Keepers Of The Eastern Door
Chris Cheek, Bill Frisell, Tony Scherr, Rudy Royston
Compact Disc
The analog to digital transfer for our Compact Discs is made from the master tape by Bernie Grundman on a JCF Latte converter, directly at 44.1/24. This method requires a dedicated pass from the tape, in real time. It eschews downsampling and we think it sounds better. The dithering from 24 bits to 16 bits is done through a Lavry 3000S. We also prefer using this older but great sounding external processor to software solutions.
Track Listing:
1. Kino’s Canoe (Chris Cheek) 3:34
2. Smoke Rings (Ned Washington & H. Eugene Gifford) 4:30
3. O Sacrum Convivium! (Olivier Messiaen) 6:49
4. On A Clear Day (Burton Lane & Alan Jay Lerner) 4:14
5. Lost Is My Quiet (Henry Purcell) 7:21
6. From Me To You (John Lennon & Paul McCartney) 5:05
7. Keepers Of The Eastern Door (Chris Cheek) 4:45
8. Go On, Dear (Chris Cheek) 5:18
Total Time: 41:37
About Keepers Of The Eastern Door
Acclaimed Saxophonist/Composer Chris Cheek finds harmony with nature on Keepers of the Eastern Door. Featuring an All-Star quartet with Bill Frisell, Tony Scherr and Rudy Royston, the album was recorded by James Farber at Power Station, direct to analog tape and mastered by Bernie Grundman.
Album Reviews
"Recorded at Power Station in New York by the renowned recording great James Farber live to 1/2" two track analog tape on a custom tube Ampex 351 at 30IPS and mastered by Bernie Grundman directly from the analog tape bypassing even Bernie's excellent sounding mastering board, this production is an analog record lover's dream come true. The sound is warm, yet detailed and vibrant, almost as if electronics were not at all involved.”
- Michael Fremer, Tracking Angle (Music = 10, Sound = 10)
"Cheek is a first-rate improviser and composer with a distinctive sound; while he mostly plays tenor, he's also one of the greatest living performers on the soprano sax […] For me, Keepers of the Eastern Door is the most enjoyable record of his career. […] It's one of those records where you can hear the good time being had, and everything just flows.”
- Alex Halberstadt, Stereophile
"On this beauteous and deceptively understated gem of an album, ever-tasteful saxophonist Chris Cheek makes a gentle-but-firm alliance with another notoriously tasteful musician, guitarist Bill Frisell, in clean-tone mode. […] The result is magical. […] All told, the album is a thing of subtle beauty and neo-hip grace.”
- Josef Woodard, DownBeat (4 stars)
"Recorded live to 1/2-inch two-track analog tape on a custom tube Ampex 351 deck at 30 ips, Keepers of the Eastern Door is the most sumptuous-sounding and crystal-clear album that has crossed my desk this year. [...] Chris Cheek brings a refined touch and jazzy sensibility to the Beatles, baroque composer Henry Purcell, 20th-century French composer Olivier Messiaen, and a couple familiar jazz standards in this varied program."
- Bill Milkowski, The Absolute Sound (4.5 for music, 4.5 for sonics)
"Chris Cheek and Bill Frisell are such kindred spirits it’s a wonder they haven’t teamed up more often. Both are rooted in jazz and pop tradition but with a taste for the unknown. The Missouri saxophonist is adept at soothing the listener with warmth and lyricism before taking an unexpected turn. Frisell is similarly inclined, using the reverb on his electric guitar to infuse gentle, even beloved melodies with a sense of the uncanny. [...] Poised between chill out and spine-chilling, this album is a late-night delight."
- The London Times ("best jazz of 2025 so far”)
Keepers Of The Eastern Door Recording Session
Production Credits
Recorded by James Farber at Power Station, New York, live to 1/2 inch two track analog tape on a custom tube Ampex 351 at 30 ips, November 8-9, 2024
Assistant Engineers: Pete Rende, Matthew Soares, Omisha Chaitanya
Mastered by Bernie Grundman at Bernie Grundman Mastering, Hollywood
Master lacquer cut by Bernie Grundman directly from the analog tape
Produced by Chris Cheek, Jerome Sabbagh & Pete Rende
Executive Producers: Philipe Berman, Ana Mighty Sound
Graphic Design: Element-s/Jérôme Witz
Photos by Edward S. Curtis
Session & Band Photo by Adrien H. Tillmann
Analog Tone Factory would like to thank John Chester, Dave Dintenfass, James Farber, Bernie Grundman, Philipe Berman, François Saint-Gérand, David Smith, the Curtis Legacy Foundation, John & Coleen Graybill and Julie Cardozo.
Special Thanks to Ana Mighty Sound for supporting Analog Tone Factory from the very beginning, and for continuing to do so.
