Yuko Mabuchi Trio Vol. 1 Yarlung Records 45 RPM Vinyl

“The Real Deal!” Anthony Kershaw reviews Yuko Mabuchi Trio Vol 1, 180 Gram pressing, 45RPM Diane and Craig Martin, executive producers (Randy Bellous, executive producer for CD) “Mabuchi is a jazz pianist blessed with taste, a gorgeous piano tone… superb improvisational skills and can swing. Unless we’re talking about the greats, many jazz pianists today may possess two or even three of those talents, but Mabuchi has all four. “The recording by Yarlung is an audiophile’s wet dream.” This was a very fortuitous vinyl find during a typical internet search of interesting LPs via Amazon, Discogs, eBay, you know, a basic Saturday morning record search. What’s good out there? What can I afford this weekend? … The 45 RPM mastering on this release was by Bernie Grundmann. So, the gold standard for an all-analogue LP. Japanese jazz pianist Yuko Mabuchi began playing piano at the age of 4. She was Continue Reading →

Karina Karina Cannelakis conducts Bartók’s Concerto for Orchestra on Pentatone

Bartok’s “Concerto for Orchestra” has long been one of my favorite symphonic compositions. I like the music, the story behind the commission, and the many extraordinary recordings available of this remarkable work. Live performances that stick happily in my memory include several with Esa-Pekka Salonen and one conducted by Gustavo Dudamel, all with the Los Angeles Philharmonic in Walt Disney Concert Hall. This is an ensemble that prides itself in extraordinary performances of new music. The unique sound of LA Phil strings may have something to do with this well-deserved reputation. I have a personal confession to make. Before Yarlung Records was born, we used to gather with friends to listen to multiple recordings of the same work over long multi-course dinners and sometimes with exotic speakers or amplifiers to share with our friends. We haven’t had time to do this since and I miss these evenings. They enabled us Continue Reading →

Symmetria Pario: Creation “My immediate reaction was to stand and cheer”

When you take contemporary compositions from nine different composers (six of which were commissioned for your recital), and you add the brilliant artistry of Pekka Kuusisto and Joonas Ahonen, and you record it in a world class, acoustically magnificent music hall using some of the best microphones and recording equipment available, and you then mix it all together with the musical sensibilities of recording engineer and producer Bob Attiyeh… YOU GET MAGIC! After listening through this album for the first time, my immediate reaction was to stand and cheer.  Bob Attiyeh had told me that he thought this might be the best sounding recording Yarlung has yet released. I thought to myself, “Naw…, this is just your most recent child and you love it because of that.” But no. Bob is right. Sonically, this album is a masterpiece. Musically it is equally compelling.  Executive producer Russell Ward generously underwrote six Continue Reading →

A Brilliant Recording by Katelyn Bouska on Yarlung Records

02-22-2023 | By Rushton Paul | PFO, Issue 125 This is a brilliant new release by pianist Katelyn Bouska, recorded and mastered in Pure DSD256 by Bob Attiyeh of Yarlung Records. But what makes this recording truly special are the musical works selected and the stories of the composers, all women who were at the cutting edge of the contemporary music scenes in their various environments and were refugees, or barely survived, or didn’t survive the environments that made their situations so difficult. Women and War and Peace, Katelyn Bouska, piano. Yarlung Records 2023 (Pure DSD256) HERE [Alternative formats HERE] Print space is always limited, even in an online journal. But when there comes along a release of such exceptional merit, with such an exceptional story to share, and performed and recorded so brilliantly as this, then space must be made and priorities shifted. Not only is Katelyn Bouska, who teaches at the Curtis Continue Reading →

Rushton Paul writes about “Sacred Trance Music from Taos Mountain”

“Go to your quiet place, turn out the lights, transport to the original recording session with these musicians. The sound quality is that good—immersive, translucent, and transcending. And the musical performances are that subtle, seductive, and enveloping. “Bob Attiyeh, Yarlung Records, has ever been an adventurous supporter of new, emerging artists. His recordings have long been favorites of mine. And he does not disappoint with this new release…. “At present, Habib is in the middle of two-year pilgrimage, studying the teachings, history, culture and music of venerated Sufi teachers and saints in India, Pakistan and other parts of the world. Habib is studying and absorbing more of this rich tradition to incorporate into his own spiritual, musical and practice. He looks forward to sharing these traditions and the experience of universal unity they inspire more fully with the world in coming years. Here he is, a traveler and seeker of Continue Reading →

“Lifeline” and “Yuko Mabuchi plays Miles Davis” win Album of the Year awards!

