AAA 100% Analogue This LP was Remastered using Pure Analogue Components Only from the Master Tapes through to the Cutting Head

Pure Pleasure / Columbia - PPAN CS9137 - 180 Gram Virgin Vinyl

AAA 100% Analogue - Audiophile Mastering by Ray Staff at Air Mastering London

Limited Edition - Pressed at Pallas in Germany - Columba CS 9137

Byrd originally got hot on Brazilian music when he toured South America in 1961. The next year Tom Newsom was a saxist and arranger with Benny Goodman’s band and spent time in Brazil. So working together, the pair in 1965 have assembled a delightful look at the music of the renowned Brazilian guitarist/composer/singer Jobim. The remasteringrom Ray Staff at Air Mastering in London—is a terrific job and the warm vinyl sonics should please any audiophile - Audiophileaudition

Timeless Brazilian jazz music of bossa nova giant Antonio Carlos Jobim with string, brass, and woodwind accompaniment tastefully arranged by Tommy Newsom. In addition to Jobim's well known material like "The Girl from Ipanema" and "Corcovado," the melodic and evocative 12-song set includes Byrd's sophisticated takes on the ethereal pieces "Dindi," "O Amor Em Paz" and "Someone to Light Up My Life (Se Todos Fossem Iguais A Voce)."

The arrangements by Tommy Newsom for strings, brass, and woodwinds may be a bit sweet and the 13 performances (which on the LPinclude a previously unreleased take of "Engano") may be overly concise (often under three minutes), but the resulting music is strangely pleasing. Acoustic guitarist Charlie Byrd always had a strong affinity for Brazilian jazz, and he sticks exclusively to Antonio Carlos Jobim songs (including "Só Danço Samba," "Corcovado," "Dindi," and "The Girl from Ipanema") during this tasteful and melodic effort. Truly beautiful music. Allmusic 

What a delightful album! No pretense, no navel gazing, no looking for deep, esoteric meanings, Brazilian Byrd is simply a collection of a dozen lovely tunes, only four of which last over three minutes, performed with enthusiasm and class. Another Columbia recording laid down within the cavernous walls of their famed 30th Street Studio, this Teo Macero-produced, mid-'60s LP features the underappreciated guitarist Charlie Byrd in various musical settings that either he or Tommy Newsom arranged. The fact that all of the tunes were written by Antonio Carlos Jobim, the internationally recognized Brazilian singer, songwriter and guitarist, only adds spice to the mix of sounds.

Although I would classify this music as sophisticated easy listening, Byrd shows just what an accomplished guitarist he was. A couple of the songs, "Corcovado" and "The Girl From Ipanema," will be familiar to many listeners. "Corcovado," is heard in a wide, spacious soundstage with a closely miked guitar supported by an unassuming arrangement. The next song, "Jazz 'n' Samba," is a jaunty number featuring Byrd in the company of a horn section. Slowing things down a bit, "That Look You Wear" is a lush love song with Byrd’s guitar floating on a cloud of strings. "The Girl From Ipanema," to me, is the least-successful arrangement here. It’s too busy, which is a shame since this is the most popular song on the album. "Samba Do Aviao" is another busy arrangement followed by the lovely "Engano," featuring a beautiful melody which could serve perfectly as the soundtrack to a love scene at the beach at sunset.

Side two opens with "Amor E Paz," another easily recognized Brazilian melody given a tasteful arrangement by Newsom. The intro to "Dindi" shows off the deep resonance of Byrd’s guitar. In this beautifully recorded song, your ear is only a few feet away from the face of the guitar. The next song, "Cancao Do Amor Demais," presents a strangely different acoustic, with the guitar more distant, cushioned on a bed of lush strings. Surprisingly, there is some sloppy playing from Byrd here. Next comes "As Praias Desertas," another lovely song captured in a close-miked session with minimal strings and thankfully no brass. "Samba Torto" is an up-tempo dance Samba featuring a quirky melody, the entire ensemble chipping in to fill out the arrangement. The last tune, "Someone To Light Up My Life," is another lush love song with a fine arrangement by Newsom and beautiful playing by Byrd.

