SACD Recommendation?

Anyone have a recommendation of which SACD recordings truly represent the state of the art? I'd prefer classical or jazz titles.

 

I haven't done any classical yet, but I'd say

Miles Davis - Kind Of Blue (Sony)
Duke Ellington - Blues In Orbit (MFSL) -now OOP-
Dave Brubeck Quartet - Time Out (Sony)

I believe Glenn Gould's English Suites got reissued, but I'm not positive it's on SACD. I've been listening to that quite a bit.

 

I have to agree on KOB. I just got Coltrane's "A Love Supreme" and enjoy that one very much too.

 

Try the new Sibelius Sym 2 on Telarc. Lovely.

 

The Dimeola/De Lucia/Mclaughlin-Friday Night in San Francisco really blew me away. Although they are rock titles both Satriani titles are great. I'm also very happy with the sound of Beethoven's 9th w/ Karajan although mine has something effecting the last track of the SACD layer (it might be a pinhole). To busy with Christmas retail/other purchases to investigate further.

 

Sony put out Blood Sweat and Tears as well. Just wonderful sounding.

A must have.

 

Hi Ron,

Try the new "Art Pepper Meets the Rythym Section" APO SACD
mastered by Doug Sax using tube equipment.

 

Some good jazz recommendations already, but I'd add:

Sonny Rollins - Way Out West APO
Tommy Smith - Blue Smith Linn
Charles Mingus - Mingus Ah Um Sony
Thelonious Monk - Straight, No Chaser Sony
Jon Hassell - Fascinoma Waterlily
Acoustic Triangle - Interactions Audio-b

 

Hi Mick,

How's the CD layer on the Way Out West SACD? I've heard mixed reviews
compared to the XRCD. I was going to buy the APO Gold version instead just for the CD version.

Happy Holidays!

 

Sorry, but I haven't listened to the CD layer of the hybrid SACD. I almost never do, unless I'm demoing the disk to someone. Why eat hamburger if you've got sirloin?

 

Hi Mick,

The reason I'm asking is because we have two listening rooms in the house
and only one SACD player. My XA77ES SACD player is in one of the rooms and my secondary is in the other.

My car system isn't SACD capable either.

 

Ah, of course my car system isn't even digital. Due mainly to the lack of space in a very small sports car preventing a CD changer being installed. I just tape SACDs (or CDs) for the cassette/radio, so I really have no reason to ever play the red book layer on those hybrids. I'll give Way Out West a go some time to find out how much it loses against the DSD layer.

 

Thanks Mick!

I probably pick up the Gold Disc also since it is a recent OOP.

 

Ron,

1) Mahler Symphony No. 6/Ben Zander/Telarc. You've never heard anything remotely as powerful as the Hammer Blows of Fate on this DSD recording. Even better in multi-channel.

2) Chopin/Caroline Sageman/Lyrinx. She plays Chopin slowly. Another DSD recording. Contains the ultra-famous Funeral March. Whereas Horowitz's is naturally bathed in hiss, this has absolutely none, which is a nice bonus for a solo piano.

3) Stravinsky/Petrouchka and The Firebird-Suite/ Mackerras/Vanguard. This arrangement of The Firebird for piano is great. Robin McCabe plays so fast at times you'll think she's two people.

4) Budapest Live/Ivan Fischer, Budapest Festival Orchestra/Philips promo only. This is a DSD multi-channel recording by the folks of Polyhymnia that is a perfect demonstration of multi-channel at its finest. I don't think this was ever for sale, so you'd have to find someone who got it inside a Philips player and doesn't like it.

5) Chet Baker "Chet"/Analogue Productions. Great old transfer.

6) Billie Holiday "Lady In Satin"/Sony. Another tremendous recording in multi-channel, a great thing to experience. Make sure not to buy the stereo only version.

7) Miles Davis "In A Silent Way"/Sony. Not being a purist, I almost always listen to this in multi-channel. One big advantage in doing this is, while the stereo has a lot of hiss, the multi-channel was made from the original multitrack recording and has greatly reduced hiss. Really, a shocking reduction. This is a whole different thing in multi-channel; I appreciate the risk the producers took and think it works perfectly.

 

Here are a few I like..

Dave Brubeck 40th Anniversary Tour of the U.K (Great Recording I believe it is from DSD source)
First Time! The Count Meets The Duke - Duke Ellington/Count Basie
Charles Mingus - Mingus Ah Um
Thelonious Monk - Straight, No Chaser
Art Pepper - Meets The Rhythm Section (I would wait for the corrected SACD to be released)
Any of the Three Bill Evans APO discs.

