Mike del Ferro - Skylark

Album of the year 2020:
"Sound Liaison brings us a recording of pianist Mike del Ferro performing a mix of his own compositions with standards There is something special about this album that makes you enjoy it more each time you listen".
- Brian Mourat

Mike del Ferro - piano


Total time: 55:04

Original recording format DXD 352kHz.

Sound Liaison provide the one to one copy of the original master
All other formats are offered at NativeDSD.

"An art which isn't based on feeling isn't an art at all"...
- Paul Cézanne

Mike del Ferro

"In my mind's ear I hear my ideal piano sound. It’s a round, dark and full sound, with a singing quality. It's almost like a symphony orchestra hidden inside the piano, able to produce as many musical colours as possible. The danger with the piano is that if you don’t take care of your touch, it can sound very harsh and mechanical while with the right touch, dynamics and intention you can make a simple triad sound like an orchestra. I am still working on my sound on a daily basis".
"When I played with Toots Thielemans I was surprised that he almost insisted I would use a keyboard in combination with the piano in order to create an Orchestral sound on stage which he loved so much. 
I started investigating how to make the sound of an electronic keyboard blend with the acoustic sound of the piano and on that first tour with Toots I realized that combining the keyboard with the piano brought a new dimension to my playing. With one hand on each instrument the 'piano orchestral sound' I was hearing in my head started to come alive

This preoccupation with sound probably has to do with my dad being an opera singer and thus having a very strong 'Classical' background.
As a Child I was allowed to be playing quietly with my Lego pieces in the Music room while my dad was teaching his vocal students.
And in another part of the house my mother was playing Frank Sinatra's Capitol albums all day long.
Sinatra's phrasing, his use of space and time, Nelson Riddle's superb arrangements, I must have heard those albums a million times and now 50 years later they continue to be a source of inspiration, especially when it comes to interpreting melodies".

"I had a wonderful time working with the Sound Liaison team creating the solo album 'Skylark'. Frans de Rond's superb craftsmanship and his vision of sound has been a revelation. He managed to realize the sound of my mind's ear."

- Mike del Ferro

Recording and mastering by Frans de Rond
Mixing by Frans de Rond and Mike del Ferro
Recorded at MCO, Studio 2, Hilversum, The Netherlands, on December 1st, 2019
Produced by Peter Bjørnild

Piano tuning by Naomi van Schoot

Used equipment:

Microphones:
Main system: Josephson C700S
Second system: AEA R88
Micpre's: Merging Horus
Microphone cables by AudioQuest
Speakers: TAD Compact Evolution One
Poweramp: Moon 760A
Mixing headphones: Sennheiser HD800S / AKG 702
All power cables and power conditioners by AudioQuest

Video by BW Visuals

Catalog Number: SL-1041A