Ray Conniff & Orchestra – April In Paris (Intermusic SA-CD/Super Audio Compact Disc Hybrid/Top Music International)

 

Sound/DSD 2.0 Stereo: B     PCM 2.0 Stereo: B-     Music: B-

 

 

PLEASE NOTE: This Super Audio Compact Disc is only available from our friends at Top Music International, has a Compact Disc layer that will play on virtually all CD players and can be ordered at the link below.

 

 

A throwback to music of the later 1960s that add barely audible vocals on famous music where applicable, April In Paris by Ray Conniff & His Orchestra is an updating of that musical approach in the high fidelity Super Audio CD world.

 

 

For technophiles, here are the specs for how the disc was made:

 

The Project re-mastered by Povee Chan

32Bits/192kHz High Resolution Mastering

SADiE DSD Digital Precision

Mastering Monitor: Almarro M1A

Monitor Amplifier: Octave Jubliee Preamp

Power System: Isoclean Power Conditioning System

Mastered with Black Rhodium Cable

Hybrid Stereo, Plays on all SACD and CD Players

Made in Germany by Sonopress

 

The songs covered include:

 

1)     The Way You Look Tonight

2)     I Hear A Rhapsody

3)     They Can't Take That Away From Me

4)     I Love You

5)     I've Told Ev'ry Little Star

6)     Smoke Gets In Your Eyes

7)     Lullaby Of Berdland

8)     June In January

9)     I Cover The Waterfront

10)  The Very Thought Of You

11)  It Had To Be You

12)  Paradise

13)  April In Paris

14)  That Old Feeling

15)  Say It Isn't So

16)  All The Things You Are

17)  Lovely To Look At

18)  You Do Something To Me

19)  In The Still Of The Night

20)  Someone To Watch Over Me

21)  Be My Love

22)  Where Or When

 

 

To say they are not definitive is a good way of putting it and that they are sometimes unintentionally funny or amusing gives you an idea of the light liberties taken with these standards, many of which are full-fledged classics.  Still, it is interesting to hear them sounding so good and clear, like a blast from the past, back and updated sonically.  It is a disc you’ll like if you like this approach and one you should skip if you do not.

 

The DSD 2.0 Stereo sound is impressive enough to make the difference and if you need to own a disc with this style of music, I doubt you could find one that sounds better or has better sonics, which is not a bad thing at all.  It is so good, it might jolt the Lawrence Welk crowd a bit, but never has a hit-you-over-the-head feel.  It would be interesting for Top Music to do an SA-CD of the original hits of The Lettermen to compare.  The PCM 2.0 Stereo CD tracks are not bad, but they cannot compete against the higher resolution of the DSD (Direct Stream Digital) signal.

 

A paper foldout with brief notes is also included.

 

 

To find out more about ordering, start with this link, then go to the ORDER icon at the top of the page on the right-hand side under the logo:

 

http://www.topmusic.com/ud-sacd8936.2.htm

 

 

-   Nicholas Sheffo