The 10 Music Test Tracks – Disc 1

Featuring music produced by Jeffrey Weber

Disc One

1. GEORGIA ON MY MIND (Paul Smith Trio) 7.41

2. IT NEVER ENTERED MY MIND (Paul Smith Trio) 5:05

3. TAKE FIVE (Patruce Rushen, Stanley Clarke, Ndugu Chancler) 5:58

4. MACK THE KNIFE (Patruce Rushen, Stanley Clarke, Ndugu Chancler) 6.49

5. ON GOLDEN POND (David Benoit) 4:12

6. LINUS AND LUCY (David Benoit) 3:27

7. MR. MONK (Weberworks’ Stark Raving Group) 1.54

8. WON’T YOU COME AND FEED ME (The Roger Kellaway Cello Quintet) 4:11

9. MOOD INDIGO (Kenny Burrell) 4:23

10. YOU TAUGHT MY HEART TO SING (McCoy Tyner & Jackie McLean) 6:30

Disc Two

Tara Labs

CASCADE NOISE™ DISC 75:00

Produced by Jeffrey Weber

Executive Producers: Matthew Bond, Merrill Bergs

Engineer – Cascade Noise Disc: Jorge Sanchez, Music Box Productions

Mastering: Robert Vosgien, Capitol Mastering Studios

FOR PROMOTIONAL AND DEMONSTRATION USE ONLY. NOT FOR SALE

© (P) 2004 Weberworks Entertainment Group, P.O. Box 1451, Beverly Hills, CA 90213 USA

All rights of the copyright holder reserved. Duplication is a violation of applicable laws and is subject to prosecution.

PAGE 2 BOOKLET PAGE

On Jeff Weber

It was one of the highlights of my life… Sitting in a recording studio of legendary Capitol Records in Hollywood, late on a Friday night, as Jeff Weber directed a recording session of the Paul Smith Trio live to two-track. The confluence of history, technology and musical genius was simply overwhelming. Listening to the tracks on my home audio system just hours later was an audiophile’s dream come true. Did it sound like the musicians were playing another rehearsal take? Could I hear the recorded ambient space at Capitol Records? Did the experience come back to me easily, with the music sounding as live as it was last night? The answer was yes. Jeff succeeded in his goal of producing a recording that sounds as close to the live performance as possible, and I’ve succeeded in my goal of building a two-channel system that does the same.

I first met Jeff several years ago after hearing one of his demo discs. Since that time I’ve had the pleasure of collaborating with this Grammy Award-winning producer on three recording projects, and one unforgettable live concert featuring David Benoit and Larry Carlton.

Jeff and I agree on many things, and one of them is that the goal of recording and playing back music is to recreate the live musical event. In my experience, Jeff Weber knows how to get a live performance to sound unforgettable and he knows how to master a CD to sound like a live performance. Jeff’s preferred method is recording live to two-track, using minimalist recording equipment and microphone techniques, and finally, using the best cables possible. We used Rectangular Solid-Core® cables throughout, from the RSC® Microphone cables in the studios and booths right through to the RSC Air AC Power Cables in the control room.

The Power of the Live Performance Captured

For this disc, I have personally selected specific tracks produced by Jeff Weber that I believe offer fine examples of emotionally involving live performances exhibiting an extended dynamic range, exceptional spatial soundstage presentation and overall sonic excellence. (Note the tracks marked with this symbol  next to the title. These will be especially helpful in judging whether your audio system is truly revealing and accurate.)

In evaluating a system’s sound, the goal is to find ourselves caught up for much of the time in believing that we are in the presence of live music. To achieve this, the cable should be as revealing of the source material as possible but without any stridency or harshness. We want the music to be heard with all of its rich harmonic textures, to take us in, to convey the emotion and feeling and engage us in the music, and finally to be as lifelike as possible.

The right combination of components, starting with the loudspeaker/room interface and working together with the electronics and cables will serve as the starting point. Nothing can replace the role of the experienced listener and expert set-up of the system, which will in time, be able to bring out the very best in the sound and the most subtle information such as ambient and spatial cues within the recordings.

The role of cables

Many people use cables as tone controls in an audio system. That is, they choose cables that will add their own colorations, affecting the overall sound of the system. This is not surprising, given that many cables today are designed to act in this way. My preference is that high quality cables need to have a neutral tonal balance. Cables should be as revealing in their sound as possible, just the same as the audio system itself, so that I can hear the recordings clearly, without added coloration.

