Ustad Ali Akbar Khan - Pre-Dawn To Sunrise Ragas FLAC album

As with all of the 1966-74 Connoisseur Society (CS) vinyl releases of sarod master Ali Akbar Khan that I've listened to, this one is jaw-dropping: sublime audio quality & musical performance. These were all-analog recordings engineered by Brian G. Jones (four Sony C37A tube condenser microphones, custom Ampex 2-track 1/2" 30 ips decks), huge dynamic range & frequency response, no audible tape hiss, very quiet pressings with no drop-outs on any I’ve played. The microphone placement and room treatment here finds a perfect balance of resolution, presence, and a feeling of the venue space. If you're familiar with flamenco guitarist Manitas de Plata's legendary 1960's CS recordings and vinyl pressings, this is the same production team. And if you're lucky enough to own any of Water Lily Acoustics' (www.waterlilyacoustics.com) modern all-tube vinyl LP pressings (e.g., "Saradamani" by V.M. Bhatt & Sukhvinder Singh Namdari, "A Meeting by the River" with Ry Cooder et al., "Ajmer" by Ustad Imrat Khan) the spirit of the audio capture is kindred (detailed and intimate microphone placement but with a sense of acoustic space and air). One caveat for this album: if you want to enjoy it during the time of day that the rags were intended—really freaking early in the morning—let’s hope you’re not a late-riser like me. ;) BTW, several of these CS Ali Akbar Khan recordings were remastered and released on CD as "The Signature Series," on the Alam Madina (AMMP) label (excellent analog-to-digital remasters).My music performance rating: 5 starsMy recording & vinyl pressing rating: 5 stars