Clear as mud
whh | San Francisco | 12/01/2009
(1 out of 5 stars)
"I'm sorry to say that this SACD is one of the dullest recordings I've ever heard. The performance is good -- indistinguishable from the real/original Art Tatum recording as far as I can tell, although without the noise of course -- but as far as how they mic'd this piano, it is dead, dead, dead. I just don't get it since this disc is supposed to be all about sound quality.
The disc has 2 versions of the recordings on it (13 songs x 2). The first is a "Stereo Surround Version" (from their oxymoron dept, I guess), and it sounds like the added in way too much hall ambiance or recorded it from the far back of the auditorium. Tracks 14-26 are supposed to be the "Binaural Stereo Version: The Ultimate Headphone Experience" although they aren't included in the SACD portion of the disc (it's a hybrid). They do show up when I insert it in my mac, and sound marginally better, but still not great. No imaging whatsoever, very midrange heavy, no crispness or nuance to the piano's sound. I've heard better player pianos in Nordstrom's.
To top it all off, it took Zenph Studios over a month to even get around to sending me a confirmation of my order, and when I later tried to add some feedback, Amazon said they weren't yet eligible for feedback (?). Par for the course I guess. My recommendation is to avoid this academic exercise and pick up the original recording with all the charm and dynamics of the 1940s recording technology."
TATUM THE GENIUS
JOAN H. MCEVOY | Medford, OR USA | 09/10/2009
(5 out of 5 stars)
"What can I say about the greatest jazz pianist who ever lived? His cadenzas used the whole keyboard. He was admired by all his contemporaries, and influenced all jazz pianists who have come after him. The clarity of this recording is the best that modern technology can produce."
Delightful music, promising technology
Oren F. Leblang | Chapel Hill, NC USA | 12/18/2009
(4 out of 5 stars)
"I felt a little like watching an animated movie - you've got to be able to suspend disbelief a bit and let Tatum play for you, forgetting its a high tech player piano making the music; when I thought about the technology, the music at times sounded player-like, less nuanced than real performance. But then I'd let that go and the clarity, Tatum's speed and musicality would sweep me up, very fine performances. I have another archival performance that was recorded at the home of the music director of Warner Brothers when Tatum was in LA, about 1957, 10 years after the concert from which most of this record was adapted, and this doesn't suffer by comparison, its just different. This is like a new studio record in the man's prime, but with that slightly "Is it real or is it Memorex?" nag, while the party recording is so authentic and intimate but you hear the technical limitations of date and tape equipment.
My guess is that Zenph is going to do wonderful things with this technology as it evolves and I will mos def buy more from them."
Track Listings (26) - Disc #1