The most common and obvious form of coloration caused by cables occurs in the high frequency spectrum. You will know whether this is happening in your own system by listening and comparing to an instrument like a triangle, or a bell. Try this at home: gently strike on a crystal glass; listen to the attack, sustain and decay that are so vital to the correct and faithful harmonic structure of this natural and beautiful sound. Recordings featuring a triangle, cymbal or like instrument should have a similar life. When high frequency roll-off is evident, you will notice that the cable does not allow you to hear the natural decay of notes into the background silence with a correct sense of time (decay of the note with frequency).

The opposite case, exaggeration of high frequencies, is illustrated by cables whose sound may be described as “exciting” or “fast,” but the sonic price is exaggerated brightness or glare. With these cables, you may hear more high frequency information with less natural ambient decay with certain cables. There may be a tendency for subtle high frequency detail to sound overly sharp.

An easy test is that reproduced piano notes will likely have glare in the upper registers. Again the recording of choice is important.

About Rectangular Solid Core® cables… Why they sound more accurate.

The sound of RSC® cables is more extended, linear and accurate due to the shape of the small rectangular solid core® conductors. The size and shape of the RSC® conductors reduces the cable’s inductance, meaning that there less high frequency roll-off. By comparison, a round conductor of the same gauge (size) would have higher inductance and more high frequency roll-off. This is unfortunate, because the portion of the frequency spectrum which is lost contains the higher order harmonics which are responsible for creating a realistic perception of all tonalties throughout the listening spectrum. So a roll-off (or exaggeration) of high frequencies affects the listener’s perception of all frequencies, from the lowest bass notes to the highest trebles.

In an RSC conductor, because of the increased high-frequency extension, the sound will be more neutral and naturally more revealing. In listening tests, the sound of Rectangular Solid-Core® cables may appear to be lighter and more delicate than other cables. In some systems, RSC cables may at first seem to have less bass. Actually, it’s the same bass with more high-frequency extension and higher-order harmonic information. The bass frequencies, no longer heavy or smeared, will have better rise-time, more harmonic structure and definition due to the increased bandwidth of the RSC® design.

On The CASCADE Noise™ Disc

(Cable and Audio System – Capacitive and Diodic Effect)

Although there have been other so-called “burn-in” test discs used by audiophiles in the past, the discs have mostly been a mix of pink noise and sweep tests tones. The new CASCADE Noise Disc is a proprietary combination of white noise with frequency tone bursts and pink noise mixed at different levels. However, what makes it really effective is a series of descending and ascending (cascading) multi-octave square wave sweeps for better and more complete results than any “burn-in” test discs ever made before.

The CASCADE Noise Disc may be used with any audio electronic component and with audio cable including cables with attachments such as batteries or filter networks. Before and after results will be obvious with any of these cables.

The phenomenon commonly referred to as “burn-in” is confusing to some people. I prefer to think of the phenomenon as the conditioning of the system with continued use.

Normally we think of the audio system in the macroscopic world with chasses, cables and terminals. But the phenomenon of burn-in is actually a polarization of effects at a microscopic level. This microscopic world might be as little as a few thousandths of an inch along the length of conductors within a cable; the thickness of one to 3 sheets of paper. At this level one can almost visualize the subtle electromagnetic waves around the conductive wire. These waves are moving through the dielectric (primary insulation) around the conductor. There is a problem at this microscopic level; not all frequencies carried by the electromagnetic waves will pass at the same amplitude at every point in the length of the conductive wire. For example, at some point along the conductor, there may be a tiny point of oxidation, and this will limit the range of high frequencies that can pass easily at the same amplitude, perhaps turning AC into DC and creating random audible noise in the cable. At other points, imagine air-gaps between the conductor and the insulation near the conductor surface. These tiny differences cause changes with respect to the different frequencies that are “stored and released” from conductor to dielectric and back again.

In the macro world of the devices within the audio components, similar effects are designed for deliberate and specific functions. The devices used are called “diodes” and “capacitors” and they are designed to limit the frequency range in different ways.

In the audio components of the audio system, the stabilization of these component devices is optimized when the audio component has been turned on and in continued use for a period of time. This optimal condition is enhanced by the continued use of the audio components in any audio system. Loudspeaker systems may require over 200-300 hours of use before the individual drivers can “break-in” mechanically. Depending on the design topology and the particular electronic devices within the audio components, audio electronics require many hours to hundreds of hours to become properly conditioned and stabilized.

All brands of cables from the simplest designs, to the most complex, require conditioning and stabilization, ranging from those that utilize very minimal amounts of dielectric or plastic layers in their construction, to those that use multiple layers of plastics and/or complex multi-conductor arrangements.

