Barney Kessel – The Poll Winners (UHQCD)

Jazz and pop standards played at the highest level are featured on „The Poll Winners” by jazz guitarist Barney Kessel along with drummer Shelly Manne and bassist Ray Brown. The album, released in 1957 and peppered with strong solo interludes, was the first of five releases by this trio lineup. At the time, the musicians were ranked number one in polls conducted by Down Beat, Playboy and Metronome magazines with their respective instruments, which gave them the idea of working together. The musical as well as human harmony of the trio produced expressive and sonorous fruits, which are now playable in brilliant UHQ quality.

UHQCD stands for Ultimate High Quality Compact Disc and is a joint development of the Japanese CD replication company Memory-Tech and the Audio Quality CD Company from Hong Kong. Unlike conventional CDs, UHQCDs are not pressed from polycarbonate, but cast from a photopolymer and cured with UV light. Another layer of high-purity polycarbonate is applied to the softer photopolymer for scratch protection. The combination results in significantly reduced reflection of laser light inside the CD and an unmatched precise edge transition between pits and lands of the CD. UHQCDs are 100% compatible with standard CD players. Musically, the result is a sound image strongly reminiscent of analog master tapes.

While Universal Music Japan’s first UHQCD series relied on the DSD data of previous SHM-SACD releases, with increasing popularity, albums that had not previously been released as SHM-SACD are now appearing. Typically, the Universal Archive master tapes are re-converted to DSD for this purpose. UHQCDs are ideal for music lovers who want to get as close as possible to the sound of the recording, but do not own an SACD player.

Lista pieselor

1. Jordu

2. Satin Doll

3. It Could Happen To You

4. Mean To Me

5. Don’t Worry About Me

6. On Green Dolphin Street

7. You Go To My Head

8. Minor Mood

9. Nagasaki