Twelve Moons

I like Jan Garbarek, he is versatile, inventive and provocative at times. If you like saxophone playing with a difference this is well worth a try.

Just got to love Jan Gabarek! Lovely CD, doesn't disappoint.

lovely CD with fantastic pieces of music ; helps relaxing ... the service was very efficient and professional. Would recommend them .

CD Review: ECM 1993 spars DDDThis is interesting music, sadly let down by the recording which is either heavily compressed or a bad all digital recording. Dynamic and frequency range is lacking, the sound just fails to soar.. All too often every instrument has the same volume. There are variations between the tracks but overall the sound quality is lacking.The detail and definition is present, the vitality and life is not.I have not set out to write reviews of the music content as “beauty is in the ears of the listener”. These reviews are about the quality (or not) of the recorded sound. To read about how the reviews are done please see my profile.• Clarity - Reasonable• Channel separation – very good• Channel balance – reasonable, but the percussion seems to bounce around between the channels• Sound Stage – very wide but not very deep, lacks projection and the percussion bounces around and between the channels which sounds rather gimmicky• Distortion – non audible• Compression – sounds limited, frequency range OK but the volume is constant little or no variation. Horns fail to soar, whilst all the instruments are audible the recording sounds dull and muted as if one size fits all.• Atmosphere – little or no sense of space and place. Gentle and relaxing, verging on the ambient but the lack of punch and power let’s the recording down. Foe example the vocals volume is the same as the drums and horns. The recording fails to come alive.• Bass – low frequencies whilst all the percussion is audible it lacks depth and power. The drums are muted and every thing seems to have the same problem. The drums have good tone but again the volume is constant. The dynamic range does improve when only one instrument is playing. It is difficult on occasion to determine if the bass guitar is playing. Track 3 does sound better than its precursors.• Treble – high frequencies – the saxophone is clear but fails to soar, it lacks edge and vitality most of the time. The sax also sounds rather distant. The cymbals lack clarity and shimmer. Sadly the treble and mid range sound quality is unremarkable.• Vocals – clear and well defined yet sound the same volume as the drums.As a general rule of thumb recordings from the 1960’s, 70’s and 80’s are nearly always better on the original vinyl. Remasters often fail to please as it’s just not possible to make a silk purse from a sows ear, i.e. the original recording lacks the necessary detail to be processed digitally and show an audible improvement. Indeed such processing can make the sound worse.Modern recordings which have been processed digitally from start to finish can be as good as vinyl. CD’s are often unfairly criticised for being poor quality. This is not the case, it is the original recording or the process which is to blame. Modern “remasters” can both enhance and degrade a recording. The statement GIGO (Garbage In Garbage Out) is the limiting factor. Ignore this at your cost.

Sent it back because it was faulty

I am new to the idea of Folk Jazz inspired to look up Garbarek on the web following the use of his music in an advert for bottled water (and if anyone knows the name of that track I'd be grateful for the info.) Twelve Moons has taken me to areas of my mind that I never knew existed. I would have said that I had a phobia about jazz, but now I find a whole new vista open before me with my senses so overloaded that I know I'll be trying to work the cd out for years.It never sounds the same. It always transports me light years away in my thought universe.

as usual Garbaek produces music that makes your spirit soar amazing to listen to in the car or relaxing in the home, even better blaring out when you are sitting outside with a fire or by moonlight, it is atmospheric and leaves you begging for more

Jan Garbarek was recommended to me so I took a punt on this cd. Some of it is a bit like the stuff used to back those questionable relaxation cds with smooth talking Californians trying to lull you into the 'experience'. Having said that some of the tracks are quite brilliant. I think I would take another punt on a different cd of his and will persist listening to it because he is obviously a brilliant musician. May be a change in producer?