Within a cable, in the microscopic world around the audio conductors, stabilization happens when the electromagnetic wave of the musical signal, a continuous AC waveform, travels uniformly through as much of the tiny diode like or capacitor like sections along the conductors within the cable.

The new CASCADE Noise Disc is designed to completely condition the capacitive and diode like effects within audio components and audio cables. The result is a more coherent and extended high frequency reproduction without glare along with a sense of ease in the listening experience. This will be noticed after just a few hours of using the CASCADE Noise disc. Continued use of the disc, for just a few hours at a time, or when you are able to run your audio system at normal listening levels for many hours at a time will be extremely beneficial in improving the performance of all audio cables and components.

Instructions for using the CASCADE Noise Disc:

• Load the disc into your CD player or transport.

• Turn the volume to normal listening levels.

• Play in “continuous” or “repeat” mode for as many hours as is possible.

• Time to effect significant change will vary by system. A discernable difference will be evident after a conditioning session of sufficient length.

• Repeat as often as possible until no discernable difference is evident. Your system is now conditioned to optimum performance levels.

• Should you change any components in your system, conditioning should be repeated.

PAGE 3, 4 BOOKLET PAGES

GEORGIA ON MY MIND 7.41

Hoagy Carmichael, Stuart Gorrell (Peer Music III Ltd. – BMI)

Paul Smith Trio

Paul Smith – Piano, Jim DiJulio – Bass, Joe La Barbara – Drums

Recorded live to two tracks at Capitol Recording Studios by Clark Germain

From: “Paul Smith Attacks the Classics” (Tara Labs/Weberworks – 0401)

Matthew Bond (M.B.) Starting out with this soulful classic, Paul Smith’s deft piano touch is shadowed by Joe De Barbara on drums. Listen to the metal brushes on those drums, (they should sound like metal brushes). Jim De Julio’s bass is very evident in presentation and vivid in this recording. Near the finish, as the piano breaks into a march-like tempo, listen for the delicate drumstick feathering on the cymbals.

Jeffrey Weber (J.W.) Twenty-seven years ago, I produced my first album. Paul Smith was the artist. His extraordinary ability has yet to suffer the ravages of age. Even today, there is a level of excellence exhibited by these players that simply defies description. This trio recorded sixty minutes of music in, well, sixty minutes. Live to two tracks. No mixing, editing or overdubbing. Simply effortless.

IT NEVER ENTERED MY MIND 5:05

Lorenz Hart, Richard Rogers (Lorenz Hart Publishing Co., Williamson Music Co., ASCAP)

Paul Smith Trio

Paul Smith – Piano, Jim DiJulio – Bass, Joe La Barbara – Drums

Recorded live to two tracks at Capitol Recording Studios by Clark Germain

From: “Paul Smith Attacks the Classics” (Tara Labs/Weberworks – 0401)

M.B. A wonderful landscape for solos by Jim DiJulio. See if you can follow Jim’s fingers on the bass strings and listen for the articulation of the individual notes. Paul Smith provides the piano accompaniment, and Joe La Barbara comes in with the metal brushwork on the drums. Do those brushes sound metallic? Near the end, as Paul gently caresses the Steinway, Jim De Julio comes right back in on the acoustic bass – firmly center stage, or perhaps a few inches center left with a vivid and palpable solo to finish the tune with a flourish.

J.W. Despite his lengthy career with Ella Fitzgerald, Paul Smith’s ability as a jazz chameleon is legendary. He has the innate ability to sound and feel like any jazz pianist you might mention. Not only that, Paul will slyly inject quotes from other tunes into his solos. His witty sense of musical humor is just an added listening bonus as, even today, we continue to marvel at the man’s incredible grace and fluidity of line. Why? Because he was 82 years old when we recorded these tracks. That’s why.

TAKE FIVE 5:58

Paul Desmond (Desmond Music Co. – BMI)

Patruce Rushen, Stanley Clarke, Ndugu Chancler

Patruce Rushen – Piano, Stanley Clarke – Bass, Ndugu Chancler – Drums

Recorded live to two tracks at Ocean Way Recording Studios by Clark Germain

From: “Jazz Straight Up” (Vertical Jazz, Fine Tune – 5502-2)

M.B. The rhythmic piano and bass lead us into this great classic. Listen for the beautifully rendered drum, cymbal and brushwork as the piano and bass lines fall away.

