Arne Domnerus & Gustaf Sjökvist - Antiphone Blues [LIM K2HD 026] (1974, remastered 2008) {Repost}

Review by (highfidelity)
Such combination of instruments, like on this disc, meaning a saxophone and organ is incredibly uncommon nowadays. In the 70. it was very popular, especially regarding the organ. Because the natural environment of this instrument is a church interior, with long reverb, real artistry is required to capture the event the right way. A saxophone is an instrument with a point type emission, meaning that the sound comes from one place, and the organ occupies big space. This makes the interaction with the environment different, and the reverb is generated in a different way. We have dealt with a similar project, some time ago, when Jan Garbarek recorded the disc Officium (ECM, 1525, CD) where he combined the sound of a tenor and soprano saxophone and voices of the singers from the Hillard Ensemble in the space of the St. Gerold monastery.

The disc of Ame Domnerus, because he is the main actor here, is equally quieted down, contemplating. But it is enough to hear a few notes to shout from the impression: I haven’t heard for a long time such phenomenally captured space, timbres and tonal balance. Even the recording from Garbarek, made by the unequalled ECM, does not come close to the Swedish recording. Or maybe this is the result of the K2 HD mastering? Possible, quite possible. Its signature can be heard – incredibly full, analog, creamy and “dense” sound, where the treble does not act on its own, but is only an elongation of the basic tone. Incredible!

But this music didn’t reach me from the very beginning-the first playing left me with a feeling of not being fully satisfied. Now I know I made a mistake – I sat down to listen with an attitude “I have to do it” and was in a hurry. The second time I played it was during the night, together with the new issue of “Hi-Fi +” in my hand and it left an overwhelming impression on me. The recording has an incredible space, depth and fullness. The organ is recorded with care, not drowning the saxophone. The latter has a substantial space around it and does not stand still in front of the microphone. It goes back often, and this increases the reflected sounds. The structure of both instruments is clear, but also warm. The drawing is precise, but in a natural way – we “see” the saxophone, but it is not artificially removed from its surroundings. This is due to the very good dynamics and carefully evened frequency response. The pad cups are not audible, or the mouth piece, but this is not a recording of that type. There is some noise in the recording, but in the end this is a large church and a large instrument (organ). And the recording is not very recent. Anyway this disc is a must to have.