⌈ KRAKOW SONIC SOCIETY is an informal group of music lovers, audiophiles, and friends, who meet to learn something new about audio products, recordings, music, etc. The idea for KSS was born in 2005, although its roots go back several years. This is its 149th meeting. ⌋

The 149th MEETING of the Krakow Sonic Society had a special context - St. Nicholas Day and Christmas Eve. For many years we have been meeting before Christmas at Jarek Waszczyszyn's house to spend time together, and to relax, but also with some kind of agenda, to wish each other all the best and, not surprisingly, to listen to some music together. This time it was about the latest release from AC Records, High Fidelity Presents: ART FARMER, Art Farmer in Wroclaw.

It was our magazine’s third official meeting with this title. Recall that this particular two-disc 45 rpm album saw the light of day just before the Audio Video Show 2024, during which Adam Czerwinski, founder and animator of AC Records, presented it to you, with a little of my help, on a J.Sikora turntable; more → HERE. The next installment was our official November 22nd review, which you could read in our „News” section; more → HERE .

⸜ ADAM CZERWIŃSKI with High Fidelity Presents: ART FARMER, Art Farmer in Wrocław tape cover

This time the listening took place as part of the Krakow Sonic Society - it was the 149th meeting! This time we listened to the “master” tape and CD. The event took place at Jaromir Waszczyszyn’s, in the room where he listens to his equipment and speakers. And we took advantage of his audio creations that included:

• loudspeakers: FRAM ARTE, test → HERE,
• power amplifier: ANCIENT AUDIO SINGLE STEREO, more → HERE,
• CD Player/preamplifier: ANCIENT AUDIO LEKTOR STEP, more → HERE
• cables: → SOYATON.

To listen to the tapes, we used a tape recorder that Julian Soja brought with him, his beloved Technics RS-1500, modified by dc-components.

▌ Art Farmer in Wrocław

˻ TRACK LIST ˺ » Side A • 1. What’s New – Bob Haggart, 2. Hard Farmer – Piotr Baron » Side B • 3. I Mean You – Thelonious Monk, 4. Deep in a Dream – Jimmy Van Heusen » Side C • 5. Artificial Thing – Kuba Stankiewicz, 6. No Walls – Harvie S » Side D • 7. My Shining Hour – Harold Arlen, 8. Alone Together – A. Schwartz

AS I HAVE ALREADY MENTIONED, there are four versions of the Art Farmer in Wroclaw album: three on CDs and one on LP. The first edition came from the Mercury label, represented in Poland by PolyGram Music Poland, and was released in 1997; it was for the Polish market only. A year later, a reissue with revised artwork, signed by EmArcy, hit the stores; it was an international release. The third is the latest AC Records release, which is also the first version on LP.

It featured HARVIE S on double bass, ADAM CZERWIŃSKI on drums (tracks: 1 to 7), KUBA STANKIEWICZ on piano (tracks: 1 to 7), PIOTR BARON on tenor saxophone (tracks: 2, 3, 5 to 7), and the leader, ART FARMER, on flumpet (tracks: 1 to 3, 5 to 8).

As Piotr Mazur writes in the booklet to the latter, the musicians met for the first time at the end of 1995 and “after short rehearsals, they played only two concerts: in Poznań at the local festival and in Wrocław, the hometown of Piotr, Kuba and Darek.” Something “sparked”, so already in the spring of the following year Farmer returns to Poland and they manage to organize, by their own efforts, without the help of any agency (!) a longer series of concerts.

⸜ And that’s the tape itself

Since Darek Oleszkiewicz, who had played with them earlier, had other commitments, Adam Czerwinski invited - Mazur writes about the drummer's “New York connections” - Harvie Swartz, today using the pseudonym Harvie S, and he played the double bass at the time. The sound engineer during the recordings was Włodzimierz Krakus, assisted by Stanisław Kołodziej. The recordings lasted three days and took place in the so-called “big studio” of Polish Radio Wroclaw.

The album was recorded in analog domain, on a multi-track tape recorder, but the master was prepared on DAT tape (16 bits, 44.1 kHz). The remaster for the vinyl release was done by Piotr Lukaszewski at Custom 34 studios, which makes all AC Records records. As Adam Czerwinski writes, “this was played 100% in a full mix for two tracks,” so the only ‘treatments’ the material was subjected to was adding a bit of “tubes” and warmth to the sound. He states: “I'm a proponent of negligible interference with the material; no compressors or modern sound 'enhancers'!”