J.W. I was very honored to be a part of these sessions. Patrice is one of the finest jazz pianists I have had the pleasure of hearing. Her arrangements combine reverence for the jazz literature of the past along with a touch of contemporary creativity. With Stanley on upright, well, that’s pretty much as good as it gets. Ndugu surprised me with his deep-rooted versatility and was the only player I considered to be the rhythmic foundation for this trio.

MACK THE KNIFE 6.49

Marc Blitzstein, Berthold Brecht Eugen, Kurt Weill (Kurt Weill Fndt/Music/WB, Weill Brecht Harms Co. – ASCAP)

Patruce Rushen, Stanley Clarke, Ndugu Chancler

Patruce Rushen – Piano, Stanley Clarke – Bass, Ndugu Chancler – Drums

Recorded live to two tracks at Ocean Way Recording Studios by Clark Germain

From: “Jazz Straight Up” (Vertical Jazz, Fine Tune – 5502-2)

M.B. Again the introduction features rhythmic piano and bass, but listen for the lighter shades and the simpler, cleaner definition of the piano notes, making the piano the instrument to follow here. In time, the bass solo, picked up by the drums, leads us to a strong piano lead with great drum work to finish.

J.W. It seems hard to believe, but these three have never played together as a trio until these sessions. You would never know it by the seamless integration of musical spontaneity that took place. This is even more remarkable considering Stanley had been busy composing music for films and hadn’t even picked up his ax for quite a while. I might also mention that there was no rehearsal, so what you are listening to took place in real time.

ON GOLDEN POND 4:12

Dave Grusin (Roaring Fork Music, Sony/ATV Songs LLC – BMI)

David Benoit

David Benoit – Piano, Larry Carlton – Guitar, Jim Walker – Pan Flute & Flute, Steve Erdody – Cello, Steve Bailey – Bass, Terry Lyne Carrington – Drums

Recorded live to two tracks at Ocean Way Recording Studios by Allen Sides

From: “Letter To Evan” (GRP – GRD-9687)

M.B. The opening solo piano notes set up the delicacy and pacing for the tune. Listen for the richness of the cello and notice the timbre of the brushes as they lace the cymbals and the snare drum. The piano seems to caress the composition in an unhurried and effortless way. The support of the flute gives the tune a glimpse into another time, one of reflection and spirituality.

J.W. One of David’s musical heroes is Dave Grusin. Grusin was also the co-founder of David’s label at the time, GRP. This is the first song of Grusin’s that David had chosen to record. No stranger to live two-track recording, David gently eases his way through this delicate tune and his arrangement pays homage sensitivity and grace of the original composition.

LINUS AND LUCY 3:27

Vince Guaraldi (Selfar Music – BMI)

David Benoit

David Benoit – Piano, Nathan East – Bass, John Robinson – Drums, Paul Jackson Jr., – Guitar, Randy Kerber – Keyboards, Bobbye Hall – Percussion

Recorded live to two tracks at Ocean Way Recording Studios by Allen Sides

From: “This Side Up” (En Pointe CDs – ENP 0001)

M.B. The kick drum and bass here should be tight and punchy. The triangle hits should add a crisp finish to the upper registers of your system. Hopefully, the groove should snare you and you should forget about everything, especially during the breakdown when the bass goes on a little journey of its own, with percussion as the only accomplice.

J.W. My first production with David resulted in Linus and Lucy becoming David’s first major hit. David had the idea to record this Vince Guaraldi tune, but was unsure, as it seemed so out of character for the music of the time. He asked me and I thought it was a terrific idea, as long as we recorded it my way – live to two tracks. I wanted to capture a performance, not manufacture one. At the end of recording the tune, we all looked at each other, and we knew. It was truly a magical moment. David and the all-star band we assembled performed flawlessly, and as they say, the rest is history. David is now considered one of the pioneers in the contemporary jazz-fusion genre.

MR. MONK 1.54

H. Matthews, B. Siono, D. Johnson, D. Torimiro, D. Leach, J. Weber (Weberworks Entertainment Music Group – BMI)

Weberworks’ Stark Raving Group

Herman Matthews – Drums, Bryant Siono – Bass, Deron Johnson – Acoustic Piano, Dapo Torimiro – Keyboards, David Leach – Percussion

Recorded live at the Firehouse Studios by Clark Germain.

From: “Monkology”, by Gary Phillips (Dennis McMillan Publications)

M.B. This may be the track of tracks. After the first finger pluck of the bass, listen for the resonance induced reverberation… and it’s a long time hanging in the air. You should be able to pick up the tonal sub-harmonics as captured by the bass pickups. The rest is merely incredible.

