Post Description

Tracklisting:
1. Mediterranean Sundance/Rio Ancho
2. Short Tales of the Black Forest
3. Frevo Rasgado
4. Fantasia Suite
5. Guardian Angel





Passion, Grace & Fire
Label: Columbia Japan | Catalog Number: SRGS 4587 | 1.33GB

Very much viewed by the afficionados as the sister recording to "Friday Night In San Francisco" (read my review), this disc is a studio recording by the same three masters 2 years after their live gig in SFO. The reason Stephen could not categorize this music is because it has created its own category imo - I call it Latin World Jazz :-)
This is another nice golden Japanese SACD with exemplary sound. THIS ladies and gentleman is the standard to which other SACD's should be measured! The recording levels are fairly low allowing you to turn up the volume to get that close and alive sound of guitar strings exploding in the acoustic. And explode they do. And it NEVER gets harsh or brittle, ever. This is even more surprising if one takes into consideration that originally this was a PCM recording (low rez 16/44) converted to DSD. This demonstrates the benefits of DSD'ing PCM.
Whilst the FNISF disc has the live atmosphere and the palpable enthusiasm of the crowd, this disc does not play second fiddle in the guitar pyrotechnics department. But I find that PG&F is more melodic and less showy. The dosis of virtuoso solo's is better dispersed and more tastefully applied. But I want no bad words said of the Friday Night disc - an all-time favorite!
'Orient Blue Suite', an Al Di Meola tune, for example is rich in texture and beautiful in its expansiveness. And so is the ballad (well it's not really a ballad) 'David' written by John McLaughlin. This music is so refreshing. 
Guitar fans, you know what to do....