Brazilian Jazz and Brazilian Romance (DVD-Audio)

 

       Music:    PCM 2.0:   MLP 5.1:    DTS 5.1:      Extras:

Jazz             B+          B              B+            B+             C            

Romance      B            B              B+            B+             C

 

DTS Entertainment began their ‘Brazilian’ DVD-Audio’s with Bossa and now are adding to that series with two DVD-Audio’s entitled Jazz and Romance.  These two discs make a nice addition to the series.  These DVD-Audio’s are designed to bring some of the best Brazilian based music, whether it be romantic or jazz induced to transport the listener into the beautiful world of Brazil. 

 

For these two discs the music has been recorded and arranged for multi-channel playback in order to give a better replication of the habitat of Brazil.  Sound is a 360-degree experience, which is certainly the joy of having a surround sound system in order to enjoy this type of music on a whole new level.  DTS has issued the Romance disc in PCM 2.0, MLP 5.1, and DTS 5.1.  All of the tracks are at 48/24 bit rate, which is also the case of some of the tracks from the Jazz disc, despite it claiming to be a 96/24 release.  It even states while each track is playing who the performers are, what equipment/instruments were used, and what bit rate is used.  Some are 48/24 and others are 96/24.  The advanced resolution MLP tracks are similar to that of the DTS tracks, with the only exception being in the higher and lower end frequencies. 

 

 

Brazilian Jazz

Goiania

Trilhos Urbanos

Seu Tenorio

Samba No Pe

Forro Do ABC

O Morro Nao Tem Vez

Cravo E Canela

Rua Japeri

Africa

After the Gig

Multiplos Desejos

Cafuringa

E Agora Valeu?

Minha Saudade

 

 

Brazilian Romance

Lua

Olhos Na Noite

I Can’t Help It

Fotografia

No Ritmo Do Coracao

Nascente

Um Amor Assim

Aruba

Curva Do Rio

Caymmi’s Medley/Requebra Que Eu Dou Um Doce/Um Vestido De Bolero

Sinceridade

Ocean Way

Morro Velho

One Love Like This

 

These discs are highly recommended for those interesting in adding some color to their collection of music.  These discs are designed to offer some of the best Brazilian music on a format that delivers high end quality.  It’s probably fair to say that these are not the best demo discs in terms of sonic appeal, but they do offer a good mix of how subtle music can be just as appealing and can boast some interesting demo testing with its more natural side. 

 

It is probably all a matter or preference, but I personally found the Jazz disc to offer slightly better or more original material, while the Romance appeared to be a bit too repetitive at times.  Although both have their respectable audiences, it just seemed that the Jazz might reach a broader target group.

 

The 5.1 mixes fare better than the PCM 2.0 in all aspects.  The multi-channel mixes are far more interesting and bring more life from all directions.  It’s strange that some of these mixes are at the 48/24 rate and others are 96/24, but the difference in the end result is quite minimal.  As in most cases the MLP delivers a more articulate mix, while the DTS is smoother in nature with a punchier LFE channel. 

 

The specs for each song are available as each song is selected along with vocals where appropriate.  These are not necessary audiophile-only material as they may suit anyone that enjoys listening to a worldlier selection while taking the advantages of newer technologies like DVD-Audio.

 

 

-   Nate Goss