"Patricia Barber's 1994 audiophile classic Cafe Blue is available for the first time unmastered, Capitol Studios remix. SACD Hybrid will play on all SACD and CD players.
Cafe Blue was recorded at Chicago Recording Company in early 1994 by recording engineer Jim Anderson. It was the first release Barber recorded for Premonition Records. Recorded in 16/48 kHz on a 32-track Otari machine, the original multitracks were then transferred and remixed in 2011 at Capitol Studios in Holywood, California.
For the first time, listeners will be able to hear the mixes as they were done in the studio and not in the mastered-for-release form of all prior releases. This is the closest audio fans will get to the studio mixes - Capitol Studios remix from 2011 - and it is a remarkable experience.
Gus Skinas, of the Super Audio Center, has this to say about the SACD: "On this Cafe Blue, un-mastered and in DSD, you feel the character of Capitol's custom Neve board and you hear all the detail and feel the space of those famous analog reverb chambers."
For Mike Friedman, President of Premonition Records, the question of whether or not to release Cafe Blue un-mastered was a conundrum: "Every mastering engineer we've ever used on this recording did brilliant work. But I've always been aware of the quality of Jim Anderson's studio mixes. In the end, I thought it worthwhile to let fans of this recording hear what I heard. I think it will only serve to broaden their appreciation of Jim, Patricia, and the great musicians heard on cafe blue."
