Patricia Barber Higher Hybrid Multi-Channel & Stereo SACD

TAS Rated 5/5 Music, 5/5 Sonics in the May/June 2021 Issue of The Absolute Sound!
The First-Ever 5.1/2.0 SACD/Hybrid Release From Impex Records!
Stereo & Surround Mixed at Skywalker Sound!
Mastered by Bob Ludwig at Gateway Mastering!
Deluxe Package Feat. Art & Photos Unique to the SACD + A New Note From Patricia Barber!
In our first full collaboration with jazz royalty Patricia Barber, Impex Records is thrilled to announce our premier multichannel audio SACD/Hybrid disc of her elegant new album Higher. Recorded and mixed by long-time collaborator Jim Anderson, this spectacular set contains a unique eight jazz-interpreted art-song cycle that explore the mysteries that bind and illuminate us. Barber says of her six year creation of Higher, "I feel very much that this album is a manifestation of my hard-won harmonic evolution." She continues her blending of classical and modern idioms, both musical and lyrical, into a hybrid that plays to the best of both: classically-oriented with room to improvise and expand.
The Impex Records exclusive SACD version contains four additional tracks: jazz standards "Early Autumn", "Secret Love" and "In Your Own Sweet Way", along with an expanded version of "The Opera Song" featuring lyric soprano Katherine Werbiansky. Both 5.1 and 2.0 SACD layers were transferred directly to DSD from original DXD (352.8kHz / 32 bit) files for astonishing reproduction of every living note and subtle expression in this truly seminal work by one of America's finest jazz auteurs.
Higher, Patricia Barber's eleventh studio album, begins with the song cycle Angels, Birds, and I, which she wrote for classical singers, jazz performers and instrumentalists alike. For Barber, the eight titles are at the end of a process during which she has developed her own harmonic system that is no longer subject to restrictions. In addition, she will present three of her arrangements of titles from the Great American Songbook, which have been acclaimed in live performances. She is accompanied by her long-time comrades-in-arms Patrick Mulcahy (bass), John Deitemeyer (drums) and Neal Alger (guitar).
For the recording in Studio 5 of the Chicago Recording Company, Patricia Barber once again hired the multi-Grammy award-winning sound engineer Jim Anderson, with whom she has a successful collaboration, and his colleague Ulrike Schwarz. The mastering was done by the equally renowned Bob Ludwig at Gateway Mastering. The surround mix of the hybrid multi-channel SACD was created at Skywalker Sound.
Higher bears the earmarks of an audiophile classic: music of substance in excellent sound... - Jason Victor Serinus, Stereophile Magazine Recording Of The Month
Few performers in or out of jazz are as consistently brilliant as Patricia Barber. ...Brainy. Beautiful. - Jazz Times
It's about love for music, and love as music. - Tyran Grillo, All About Jazz
If you appreciate jazz vocal artistry in the highest possible sound quality, Patricia Barber's Higher belongs in your collection. - Mark Werlin, NATIVEDSD.com
...from a textual and musical point of view, Higher is a poetic gem that far surpasses Barber's previous works. And that is remarkable for an artist who has set the bar extremely high for herself for three decades. - Marc De Boer, Hi Fi NL
...it deftly demonstrates the element that has kept us Barber fans going all these years - the intricate trio that provides a setting for the sincere, humble, irresistible talent of a Chicago gem. - Jeff Cebulski, Chicago Jazz Magazine, Mr. C's Reviews
Layered with multiple meanings, these introspective songs require and reward repeated listening. Inventive takes on three standards from the Great American Songbook fill out the program. The contributions from Barber's instrumental quartet are first-class. Immediate, close-up, transparent sonics. - Paul Seydor, The Absolute Sound, May/June 2021, Music 5/5, Sonics 5/5

Features:

• Super Audio CD
• SACD Multi-Channel SACD Layer
• SACD Stereo SACD Layer
• This Hybrid SACD contains a 'Red Book' CD Layer which is playable on most conventional CD Players!
• The first-ever 5.1/2.0 SACD/hybrid release from Impex Records
• Vividly recorded & mixed by Grammy-winning engineer and long-time collaborator Jim Anderson
• Technical direction by Ulrike Schwarz, Anderson Audio New York
• Recorded using Merging +Clock Technologies & MusicChords Power Distribution
• Stereo & Surround mixed at Skywalker Sound
• Mastered by Bob Ludwig at Gateway Mastering
• Both 5.1 and 2.0 SACD layers were transferred directly to DSD from original DXD (352.8kHz / 32 bit) files
• 5.1 surround mix requires a multi-channel SACD player & compatible surround-sound system
• 5.1 mix is not available on stereo SACD or CD players
• Deluxe package featuring art & photos unique to the SACD & a new note from Patricia Barber
• 4 additional tracks
• Made in USA

Selections:

Angels, the Birds, and I...
1. Muse
2. Surrender
3. Pallid Angel
4. The Opera Song
5. High Summer Season
6. The Albatross Song
7. Voyager
8. Higher
9. Early Autumn
10. In Your Own Sweet Way
11. Secret Love
12. The Opera Song with Katherine Webiansky