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The Music
Spyro
Gyra is a contemporary jazz group that's been around
for over 25 years. In fact, they have
been known to create styles that others have followed over the years.
Perhaps part of why they are among the best of what contemporary jazz has to
offer is that their music sounds fresh, year after year. The Spyro
Gyra sound in this album is incredibly smooooooth and mellow. As a fan of
contemporary jazz and a new-found multi-channel music enthusiast, I enjoyed
the
multi-channel SACD version of
"In Modern Times" enormously. (This album is also available
on DVD-Audio and audio CD.) If you were to ask me to name
my favorite tracks, I would have to say most of the songs.
Really! I like the upbeat melody and percussion beats in "Julio's
Party". I enjoyed "The River Between" and "Open
Door" for their smooth and
mesmerizing melodies. I enjoyed "Florida Straits" for its
Latin-based melody and gyrating rhythm.
Thanks to the multi-channel audio format of SACD and
wonderful artists such as Spyro Gyra, my excitement in dedicated music
listening has recently been re-awakened and transformed into an addictive
and immersive
experience. I enthusiastically recommend this Spyro Grya SACD for fans of
contemporary jazz. While I look forward to Spyro Gyra's next SACD release,
I am
perfectly happy enjoying this SACD album.
The Recording
This SACD comes with separate stereo and multi-channel (5.1)
DSD tracks, and both are all-original DSD
(Direct
Stream Digital) recordings. My review is principally based on
this multi-channel DSD recording as it
is such a lively and compelling mix. Such as it is, I enjoyed
the multi-channel mix tremendously. I find myself listening to this
album non-stop, and for hours on end.
Unlike the natural ambiance
technique used in many classical recordings, where the surround channels are
used primarily for ambiance and spatial cues, "In Modern Times"
uses the 5.1-channel medium aggressively. For example, while most of the percussion is staged from
the front three speakers, some percussion accompaniment are mixed into the
surround channels, but in a tasteful manner. The lead instruments vary
in their mix. For example, the saxophone seems to float throughout the room in a
holographic-like effect in a number of tracks, using all but the center
channel for imaging. It is as though
saxophonist Jay Beckenstein is walking through
the audience in the jazz club. In "Florida Straits", the percussion ricochets around the room (starting at
2:55) in a spirited fashion that seems to beg you to get up and dance.
The center channel is mostly reserved for some drums and the occasional bass
guitar, leaving the usually more capable front left and right speakers to
carry most of music, including the saxophone melodies.
The sound quality of the multi-channel DSD track is incredibly transparent in my playback
system, as all the instruments are reproduced to the realism that makes
them seem like they're in the room being played live. Listen to the piano notes at the very end of "After Hours", the
sound is incredibly clear and life-like. I could easily mistake it for someone sitting at
the Kawai grand piano in
my living room. The saxophone is wonderfully reproduced with life-like
three-dimensional imaging, while the percussion accompaniment and other
synthesizer effects literally provides an
enveloping experience.
Recording/audio engineer Michael Bishop of did an excellent job
mixing this all-original multi-channel DSD recording. The aggressive use of the surround channels
for things like percussion accompaniment may be over the top for some audiophiles who
prefer a more natural approach to multi-channel mixes. In my opinion,
the natural approach may be appropriate for orchestral works, but for a
contemporary jazz album like "In Modern Times", some
experimentation is welcomed and even expected. Personally, I'm very pleased with what Heads Up
did with the multi-channel mix. They created a
lively jazz atmosphere that is simply irresistible. It's the perfect
substitute for when I can't make it to my local jazz club on Friday and
Saturday nights.
Disc Compatibility Notice
This Super
Audio CD (SACD) features a hybrid construction, with a layer for full audio CD compatibility and a layer for
high-resolution stereo DSD and multi-channel DSD recordings. The audio
CD layer can be played back on any audio CD player or CD-ROM drive, and will
have the sound quality like any other audio CD. To
hear the high-resolution stereo DSD recording, a stereo or multi-channel
SACD player is required with stereo analog output to a quality 2-channel
audio system. To hear the high-resolution multi-channel DSD recording,
a multi-channel capable SACD player is required with 5.1-channel (6-channel)
analog output to a multi-channel home theater audio/video receiver. The
high-resolution stereo or multi-channel DSD recording layer on this disc will not play in
an audio CD player, DVD-Video player, DVD-Audio player, or DVD-ROM drive.
Buy this SACD title from:
> Heads
Up for $19.99 or call toll-free at 1-877-CDMUSIC
Support this site: buy through our links.
For additional information: visit the Spyro
Gyra web site, Jay
Beckenstein's web site and the Heads
Up web
site. The "In Modern Times" album is also available on
DVD-Audio and audio CD. Contact Heads Up International toll-free at
1-877-CDMUSIC, or write at headsup@headsup.com.
Heads Up International is a division of Telarc
International Corp.
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Associated equipment used in evaluation: Sony ES
SCD-C555ES Super Audio CD 5-disc
player, Sony
DVP-S7700 reference DVD player, Sony
KP-61V45 61" rear projection TV (4:3 screen aspect ratio), Sony ES STR-V444ES A/V receiver, four
B&W CDM 9NTs as left/right main speakers
and left/right surrounds, B&W CDM CNT center channel speaker, Monster Cable M-series S-Video cable MSV-500, Monster
Cable Interlink LightSpeed 100 (Toslink) optical cable, Monster Cable
Interlink 400 MKII interconnects, Monster Cable
Original speaker cables in bi-wire configuration with Monster Cable twist-on gold-plated banana plug
connectors, Lovan Sovereign T HiFi audio
rack, and Sony MDR-V600 studio monitor headphones. Our home theater equipment was calibrated
with the Video
Essentials DVD.
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United We Stand
