Heart

Jerome Sabbagh, Joe Martin & Al Foster

DSD 256

Stereophile Recording of the Month for October 2024

The analog to digital transfer for our DSD 256 downloads is made directly from the master tape by Jason Smith at Grey Matter Audio. We are using a Sony APR-5002 as a transport to play back the half-inch 30 ips master tape, but the sound is going through a Doshi Audio tube tape preamp instead of the stock electronics, and then to the Playback Designs converter. The capture is done directly in DSD 256 and the files are not converted to another format, so as to keep the high resolution of the signal. This is why we only offer DSD 256 and not other resolutions of DSD.

You will get a link to download the DSD 256 files, as well as a digital booklet with artwork, credits and track info.

Track Listing:

1. Prelude to a Kiss (D. Ellington) 3:06
2. ESP (W. Shorter) 6:03
3. Heart (J. Sabbagh) 5:06
4. Gone with the Wind (A. Wrubel & H. Magidson) 5:16
5. Right the First Time (J. Sabbagh, J. Martin, A. Foster) 3:14
6. When Lights are Low (B. Carter) 6:25
7. Lead the Way (J. Sabbagh, J. Martin, A. Foster) 3:56
8. Body and Soul (J. Green & E. Heyman, R. Sour, F. Eyton) 5:47

Total Time: 38:56

Jerome Sabbagh (tenor saxophone), Joe Martin (bass), Al Foster (drums)

About Heart

Over the last few years, Jerome Sabbagh has been playing trio with bassist Joe Martin, and legendary drummer Al Foster. The trio’s performances have drawn an enthusiastic crowd, bridging generations and captivating audiences with their exceptional musicianship and collective spirit.

The album they recorded, Heart, an all analog album recorded by James Farber at Power Station, is the first release on Analog Tone Factory.

Album Reviews

"Slinky, sexy, devilishly deliberate and slyly conceived and played, Heart is to be savored through repeated listens until you need to play it some more. It will spoil your system. [...] How good is the sound? I don't think you own a record that sounds better than this.”

- Michael Fremer, Tracking Angle  (Music = 11, Sound = 11)

“It's rare for an artist to win Recording of the Month honors for consecutive albums released within a few months of each other, and frankly, I don't feel great about it. But I cannot pass over Heart, the latest album from Jerome Sabbagh, which he recorded in a distinguished trio with Joe Martin on bass and the legendary Al Foster on drums. Heart mixes standards with original compositions and covers a range of styles, all laid back. It's a lovely mix of tunes with a distinctly unifying feel: playful, quiet, joyful, self-possessed […] The sonics make Heart an essential choice. The 180gm LP was pressed at Gotta Groove Records in Cleveland, which seems to have joined the elite class of record pressing plants.”

- Jim Austin, Stereophile (Recording of the month, Performance ****, Sonics *****)

"Heart is Sabbagh's eleventh leader date and is another artistic - and sonic - triumph."

- Keith Hoffman, The New York City Jazz Record

"Tenor saxophonist Jerome Sabbagh has called Al Foster his favorite living drummer, so it shouldn't be surprising that the reading of Ellington's "Prelude to a Kiss" that opens this superb trio album shares the spotlight with him […] Heart is the latest release on the saxophonist's Analog Tone Factory label, an audiophile imprint that not only presses its releases on vinyl, but also makes them available on reel-to-reel tape. Of course, the audio quality would be irrelevant if the musicians didn't possess the goods, and Sabbagh convincingly showcases his postbop bona fides.”

- Peter Margasak, DownBeat (4 stars)

"The sound is direct, with excellent instrumental timbre, dynamic shadings, and identification on note progression. Musically, the album is invitingly enjoyable, with an emphasis on ballads that stand out due to the delicate interplay between the three musicians."

- Andre Jennings, The Absolute Sound

“The process of recording Heart testifies to Sabbagh’s obsessiveness about sound and his remarkable interest in recording. Very few recordings go to such extraordinary lengths to achieve their sound [...] While I thoroughly enjoyed the superb-sounding Vintage, both the playing and sound on Heart strike me as being on a higher level. Sabbagh sounds more driven and inspired, while Foster drums with boundless inventiveness and charm. The sound is closer-miked, richer, and even more transparent.”

- Alex Halberstadt, Stereophile

Heart Recording Session

Production Credits

Recorded by James Farber at Power Station C, New York, live to 1/2 inch two track analog tape on a custom tube Ampex 351 at 30 ips (June 12-13, 2022).

Mastered by Bernie Grundman at Bernie Grundman Mastering, Hollywood.
Assistant Engineers: Pete Rende, Aki Nishimura, Ben Miller

Vinyl Pressed by Gotta Groove Records.
Master lacquer cut by Bernie Grundman directly from the analog tape, using an all-tube system.

Produced by Jerome Sabbagh & Pete Rende.
Executive Producer: Stenheim, darTZeel

Graphic design: Element-s, Jérôme Witz
Photos by Michele Palazzo
Band Photo by Pete Rende

Personal Credits

Thanks to James Farber, Pete Rende, Aki Nishimura, Andy Taub, Bernie Grundman, François Saint-Gérand, Nicko Shevelov, Daniel Sabbagh, Meaghan Glennan and David Smith.

Special thanks to Hervé Delétraz, Jean-Pascal Panchard, and Ana Mighty Sound for their support.

Jerome Sabbagh is a D’Addario Woodwinds artist and is also endorsed by Audeze.