FYI
The download quality is only between 174 and 189kbps.
Write a Review 2 Member Reviews
Sublime, austere beauty
The background: Barbara Thompson is a very fine English jazz composer and player on sax (and other wind instruments), who's been around since the 70s, mostly playing with Paraphernalia, her excellent band. However, Songs from the Centre of The Earth is different, consisting of her renditions of old folk standards from around the world; it was recorded in a 14th Century French cathedral in the middle of a summer's night, just one woman playing soprano, alto or tenor, and one microphone. The joy of this album is in the stunning acoustics: you get the most exquisite, natural reverb, and because the pieces are all slow, the effect is unlike anything else I've heard. The listener really hears the atmosphere of the cathedral. It must have been a bloody good microphone! Please check out this wonderful recording, music lovers, if this description sounds even slightly appealing, as you won't regret it.
