Beat Kaestli – Invitation – Chesky Records

by | Jul 24, 2010 | SACD & Other Hi-Res Reviews | 0 comments

Beat Kaestli – Invitation – Chesky Records multichannel SACD MC/S/CD 348, 48 Minutes – Music *** Sound ****½:

(Beat Kaestli: vocals; Billy Drummond: drums; Jay Leonhart: bass; Paul Meyers: guitar; Joel Frahm: saxophone; Kenny Rampton: trumpet)

Beat was born in Bern, Switzerland, before moving to New York City. He received a degree from the Manhattan School of Music and a Masters from the Aaron Copland School of Music. He has experimented with jazz, blues and pop music.

Invitation was recorded at historic St. Peter’s Church in Chelsea, New York City. Instead of close miking all the instruments, Chesky Records uses one microphone to hear the full 360-degree acoustic space of St. Peter’s Church. Musicians are always recorded live with no overdubs.  No compressors are used in the signal path.

The music on this comes from the Great American Songbook. He has a very smooth jazz presentation of the songs. On a number of the songs he adds a Latin feel to the music. The backup musicians are the best, but definitely are in a supporting role. His cool presentation of the songs makes it a very relaxing album to listen to. The recording gives his voice a good sense of presence and detail. The backup instruments are well-positioned and detailed in the recording. The multichannel track has more openness, while the stereo track has a little more solidity. Listening to this album would be at its best for late night listening to relax to. 

TrackList: Day In Day Out; It Could Happen To You; Invitation; My Foolish Heart; The Island; My Romance; The Nearness Of You; Moonlight In Vermont; I’ve Got You Under My Skin.

— Clay Swartz

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