Djabe - Sheafs are Dancing (DVD-audio 24/48 5.1) [Gramy GR-039-DVDA 2004]

From djabe.com:

Sheafs are Dancing (DVD-audio), released in 2004. You can enjoy the best studio album of Djabe, Sheafs are Dancing in real surround 5.1.

- Playable by all DVD players.
- Audio tracks can be reached by DVD-video players: DTS 5.1, Dolby Digital 5.1 and 2.0.
- Audio track can be reached by DVD-audio players: MLP 5.1 and MLP 2.0.
- Guests: Steve Hackett, Ben Castle
- Extras: Videoclips, Concertfootage, Documentaries (English and Hungarian), Picture galleries.
- DVD authoring made by Abbey Road Interactive.
- 14 pages colour booklet.
- No Region Code.

In 2003 Djabe prepared the best album of its career, the "Sheafs are Dancing". The material of the album was inspired by the paintings of the internationally known painter, Imre Égerházi. Tamás Barabás's (bass guitar) and Attila Égerházi's (guitar) tuns follow the set up of "one painting, one track".
Imre Égerházi's Hungarian picture word is made sound by Barabás's authentic arrangement. Ferenc Kovács's (violin, trumpet, flugelhorn) Hungarian folklore violin play is one of the most original sounds in all of Europe, his trumpet play on the album suggests the lyrics of the paintings. Zoltán Kovács's (keyboards) acoustic piano solos open up soundly the painter's harmonized compositions and control of paint material. After the African, Latin and Indonesian sounds, András Sipos (percussion) brings completely new colours through his Hungarian percussion. The album is characterized by Szilárd Banai's (drums) music rhythm and multicolour. In the track of "The House on the Hill", for instance, he uses three snare drums. The album was welcomed with great success both by the expertise and audience. The production was nominated for the Fonogram prize, in the category of "The jazz album of the year" in 2004.
The album was presented through a large-scale concert tour in Hungary and in the surrounding countries. The concerts were uniquely performed, in real 5.1 surround sound, thanks to Tamás Barabás' music direction. The auditorium was surrounded by loudspeakers and because of this the audience was seated right in the middle of the band. From this tour the "Scenes" track can be seen on the DVD, recorded in the Pesti Vigadó. According to the Stereo High End magazine "if there is a High End in concert sound, then the production of Djabe was it". Djabe did not mesmerise the audience only with sound but also with vision, as usual. The paintings and inspiring topics were projected onto a huge screen, often Imre Égerházi's own, super 8 films. The "Iceworld" animation film got on the DVD from this projected video material, which was produced by Attila Égerházi and Focus-Fox animation studio on the bases of Imre Égerházi's paintings inspired by the experience of being in clinical death.
Due to the "The Sheafs are dancing" album the band received several European and overseas invitations (Kaunas, London, Sarajevo, Bratislava, Rochester, Washington, Pori, Stockholm, Burghausen etc.) therefore Djabe could enhance further the reputation of Hungarian music and musicians in the world.
The excellent work of Barabás Tamás can be heard in the best sound quality at present by the owners of DVD Audio player within the DVD equipment, to these people the MLP 5.1 sound-track is also available. Do not be dismayed if you "only" own a normal DVD player, as the mixed surround was put on in DTS and Dolby Digital form also onto the not everyday record.
Naturally the film extras can be enjoyed in the most excellent sound quality, too.
The material gets visually complete by the video clips, the concert film, the werkfilm and the portrait film on Imre Égerházi, especially prepared for the album. In the painting gallery we receive a cross-section on the life art of Imre Égerházi. Naturally, the 14 pages booklet contains the photos of all of the paintings, the biography of the artist and detailed information on music and musicians.

In 2004 Sheafs are Dancing DVD-Audio won the international Prince Award as "The best multimedia work".

Tracklist:
1. Sheafs are Dancing
2. Scenes - Above Poland
3. Scenes - Sunset at the Seaside
4. Street Scene of Hajdúböszörmény
5. The House on the Hill
6. Hortobágy at Winter
7. In the Snowstorm
8. Behind th Veil
9. Talkers
10. Reproach
11. Reflections of Thiérache
12. The Mountains of Gyimes
13. Flying
14. Iceworld
15. Flowers Stillness

Total time: 1:15:22

Musicians:
Barabás Tamás - bass, synth program, percussion
Égerházi Attila - guitar
Kovács Ferenc - violin, trumpet, flugelhorn
Kovács Zoltán - piano, keyboards
Sipos András - percussion
Banai Szilárd - drums
Steve Hackett - guitar
Ben Castle - soprano saxophone
Szalai Péter - tabla
Herczeg Judit - vocal