The original master, with CD in mind, was made in as many as two places: by Artur Moniuszko at CD Accord and Maciej Marchewka for Tibo Sound. The new one is an analog one - it was recorded on ¼” analog tape, on a Studer A-80 tape recorder. The lacquer in the Pauler Acoustics studio was cut by Günter Pauler. Let me remind you that this is also where Stockfish Records' recordings and lacquers are made. The making of the lacquers and pressing of the records took place at the Polish X-Dics pressing plant.

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| A few simple words…

ADAM CZERWIŃSKI

BEFORE WE START LISTENING, let me briefly tell you what the genesis of this recording and release is. I had the pleasure, I think for three years, in 1997, 2000 and 2001, of playing with Art Farmer. I don't need to introduce the man to you, because he is, along Miles Davis, Chet Baker and two, maybe three other jazz musicians, the most outstanding trumpeter, one of the legends who created the genre of music I have been playing my whole life.

⸜ ADAM CZERWIŃSKI as Santa

Art was living in Vienna at the time. Kuba Stankiewicz, a pianist, had some concerts there and came up with a proposal to invite Art to some festival in Poland. We did it and put together a band for him, with Darek Oleszkiewicz on bass, Piotr Baron on tenor saxophone, Kuba Stankiewicz on piano and me on drums. And so Art came to Poland for the first time. For me it was a great experience, because although I had played with stars before, playing with one of the greatest was something new for me. I had already played with Jarek Smietana, and I had also played with many musicians. But Art appeared to us as the God descending from heaven to us little ones.

With this band we played at the festival in Poznan. But we had a rehearsal set up beforehand. We sat, waited, and after some time HE came in, with books of sheet music and a spread for each of the pieces he wanted to rehearse. The rehearsal was really, I must say, quite rigorous and long, because it lasted about three hours. We played one track at a time, which he chose, and he was really very demanding concerning even the smallest details. He simply set up the band for those three hours the way he wanted it to sound. After the rehearsal, he looked at us and said that “you’re all right” and that “we could play with it.”

After the Poznań concert we played some small tour with this lineup, I don't remember where anymore, but in a few or maybe even a dozen places. It was then that someone came up with a proposal to prepare a recording session in Wroclaw, because Piotrek is from Wroclaw, Darek is from Wroclaw, and Kuba Stankiewicz is also from Wroclaw. So, inevitably, the recording had to take place in this city.

The session took place with Darek Oleszkiewicz on the occasion of this particular tour, which I had forgotten about, I didn't even mention it in the album description. I was reminded of it by the sound engineer, Włodek Krakus. This excellent bassist and sound engineer, now runs a music club - Liverpool. I was there the day before yesterday, because he bought for me a guitar amplifier, once owned by Jarek Śmietana, a two-driver Politon, once George Benson used when recording the Breezing album (!).

⸜ Tapes were played using Technics RS-1500

So, Wlodek reminded me that such a tour took place. After the recording session, Art listened to the tracks and said: “Gentlemen, this can't be released!” He didn't like what he heard and offered to come again at his own expense and we would do the session again, so that everything would sound, as he said, “decent”. This is what happened. After some time, a second session took place, also in the Radio Wroclaw Studio. Unfortunately, Darek Oleszkiewicz couldn't fly in from Los Angeles because he already had other commitments. So I dragged Harvie S, who delivered an outstanding performance on this album.

Let me explain right away why the cover says Harvey S, not Harvey Swartz. For years he carried the surname Swartz, but people repeatedly confused its spelling. This annoyed him so much that he decided to officially change it and leave himself only the name Harvie with an extra “S” - Harvie S. When he did this, he was happy for a while, but journalists and people on the Internet started putting a period after the S, and it only upset him to the max. That's why now, when he signs, he writes: “Harvie S no dot”.

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▌ SOUND

THIS WAS NOT A TRADITIONAL listening session audition of the Krakow Sonic Society meeting. So please treat it a bit like a report from a meeting of a group of friends. What we did looked like that: we listened to a few tracks from the tape, then from the CD and talked about it, and so on several times, in between drinking and chatting. Toward the end, we listened to the “master” tape of Adam Makowicz's Blue Sapphires, from which the LP's lacquer was cut; reviewed → HERE, and which had just returned from Abbey Road studios.

WOJCIECH PACUŁA, „High Fidelity” • Let me start, because I planned to review also the CD version but I gave up, as it didn’t somehow ‘sit right’ with me. This would be the first time with an AC Records release that I feel something has gone wrong. I could be wrong, I don't know what it's based on, but it's just very much too lean at the bottom of the band, at least compared to the LP and - especially - the tape.

ADAM CZERWIŃSKI, AC Records • That’s the first time I hear about anything being wrong with the CD.

⸜ CD version was played using the new Ancient Audio Lektor Step

TOMASZ HATYLAK, Radio 357 For me, this CD wasn't so bad at all. I really liked, for example, the sound of the piano. It was as if it was less compressed than on tape - I don't believe what I'm saying myself :) From my perspective, as I sit on the side, from the CD it simply sounded more like a piano.

