See Somethin’ is a spontaneous live-in-the-studio session, and I Wish You Love features Brazilian and European influences, both recorded in state-of-the-art Pure DSD 256 high-resolution audio
Boulder, Colorado, March 26, 2024 – Jazz trumpet virtuoso Gabriel Mervine has released two new albums for Octave Records: See Somethin’ and I Wish You Love, both recorded using Octave’s Pure DSD 256 recording system. See Somethin’ is the follow-up to Say Somethin’, Octave Records’ most popular release to date, and captures a spontaneous live-in-the-studio session. I Wish You Love features the remarkable Alicia Straka on accordion and vocals on a musically diverse album of Brazilian- and European-flavored jazz.
Why two albums at once? Gabriel Mervine, who has worked with Natalie Cole, Christian McBride, Terence Blanchard, the Temptations, the Who, and many others, noted, “we were set to do I Wish You Love but Alicia fell ill the day before the session. We’d already booked the studio time, so I thought, hey, let’s go into the studio anyway. We showed up, wrote the music right there, and recorded See Somethin’. Once Alicia was better, we recorded the other album.” The musical results are two different, yet equally superb records. “I Wish You Love took tons of work, while See Somethin’ was recorded spontaneously like a Miles Davis record. It’s fun to have both of these albums coming out and I’m excited to share this new music.”
Both albums were recorded and mixed at Octave Studios in Boulder, Colorado using Pure DSD 256 technology based around the state-of-the-art Pyramix high-resolution recording system. The sound is spacious and natural, with extraordinary musical realism. Gabriel’s trumpet and the other instruments have lifelike warmth, body, and clarity, with a presence that makes you feel as if you’re in the studio with them. Gabriel’s playing has a timeless quality, yet with a distinctive voice that reflects the ever-growing pursuit of his artistry.
See Somethin’ showcases Gabriel Mervine’s quartet with Braxton Kahn on drums, Alex Heffron on guitar, and Seth Lewis on bass. The group performs five original compositions and a selection of covers, from plaintive ballads to a swinging take on the country and western standard “I’m an Old Cowhand.” The quartet has been playing together for a long time, and you can feel it in their incisive yet relaxed interplay and improvisation.
I Wish You Love features a larger ensemble, expanding Gabriel’s quartet with Alicia on accordion and vocals, and guests including M’hamed El Menjra and Ian Faquini on guitars, Natalie Cressman playing trombone, and Virginia MacDonald on clarinet. The music is richly textured and highlights the group’s tightly-knit ensemble playing, from up-tempo workouts like “Ups and Downs” and “Ameno Ressda” to Alicia’s gorgeous singing and atmospheric accordion playing on the title track. See Somethin’ and I Wish You Love feature Octave’s premium gold disc formulation, and the discs are playable on any SACD, CD, DVD, or Blu-ray player. They also have 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.)
About PS Audio
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