CES 2005: Chesky Releases Two SACDs at CES During Show Sale

CES 2005: Chesky Records continued its tradition of offering some very low prices on discs in its catalog at the Alexis Park Music Room. In addition to some very aggressive pricing, attendees also received the first opportunity to buy two new Hybrid Multichannel Super Audio CD discs from the label. Here’s a look at what is happening at the Chesky Records booth at CES 2005.

Sale Pricing Starting at $10
Sal Capolucca, the veteran sales man from Chesky Records was again behind the table at the Alexis Park Music Room. Sal has the entire Chesky catalog of discs available for sale at some very attractive prices. During CES, audiophile music fans can pick up the label’s CD titles for $10 each, Super Audio CD titles for $15 each and DVD Video and DVD Audio titles for $20 each.

Checking the selection at the Chesky Records booth, the label was offering copies of many of their Stereo CD titles, all of their Super Audio CD titles and four DVD Audio titles. Also on sale were DVD Videos by Chesky Records artists Chuck Mangione and Sara K.

Two New Chesky Super Audio CDs at the Show
In addition to low prices, CES attendees are often given the chance to buy discs that won’t appear in music stores until later in the month. This was the case at the Chesky Records booth with two new Multichannel SACDs that are available at CES this weekend to show attendees at bargain prices.

Carlos Franzetti’s The Jazz Kamerata is a collection of 10 jazz compositions by artists including Miles Davis, Pat Metheny, Keith Jarrett, Clare Fischer, Eugenio Toussain, Claus Ogerman, Steve Kuhn, Bill Evans and Wayne Shorter. The selections are by an 8 musicians including Jay Leonhart and Lawrence Feldman.

In the liner notes for The Jazz Kamerata, Franzetti says that “The idea was it take jazz standards – not pop songs that have become standards – and set them in a chamber jazz format with a strings and woodwinds ensemble, maintaining the element of improvisation by the sax, the piano and the bass while the ripieno works like a chamber group. This is a mood album. A disc that, I hope, can put people in a certain place.”

The other new Multichannel SACD from Chesky is a Classical Music release by Area 31. This is a performance of three classical music selections written by David Chesky by an ensemble named Area 31 that is conducted by Anthony Aibel. High Fidelity Review readers will recall that Chesky’s policy is to release their Classical Music SACDs as Hybrid Single Inventory discs with no separate Stereo CD edition. Sal tells me that the Area 31 album is indeed an SACD only release – which enables him to sell it to music fans at CES for only $10! Not a bad deal indeed for a brand new title from Chesky.

  • Carlos Franzetti – The Jazz Kamerata: Plays The Music of Miles Davis, Pat Metheny, Keith Jarrett, Clare Fischer, Eugenio Toussain, Claus Ogerman, Steve Kuhn, Bill Evans and Wayne Shorter (Chesky SACD 287)
  • Anthony Aibel, Area 31 – Chesky: Concerto for Violin & Orchestra, The Girl from Guatemala, Concerto for Flute and Orchestra (Chesky SACD 288)