The all-analog, Ray Staff-mastered, Pallas-pressed LP is admirably quiet and free of blemishes. It is not an audiophile spectacular by any measure, just a straightforward recording. Nevertheless, Byrd’s nylon-stringed guitar is captured beautifully. From the deep resonance of the guitar’s body to the crisp, firmly plucked, brittle top strings, the miking seemed just right to convey a believable impression of a man playing his guitar in your room. Surprisingly, on my copy the sides were mislabeled. Side 1 was actually side 2 and vice versa.

Brazilian Byrd is not a record with which to show off your system. Instead, it is an antidote to the hi-fi spectaculars often heard at shows. It is simply charming and ear-cleansing.

Musicians:
Charlie Byrd, guitar

Charlie Byrd, guitar and with strings, brass & woodwinds

Recording: 1965
Production: Teo Macero

1.  Jazz 'n' Samba (So Danco Samba)

 

 

Pure Pleasure Records
The Restoration of the Art of Sound
180g Vinyl Mastered From The Best Available Sources

At the beginning of the 90s, in the early days of audiophile vinyl re-releases, the situation was fairly straightforward. Companies such as DCC, Mobile Fidelity, Classic Records and, of course, Pure Pleasure all maintained a mutual, unwritten ethical code: we would only use analogue tapes to manufacture records. During the course of the present vinyl hype, many others have jumped on the bandwagon in the hope of securing a corner of the market. Very often they are not so ethical and use every imaginable source to master from: CDs, LPs, digital files, MP3s – or employed existent tools from the 80s and 90s for manufacturing.

A digital delay is gladly used when cutting a lacquer disc because tape machines with an analogue delay have become quite rare and are therefore expensive. When cutting the lacquer, the audio signal is delayed by one LP revolution against the signal, which controls the cutter head, and for this a digital delay is very often employed. Of course, the resultant sound signal is completely digital and thus only as good as this delay.

We should like to emphasize that Pure Pleasure Records on principle only uses the original master tape as the basis for the entirely analogue cutting of lacquer discs. In addition, the pressing tool is newly manufactured as a matter of principle. We only employ existing tools for manufacturing if an improved result is not forthcoming, e.g. the title Elvis Is Back, which was mastered by Steve Hoffman and Kevin Gray, or several titles from our Philips Classics series, which in any case Willem Makkee cut from the original masters at the Emil Berliner Studios in the 90s. It goes without saying that we only used the mother and that new tools were made for our production. To put it in a nutshell: we can ensure you that our releases are free from any kind of digital effects and that the lacquer discs are newly cut.

There really is nothing quite like it.  It’s the touch, the feel, you have to stop and stare, the cover,  the real thing, even the smell.

Its tangible, you can feel it, see it, study it,   muse/dream over it, it’s real, someone  has spent hours and hours over its construction and presentation. Pure Pleasure Records is just that, Pure Pleasure and that is what it has set out to be.  

The music and the physical record.  Something to keep, treasure, admire and above all enjoy.Of course with vinyl it’s not just a record, it’s the cover,  the sleeve notes, you are  holding a unique package, produced by craftsmen.

Pure Pleasure  Records bring you vinyl albums of quality Jazz - Blues - R+B - Soul - Funk, remastered by some of the best engineers in the world and pressed on 180 gram audiophile vinyl at what is probably the best pressing plant in Europe 

Pure Analogue Audiophile Mastering 
Plated and Pressed at Pallas in Germany on 180 Gram Virgin Vnyl 
Released in Limited Quantities

PALLAS

Audiophile Vinyl - Made in Germany  For over 60 years the family business in the third generation of the special personal service and quality "Made by Pallas" is known worldwide. Our custom PVC formulation produces consistently high pressing quality with the lowest surface noise in the industry. Our PVC complies with 2015 European environmental standards and does not contain toxic materials such as Lead, Cadmium or Toluene. Our vinyl is both audiophile and eco-grade!