Live At Jazzland features famed Blues Guitarist and Singer Hans Theessink. The album was recorded Live to Analog Tape on Saturday, February 2, 2013, at the wonderful Jazzland Jazz Club in Vienna, Austria. Here he also plays his traditional (three) “New Year’s Concerts” in the prestigious jazz club “Jazzland”, so it happened at the turn of the year 2011-2012 on December 31, 2011, and on February 1 and 2, 2012. Fortunately, the last of the three concerts were recorded by the couple Dirk Sommer and Birgit Hammer-Sommer from Sommelier du Son.
Dirk Sommer from Steward of Sound (Sommelier du Son) has transferred the album from the Original Analog Master Tape to Stereo DSD 256 using the Mytek Brooklyn Analog to Digital Converter. It is exclusively available in Stereo DSD 256 as well as Stereo DSD 128 and DSD 64 at NativeDSD. The DSD 512, DSD 128 and DSD 64 editions of the album were created in the DSD Domain by Tom Caulfield at NativeDSD Mastering Labs using the Signalyst HQ Player 4 Pro mastering software. It is a DSD Exclusive, Not Available on SACD release.
Listening to Hans Theessink live is a breathtaking experience; only very few artists have a similar presence. Full of fun and energy, he plays ten songs here, just guitar and vocals, occasionally a little harmonica or foot-tapping, creating a denser atmosphere than most bands. He just got it, the blues. In addition to his own compositions and classics, there are also songs from Soul, R & B, or RocknRoll, but Theessink manages in his incomparable way to make their blues roots stand out clearly.
So the concert and thus the album is all about the Delta blues and old heroes like Muddy Waters, Big Bill Broonzy (to whom the song “Big Bills Guitar” is dedicated) or Sonny Boy Williamson. The concert recording itself took place at great expense, ranging from deliberate microphone to a “clean” power supply with special network synchronizers and network conditioners. But it has more than paid off, the sound quality is outstanding and the often-tried phrase from the concert in the living room is really true. The concert atmosphere can be relived in a vivid and nuanced way – not only the audiophile connoisseur will appreciate the efforts of Sommelier du Son here. Thus, this is a real treat in both musical and audiophile respects.
Hans Theessink – Guitar, Steel Guitar, Mouth Harp, Vocals
Tracklist
Please note that the below previews are loaded as 44.1 kHz / 16 bit.Total time: 00:43:52
Additional information
| Label | |
|---|---|
| SKU | sds0016 |
| Qualities | |
| Channels | |
| Artists | |
| Composers | Blind Blake, Chuck Berry, K. C. Douglas, Primerose, Rufus Thomas, Theessink, Traditional |
| Genres | |
| Analog Tape Recorders | Studer A810 Tape Recorders |
| Analog to Digital Converters | Playback Designs Pinot – Analog to DSD 256 Converter (DSD 256); Signalyst HQ Player 4 Pro "EC" modulators (DSD 256 to DSD 512, DSD 128, DSD 64 Transfers) |
| Mastering Engineer | Christoph Stickel and Dirk Sommer at MSM Studios, Munich, Germany (Original Recording), Dirk Sommer – Direct Analog to DSD 256 Stereo Transfer of the Analog Master Tape; Tom Caulfield at NativeDSD Mastering Lab – DSD 512, DSD 128, DSD 64 Stereo created with Signalyst HQ Player 4 Pro "EC" modulators |
| Microphones | AKG D7 (Vocals), Rode NT4 (Guitar), AKG Solid Tube (Front of Guitar Amp), Strand (Harp), Sennheiser MD 421-2 (Foot Tapping) |
| Monitoring Room | Grapevine Headamp 4, Beyer Dynamic Headphones, Amphion Two 15 Speakers, Bryson 2B-LP Amplifier, PS Audio Power Plant |
| Original Recording Format | |
| Producer | Dirk Sommer and Birgit Hammer-Sommer, Sommelier du Son in Cooperation with Fink Audio Consulting |
| Recording Engineer | Dirk Sommer and Birgit Hammer-Sommer |
| Recording Location | Jazzland Jazz Club in Vienna, Austria on February 2, 2013 |
| Recording Type & Bit Rate | Analog |
| Release Date | November 23, 2018 |
Press reviews
HiFi Critic
As the name of the label suggests, this is a recording for which all the audiophile ducks were set in a row, from microphone choice to cleaning up the power supply for the recording gear using a PS Power Plant.
Five separate microphones were used from three different brands – one just for Theesink’s foot-tapping! It was mixed on location at the Jazzland club in Vienna and recorded to Studer A810 analog tape machines. With monitoring using a dedicated headphone amp to drive Beyer Dynamics headphones, and a Bryston amp powering Amphion speakers. Oh, and the whole thing was produced in association with Fink Audio Consulting – a name which will need no introduction here.
Audiophile enough for you? Good – now forget all that stuff and just listen to the man play, for play he certainly can on this bluesy set of mainly self-penned tracks, most of which bear their inspirations prominently on their sleeve. And when Theesink does cover a classic, as he does with his acoustic take on Chuck Berry’s Maybelline, you’ll find it hard not to smile.
This is a real foot-tapper of a set, but it will leave you in awe of the performer’s technique and sheer talent – or at least it will the second time you listen. The first you’re likely to be enjoying it too much.
Blues Revue
Hans Theessink is an international blues treasure. He is one of the world’s pre-eminent Country Pickers and his warm baritone expresses Blues.
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