Happy Valentine's Day -- New Piano Music Weekend at Blue Coast Records

Blue Coast Records and Blue Coast World would like to wish all of our fans, friends, family and followers a very Happy Valentine's Day!  While you're enjoying chocolate, flowers and time with your significant other, we hope our weekend release by solo piano artist, John Hinson, will give you 9 minutes and 20 seconds of time well spent together.  You can listen to the piece in its entirety streaming at 192 kbps at


JohnHinson.downloadsnow.net/

Or purchase the complete song for high resolution play (96kHz) with a special Valentine's Day discount.

We'd like to thank our Discovery and Distribution folks at Downloads NOW! for their incredible help getting this music up so quickly.  The internet is amazing when you think that last week, John and Blue Coast were strangers last week and today he's our featured artist.  We look forward to more spontaneous findings.

Surprise Download Coming this Week!

It's always a treat when you have a young, talented artist, who you've never heard of, suddenly show up at your doorstep unexpectedly.  (And he hadn't heard of us either, by the way)....

Yesterday, John Hinson called our studio, OTR Studios, to book some recording time on the Steinway while he was passing through the Bay Area.  John was moving his family from Seattle to Phoenix and had stopped in Medford, Oregon to call.  He could be there tomorrow, he said.  Typically, we don't book sessions without 3 weeks of advance notice, but we had some time and he seemed like a nice guy...

John arrived and we recorded to tape and DSD.  The music and his playing sounded so good, I asked if we could offer this on Blue Coast for our fans.  We'll send out another email when we have the music posted.

It will be an exclusive to our mailing list fans only.. so JOIN UP NOW!

Thanks, and be on the look out!

Cookie

SoundStage.com Gives Rave Reviews to Blue Coast Records!

We'd like to thank Rad Bennett and Sound Stage for this wonderful review of our website! Please visit....
http://www.soundstage.com/digitaldomain/

December 2009

The Digital Music Revolution: What Download Sites Have to Offer -- Part 13

Note: Previous "The Digital Music Revolution" installments are available in the SoundStage! A/V archives, which is where the series originated.

This month’s download adventure takes us to Blue Coast Records for some exquisite but limited fare that will leave you longing for them to post more. Downloading and listening to these tracks is like discovering a great new restaurant. You enjoy your meal and feel satisfied, but even though your experience is complete for the moment, you can’t wait to return.

Launched in 2005, Blue Coast Records is very new. It’s the brainchild of respected producer and recording engineer Cookie Marenco, who has recorded over 400 projects in the last 15 years. Marenco felt our ears were being dumbed down by MP3s that sacrifice audio quality for convenience. Along with Jean-Claude Reynaud, son of the audiophile speaker manufacturer Jean-Marie Reynaud, she developed E.S.E. (Extended Sound Environment) technology for recording in surround, a technique that’s now applied to stereo recording. This method uses room and direct microphone placement to let musicians place themselves without using headphones. With E.S.E. there are also no overdubs or digital effects. The resulting sound lets you hear pure music without artifice. All of the masters are analog-to-2" tape.

With Marenco so interested in providing an audiophile alternative to iPod limitations, it makes sense that she would create an audiophile environment for downloads. Yes, Blue Coast Records produces both CDs and Hybrid SACDs, but it also has a very lively download venue. On its surface the site operates like many others, but there are a few surprises. It’s easy to surf because for the moment there are only two album-length downloads, Blue Coast Collection and While She Sleeps. But if you start examining the fine print under the Store and Special Events tabs, you’ll find many more singles and short concerts by Blue Coast Records artists. All downloads are DRM free, and prices range from $15 for CD quality to $40 for 24/96 HD.

You can listen to any of the individual cuts before purchasing, but before your first purchase you’ll have to create an account, which will make it easier to order on subsequent visits. You can pay with any major credit card. All of the files are WAV format, whether 16-bit/44.1kHz or 24-bit/96kHz, and they’re zipped. I found that they both downloaded and unzipped very quickly. One interesting thing about Blue Coast Records is that in addition to linking to your download file on the site, they also send you an email containing the link. Downloads are good for seven days, but should you run into any unforeseen problems, Blue Coast is big on customer service. Marenco likens Blue Coast Records, its artists, and its listeners to a big family.

