Chesky Records Issues 3 New SACDs and Launches 25% Off Holiday Sale

Chesky Records has released three new Surround Sound Super Audio CDs. The SACDs include new releases by Marta Gomez and the 52nd Street Blues Project as well as a reissue of Chuck Mangione’s The Feeling’s Back album. The SACDs by Marta Gomez and the 52nd Street Blues Project are “day and date” releases which were released on the same date in both SACD and CD Audio formats.

Fans of the Chesky Records label, which specializes in audiophile recordings of jazz and classical music as well as an ambient approach to Surround Sound in many of their high resolution audio releases, will also be interested to hear that Chesky is offering a 25% Off Holiday Sale on their entire catalog for orders placed over the Internet. Here’s more on the Super Audio CD releases and Holiday Sale from Chesky.

The Feeling’s Back
Chuck Mangione
SACD Surround Sound/SACD Stereo/CD Audio

(Chesky SACD-282)

The Feeling’s Back was Chuck Magione’s first album for Chesky. It has been previously issued in CD Audio and DAD formats and is now available in Super Audio CD Surround Sound. It follows the label’s earlier SACD release of Mangione’s album Everything for Love (Chesky SACD-226).

Chesky says that “Chuck Mangione, the jazz artist who made the world “feel so good,” has brought the feeling back. On his magnificant Chesky debut, Chuck showcases why he is a major force in contemporary jazz and an icon of smooth jazz. Soothing melodies, seductive Brazilian rhythms, and the sound of his legendary horn is front and center as Chuck performs his own compositions, as well as those by Antonio Carlos Jobim, Luis Bonfa, Dorival Caymmi and more. Re-issued for the first time as an SACD, The Feeling’s Back has a sound so true-to-life, your ears will transport you into the heart of these special performances. Come share the feeling of the man with the horn — and the hat.”

Album Tracks
1. Mountain Flight
2. Consuelo’s Love Theme
3. Leonardo’s Lady
4. Fotografia
5. Quase
6. Aldovio
7. Once Upon A Love Time
8. Manha De Carnaval
9. Maracangalha
10. La Vie En Rose

Cantos De Agua Dulce (Songs of the Sweet Water)
Marta Gomez
SACD Surround Sound/SACD Stereo/CD Audio

(Chesky SACD-285)

Cantos De Agua Dulce (Songs of the Sweet Water) is the newest album by singer Martz Gomez. Gomez started singing at the age of 6 in Colombia and came to the notice of U.S. music fans with a recent album that was featured on the CD Baby independent music web site. In her debut album for Chesky, Gomez performs 14 songs that Billboard Magazine says represent “the essence of Latin cool”. Chesky says that “With her velvety voice and Jazz infused arrangements, Marta Gomez takes South American indigenous folk music into a hip new realm.”

Album Tracks
1. La Finca
2. Eso Pido Yo
3. Seis
4. Cancion De Cuna
5. Bolero
6. La Flor
7. Canta
8. Deceta
9. El Pueblo
10. Tonada De La Luna Llena
11. El Hermigueo
12. Confesion
13. Dejalo Ir
14. Aquellas Pequenas Cosas

Blues & Grass
52nd Street Blues Project
SACD Surround Sound/SACD Stereo/CD Audio

(Chesky SACD-286)

Blues and Grass is a collection of 12 blues songs recorded by a group of blues music artists. The guest musicians on the disc include Charlie Burnham, Aubrey Dayle, Queen Esther, Mark Peterson and James “Blood” Ulmer. Chesky says that the album “reflects a singular, down-home vision of the Blues and backwoods roots music. Blues & Grass is less about jamming and instrumentalists and more about chant and incantation, about old-time spirituals and story-telling.”

Album Tracks
1. My Favorite Thing
2. You Lied
3. Recess
4. My Prayer
5. Queen Esther’s Blues
6. Watermark
7. I’m Goin’
8. Where Do All The Girls Come From?
9. A Miniature Of The Bass
10. I Can’t Take It
11. Papa Don’t Know
12. Sunnyland

A Holiday 25% Off Sale from Chesky
To help ring in the holiday season, Chesky Records is offering a special 25% off sale on their entire catalog. The sale prices are in effect when music fans visit the Chesky Records web site (see link below) and place their order through the web site using the word CHESKYHOLIDAY in the “Discount Code Field” that appears on the web site’s “Order Summary”.

Chesky’s web site notes that the 25% Off Sale prices are good through December 31st. And they also note that orders made before December 13th should arrive by December 23rd – in time for Christmas.

High Resolution Audio fans will be delighted to hear that the 25% Off Catalog Sale includes all of Chesky’s Hi Rez offerings. This includes 44 Super Audio CD albums ($19.98 list price), 8 Digital Audio Disc DVD (DAD) albums ($24.98 list price) and 3 DVD Audio albums ($19.98 and $24.98 list price) in the label’s current offerings.

A Package From Chesky – By Way of Sony?
As a side note, I should mention that after ordering 4 Chesky albums that were not in my collection a few weeks back, the discs arrived nicely packaged by U.S. Priority Mail. However, what was surprising is that even though my order was processed by Chesky Records in New York, the package with the 4 discs was packaged and sent out by Sony Disc Manufacturing’s Distribution Services Operation in Terre Haute, Indiana!

So it appears that these days Sony Disc Manufacturing in Terre Haute is not only making Hybrid SACDs for other labels, they are also warehousing, packaging and shipping them to consumers as well. In this case, the services are limited to distribution since Sonopress in Germany is still making the actual SACD discs for Chesky Records.

We’ll have to see if other audiophile labels avail themselves of this service since Sony Disc Manufacturing is making Hybrid SACDs for several record companies these days, and apparently distributing them for others. It’s an interesting side business for Sony’s Disc Manufacturing group.