Recorded live at Denver’s Dazzle music venue, Reason features pianist Deutsch, the extraordinary singer Theo Bleckmann and woodwind player Sly5thAve in an adventurous set of boundary-stretching songs
Boulder, Colorado, March 4, 2024 – The latest Octave Records release, Reason by Erik Deutsch, Theo Bleckmann and Sly5thAve takes jazz, pop and avant-garde flavors into a compelling musical adventure. Recorded live at Dazzle, one of Boulder, Colorado’s premier performance venues, Reason combines masterful instrumental playing and Bleckmann’s virtuoso singing with you-are-there Pure DSD sound.
Pianist Erik Deutsch is a world-class musician who tours with the Black Crowes and who has played with a wide range of artists including Norah Jones, Shelby Lynne, Don Byron, Warren Haynes, Levon Helm, Bill Kreutzmann and many others. He plays acoustic and Rhodes electric piano on Reason. Theo Bleckmann is a renowned vocalist, composer and GRAMMY-nominated artist and the recipient of a prestigious JAZZ ECHO award from Germany’s Deutsche Phono-Akademie. Multi-instrumentalist, producer, arranger and composer Sly5thAve has roots in hip-hop, soul, R&B and jazz. He plays bass clarinet, saxophone and flute on the album.
Reason was recorded and mixed using Octave Records’ Pure DSD process, and the sound quality is exceptionally pure – richly textured, with depth, body, spaciousness, and dynamic nuance.
The song selection on Reason is as eclectic as the playing, from Theo Bleckmann originals like “Happiness,” with its compelling intervallic leaps and complex harmonies, to the band’s distinctively different take on Pink’s “God Is a DJ,” and “Nearer Suns,” based on a Franz Schubert composition. All the tracks were done in one take with no overdubs – all the more remarkable considering all three musicians manipulated their instruments and vocals in real-time using what seem like synthesizers and studio effects, but are part of the live performances. The band sounds utterly unique and the instruments are remarkably well-recorded, from the presence and overtones of the Yamaha grand piano to the distinctive character and resonance of Sly5thAve’s bass clarinet.
The album was recorded by Steven Vidaic with Giselle Collazo assisting, mixed by Jay Elliott, and mastered by Gus Skinas. The album features Octave’s premium gold disc formulation, and the disc is playable on any SACD, CD, DVD, or Blu-ray player. It also has a high-resolution DSD layer that is accessible by using any SACD player or a PS Audio SACD transport. In addition, the master DSD and PCM files are available for purchase and download, including DSD 256, DSD 128, DSD 64, and DSDDirect Mastered 352.8 kHz/24-bit, 176.2 kHz/24-bit, 88.2 kHz/24-bit, and 44.1 kHz/24-bit PCM. (SRP: $19 – $39, depending on format.)
About PS Audio
Founded in 1973, PS Audio has earned a worldwide reputation for excellence in manufacturing innovative, high-value, leading-edge audio products. Located in Boulder, Colorado at the foothills of the Rocky Mountains, PS Audio’s staff of talented designers, engineers, production and support people build each product to deliver extraordinary performance and musical satisfaction. The company’s wide range of award-winning products include the all-in-one Sprout100 integrated amplifier, audio components, power regenerators and power conditioners.
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