Press release | Brian Nova is a world-class jazz guitar virtuoso and vocalist, and on Octave Records’ latest, They Say It’s Wonderful, he takes listeners on a nostalgic musical journey through a varied set of 13 favorite jazz standards and other songs. The live-in-the-studio set captures Nova’s inspired playing and the sympathetic accompaniment of bassist Ron Bland and drummer Mike Marlier in what has become Octave Records’ signature sonic realism, spaciousness and dynamic power.
Brian Nova is a Benedetto guitar artist and educator who has performed in the US and internationally with guitar greats Herb Ellis and Joe Pass as well as Arturo Sandoval, Dizzy Gillespie, Oscar Peterson and other jazz legends. They Say It’s Wonderful features Brian Nova and his trio performing a wide range of favorites including the title track, I’ve Got the World On a String, The Shadow of Your Smile, and even Emerson, Lake, & Palmer’s From the Beginning.
They Say It’s Wonderful was done live in the studio. The album was recorded using Octave Records’ custom-built Pyramix-based 32-channel DSD 256 setup, Brian’s Fender guitar amplifier was miked using a pair of Gefell M 1030 large-capsule condenser microphones, one close up and one at a distance. A pair of Neumann U67 condenser mics were employed as drum overheads, with dynamic mics on the drum kit itself. A Sennheiser MD421 and Gefell M 1030 was used to record the acoustic bass.
The album was recorded and mixed in Pure DSD256 by Paul McGowan, with Jessica Carson as producer and Terri McGowan serving as recording and mixing assistant. The album was mastered by Gus Skinas. As with previous Octave jazz recordings, the emphasis is on conveying the presence, spatiality, tonal balance and dynamic range of musicians performing in a real space. Studio trickery and gimmicks were avoided to allow the full impact of the musicians’ performance to come through. Brian Nova’s voice has a direct, natural clarity.
They Say It’s Wonderful begins with the title track, an up-tempo swinging workout that immediately reveals the album’s sonic signature, with a superb tonal balance, richly textured bass, and clear, open highs. Brian Nova’s guitar has warmth yet clarity, and he’s a master at weaving beautiful chords and inventive solo lines to complement his voice and the band’s adept playing. Next comes I’ve Got the World On a String, one of the many songs that showcases his ability to comp to support his expressive singing. But Not for Me features some tasty Wes Montgomery-style soloing and outstanding drum and bass work by the rhythm section.
Brian absolutely burns on It’s Only a Paper Moon, and also gives space for Ron Bland to take a swinging bass solo that highlights the low-end depth and harmonic texture of his acoustic bass. Drummer Marlier adds some drum breaks that punctuate the song with forward motion. You Can Depend on Me shows the trio’s subtle side, featuring a superb guitar solo interlude. Emerson, Lake & Palmer’s From the Beginning works surprisingly well as a kind of jazz samba arrangement. Other album highlights include the gorgeous chord-melody intro to You Can Depend on Me, a swinging version of The Shadow of Your Smile. usually played as a ballad, and the bass and drum interplay on the album’s closer, Just Friends.
They Say It’s Wonderful features Octave’s premium gold disc formulation, and the disc is playable on any SACD, CD, DVD, or Blu-ray player. It also has a high-resolution DSD layer that is accessible by using any SACD player or a PS Audio SACD transport. In addition, the master DSD and PCM files are available for purchase and download, including DSD 512, DSD 256, DSD 128, DSD 64, and DSDDirect Mastered 352.8 kHz/24-bit, 176.2 kHz/24-bit, 88.2 kHz/24-bit, and 44.1 kHz/24-bit PCM. SRP 29.00 USD.
About Octave Records
Octave Records was founded in 2019 to offer the finest-quality high-resolution recordings and compensate musicians fairly for their work using a business model where all production costs are paid for up front, allowing the musicians to directly share in sales revenues and retain ownership of their music. Chief engineer Gus Skinas has hundreds of recording credits and helped develop the state-of-the-art Sonoma pure-DSD recording system used exclusively by Octave Records.
About PS Audio
Founded in 1973, PS Audio has earned a worldwide reputation for excellence in manufacturing innovative, high-value, leading-edge audio products. Located in Boulder, Colorado at the foothills of the Rocky Mountains, PS Audio’s staff of talented designers, engineers, production and support people build each product to deliver extraordinary performance and musical satisfaction. The company’s wide range of award-winning products include the all-in-one Sprout100 integrated amplifier, audio components, power regenerators and power conditioners.
For further info:
to the Octave Records website
to the PS Audio website