J.W. Gary Phillips is a celebrated author of detective fiction and his new short story anthology “Monkology” features a limited edition press run containing a CD on the inside back cover of the book. The CD contains excerpts of three short stories as read by Gary. Music was recorded live, totally improvised, while Gary (who has a wonderful voice,) read. Not bad, especially when you consider that in order to capture the proper emotional vibe of the stories, the band had no music in front of them, only the excerpted pages from the author’s book. And, oh yes, I was there directing and wildly pointing from one musician to another, like a deranged lunatic. This instrumental piece is from the introduction to the excerpts, originally written and read by fellow author, Robert Ward.

WON’T YOU COME AND FEED ME 4:11

Roger Kellaway (Eternity Music – ASCAP)

The Roger Kellaway Cello Quintet

Roger Kellaway – Piano, Edgar Lustgarten – Cello, Joe Porcaro – Drums, Chuck Domanico – Bass, Emil Richards – Percussion

Recorded live to two tracks at Filmways /Heider Studios by Phil Schier

From: “Nostalgia Suite” (Voss Jazz – D272935, Discwasher)

M.B. This is a wonderful track to focus on the cello. Normally we are not able to hear the resonance of the individual strings as the bow works its way across them. Here, notice the individual string vibrations and how they team with the other strings to create the rich timbre that the cello exhibits. Compositionally, this is most evident at the end of most of the string lines, when the last note is sustained for emotional impact. It is also very clear when the cello dips into the lower registers of its sonic palate.

J.W. Roger is an extravagant writer with a wonderful sense of musical humor. Witness the title. Our fabulous cellist was experiencing heart palpitations which forced him to be able to record only fifteen minutes of music at a time. He had to take nitro-glycerin tablets to insure that his heart wouldn’t reach an excitable level. We actually had an ambulance on call. Talk about excitement: the cartage company delivering the bass player’s two hundred year old bass to the studio, dropped it off the end of the truck and broke it in half where the neck meets the body. We all needed those nitro pills that day.

MOOD INDIGO 4:23

Duke Ellington, Albany Bigard, Irving Mills (Mills Music – ASCAP)

Kenny Burrell

Kenny Burrell – Guitar, Shelly Manne – Drums, Andy Simpkins – Bass, Pete Jolly – Piano, Marshall Royal – Bass Clarinet, Jerome Richardson – Clarinet, Snooky Young – Trumpet

Recorded Live to two tracks at Ocean Way Recording Studios by Allen Sides

From: “Heritage” (Fine Tune 2231-2)

M.B. A terrific vehicle for the clarinets here. Note the smooth, rich timbre of the bass clarinet and how it intertwines with the clarinet. This track features a dynamic reach out and grab you trumpet solo. The ensemble clarinet playing is spot on and your system should be able to reproduce the sub-harmonics with ease.

J.W. Kenny Burrell is an Ellingtonian scholar, a fabulous musician as well as a gentleman. I believe this to be one of the finest recordings of my career. The players were stellar and the challenge of the two-track methodology didn’t even give them pause for concern. All I had to do was sit back and simply marvel at the display of effortless virtuosity that was displayed before me. I will always remember Shelly Manne remarking “I never play it the same way once.” (Words to live by.) These musicians are true treasures of the recorded medium.

YOU TAUGHT MY HEART TO SING 6:30

McCoy Tyner (Aisha Music – BMI)

McCoy Tyner & Jackie McLean

McCoy Tyner – Piano, Jackie McLean – Alto Saxophone, Marcus Miller – Electric Bass, Al Foster – Drums, Steve Thornton – Percussion

Recorded Live to two tracks at Right Track Studios by Ron Saint Germain

From: “It’s About Time” (Blue Note CDP-7 48921 2)

M.B. The alto sax is in the spotlight on this track. Notice the tone of the horn as it is influenced by the size of the room it is recorded in. The ratio of tone to ambience is carefully monitored in the controlled environment of the recording studio. Your system should reveal the delicate balance between the air around the horn and the ambient sounds of the rest of the ensemble.

J.W. Every one a legend. I kept repeating that to myself as we recorded this effort. One of the finest and most articulate jazz pianists in our time, McCoy was gracious and accommodating to all my requests and the rest of the players simply followed his lead. It was wonderful to work with Jackie McLean as well, still vigorous in his playing. Both artists relayed tales of the very history of the medium in which they played such dramatic and everlasting roles.