Bill Evans Trio – On A Friday Evening (UHQCD)

Die Bänder dieser Live-Aufnahme aus dem Jahr 1975 lagen für mehrere Dekaden vergessen in Archiven. Bill Evans gab das bislang unveröffentlichte Konzert im Oil Can Harry’s Club in Vancouver gemeinsam mit Bassist Eddie Gómez und Schlagzeuger Eliot Zigmund. Moderiert wurde der Abend vom Radiomoderator Gary Barclay, der das Set später in seiner „CHQM Jazz Show” präsentierte. Für die Universal-Veröffentlichung wurden die Bänder von Paul Blakemore sorgfältig neu gemastert.

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.