Telarc :Featured Label

FEATURED LABEL: TELARC INTERNATIONAL
www.telarc.com

Telarc International Corporation started out as a classical music record company back in 1977. Founded by classical musicians and former teachers Jack Renner and Robert Woods, the label sought to release high quality, realistic sounding recordings utilizing a minimal miking technique that Renner had developed and continued to perfect with his custom recording business. In 1978 Telarc recorded and released the first commercial classical recordings in the U.S. in the digital format. This was the first of many risks the company has taken over the years in order to present music utilizing the most cutting-edge recording and sound technologies. The gamble has paid off time and again because audiophiles and musicians are so impressed with the quality of sound on Telarc's releases. Musicians also know that Telarc recordings will faithfully represent their sound and artistry to the listener and provide a sense of presence that simply don't come across from other recordings. "The Telarc Sound of my recordings can best be described," says Dave Brubeck, "by a comment made by my son, Darius, who is also a pianist. This is what he said about my Christmas album: 'It felt like I was at home in the same room listening to Dad play.'"

Telarc has garnered numerous awards both in the U.S. and abroad for its recordings, including thirty-six Grammy Awards for Performance, Production, and Engineering; the French Grand Prix du Disque and Diapason d' Or; Japan's Record of the Year; and Germany's Audiophile CD of the Year.

Originally a classical music label, the Telarc catalog, with over 600 releases, now includes jazz, contemporary jazz, and blues music from a roster of artists that includes Louie Bellson, Ray Brown, Dave Brubeck, Freddie Cole, Michel Camillo, Dizzy Gillespie, Jim Hall, Slide Hampton, Amhad Jamal, Marcus Miller, Gerry Mulligan, George Shearing, Janis Siegel, Mel Torme, and Joe Williams.

So, what about that minimal miking thing? Well, first off, Telarc carefully scopes its recording locations for the best and warmest possible sound. Sometimes the acoustical shell of an auditorium or concert hall needs to be moved or otherwise adjusted in order to comply with Telarc's belief in making as little artificial changes to the recording's sound in post-production as possible. Once the venue is set up, the engineers get to work with as few microphones as necessary to capture the sound of the performers. For example, a maximum of four microphones, and perhaps even less, will be used to record a full symphony orchestra or big band performance. Omni-directional microphones are used, which means the recording location must be as quiet as possible, both inside and out.

Telarc has been committed to true 20-bit recording even prior to its becoming an industry standard, and the label has developed its own proprietary analog to digital converter, adding another dimension to the unique "Telarc sound". According to Jack Renner: "Our 20-bit recordings enabled more detail to be captured, and provided us better control of dynamic range, with a far lower noise floor and increased resolution. It's been a flexible and successful medium."
There's no question the label will remain at the cutting edge of recording technology, as their recent forays into high-resolution 24-bit/192 kHz recording demonstrates. When you purchase a Telarc International recording you are going to hear the music just as it was played and as the artists intended it to be heard.

Artists
Of course, the best technology in the world would mean nothing if Telarc didn't record some of the best talent in the world with it. Fortunately, that's just what the label has done over its 25-year history. For example, the label has released nearly a dozen recordings featuring piano swingmaster George Shearing, and something like thirty featuring Ray Brown, whom many consider to be the world' finest and most tasteful basist. Newer artists like Michel Camilo and Marcus Miller demonstrate Telarc's commitment to the future of the music, as does their recording of funky sounds by the likes of Metalwood. On the blues side of things, the label has released recordings by James Cotton, Tab Benoit, Charlie Musselwhite, and Junior Wells, with upcoming blues releases including In the Morning by Joe Louis Walker and In the Pocket: A Taste of Blues Harmonica.

Check out these reviews of recent Telarc releases:
Janis Siegel/I Wish You Love
Metalwood/The Recline
Dizzy Gillespie Alumni All-Star Big Band/Things to Come
Ray Brown/Some of My Best Friends Are…Guitarists
John Pizzarelli with the George Shearing Quintet/The Rare Delight of You
Telarc Jazz: Celebrating 25 Years