Keepers Of The Eastern Door
Chris Cheek, Bill Frisell, Tony Scherr, Rudy Royston
Compact Disc
The analog to digital transfer for our Compact Discs is made from the master tape by Bernie Grundman on a JCF Latte converter, directly at 44.1/24. This method requires a dedicated pass from the tape, in real time. It eschews downsampling and we think it sounds better. The dithering from 24 bits to 16 bits is done through a Lavry 3000S. We also prefer using this older but great sounding external processor to software solutions.
Track Listing:
1. Kino’s Canoe (Chris Cheek) 3:34
2. Smoke Rings (Ned Washington & H. Eugene Gifford) 4:30
3. O Sacrum Convivium! (Olivier Messiaen) 6:49
4. On A Clear Day (Burton Lane & Alan Jay Lerner) 4:14
5. Lost Is My Quiet (Henry Purcell) 7:21
6. From Me To You (John Lennon & Paul McCartney) 5:05
7. Keepers Of The Eastern Door (Chris Cheek) 4:45
8. Go On, Dear (Chris Cheek) 5:18
Total Time: 41:37
About Keepers Of The Eastern Door
Acclaimed Saxophonist/Composer Chris Cheek finds harmony with nature on Keepers of the Eastern Door. Featuring an All-Star quartet with Bill Frisell, Tony Scherr and Rudy Royston, the album was recorded by James Farber at Power Station, direct to analog tape and mastered by Bernie Grundman.
Album Reviews
"Recorded at Power Station in New York by the renowned recording great James Farber live to 1/2" two track analog tape on a custom tube Ampex 351 at 30IPS and mastered by Bernie Grundman directly from the analog tape bypassing even Bernie's excellent sounding mastering board, this production is an analog record lover's dream come true. The sound is warm, yet detailed and vibrant, almost as if electronics were not at all involved.”
- Michael Fremer, Tracking Angle (Music = 10, Sound = 10)
"Cheek is a first-rate improviser and composer with a distinctive sound; while he mostly plays tenor, he's also one of the greatest living performers on the soprano sax […] For me, Keepers of the Eastern Door is the most enjoyable record of his career. […] It's one of those records where you can hear the good time being had, and everything just flows.”
- Alex Halberstadt, Stereophile
"On this beauteous and deceptively understated gem of an album, ever-tasteful saxophonist Chris Cheek makes a gentle-but-firm alliance with another notoriously tasteful musician, guitarist Bill Frisell, in clean-tone mode. […] The result is magical. […] All told, the album is a thing of subtle beauty and neo-hip grace.”
- Josef Woodard, DownBeat (4 stars)
"Recorded live to 1/2-inch two-track analog tape on a custom tube Ampex 351 deck at 30 ips, Keepers of the Eastern Door is the most sumptuous-sounding and crystal-clear album that has crossed my desk this year. [...] Chris Cheek brings a refined touch and jazzy sensibility to the Beatles, baroque composer Henry Purcell, 20th-century French composer Olivier Messiaen, and a couple familiar jazz standards in this varied program."
- Bill Milkowski, The Absolute Sound (4.5 for music, 4.5 for sonics)
"Chris Cheek and Bill Frisell are such kindred spirits it’s a wonder they haven’t teamed up more often. Both are rooted in jazz and pop tradition but with a taste for the unknown. The Missouri saxophonist is adept at soothing the listener with warmth and lyricism before taking an unexpected turn. Frisell is similarly inclined, using the reverb on his electric guitar to infuse gentle, even beloved melodies with a sense of the uncanny. [...] Poised between chill out and spine-chilling, this album is a late-night delight."
- The London Times ("best jazz of 2025 so far”)
Keepers Of The Eastern Door Recording Session
Production Credits
Recorded by James Farber at Power Station, New York, live to 1/2 inch two track analog tape on a custom tube Ampex 351 at 30 ips, November 8-9, 2024
Assistant Engineers: Pete Rende, Matthew Soares, Omisha Chaitanya
Mastered by Bernie Grundman at Bernie Grundman Mastering, Hollywood
Master lacquer cut by Bernie Grundman directly from the analog tape
Produced by Chris Cheek, Jerome Sabbagh & Pete Rende
Executive Producers: Philipe Berman, Ana Mighty Sound
Graphic Design: Element-s/Jérôme Witz
Photos by Edward S. Curtis
Session & Band Photo by Adrien H. Tillmann
Analog Tone Factory would like to thank John Chester, Dave Dintenfass, James Farber, Bernie Grundman, Philipe Berman, François Saint-Gérand, David Smith, the Curtis Legacy Foundation, John & Coleen Graybill and Julie Cardozo.
Special Thanks to Ana Mighty Sound for supporting Analog Tone Factory from the very beginning, and for continuing to do so.
