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The Album

Mini Brazilian Beasts

Mini Brazilian Beasts

The Artist

Carmen Sandim

A marvel of modern jazz
In her first album recorded in Pure DSD, Brazilian pianist Carmen Sandim is a master of storytelling through her thoughtfully-crafted piano melodies and sophisticated harmonic structures. Accompanied in expert fashion by Gilad Hekselman on electric and acoustic guitar, Greg Garrison on bass and Colin Stranahan drums, Mini Brazilian Beasts is a marvel of modern jazz that’s warm and bright, and one of Octave’s crispest, clearest DSD recordings to date. The instrumental album opens with its playful title track, moving through the intensity of the emotionally-driven “Disturbia Nervosa” before retreating into the calm serenity of “Eventual Ocean” on solo piano. Produced by Art Lande and recorded by Colin Bricker and Kevin Lee, the album also features Blue Note Records’ Ron Miles on trumpet in his final recording – a beautifully introspective ballad titled for his middle name, “Glen.” This cohesive album of fresh, original compositions is a must-have for any jazz collector.

Now available as a 24-karat gold CD master in addition to the SACD version and downloads.
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About

Carmen Sandim

An engaging jazz pianist, Carmen Sandim combines harmonically sophisticated post-bop with traditions from her native Brazil. A native of Sao Paulo, Brazil, Sandim studied music at Boston's Berklee College of Music, working with artists like Luciana Souza, Vuk Kulenovic, Ed Tomassi, and others. After graduating with her B.M. in Film Scoring, she moved to Washington, D.C., where she composed music for TV, radio, and political ads. She also launched her own music production company, and picked up accolades, including several Addy Awards for compositional excellence. In 2005, she moved to Boulder, Colorado where she earned her M.M. in Jazz Performance and Pedagogy from University of Colorado. Basing herself there, she began performing, as well as teaching at University of Colorado Boulder, University of Colorado Denver, and Metropolitan State University of Denver. In 2011, she released her debut album, the Art Lande-produced Brand New,which featured Colorado luminary, cornetist Ron Miles, as well as saxophonist Danny Meyer, guitarist Matt Fuller, bassist Jean-Luc Davis, and drummer Josh Moore.In 2016, she won a grant from Pathways to Jazz to record her sophomore album. Two years later, she returned with the Lande-produced Play Doh. Included on the album were contributions by Kneebody trumpeter Shane Endsley, saxophonist Bruce Williamson, guitarist Khabu Doug Young, and others.

The Music

01 - Mini Brazilian Beasts
02 - Samsara's Learning Curve
03 - Disturbia Nervosa
04 - Glen
05 - Jumelandia
06 - Enemy
07 - Cassandra Speaks
08 - Magia Moderna
09 - Eventual Ocean
10 - That's Just The Way It Is OK
11 - Humdrum Heroe

Recording

Mini Brazilian Beasts features all-new original compositions by pianist and composer Carmen Sandim, accompanied by Gilad Hekselman on guitar, Greg Garrison on bass and Colin Stranahan on drums. Track 4, “Glen,” features Ron Miles on trumpet. Miles appears courtesy of Blue Note Records and “Glen” was his last recording. The album was produced by Colin Bricker, recorded and mixed by Colin Bricker and Kevin Lee, with engineering assistance by Giselle Collazo, and mastered by Gus Skinas. Kevin Lee and Jessica Carson were the Executive Producers. All compositions were recorded at Animal Lane in Lyons, CO and mixed at PS Audio in Boulder, CO.

Carmen Sandim - Piano, Composer Gilad Hekselman - Guitar Greg Garrison - Bass Colin Stranahan - Drums Ron Miles - Trumpet {Ron Miles appears courtesy of Blue Note Records} Producer - Art Lande Recording and Mixing Engineers - Colin Bricker, Kevin Lee Mastering Engineer - Gus Skinas Assistant Engineer - Giselle Collazo Executive Producers - Kevin Lee, Jessica Carson Art & Digipak Design - Seth Carson Recording Venue - Animal Lane in Lyons, CO Mixed at PS Audio in Boulder, CO Dates of Recording Session - June 28-July 1 2021, October 4-7 2021, February 10-11 2022

Album Features

  • One pressing Austrian gold-pressed dual-layer SACD
  • Pure DSD + PROMastered CD layers
  • DVD data disc containing DSD64, DSDDirect Mastered 192kHz 24 bit, 96kHz 24 bit, 44.1kHz 16 bit PCM
  • Pure DSD recorded on the Sonoma DSD system
  • DSD64, DSDDirect Mastered 192kHz 24 bit, 96kHz 24 bit, 44.1kHz 16 bit PCM download
  • CD layer of SACD playable on any CD player
  • Mastering monitored through the PS Audio DirectStream DAC
  • All tracks hand-curated on the aspen FR30 in PS Audio's Music Room Two
  • Limited edition one-pressing physical media

Video


An engaging jazz pianist, Carmen Sandim combines harmonically sophisticated post-bop with traditions from her native Brazil. Sandim first gained attention in the 2000s after moving to Boulder, Colorado.

In this video, Sandim discusses the studio recording process, working with Blue Note Records' Ron Miles, the stories behind the compositions on Mini Brazilian Beasts, and more. Video filmed and edited by Karyna Balch Interview and Steinway piano audio recorded by Zach Balch Photo credits: Studio photos at Animal Lane, Lyons, CO: Jordan Bass Ron Miles photo by Bob Doran - Creative Commons License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/legalcode Performance photos courtesy of Carmen Sandim. Pictured: Art Lande, Carmen Sandim, Matt Fuller, Ron Miles, Danny Meyer

Record Reviews

Finger snapping
If this doesn't get your fingers snapping and your foot tapping, nothing will! Thanks, Octave.
Charlie
The guitar is unreal
Just grabbed my own copy and I have never heard a guitar recorded so well. The sound of the guitar is unreal. It's as if the musician is right in the room with me. Thank you!
H1sojay

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