The best piano recording I've ever heard

audiojerry · « **on:** 15 Jan 2008, 01:29 am »

Hi gang, been away for awhile, but I wanted to share this with anyone who is interested.

I recently re-visited an old cd in my collection from some 15-20 years ago. I have just discovered that it is the best quality piano recording I have ever heard. It's by Oscar Peterson, called Tracks. After learning of his passing, I was motivated to dig up his music, which, for some reason I haven't done in years. I was so impressed with the sound that I had to find out more about the producers. It was originally recorded to vinyl and remastered in a tiny studio in the German Black Forest produced by Christian Kellersmann, and mastered for cd by Hans Georg Brunner-Schwer. I found this on Brunner-Schwer, but nothing on Kellersmann.
http://www.allaboutjazz.com/php/article.php?id=23926. It says this: "One of Brunner-Schwer’s fundamental concepts for MPS was recording the piano in a way that made the listener feel as though they were hearing the instrument from the perspective of the pianist, not as a member of the audience."

Most piano recordings I have heard on compact disc tend to sound a bit harsh with some ringing in the higher registers. To me, all cd's have these characteristics to a varying degree. But not this one! We have a concert grand in our home, and this is as close to the real thing that I have heard.

If you can find a copy - I would urge you to get it.

I'd be interested in hearing from anyone else who has a recording done by either.

jules · « **Reply #1 on:** 15 Jan 2008, 02:09 am »

That's interesting and useful.

The piano really is a great test for any audio gear.

I've always thought of re-mastered to CD works as being the worst of two worlds, sounding flat and thin, until I made some recent system changes. A Deutsche Grammophon re-mastered classic [sorry, I seem to have lost the CD in some general untidyness] changed my opinion so maybe it's good news for some revived older works.

jules

satfrat · « **Reply #2 on:** 15 Jan 2008, 02:33 am »

Hi Jerry, nice to see ya back.

Very interesting article and very good recording also. I'm in the process of downloading the album from Amazon MP3. I've got 8 Oscar Peterson albums but not this one,,,, til now.

Cheers,
Robin

AliG · « **Reply #3 on:** 15 Jan 2008, 02:37 am »

I bet this is the one, it has "MPS" label on the CD cover.

http://www.amazon.com/Tracks-Oscar-Peterson/dp/B0009AM658/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=music&qid=1200364863&sr=8-1

John151 · « **Reply #4 on:** 15 Jan 2008, 02:52 am »

Hey Jerry, welcome back. Are you playing this CD on the Maggies?

satfrat · « **Reply #5 on:** 15 Jan 2008, 02:57 am »

Quote from: AliG on 15 Jan 2008, 02:37 am

I bet this is the one, it has "MPS" label on the CD cover.

http://www.amazon.com/Tracks-Oscar-Peterson/dp/B0009AM658/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=music&qid=1200364863&sr=8-1

Yep, that be the download and a very very good one at that. Personally, I'm real glad to see Jerry back.

And so are my ears.

Cheers,
Robin

jazzcourier · « **Reply #6 on:** 15 Jan 2008, 03:03 am »

That Peterson solo recording is one of 6 lp's contained on 4 discs on the Verve set "exclusively for my friends" -it retails,for example at cd universe for 48.29,Amazon may be better or comparable with free shipping.There is the one stunning solo recording and the rest are all trio performances with Ray Brown on bass and Bobby Durham on drums.The piano is the grand cru classe of the instrument,a nine foot Bosendorfer owned by the producer,hence the amazing sound and dynamics herein.The hallmark of all the MPS recordings, the source of these Peterson sides, is magical sound,depth,realism and warmth.These Germans simply excelled at capturing sound in the 60's.That Black Forest studio spawned countless sessions full of imagination covering the gamut of Jazz.Sadly,most are out of print and are quite valuable on the collectors market.Some have been issued in Japan and imported.Try Dusty Groove website and search MPS.Amazing orchestral Jazz from the Clarke-Boland big band with amazing soloists! Really makes all that fancy gear you bought stand up and cheer!

Beezer · « **Reply #7 on:** 15 Jan 2008, 03:29 am »

I'm pretty sure I have that on vinyl. I'll have to dig it out. Thanks for the tip!

Beez

flintstone · « **Reply #8 on:** 15 Jan 2008, 03:29 am »

I get one CD a month...$6.99....free shipping. (your music dot com)...they have this one. thanks!

Dave

lonewolfny42 · « **Reply #9 on:** 15 Jan 2008, 03:44 am »

Hey Jerry....
Whats up buddy....

Nice to see you stopping by...

You picked a very good recording...and very enjoyable.
I have a nice selection of Peterson's music...he lives through his recordings now....he was such a fine talent.

Chris

ted_b · « **Reply #10 on:** 15 Jan 2008, 03:59 am »

Since his death I've found the SACD recordings of "Exclusively For My Friends" series that MPS and Brunner-Schwer did. I have four so far. There are quite a few reviews that say My Favorite Instrument is also unbelievable both as a Peterson solo performance and as a solo piano recording of utmost perfection. I just ordered it tonight as an SACD. Thanks for the heads up on this (and Tracks).

audiojerry · « **Reply #11 on:** 15 Jan 2008, 12:38 pm »

Thanks to all for the warm welcome back. I never forgot what a friendly and helpful community the AC is. It's been about two years for me since becoming somewhat of a dropout. I plan on writing about my audio "odyssey" over the last couple of years and discuss the loss of my high-end passions during that time.