Since their list is currently small, I easily downloaded all of the tracks from the Blue Coast Records page and two or three from its sister site, Blue Coast World. This site is available in beta for now. Marenco hopes it will someday be a showcase for other producers who create great recordings, regardless of whether they use the proprietary E.S.E. system. One of the albums I liked most, Calico Heart by Houston Jones, a West Coast band that blends bluegrass, folk, and blues, came from this site and is also available as a 24/96 download on the Blue Coast Records page. If you like Alison Krauss, you’ll most likely enjoy the heck out of this album.

On the Blue Coast Records site, I particularly enjoyed discovering Keith Greeninger, a balladeer whose laid-back style and superb guitar technique combine to focus on the lyrics and meaning of a song. The approach is almost conversational, and thanks to the E.S.E., it’s like he’s singing just to you. Many others, including Jenna Mammina, are well worth hearing. There’s some jazz and New Age music, but I think the real draw at Blue Coast Records is the folk and jazz vocalist genres. If you watch the video on the site or read the detailed article on E.S.E. recording, you’ll notice that none of the singers are too close to the microphones. This distance creates some of the best vocals I’ve ever heard -- they’re clean, open, and totally focused, yet they have a little space around them. The recording of guitars, bass, and piano is as good as anything you’ll hear, but the vocals are something special.

Blue Coast Records is adding special events, singles, and albums on a regular basis, and you can sign up on the site to be notified when there’s something new. After a few downloads, my bet is that you won’t want to miss a thing!

. . . Rad Bennett
radb@soundstage.com

A few months ago Cookie Marenco had the pleasure of having Keith Greeninger and Dayan Kai over to the Blue Coast Studios (AKA OTR Studios). The three of them got together to record their new album, live in the studio, for Keith's own label.

KeithDayan.argoarts.com

You probably remember them for their lead off track on the Blue Coast Collection.

This event has been years in the waiting and Blue Coast Records is happy to announce the completion of the recording.

The E.S.E. technique was used thoughout and lives up to it's previous recordings with full dynamic range and stunning clarity. Jim Norris and Steve Uccello joined Keith and Dayan on a few songs to provide drums and bass. Keith and Dayan covered some songs like Jerry Garcia's "Friend of the Devil" and Jackson Browne's "Lady of the Well". Don't miss the last track, it's excellent... "Bid You Goodnight".

You can audition the entire series of new songs in full length. They are available in 44.1 cd quality wav or 96Khz audio, uncompressed wav files. You can also download the cd artwork on our Downloads NOW! page.

Buy a latte or a 96Khz uncompressed audio download! Or do both :)

Thanks for your support of high resolution sound!

New 96kHz Songs by Rob Ickes and Gregory James recorded by Cookie Marenco

Many of you have just returned home from Denver's Audiofest. We hope you had a wonderful time! Unfortunately, we couldn't attend this year, but are hoping to see you at CES in January.

Many of you know that my regular job is that of an engineer and producer for other artists and labels. When I record, I use the highest standards possible, often in a more traditional recording style than the restrictiveness of E.S.E recording. Meaning the use of overdubs, headphones and other typical techniques that are not the live performances as we do for Blue Coast Records. This week, I have two exceptional recordings that I'd like to point out to you.

Last year, Blue Coast artist, Rob Ickes, asked me to engineer a recording in Nashville for his own label, Reso Revolution. Rob and I have recorded many albums for Rounder Records in the past, but this was the first for his label. Rob is an exceptional talent and a 10 time winner of Dobro Player of the Year. On this recording he is performing in the studio live, with Michael Alvey on piano and Robinella on vocals-- the album is called Road Songs. Rob has graciously allowed me to release 3 songs at 96kHz that have uncompressed dynamics. Let us know what you think!
http://robickes.argoarts.com/

Gregory James is a world music artist who's guitar playing crosses into jazz, flamenco, Afro-Cuban and Middle Eastern musics to name a few. Gregory and I recorded this album many years ago with producer/bassist, Benny Reitveld. Benny is most known as the bass player for Carlos Santana and Miles Davis. For this album, Benny wanted to go into a more 'Electronica' genre. We are happy to be re-releasing this album as CD Quality Downloads. We have also uncovered previously unreleased tracks of the Bjork Song, Come to Me, sung in Spanish by Destani Wolf. The 96kHz tracks posted came directly from the 1/2" mixes. It's a 10 minute version complete with a 20 piece string section and incredible musicianship.
http://gregoryjames.com/come-to-me

Many of you have been asking for more variety in our music selection, so, we thought we'd offer you something different from our catalogue at Downloads NOW!
We'll be back soon with more live E.S.E. recordings from Blue Coast Records very soon!