On the other hand, just in general, it's 1:0 for the tape. It is clear that there was more life in it, more “presence” and my hands started clapping by themselves. I could see you all shared this sentiment. But the CD isn't as extremely bad as Wojtek says. It is just “less good”.

JANUSZ TUCHOWSKI, KSS As for the tape - you know, there is something in it, in terms of timbre, sound. What Tomek said, that here as if the hands “wanted to clap by themselves” is true. Nevertheless, It seemed to me that there was a lot of impurity in the sound of the tape, a lot of distortion towards the end of the piece, at least that's how I heard it sitting here. You can see that the tape is driven to the max and that the tips of the VU-meters just reach the limiter.

WICIU, KSS As for the CD, I heard it partly as Wojtek said. The digital disc is more detailed, but somehow so flat, lifeless. It lacks that “something”, certainly the fill. I don't know if it's a matter of the set-up we're playing on, but Wojtek also listened to this CD at his place, so it would be confirmation of his intuition. On the other hand, the instruments on the CD are better separated. It's a more detailed sound. But, going back to the beginning, it doesn't have that something that the tape has, i.e. that charm. Simply put - it is not that lively. In my opinion analog is always analog. And digital, however, is gray and flat.

Of course, I have heard fantastically sounding CDs, but here, however, there is a huge difference. I have a lot of albums, both on vinyl, lot of first releases, and analogous compact disc editions. And always, although the playback systems are of a similar class, vinyl always has such an aura, a “cloud”, some sort of “glow” around the sound, and the tape has the same. This is a warm, engaging sound with a deep stage. There is a great deal of liveliness around the micro-events. That is how I would describe it.

JULIAN SOJA, Soyaton, KSS I am, in generally, a fan and admirer of tapes, so I think I don’t need to add anything :) First of all, obviously, and definitely I preferred tape. But I will say a few words in defense of the player.

⸜ JAREK WASZCZYSZYN salutes you :)

To be honest, knowing the capabilities of the tape, especially tapes copied straight from the “masters” at Custom 34 studio in Gdansk, I expected the difference to be much greater and that the compact disc would perform much worse than it did. To be honest, even as I listened to the tape at my place, I wondered if Jarek surely knew what he was doing when measuring his CD Player against the reel-to-reel. And I think that for a digital source, the CD did really well. There was a lot of dynamics in the sound, a lot of detail.

And as for the details and resolution that you heard on the CD and that was supposed to be greater than from the tape, I don’t agree. That's what I'm thinking, but please don't be offended, that most of you are not used to listening to music from tape and that's why you perceived the CD sound in that way. That is, as a more resolving and detailed source. And yet all those things on tape are there, in fact there is much more information on it.

On it there is a much better background, much more decay, depth, mass of instruments. That's why at first it seems as if it's maybe a little less resolving source. But it's all really there. After all, this digital carrier, this CD, is secondary to the tape - the tape was the source for the CD master. Yes, I know that the original master was on DAT tape, which is also digital. But it is, however, the material that we remastered, right? So a different one, because it has to be different.

Circling back to what I heard about the overdrives in the left channel, I also, not sure why, heard them. And, surprisingly, when listening to CDs, although they also occurred once or twice, they occurred in other moments. So maybe it's a matter of some setting in the system or something else.

⸜ The setup we used for listening to the tape and CD

ADAM CZERWIŃSKI In my opinion, if I may add something, there is too much top in this system. Isn't there some additional device in the system there, Jarek? It seems to me as if the sound passes through some additional device.

JAREK WASZCZYSZYN, Ancient Audio, KSS Well, yes, there is a loudspeaker processor in the system.

ADAM CZERWIŃSKI There it is…

JAREK WASZCZYSZYN Well, I have a whole bunch of observations of my own, because I sit in this room every day, listening to this system. One thing that has changed is that I'm sitting in a different place, and the fact that we're playing from tape. Also Julek today brought cool cables with him, which also changed a lot for us here. But the first remark is this, my dear knights: never have you listened to music here as loud as today. I was even about to say that we play too loud, but okay, it's done.

In fact, the sound level wasn't very high, because this is the level at which I'm just getting started. Because, needless to say, we want music as we hear it live. I also agree that this tape is recorded with a monstrously high level. The indicators simply knocked out the limiters. If they hadn't, they would have flown off altogether.

And one more thing, we listened to a CD with a level of 80 on the player's display (the CD also acted as a preamplifier - ed.). I usually listen to music at a level of 88-89. And if I have some old CDs, or, let's say, CDs in the ECM manner, I listen to them even louder. And now: recording an album at maximum will come out differently on tape, it will come out differently on CD. A tape, if you drive it decently, gets a kick. A CD, if you drive it practically to the maximum, it becomes flat.