Hello jazzcourier, the system says this is only your second post, but what a helpful one it is. Please continue to share your knowledge and thoughts.

Hi John151. I no longer have the Maggies. They were great, and they found a new and loving home purchased by a newbie whose jaw dropped when he heard them.

Looking forward to communicating again with y'all.

Over and out.

Aulo · « **Reply #12 on:** 8 Sep 2008, 07:47 pm »

Hi,

In my opinion :

Oreo Bambo
"Blue eyes moon"
Regards

haakon · « **Reply #13 on:** 22 Sep 2008, 02:23 pm »

I went yesterday to the Audio and AV show held at Heathrow Airport in London.
There was one room with a complete MBL set up with amps and 101E speakers. They were demoing the 1621 reference CD player. The guy there was totally amazed by the CD we brought. It was Blue Eyes Moon, by Oreobambo.
Everywhere we played the CD we got the same reaction.
They were listening to the track BLUE LESCHENAULTIA.
The reaction was "we have heard a lot of piano recordings today, this is by far the best" or "this is the best recording we have heard this weekend"

They would close the door, turn off the air-conditioning and not move a muscle until the track was finished.

This is by far the best recording ever made of a piano.

Don_S · « **Reply #14 on:** 22 Sep 2008, 03:05 pm »

Quote from: Aulo on 8 Sep 2008, 07:47 pm

Hi,

In my opinion :

Oreo Bambo
"Blue eyes moon"
Regards

Does anyone know where I can find samples online? Even the artist's website does not have samples. Searches of Barnes & Noble, Amazon, and Borders result in "Who?". Yahoo and Google searches yield only the artist's site and pages of junk.

low.pfile · « **Reply #15 on:** 22 Sep 2008, 04:58 pm »

whoops

marie · « **Reply #16 on:** 28 Sep 2008, 08:51 am »

Contrary to common belief Muses very rarely venture to the top of the Gaussian Bell Mountain.
They always dwell in the distant cold edges.

marie · « **Reply #17 on:** 28 Sep 2008, 09:57 am »

The passionate Oreobambo’s “Blue Eyes Moon” (2008) played by Margaret Penn is in a league of its own and it is recorded with a similar pianist’s perspective. It was recorded digitally at 24/96.
Incredibly transparent, and an impressive macrodynamic, you are not just sitting in row A
but in the prompter’s box. Part of the secret is the sound of the piano itself, the amazing Fazioli F308. That is indeed, in my opinion, the best sounding piano around.
Another part of the secret is the total lack of digititis. I have never ever heard anything similar
in my collection of piano recordings, a sound so natural that it seems paradoxically suspended out
of this world. A great rewarding gift and challenge for hi-end loudspeakers and a momentary relief
from my mild audiophilia nervosa!
Now that everybody is ready to move to a new format I have the feeling that CD’s potential
is still partially unexplored in both mastering and reproducing.
Last weekend I went to visit the Top Audio in Milan. In one of the rooms there was some
Tim de Paravicini gear playing this CD, and on the top of the rack there was a beautiful turntable
just spinning. At the end a guy sitting in the back of the big room asked the crew,
“Excuse me sirs, this is vinyl that we’re listening to, isn’t it?”

With affection,
Marie

P.S.
For me too Oscar Peterson’s “Tracks” latest release (2005) is probably the best jazz recording of a piano I’ve ever heard. It blends the best of 1970 analog tape sound with the best of modern digital 24/192 remastering. MPS has done a great job.
It is so smooth and warm, you can feel Mr. Peterson playing; you can even smell the tobacco smoke
in the room. I had the same sensation last year in Vienna. I was playing on a beautiful and unique CEUS Bosendorfer 290 Imperial at the Bosendorfer factory in the city centre when the “man” touched a button and the piano started to play by itself a factory recording of the touch of a live performance
by Oscar Peterson. A shiver ran down my spine and I could perceive his big soul while I was sitting
on his stool and the keys were played by pure air. What a fast and soft touch!
Like waves on the keyboard.
In his genre this recording is legendary, of course it is noisy and very compressed but this is jazz and
it is perfect and you can’t compare it with classical piano recordings that have no compression at all
or even with other modern genres.

BradJudy · « **Reply #18 on:** 28 Sep 2008, 02:32 pm »

Hmmm...call my a cynic, but this smell slightly spammy. Three people registered on this forum just to post about the same very obscure "best piano recording ever". It would be interesting to get an opinion from a regular member, but at $40 for one CD and payment either by international fax or bank transfer, I'm not going to volunteer.

jimdgoulding · « **Reply #19 on:** 28 Sep 2008, 08:03 pm »

I'm on one of those OP disc's like a duck on a bug. Especially after reading that he is playing a Bosendorfer. My daughter has a four track CD by Tori Amos released some years back playing a Bosendorfer and the low end on my old full range Acoustat Three's could melt the hardest heart. I'll dust em off just to hear this.