Pleased with the Rosemary Clooney SACDs

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BiggerzBetter

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These two new SACDs -- Girl Singer and White Christmas -- are a pleasant surprise. It sure is nice to have Ms. Clooney's voice on SACD, and the Concord Jazz label certainly took the time and effort to make these releases shine.

I should say right upfront that these albums were recorded in the 90s (Girl Singer in late 1991 and White Christmas in early 1996). I don't mean to be disrespectful, but Clooney was near the end of her career and her voice had lost a good deal of its vibrancy by the times she recorded these. That's particularly evident on White Christmas, and I felt a little sad hearing this great singer waiver on or stretch for certain notes on that recording.

But hey, it is Rosemary Clooney and these two SACDs sound just great. The liner notes from Concord Jazz indicate that they transferred the analog masters into the DSD medium first and then proceeded to mix the m/c versions entirely in DSD to produce the best possible results. I think they achieved it. These are both smooth-sounding titles in the extreme. There's not a harsh note or shrill sound to be found anywhere. The music is incredibly warm and intimate and there's a real spaciousness to the music. The back cover for Girl Singer says that it's almost like having Rosemary Clooney right in the room with you, and they ain't far off.

Both titles are hybrids and also offer 2-channel and 5.1-channel DSD mixes. I'm very impressed with the m/c channel mix. The majority of instruments are left to the front sound fields, and Clooney's voice is not locked into the center channel (a good thing, IMHO). The rear channels are used to fully support the front channels, but not so that they call attention to themselves. That doesn't mean they simply provide reverb for the front channels; the rears are used discretely but in a way that simply adds a fullness to the sound. When the big band orchestra really kicks in, it's a delight to hear. I did think that the rear channel support wasn't used as much as it could have been on White Christmas, however. On that disc, Ms. Clooney is supported by a vocal group (in the style of The Manhattan Transfer) that really could have been worked through each and every speaker in a splashy fashion. Even so, I think both titles sound just great in SACD m/c.

Both discs run 50+ minutes each and have full liner notes on both the original productions and the SACD credits.
 
I picked up the Girl Singer title yesterday and would echo the above. Nice sounding disc - unbelievably warm and smooth.
As for the vocals - it was indeed near the end of her career but personally I find the closeness of the vocals very interesting. I have had the same discussions about the new B.B.King SACD as well. Certainly he is struggling to 'hit the notes" but there is a lived in quality to these performances that I really like.
On the same page would be Billie Holiday's Lady In Satin SACD. This album is very tough to listen to as she is really at the end but there is a level of commitment and heart in the performance that is breath taking in it's own way. I have read somewhere that LIS was Billie's fave recording which I think speaks volumns about where it was coming from.
All of the above is certainly in IMHO but thought I would throw it out there for discussion.
Love this Forum!!!
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BiggerzBetter said:
These two new SACDs -- Girl Singer and White Christmas -- are a pleasant surprise. It sure is nice to have Ms. Clooney's voice on SACD, and the Concord Jazz label certainly took the time and effort to make these releases shine.

The majority of instruments are left to the front sound fields, and Clooney's voice is not locked into the center channel (a good thing, IMHO). The rear channels are used to fully support the front channels, but not so that they call attention to themselves.

Can't say I've heard either of the Rosemary Clooney SACDs yet. But I would disagree on Center channel only vocals. On a high end SACD player, they are definitely compelling and worth seeking out in my experience.
 
While not a Multichannel SACD, Rosemary Clooney fans will want to check out the Hybrid Stereo SACD "Rosemary Clooney With Love" on the Groove Note label (GRV 1018-3).

As with other Groove Note SACD remasters of the Concord Jazz catalog, this one is produced by Joe Harley and Ying Tan and remastered by Bernie Grundman.

Excellent sonics. Recommended.
 
Hi,
I pickedup Girl Singer and didn't quite know what to expect. I like it but it's not Diana Krall.

Of the few stars I've met, I met her by accident at a BB King concert at the Imperial room in Toronto. BB introduced her as "in the audience" and when she stoodup she was at the next table. I said hi and we chatted a bit at the break. that was in 81 or 2

Peter m.
 
I did a separate post looking for the song that starts out with Rosey as a child singing with her sisters in mono & morphs into modern day glorious surround sound--making for a great demo. Is that one of the tracks on this WC release...can anyone confirm?
 
I did a separate post looking for the song that starts out with Rosey as a child singing with her sisters in mono & morphs into modern day glorious surround sound--making for a great demo. Is that one of the tracks on this WC release...can anyone confirm?
Per your other post, I checked out which albums of hers were released on SACD and then found those streaming on Tidal. After previewing each disc, I did not find the song you have described. While not a fan of hers necessarily, I am now caught up in the mystery…
 
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