NativeDSD does great work.  Founded by recording legend Jared Sacks and his son Jonas, NativeDSD provides the highest quality DSD downloads around the world.  And the golden-eared connoisseurs who judge the best albums in their categories every year know their music. It is therefore a huge honor that Yuko Mabuchi plays Miles Davis and Lifeline: Music of the Underground Railroad won best album of the year in their respective categories.  Congratulations to Yuko, Michelle, Del, Bobby, Quinton, Mike, JJ and Walter for such excellent performances, and sincere thanks to the jury at NativeDSD for choosing to recognize their work in such an important fashion.  Thank you to our generous sponsors and executive directors who made these albums possible.  These musical successes always take a strong team.  Kudos to Toyota North America, Stratton Petit Foundation, Randy & Linda Bellous, Craig & Diane Martin, Ann Mulally, Steven A. Block, Raulee Marcus, Leslie Continue Reading →

Dr. David W. Robinson Awards Yarlung Records the 2015 Brutus Award in support of the label’s promotion of our musicians in high resolution DSD

The cutting edge Positive Feedback Brutus Awards are given at the end of each year by Dave Clark and Dr. David W. Robinson. They are awards for the best products that PFO’s editors have heard in their listening rooms during the past year. Yarlung Records was once again selected  as one of this year’s honorees. Dr. Robinson writes: “The song continues! Bob Attiyeh and Yarlung Records have continued their Quad DSD series of transfers from Bob’s masterpieces on analog tape (15 ips half-track quarter-inch tape). Working with Jared Sacks, Tom Caulfield, and the other folks at NativeDSD.com, Bob handles the raw transfers from his master tapes via the industry-leading Merging Technologies HAPI ADDA (which he now owns!) to Quad DSD. The inimitable Tom Caulfield, a Grammy winner himself, does the post-production work, and then sends the DSD files along to NativeDSD for publication. You can find Bob Attiyeh’s recordings in Continue Reading →

Dr. David W. Robinson, Postive Feedback, and DSD

Our greatest and most important ambassador for high resolution DSD playback of music files may be Dr. David W. Robinson, audiophile and Editor-in-Chief of Positive Feedback, the famed online audio magazine based in Oregon.  David became a friend some years ago and his encouragement and downright insistence have inspired success for Yarlung Records in two distinct arenas. First, David was one of the first and most important reviewers to write high-visibility articles on Yarlung’s releases on analog tape.  He fell in love with our SonoruS Series of recordings. The SonoruS Series of analog tapes  Second and more recently, David convinced us that he and his readers and listening friends around the world wanted access to the highest resolution digital transfers of these tapes, and that we needed to create 256fs[1] DSD files of this music, sampled at 11.2 megaherz, which is 4 times the speed of a Super Audio CD and Continue Reading →

Genesis DSD Quartet, new DSD downloads

Genesis Advanced Technologies sponsored Yarlung’s new quartet of High Res DSD downloads, including Sir Neville Marriner, Frederic Rosselet, Petteri Iivonen, Smoke & Mirrors percussion ensemble, Gerard Schwarz, The Colburn Orchestra and Nigel Armstrong: Click here to connect directly with NativeDSD.com to download the music We sampled Elliot Midwood’s 45 RPM 180-Gram pressing of Ciaramella Dances, our March release. Thank you Adam, Rotem and Elliot, our executive producer. http://www.yarlungrecords.com/news/ciaramella-dances/ To celebrate the 100th birthday of Billie Holiday last week, we debuted the first 180 Gram vinyl pressing from Sophisticated Lady jazz quartet, with the ensembles improvisation on “Strange Fruit.” Thank you Ann and Bill Harmsen, executive producers! http://www.yarlungrecords.com/news/sophisticated-lady-jazz/ Our most heartfelt thanks to Gary Koh and Genesis Advanced Technologies for sponsoring the Genesis Quartet.  A thousand thanks also to Elliot Midwood and Nita Millstein for hosting our presentation at Acoustic Image.  Nita, you baked the most spectacular coffee cake for us! Continue Reading →

Yarlung introduces the Genesis Quartet

Dear NativeDSD aficionados, Working with friends in the music business is part of why music is so enjoyable. This is certainly the case collaborating with the team at NativeDSD, and it is the case preparing music with Gary Koh, president of Genesis Advanced Technologies, who generously sponsored this new quartet of albums. Lucky audiophiles have heard and have then yearned someday to own the legendary G1 Genesis Loudspeakers. Fortunately, the company also designs more “family friendly” speakers and amplifiers, several of which Gary and I will use today for our first presentation of the DSD Genesis Quartet at Acoustic Image in Los Angeles. This quartet includes some of my favorite music in the Yarlung catalog, the transcendent percussion concerto by Toru Takemitsu, the stylish debut recording by American violinist Nigel Armstrong, Swiss cellist Frederic Rosselet playing Bach and Ligeti, and Petteri Iivonen, from Finland, treating us to his interpretations of Brahms and Ysaye. Continue Reading →