Patricia Barber Clique MQA CD

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Voted One of the 10 Best New Releases Of 2021 by JazzTimes' A.D. Amorosi!

Michael Fremer Rated 10/11 Music, 11/11 Sonics!

Patricia Barber, the performer known for boldly blurring the lines between poetry, jazz, and art song, has announced the forthcoming release of a new all-standards album, Clique, due out August 6, 2021 in breathtaking hi-fi. The long-awaited successor to Nightclub, her critically acclaimed and fan-favorite first all-standards album, Clique features a tracklist of tunes that Barber has frequently performed as encores throughout her illustrious career, including classics by Rodgers & Hammerstein, Stevie Wonder, Lee Hazlewood, Lerner & Loewe, Thelonious Monk and more. After growing an international cult following, earning the first-ever Guggenheim Fellowship awarded to a non-classical songwriter, and becoming an elected member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, Patricia Barber is back with a "silk, velvet, languid, warm" journey through music history as she "respects traditions, bends them to make her own points, and freshens them into something new," as noted in the album liner notes by NPR's Susan Stamberg.

These are relaxed, communal sessions. Her long-time core duo of bassist Patrick Mulcahy and drummer Jon Deitemyer ride up and down, in and out of Barber's complex, sensitive playing and reflective singing. The support of her long-term players, along with guitarist Neal Alger and saxophonist Jim Gailloreto allow her to shine brightly while digging out striking moments for their own unique contributions. The chemistry is palpable, all encompassing. This group's long-developed synergy -- painstakingly curated by these musicians for years -- provides both a metaphor and the perfect title for her new album.

Impex Records, Patricia Barber, and Jim Anderson invite you to experience the music, revel in the mastery, and join the Clique!

"Clique is an exceptional recording; one of those rare events where all elements of the creative process amalgamate to yield a record of perfect performances and technical brilliance." - Tom Gibbs, Positive Feedback Read more!

The harmonic language of jazz, as well as that of the Great American Songbook, is certainly rich - look how much has come out of it - but it's circumscribed. I started wanting to hear something else.

While [Clique] still has everything that makes a Patricia Barber album all her own, her singing style, piano playing, phrasing, and arranging, it has an undeniable sense of coolness and a consistent infectious groove that just grabs you and doesn't let go. Yes, the songs are all recognizable standards, but Patricia Barber handily takes them and makes each her own while still keeping it all sounding appealing and approachable for an admitted jazz neophyte like myself... The sound quality is superb with an excellent sense of body and detail that has been captured in her vocals along with the ringing and decay of her piano notes that sounds just right. Throughout the album, the acoustic bass sounds fantastic with a visceral impact to the notes and plenty of string detail in the plucks. But putting all the sound-geekery aside for a moment, just listening to 'Clique' on any good-sounding system or pair of headphones is a really joyous experience. The music itself is absolutely top-shelf and I highly recommend checking it out.

Flying by at 45 minutes, Patricia Barber's new album is everything I want when a great vocalist rethinks songs that have been covered over and over. Daring, rhythmic, warming, exciting, and immediately accessible... This luscious album is HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.

These time-honored songs, lovingly curated, arranged, and performed by pianist/vocalist Patricia Barber and her band, are at last seeing the light of day when the world needs them more than ever. Pristinely recorded, Clique assembles what began as encores to live performances into an experience all its own.

Enthralling, vulnerable, and ethereal [with a] classic feel.

[Barber's] tender approach to the lyrics comes juxtaposed with the fiery edge of her piano playing, in signature Barber fashion.

Timeless

Legendary.

Excellent.

From its Sensurround production to its sympathetic, intuitive musicianship, Clique is as deliciously offbeat as any of Barber's magnetic all-original displays.

Perceptive, intellectually honest, and, at times, compellingly dark...undeniably and unpretentiously cool.

Perfect performances and technical brilliance...Clique is a truly outstanding listening experience.

Barber is one of the most important forces in the evolving idiom of jazz

First-class, close-up, transparent.

A must listen [full of] engineering prowess, amazing vocals, and excellent musicians.

...Very transparent. There's a lot of fine detail and the space is very real...There is a sense of physicality and the sound quality sounds very good...Brilliant.

As good as the vinyl sounds cut by Scott Hull at Masterdisk, it only sounds great until you hear the MQA edition through a good DAC. The DXD file sounds better than the disc's DSD layer: cleaner transients, greater transparency, etc. Is this Jim Anderson's best sounding Barber album yet? I don't like to dance on the head of a superlative so let's just say it's a 'you are there' recording. If you're used to the vinyl edition and then hear the DXD version, you'll know from the opening bass line of Lee Hazelwood's 'This Town' that this version is in another class. Barber's voice sounds 'sweet' on the LP. She sounds eerily in your room on the master file. There's a serious uptick in overall transparency and macrodynamic detail and resolution. If you like Patricia Barber you'll love this album of well chosen and interpreted standards with Barber backed by a trio of sympathetic musical souls. The sound of Neal Alger's guitar alone should knock you back in your seat. The same is true of Barber's performances. Her 'One Note Samba', which she sings in Portuguese as a languid meditation is a highlight.