 

Some of my favorite jazz SACDs:

* All Miles Davis titles, especially Kind of Blue and In A Silent Way
* The Dave Brubeck Quartet Time Out
* Charles Mingus Mingus Ah Um
* Duke Ellington Blues in Orbit
* Herbie Hancock Head Hunters
* Weather Report Heavy Weather

Jazz SACDs on my want list include the two Diana Krall titles, Friday Night in San Francisco, John Coltrane A Love Supreme, and Weather Report Mysterious Traveller.

 

"Mahler Symphony No. 6/Ben Zander/Telarc."

Actually Paul, I also like and prefer the Michael Tilson Thomas with San Francisco Symphony for Mahler #6. Any of the two is superb, however.

 

Don't forget to pick up both James Taylor sacd's that are available.
Both JT and Hourglass are state of the art even in multi-channel.

 

Very true, Lee. I love them both and both are worth having because they are considerably different from each other.

 

My classical recommendation:

Vaughan Williams: A Sea Symphony
Robert Spano / Atlanta Symphony Orchestra & Chorus (Telarc)

A true DSD recording and an awesome demonstration of SACD capabilities!

 

I agree and would also suggest the Mahler #1 by Thomas and The SFS on SFS Media. Oh, the Mahler 6th by Thomas and company in multichannel is heavenly.

I would also second the Mahler 6/Zander/Telarc and the Miles Davis Kind of Blue, Thelonious Monk Straight, No Chaser, and John ColtraneA Love Supreme which have already been mentioned and add the following:

Beriloz Symphonie Fantastique, P. Järvi/Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra/Telarc(SACD-60578)

Vivaldi The Four Seasons, Massimo Quarta, violin/Orbellian/Moscow Chamber Orchestra/Delos(SACD 3280)

The Coronation of King George II, Handel et al/The Choir of the King's Consort/The King's Consort/Robert King/Hyperion(SACDA67286)

 

I have 3 of the hybrid (and multichannel) Vanguard/Everest SACD's which are unfortunately out-of-print. I find them to be excellent, when played back in stereo. The ones I can recommend are

1) Handel -- Water Music Suite and Royal Fireworks
These are fabulous because they use the ORIGINAL scores, not the ones that Handel reworked later for the concert hall. The stereo image is very very fine (even though the original recordings were made in 1973, they don't sound multi-miked). The ensemble is first-rate and includes some of Great Britain's finest players (including horn player Alan Civil of Beatles "For No One" fame).

2) Stravinsky Petrouchka (1911 version) and Firebird Suite (piano transcription) with Charles Mackerras and the London Symphony.

This SACD captures the sound of the piano soloist perfectly and is some of the best piano that I've ever heard recorded. Although the recordings are from the mid to late 1970's, they have none of the tinny transistorized sound that plagued many 1970's vintage transistorized recordings. Again, Petrouchka played back in stereo does not sound multi-miked.

Copland Appalachian Spring/Gould Spirituals for String Choir and Orchestra -- Walter Susskind and the London Symphony Orchestra

These recordings were made by Bert Whyte for his Everest label and were recorded on 3 track 1/2" magnetic tape in 1958. If you want a sense of the genius of Bert Whyte, this SACD is the way to get it. Perfectly recorded, wonderfully played, and a beautiful remastering job by Seymour Solomon and the team from Vanguard SACD's.

Get these while you can. They're supposedly out-of-print.

 

There are now dozens of worthy jazz and classical contenders on SACD. You cannot go wrong with most of them. Some standouts for me include:

Miles Davis--Friday/Saturday in Person at the Blackhawk
Michael Tilson Thomas/SFO--Mahler 6
Pietr Wispelwy--Cello concertos
Murray Perahia--Bach piano concertos
Art Pepper--Meets the Rhythm Section
Ella and Louis
Lindsay chamber group--Beethoven String Qtets

 

While many audiophiles turn their noses up at mono, I recommend the Ella Fitzgerald/Louis Armstrong dsic. The band is set back (well back) but you can follow any musical line you chose. But the vocals and Louis' trumpet, wow!!! They're in the room. mono or no, this is a true vocal demo disc. Great music too.

 

And I see another nod to the Thomas/SFS recording of the Mahler #6. Truly a breathtaking recording, as I and others have already remarked here. Have you heard it in multichannel? It's is truly amazing; the best multichannel Classical mix I have yet heard. It's also stellar in stereo.

Edit: Never mind my previous statement about the Pietr Wispelwy, I realised my error.