Keith Jarrett - My Song -2015- -flac 24-192-

My Song is widely regarded as one of the crowning jewels of Keith Jarrett’s “European Quartet” period. Following the acclaimed Belonging (1974), this album captures the same lineup at the height of its intuitive, lyrical interplay. The title is apt: every track sings with a rare, folk-like melodicism, even during improvisational passages.

Highlights:

The quartet breathes as one organism. There’s no “leader syndrome” – Jarrett’s piano weaves in and out of Garbarek’s lines, creating a chamber-jazz feel that is both intimate and expansive. Keith Jarrett - My Song -2015- -FLAC 24-192-

To appreciate why this specific format matters, let’s walk through the album using a proper DAC and headphones (or high-end monitors).

Track 1: "My Song" The melody is almost too familiar, but listen to Jarrett’s left hand. The 24-192 transfer reveals the felt of the hammers on the lower register. Garbarek enters not from the center, but slightly left-rear in the soundstage—a phantom image that collapses into perfect clarity. The bass pizzicato notes have a bloom that decays naturally into the studio ambiance (Talent Studio, Oslo). My Song is widely regarded as one of

Track 3: "Tabarka" This is the test track for high-frequency extension. The triangle and cymbal work on the head arrangement can sound like static on MP3 or CD. In 24-192, each strike has a metallic ping, followed by a shimmering tail that lasts 4-5 seconds. You can hear Christensen using different parts of the stick on the ride cymbal.

Track 5: "The Journey Home" The quartet achieves a rare ecstatic groove here. The benefit of 192 kHz is evident in the stereo imaging. As Jarrett rises up the keyboard, his right hand seems to move past the left speaker boundary. The bass walk is so articulate you can almost see Danielsson’s fingers moving. The quartet breathes as one organism

Audiophile forums often argue that 96 kHz is the "sweet spot" and that 192 kHz can introduce ultrasonic noise. However, for acoustic jazz like this, the consensus is that 192 kHz captures the room tone of Talent Studio better than any other digital format. The recording engineer, Jan Erik Kongshaug, famously miked the piano and drums with minimal separation, relying on bleed for cohesion. In 24-192, that bleed—the sound of Christensen’s drums leaking into Jarrett’s piano mics—becomes musical rather than muddy. It tells you how they were positioned in the room.