⸜ Julek Soja cabled the whole setup with his Soyaton cables

And who knows if this is not the fundamental reason, Wojtek, that for you this album on CD simply sounds flat. And on a tape recorder such playing will of course come out better, because this overdrive made based on the saturation of the tape is natural. But leaving aside these details, I wanted to say that I enjoyed listening to it, despite everything. This music was played with such fantastic power, with such a great timing! Well dear drummer, what can I tell you? You did it :)

TOMEK L., KSS Let me be brief, since most of it has already been said. It was very, very cool playing. From the tape - we know that it is such an “analog” sound saturation, so “thick” and I liked it very much. In my system I also strive for an “analog rather then digital” sound. If everything is well put together, not only from CD, not only from SACD, but also from files, especially DSD files, it is possible to achieve equally nice sound.

Here, when listening to the CD, it was obviously leaner, there was not such a powerful extention in the lower end, the power was not felt. On the other hand, however, the separation of instruments, clarity of sound made it very pleasant for me to listen to. For me, it wasn't as bad as it was for Wojtek. I would have preferred the CD sound to have more weight, but it was still very okay. And as for the overdrive that appeared on the trumpet in the left channel, from the tape it irritated me, and on the CD it was almost inaudible. With the CD it was marginal and I felt much better about it.

TOMEK F., KSS Since I am the last one, having listened to all of you I agree most with Julek. Most of the tape listening so far had blown me away, and even here it sounded great, of course. On the other hand, when we switched to CD, it didn't sound badly at all, for me. I even thought to myself, “okay, the difference isn't that big, and the sound is still cool and resolving.”

⸜ 149th KSS Meeting was a chance to accept a new member, Janusza Tuchowskiego

I accept what Julek said about resolution and the fact that a person accustomed to “digital” resolution on a daily basis would probably have to listen very carefully, or switch his brain to this tape-based, analog one. I accept it, but I can not agree that this compact disc sounded bad, for a CD. I think it also sounded fantastically, with a kick. The tape recorder had the natural dynamics it always has, but each of these sources had its advantages and disadvantages today. But I liked both presentations very much, because the music was great, too. I don't know as much about jazz as I do about other genres, but it was clear to me that I listened to excellent musicians.

▌ In summary

AS YOU CAN SEE, THIS TIME the majority of listeners did not agree with me when it came to the sound of a CD. Which is strange, because it was usually me who had to convince others of the advantages of digital discs. But - well, such are the rules of these meetings. Neither others convinced me, nor I convinced others. You simply must check it out for yourself. Especially since this is excellent music and it’s very well recorded. And both, tape and vinyl, are world class releases, and the CD - as above.

By the very end, Adam, who played the role of Santa Claus that evening, in full disguise, with a big bell, clothes and beard, told an anecdote about carrying analog tapes by airplane. And it went like this:

Speaking of tapes, I can tell you a story. I used to fly often, though less often recently, with tapes to Abbey Road studios in London. There are two “master” tapes for each album, that we cut the lacquers from there. It's 5:00 in the morning, the airport in Gdansk and the morning flight. And I have the tapes with me. For whatever reason, there was always some sort of problem with them. The tapes, of course, can't go through the gate with x-rays, because there is a risk of them getting demagnetized or damaged.

And explaining at 5:00 a.m. to some lady or gentleman, some security officer, that this is a tape with music, can be difficult. No one knows anything about it. The older ones allow the version that there might be a film on the tape, they heard about such a thing, but for there to be music on the tape is some kind of stupidity to them. It usually ended up with the head of security, sometimes the airport director - simply an affair on a full scale. And when it finally got solved, I had to pass the scanner and tell them that I also couldn’t go through it, because I had a pacemaker :) The expressions on their faces - priceless. As if I said something nasty.

And that happened several times. Until the last time I flew out, I think it was with a tape of Adam Makowicz. I was flying, as usual, in the morning and here we go again. I give them the tapes and start explaining what's going on. Before I got to me already rehearsed speech about it, from the other securityline, parallel to mine, I can hear a voice of another border guard shouting to “mine”: “Let him go, let him go, this is the guy who says he has music on tape, and at the end he'll tell you that he has a pacemaker and can't get through the gate.” And the whole airport bursted in laughter.

⸜ The whole crew of Krakow Sonic Society sends warm greetings to all “High Fidelity” readers!

Happy New Year!!! Let's meet again in 2025 – this will be the 20th anniversary of the Krakow Sonic Society and we will kick it off with our 150th meeting.
See you then!