Modern Cool

A music track that's become one of my go-to references for exceptionally good recorded sound is the tune "Company," that comes from jazz pianist and singer Patricia Barber's classic 1998 album Modern Cool.

The version that I've become greatly enamored with in recent weeks is taken from Native DSD Music's new Stereo DSD 512 transfer, which is offered in perhaps the finest sound quality this album has ever experienced.

The track features a quartet setting, where Mark Walker's thunderous, propulsive drumbeat opens the track; Patricia Barber's smoky/sweet alto voice speaks/sings the vocal entry over the drums, as Michael Arnopol's subterranean bass underpins the goings-on. As the song continues, Dave Douglas' trumpet punctuates the proceedings.

This is maybe the most dynamic jazz recording on my entire music server, especially in its new Stereo DSD 512 guise.

Modern Cool is an atmospheric foray into the off-beat sensibility of Patricia Barber, a young pianist and singer from Chicago. Her compositions are intelligent observations of modern urban life, beginning with "Touch of Trash," a portrait of a perfectly made-up woman who's "just a culture short of class.

Smart songs about the way we think and live, not just about the way we love. This is the kind of art we need to be on the lookout for everywhere. The 21st century has started. We can’t afford to be left behind.

Sonically, one of the best recordings ever made by a jazz singer with a small acoustic ensemble.

Wow! This is certainly a candidate for Best Surround Sound Album of 2012. A marvellous product.

Sultry jazz singer Patricia Barber's "Modern Cool" album was a hit with the audiophile crowd soon after its release in 1998, so I was surprised to see it come out on Blu-ray with a new 5.1-channel DTS Master Audio mix. Even more surprised that the surround mix totally works. You're in the middle of the band, which I usually don't care for, but it clicks here. Barber wrote a lot of the tunes, but her cover of the Doors' "Light My Fire" is a standout track.