Keyboardist/composer Amend and his group offer a compelling variety of large-group originals and standards, recorded in pure DSD 256 high-resolution audio.
Boulder, Colorado, April 12, 2023 – Octave Records offers a richly-varied musical and sonic jazz excursion with its latest Pure DSD release, Bishop’s Lair by the Tom Amend Octet. Keyboardist and composer Tom Amend and his band offer the classic large-group sound of an eight-piece jazz ensemble, combined with post-modern influences. Bishop’s Lair is a musically compelling album of originals and standards, featuring Tom’s Hammond organ, piano, electric keyboard and flute playing.
Tom is accompanied by a top-flight group including Louisa Amend on vocals, Daryl Gott (alto and soprano saxophones), Octave Records’ own Gabriel Mervine (trumpet and fluegelhorn), Drew Zaremba (tenor sax, bass clarinet, flute and piccolo), Zachary Rich (trombone), Will Swindler (baritone sax, flute, alto flute), Alex Heffron (guitars), and Paul Romaine on drums. All the songs were composed by Amend except for “It’s the Little Things” and “September in the Rain.”
“I have a lot of influences from music like those Sixties Blue Note records, all the great organists, Gil Evans and his writing, and things like that, and I also love all sorts of modern music,” said Tom. “I tried to just write music that would be fun, and make sure that each track had a unique vibe.”
Bishop’s Lair was recorded in pure DSD 256 to capture the ‘big” dynamics and musical textures of the octet, with powerful dynamic range, lush instrumental and vocal colors, and a wide, deep soundspace. All the variety and nuance of the instruments can be heard with exceptional resolution and presence, from the deep growl of Tom’s classic Hammond B3/Leslie speaker setup to the ensemble voicings of the horns, and Alex Heffron’s different guitar sounds, which range from deep, mellow jazz tones to all-out overdrive.
The album was recorded and mixed by Jay Elliott in Octave Records’ state-of-the-art DSD facility, with assistance from Tom Amend, Aaron Snyder and Chris Amend, and mastered by Gus Skinas.
Bishop’s Lair 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 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: $19 – $39, depending on format.)
Bishop’s Lair kicks off with the dreamlike flute, guitar, organ and horn interplay of “Yellow Bench,” named for a treasured family memento. The pace picks up with the organ-groove swing of “Mountain Fish,” and the octet delivers a warm accompaniment to Louisa Amend’s inviting take on “It’s the Little Things.” The title track “Bishop’s Lair” blasts out of the gate with a syncopated horn section melody, and stunning, harmonically adventurous soloing by Gabriel Mervine and Alex Heffron, followed by energetic dueling saxophones. Bishop’s Lair travels through a range of tempos and moods, concluding with the swing-meets postmodern fusion of “One Entry,” with a wild octave-fuzz guitar solo, intricate drumming, and a tight, propulsive horn section.