Enjoy the Music!
Cookie Marenco
Blue Coast Records
founder and producer

Blue Coast Artist ROB ICKES on NPR SEPT 3!

Last year, Blue Coast Records artist, Rob Ickes, recorded a project, Road Songs for his own label with Cookie Marenco engineering. The record is the debut project for Rob's own label, ResoRevolution, and features Rob on Dobro, Michael Alvey on piano and several wonderful additions by vocalist Robinella.

We've just learned that Craig Havighurst's story on Road Song, based in part on interviews with Rob Ickes and Michael Alvey, will air on National Public Radio tonight on All Things Considered. We don't know the exact air time yet.

NPR's "All Things Considered" to air Road Song story tonight!

For details, visit the All Things Considered page at www.npr.org - the "Rundown", posted here at about 4pm, will list today's shows in order of airplay, and you'll also find an audio button to listen online beginning at about 4pm. Check here to find the broadcast time for All Things Considered in your area.

Special Event Reviewed by Bay Area Audiophile Society!

From BAAS, Thank you!

Yet Another Stunning ‘Blue Coast Session’

Posted on July 29th, 2009 by Bob

Check out the recordings from this great session here. More on Jenna here, and Matt here.

text by Ori

pics by Bob Bergner

What’s always puzzling in a recording session is whether it will produce decent music or truly great music. Ordinary does not count.It takes two to tango and in this case what a great dance it was. Matt and Jenna have known each other in the past, but busy schedules and geographical barriers kept them away for five years or so.

There comes the third person to this party. Cookie Marenco needs no introduction in the BAAS circles and probably by now in the greater audiophile community as well. As it turned out, Cookie knows Matt and Jenna and convinced them to collaborate on this project. Cookie is to the artists what Matt is to Lyle and Ricky Lee-Jones. She plays the subtle role of an enabler, with her musical insight and magical artistry on the mixing console. These are not “filler words” to liven up the review and we will touch on her studio wizardry later.

I should note the assisting staff, working behind the scenes on documenting the studio session, keeping track of the analog tape machine and the web production (some tracks were uploaded to the Blue Cast website).

Frankly, this all came out of the blue. I received an email through BAAS that Cookie invites up to 6 members to a studio session/party. What in the world does that mean?I considered it an adventure. Whatever comes out of it ought to be unique. I mean, how many of you have been invited to a recording session like that?!

This actually takes guts on the part of the studio and performers. Recording good music relies on bringing artists to the point where they “click” and produce art rather than bang notes. Recording sessions in front of a live audience take a mighty effort to put together and not all come out great. How on Earth this one will go?

I know the Blue Coast studio from a previous visit and tried to imagine a small audience sitting around tiny tables with the performers up front. Nah, ain’t gonna happen…

Like I said, not knowing what to expect almost guarantees a “great” adventure. The question in my mind was not if I should attend. The question was if I can afford to miss all that fun!I don’t have a clue what other BAAS members were thinking. I expected this list to close in minutes, yet it took a whole day to fill the few slots. Unbelievable!

Next time when you get such a generous invitation - jump on it. That’s my free advice and you will thank me for it, I guarantee it.I arrived at the session a little early. Matt and Jenna were in the middle of a take and I just tried to get out of the way. Cookie went up the stairs from the control room and stood at the door of the acoustic room, trying not to break the concentration of the performers before the next take. Cookie plays the role of a producer in her subtle way. She knows what she can ask from the two and she does it in the most constructive way. A little advice here, a good word there. There are no bad sessions, just good and better ones… I like her philosophy!

At that point in time, this was still a studio operating as a studio “should”. Then came the mob…BAAS members started trickling in right around 6PM and within an hour it turned into a big party. Matt and Jenna took a break every two or three takes and mingled with the few of us that were there. Cookie produced some munchies and a few visitors brought several bottles of wine. It’s a real party!

During the evening, a few friends showed up, some from the music industry. This was a lively studio session for sure. Now, one might think, how in the world do you make music under the circumstances?

