Jazz Classics: 1940s by Tom Amend and His Sextet

With Jazz Classics: 1940s by Tom Amend and his Sextet, Octave Records continues its Jazz Classics series with standards and favorites from the 1940s, recorded with stunning high-resolution sound  –

 August 14, 2025 – Octave Records and pianist Tom Amend and his band take listeners on a jazz journey to a hallowed musical era with Jazz Classics: 1940s, the label’s latest release. The album featured Amend and his sextet putting a new musical flavor into vintage favorites like “Take the A Train,” “Stella by Starlight,” “How High the Moon,” “Moonlight Serenade,” and six more classics. Octave Records’ high-resolution Pure DSD sound quality has never been better, as this exceptional recording demonstrates.

Tom Amend plays piano and bass clarinet on Jazz Classics: 1940s and is accompanied by Daryl Gott on alto saxophone, Nate Miller on trumpet, Seth Lewis playing upright bass, and Ian Spillman on drums. Musician, composer, and educator Amend is one of Octave’s most acclaimed artists, and Jazz Classics: 1940s showcases his beautiful arrangements and orchestrations and the superb, sympathetic playing of the band.
 
Jazz Classics: 1940s was produced by Tom Amend and Jessica Carson and recorded and mixed at Octave Studios in Boulder, Colorado by Paul McGowan, with Jessica Carson and Terri McGowan assisting. Gus Skinas was the mastering engineer. The album was recorded using Octave’s state-of-the-art Pyramix Pure DSD system, mastered using a PS Audio DirectStream DAC, and mixed using PS Audio’s flagship Aspen FR30 loudspeaker. No compression, limiting, or studio “tricks” were used to capture the sound of the musicians with astonishing sonic purity, dynamics, and detail. This is a truly special recording.

Tom Amend and company lead off with a dazzling version of “Take the A Train.” This song has been recorded countless times, making it particularly challenging for an artist to bring something new. Amend and the band do just that, adding a lively swing and adept improvisation to the song. Seth Lewis’s bass playing is a highlight here and throughout the album, with a propulsive drive and rhythmic pulse. Next up is Charlie Parker’s “Dewey Square,” and here the ensemble playing of the horns shines.
 
Octave’s Pure DSD process captures the body and textures of the instruments with remarkable fidelity. The piano has presence with superb harmonic extension, and its percussive attack adds to the realism. The saxophones sound creamy and full-bodied, and the trumpet has a reach out and touch it quality.

Of particular note is the low end: the bass is remarkably articulate and clear, and occupies its own sonic space, powerful but never boomy. The drums are startlingly lifelike and present.
 
Every track on Jazz Classics: 1940s is a gem. “Milestones” is straight-ahead jazz at its finest, and has Ian Spillman punctuating the song with adept solo breaks. “Skylark” features Amend on bass clarinet, and the rich sonority of the instrument is one of the many sonic highlights of the album, with a realism that simply must be heard. “How High the Moon” finds the quintet disassembling and reassembling the song in a unique way, beginning with a slow statement of the melody before launching into a roaring improvisation, accented by Lewis’ bass solo.

Among the album’s other standouts are a gorgeous rendition of “Stella by Starlight,” the irresistible motion and swing of “Casbah,” the band stretching out on “Long Ago and Far Away,” and the sheer beauty of the arrangement and playing on “Moonlight Serenade.”
 
Here’s the full track listing for Jazz Classics: 1940s:
 
“Take the A Train”
“Dewey Square”“ Milestones”
“Skylark”
“How High the Moon”
“Casbah”
“Stella by Starlight”
“Long Ago and Far Away”
“A String of Pearls”
“Moonlight Serenade”
 
Jazz Classics: 1940s features Octave’s premium gold disc formulation, and the disc is playable on any SACD, CD, DVD, or Blu-ray player. It also has a high-resolution DSD layer that is accessible by using any SACD player or a PS Audio SACD transport. In addition, the master DSD and PCM files are available for purchase and download, including DSD 512, DSD 256, DSD 128, DSD 64, and DSDDirect Mastered 352.8 kHz/24-bit, 176.2 kHz/24-bit, 88.2 kHz/24-bit, and 44.1 kHz/24-bit PCM. (SRP: $29.)
 
If you’re a member of the media and would like Jazz Classics: 1940s for review, please contact Frank Doris at frank@psaudio.com or 631-645-5668.