Octave Records has released Audiophile Masters, Volume V, the latest in its series of reference-quality music sampler discs. Volume V features world-renowned cellist Zuill Bailey playing a selection from the Bach Cello Suites, plus jazz from the Briana Harris Quintet and Tom Amend, the rock and pop of Foxfeather, Augustus and others, the stunning acoustic guitar duo of Taylor Sims and Kyle Donovan, and other selections.
All the tracks (except one) were recorded in pure DSD using Octave Records’ Sonoma DSD recording system at Animal Lane Studios in Lyons, Colorado, Vernon Barn in Longmont, CO. Zuill Bailey’s piece was recorded on a Pyramix system at the Mesa Arts Center in Mesa, Arizona. Like all the recordings in the Audiophile Masters series, Volume V offers a diverse range of artists and musical styles, all with reference-quality sound.
Zoe Berman.
Audiophile Masters, Volume V (SRP: $29) is playable on any SACD, CD, DVD, or Blu-ray player. It also has a high-resolution DSD layer that is accessible only using a PS Audio SACD transport, or by copying the DSD tracks on the included DVD data discs. In addition, the master DSD and PCM files are available for purchase and download from psaudio.com at this link. Audiophile Masters, Vol. V was recorded, mixed and produced by Steven Vidaic, Jay Elliott, Robert Friedrich, Gus Skinas, and Zach Balch, with Giselle Collazo as an assistant engineer. It was mastered by Gus Skinas.
The album begins with the return of More Than Physics and “My Nitride Heart,” featuring Jonathan Sadler on marimba and Clint Wilcox on handpans, a steel-drum-like instrument that sounds both earthy and otherworldly. Jazz aficionados will find much to enjoy with the ¾-time bounce of the Briana Harris Quintet’s “Thin Places,” the organ-fueled avant-jazz of “Concatenate” by the Tom Amend Trio, and Zoe Berman’s swinging vocals on “Perfect Storm.” Other highlights include the Gypsy-guitar-influenced “Lowland” by acoustic guitar virtuosos Taylor Sims and Kyle Donovan, the Americana-flavored Many Mountains on “Endless Time,” and more.
Dustin Moran and Katie Nelson of Many Mountains.
Audiophile Masters, Volume V also features a spellbinding performance by Zuill Bailey, considered to be one of the finest cellists in the world. He is showcased here on Bach’s BMV 1007 Suite No. 1 in G Major for solo cello, in a recording that captures the remarkable acoustics of the Mesa Arts Center and every nuance of Bailey’s emotive, virtuoso playing.
The track listing for Audiophile Masters, Volume V is as follows:
- “My Nitride Heart – More Than Physics
- “Thin Places” – Briana Harris Quintet
- “The Nature of Things” – Foxfeather
- “She’ll Be Right” – Joe D’Esposito
- “Endless Time” – Many Mountains
- BMV 1007 Suite No. 1 in G Major – Zuill Bailey
- “Concatenate” – Tom Amend Trio
- “Perfect Storm” – Zoe Berman
- “Lowland” – Taylor Sims and Kyle Donovan
- “Diana” – Augustus
Clint Wilcox and Jonathan Sadler of More Than Physics.