I had my own doubts as well, but heck. It’s a great locale with fine people. Let us enjoy the moment, whatever happens is fine with me!

My hat is off to Matt and Jenna. I don’t know if they were prepared for this or it was dropped on them out of nowhere. Here you are in a recording session. You come out and there is a bunch of strangers wanting to chat with you… I’m sure it felt odd in the beginning.

People started asking Matt about his work with Lyle Lovett and recently with Mark Knopler. Jenna tried to disappear, but we didn’t let her… She is a great vocalist and it was her music we were celebrating. The dynamics of this afternoon was definitely a factor in the outcome, both for the audience and the performers. Of course, having the usually friendly BAAS crowd helps as well…It seemed like everybody was genuinely enjoying the atmosphere and the company. Here and there Cookie drags the duo back into the recording room and they go for another piece while we, the audience, listen in the control room. Usually they’ll have two takes of the piece and we got to “vote” which is better. Not that we know much…

The theme was moody songs (I could not find the tissue Cookie promised!) yet the atmosphere was quite cheerful and full of energy. If singing moody songs requires that the singer and audience will shed tears then this was a complete failure…One thing I noticed is how professional Matt and Jenna are. They switch modes from party time to “work” time in an instant and it’s quite amazing to see this and hear it in person.

Blue Coast recordings are all about musical expression. This session was done without headphones. The placement of the vocal microphone was chosen so that the Matt could see and hear Jenna and they can “work it out” together in the studio. I don’t want to elaborate on the technical aspects but I can tell there was some serious thought about preserving the “feel” of the music and acoustic space in the final recording. Luck has nothing to do with it.

You also come to realize how difficult it is to record this way. Any mistake and the whole track is a waste. “Standard” production would record one instrument at a time. It’s easier to salvage things, but where is the interaction between performers? Clean - sure. Artistic? Rarely.

Reading to this point, now you might think “that sounds really great”, but wait. There is more!Remember my early hallucinations… Audience in the studio, live take, ice cubes hitting champagne glass, smokey dark club… No, that did not happen. I mean, no champagne, smoke and all that. But it was such a great atmosphere that for some reason we found ourselves all crammed into that little recording room and Matt and Jenna hit it with two fresh tracks. What a treat!

There was no second take on these nor was there a need for one!I was standing in there in awe, afraid to produce a squeak. All of us were. It was like a moment of magic. The performers were in their zone. We were just those long-time friends that always are there to support you… And you never know what comes out of such an “experiment”.I heard two artists come together in full support of each other. Jenna is very much into her singing and lyrics. Matt was giving her just enough space to maneuver, musically speaking. The piano did not jump to the front of the stage, the spot light was on the singer, but it was dim. You could see and feel the piano notes caress the singing, flow together in an amazing dance. This duo was not about Tango. It was a ballet at its highest level. Strong in its message, fragile in its delivery. Great pianists find that moment of musical illumination at times. This was one of these moments and I’m glad to have been there to witness the magic.Jenna has a special voice and needs no praise, but in these last two pieces she truly let loose. Maybe it was the wine, maybe the long tiring day, maybe (I’d like to think) it was the place and time and the great atmosphere. She stretched her voice, not being afraid to break or falter. In these two tracks she was soaring effortlessly at the edge of her vocal abilities.It’s not the technique that gets me, but what it does to the overall presentation of the song. I will take an imperfect artistry over polished musicianship anytime!

The geeks that we are… We went down to the control room to hear these takes on the tape. You might wonder “why?!”Well, it happened and I’m glad it did. When you are in the studio, you realize how loud the piano is relative to the vocalist, especially Jenna. I’m sure Janis Joplin or Louis Armstrong would have equalized the levels but that’s not Jenna’s style. She is singing from the heart, to herself actually. Sometimes it’s just a delicate whisper into the mike.When you hear the tape, it’s a whole different song. Levels are much more like you’d want them to be. Tonal balance is great. Music and harmony emerge and they are nothing like what you’ve heard in the recording session!

And that’s my Epilogue to this great musical journey. It started with a colorful pianist, touched on the lyrics and soul of the vocalist and closed the loop at the mixing room, with a great artist in her own right. Without Cookie, this music would not be what it is.If I had to pick one thing that made this evening special, I’d go mad. There was so much to take from it for each and every music lover that I cannot even start. Like I said, don’t miss the next one. I hope there is a next one!