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Ross Hammond – Follow Your Heart – Prescott Recordings

by Audiophile Audition | Mar 24, 2017 | SACD & Other Hi-Res Reviews

Ross Hammond – Follow Your Heart – Prescott Recordings [2/27/17] stereo vinyl, 39:26 ****: Delta and Appalachian Blues get an acoustic upgrade on vinyl. (Ross Hammond – solo acoustic Resonator guitar & 12-string guitar) As a twelve-year old growing up in Sacramento, Ross Hammond’s life suddenly changed. His mother bought a guitar for him. In college, his guitar teacher introduced him to Wes Montgomery, Grant Green and Kenny Burrell. This spurred an interest in jazz, and Hammond started recording in 2003. His early albums included Gauche, Optimism, Sometimes Nocturnal and Effective Use Of Space. In 2008 with Byron Blackburn, he organized the Flow Jazz And Improvisational Music Festival. This free form musical event takes place in Sacramento annually. He has recorded solo albums (Ambience, Antiquite And Other Love Songs, Flight) and as a member of his quartet (Adored, Cathedrals). Hammond’s latest release (Prescott Recordings) is an intimate acoustic guitar set recorded at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in Sacramento. The vinyl recording (it is also available on CD) is a rich assortment of blues and folk roots music that draws on the deeply felt spirituality and pathos of American musical culture. Side A opens with the Delta-inspired “Sinner Man”. From the […]

Andreas Rohde, guitar & vocals – Resonance/Analog Pearls Vol. 2 – Stockfisch

by Audiophile Audition | Dec 16, 2016 | SACD & Other Hi-Res Reviews

Andreas Rohde – Resonance/Analog Pearls Vol. 2 – Stockfisch SFR 357.4802.2 stereo-only SACD, 39:14, ****: Acoustic music sounds great on this stereo SACD! (Andreas Rohde – 12-strung guitar, vocals/ Manfred Unger – saxophone, clarinet/ Gallagher Doc-Watson – guitar) German label Stockfisch Records has established a bona fide home for folk players looking for a technological upgrade. The release of a collection by guitarist Andreas Rohde demonstrates how modern recording techniques can breathe life into music first recorded in 1983, before the digital revolution. In recording Resonance, the original tracks were done on 2-inch 16-track tape via the Telefunken (AEG) 15A . Re-mastered and converted by the Meltner ADC8 Mk IV Analog to 1-bit DSD, the sound quality is expanded and has a bigger kick. The album gets off to a rousing start with the instrumental, “Busy As A Bee”. Rohde establishes a percolating tempo with a festive resonance. A touch of slide adds some texture. The title track represents a significant change of pace. A gentle flow is weaved around some quasi-Hawaiian slide riffs. Picking up the pace, “Mr. Coolman” starts with a sprightly blues groove. The guitarist lists the incomparable Leo Kottke as a big influence. Rohde introduces us […]