, I went up to 70 and got the musicians right in my living room, with no harshness or wincing, on my part. They were simply alive and well right in front of me. Great stuff. It's not your standard fare but ear candy of the highest order. Adding in string and reed instruments to percussion expands on what Tony has done before and it's all the better for it.
This makes me wonder, again, why it is that practically all the engineering and pressing done these days is done wrong. How these engineers screw up so often is beyond me. Maybe it's in the copying as Tony told me he's considering getting his own machine since he observed how these guys just set it and forget it, not paying attention to the final product. Maybe they're going by a manual somewhere, but hey, they're engineers!
You can order from
info@tonianlabs.com. I used PayPal and it went smoothly. Sorry if this sounds like a sales pitch but I know there's listeners out there who'd love this. I just hope Tony makes some more with these guys. They play like they've been together for years.
All the best,
Nonoise
