1/4" 15 ips (IEC/CCIR) First Generation Reel to Reel Tapes
International shipping available for all albums.
It is possible to pick up your orders in Paris. Choose option when checking out.
Keepers Of The Eastern Door
Chris Cheek, Bill Frisell, Tony Scherr, Rudy Royston
1/4" 15 ips (IEC/CCIR) First Generation Reel to Reel Tapes
Analog Tone Factory is proud to work with Jason Smith and Grey Matter Audio to make great sounding tape copies of all of our records. Each tape copy is dubbed directly from the master tape, as opposed to being dubbed from a copy. By offering tapes made directly from the master, we are able to get as close as possible to the sound of the master tape itself and avoid generational loss.
We are using a Sony APR-5002 as a transport to play back the master tape, but the sound is going through a Doshi Audio tube tape preamp, completely bypassing the stock Sony electronics. The recording tape machines are a bank of Otari tape recorders with a custom distribution amp system.
The regular format of our tape copies is 1/4 inch 15 ips IEC/CCIR but other formats are available upon request. Please enquire if interested. At 15 ips, each record fits on two 10.5 inches metal reels, each tape corresponding to a side of the LP. Each set of tapes includes three test tones to calibrate your machine. A high resolution download is also included. Any questions, please ask!
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
"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. […] I also heard Keepers of the Eastern Door on ¼" tape at Ana Mighty Sound, a hi-fi dealer in Paris. Playing on an Analog Audio Design TP-1000, the tape sounded magical, with an effortlessness and rock-solid stability that made both vinyl versions sound a bit fussy. ”
- Alex Halberstadt, Stereophile
"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)
"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
1/4" 15 ips (IEC/CCIR) First Generation Reel to Reel Tapes
Analog Tone Factory is proud to work with Jason Smith and Grey Matter Audio to make great sounding tape copies of all of our records. Each tape copy is dubbed directly from the master tape, as opposed to being dubbed from a copy. By offering tapes made directly from the master, we are able to get as close as possible to the sound of the master tape itself and avoid generational loss.
We are using a Sony APR-5002 as a transport to play back the master tape, but the sound is going through a Doshi Audio tube tape preamp, completely bypassing the stock Sony electronics. The recording tape machines are a bank of Otari tape recorders with a custom distribution amp system.
The regular format of our tape copies is 1/4 inch 15 ips IEC/CCIR but other formats are available upon request. Please enquire if interested. At 15 ips, each record fits on two 10.5 inches metal reels, each tape corresponding to a side of the LP. Each set of tapes includes three test tones to calibrate your machine. A high resolution download is also included. Any questions, please ask!
1/4" 15 ips (IEC/CCIR) First Generation Reel to Reel Tapes
International shipping available for all albums.
It is possible to pick up your orders in Paris. Choose option when checking out.
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
"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. […] I also heard Keepers of the Eastern Door on ¼" tape at Ana Mighty Sound, a hi-fi dealer in Paris. Playing on an Analog Audio Design TP-1000, the tape sounded magical, with an effortlessness and rock-solid stability that made both vinyl versions sound a bit fussy. ”
- Alex Halberstadt, Stereophile
"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)
"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.
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