About the band:

Djabe is the no.1 jazz/world fusion band of Hungary. The group has received recognition and won numerous Hungarian and international awards since its foundation twelve years ago. Witchi Tai To won the prize in the category Best Hungarian Jazz/World Music Album of the Year, in 2000. In 2002, the Update received the award of the Best Hungarian World Music Album of the Year. Aside from this Ly-O-Lay Ale Loya (2001), and the Sheafs are Dancing album (2003) were nominated for Hungarian Award in category the best Hungarian jazz album of the year. The DVD audio version of the Sheafs are Dancing won the international PRince Award in 2004. The same album was nominated for Surround Music Award in Los Angeles in the best additional features category 2005. In 2006 Slices of Life got a nomination for the best world music album of the year in Hungary.
Djabe is one of the most invited and popular Hungarian jazz bands at international festivals. During the last three years the band did successful performances in Europe and North America. Some significant gigs at festivals: Rochester, Baltimore, Washington DC - USA; Kaslo - Canada; Burg-hausen, Berlin, Regensburg, Munich - Germany; Klaipeda, Kaunas - Lithuania; Riga - Latvia; Pori, Imatra - Finland; Glo-gow, Cracow, Poland; Stockholm - Sweden; London - UK; Hradec Králové, Prague - Czech Republic; Bansko - Bulgaria; Cakovec - Croatia; Bratislava, Presov - Slovakia; Vienna, Wiesen - Austria; Nis - Serbia; Sarajevo - Bosnia and Herzegovina; Udine - Italy; Sines - Portugal; Baku - Azerbaijan; Mercuria Ciuc - Romania.
Djabe is a regular performer at Hungarian festivals, and often organizes domestic tours, too. Djabe plays unique music in which the elements of jazz are mixed with various parts of Hungarian and worldmusic. The main composer of the band is Tamás Barabás, who - at the same time - is the most virtuoso Hungarian bass guitarist. Jazz and authentic Hungarian music are simultaneously present in the art of Ferenc Kovács. According to Archie Sheep, who worked with Ferenc Kovács on several occasions "he is one of the best violin playersin the world and in the meantime plays the trumpet like Miles Davis". He also worked with Dave Murray and Hamid Drake many times. The pianist, Zoltán Kovács is playing on the synthesizers, too, his colourful play increases the standards of Djabe's performance on a large scale. The percussionist and singer András Sipos, co-founder of the band died in 2007. He is also the eponym of the band. Djabe means freedom in the African Ashanti language. The other composer of the band is Attila Égerházi - playing the guitar and being the leader of the band, too -, who interprets this freedom primarily by freely mixing the styles and instruments. Djabe's drummer, Szilárd Banai is one of the most talented Hungarian jazz drummers, his reliable and musical play gives the best possible rhytmic background of the band.
Djabe's concerts have been the most spectacular Hungarian jazz concert productions since 1997. The band has been working for 7 years with the peak of the intelligent lights, the Vari*Lite lighting technology. The stunning lighting has been completed by several spectacle elements during the last years. The band worked with dancers, they used laser and video-projection, where they showed animations and films prepared for the compositions. Djabe has always been famous for applying the most modern technical solutions foreshadowing progress on their releases and concerts. Djabe's concerts had the real 5.1 surround sound for the very first time in Hungary, the band could also be heard from the background loudspeakers. During their tour in 2003 the projecting and surround live sound were controlled by computers. According to the Stereo High End Magazine "if there is a High End in concert sounds, then it is Djabe's concert."
The band's regularly returning special guest is the British Ben Castle (tenor and soprano saxophone and flute), who played among many others with Sting, Jamie Cullumn and the Brand New Heavies. Ben can be heard on the albums Update, Sheafs are Dancing, Gödöllô,2001. június 23., Slices of Life, Take On and on the Flying DVD. The other special guest on the album Sheafs are Dacing is Steve Hackett, former guitarist of Genesis, who joined Djabe during their live concert in London 2004 and in Budapest 2007.
Djabe's concerts are broadcasted by Hungarian Radio and Television, Duna TV, BR Alpha - Germany, Czech-, Bulgarian-, Lithuanian-, Serbian and Portugese Television, Bayerisher Rundfunk Radio, Radio Cracow, Radio Stockholm, Radio Kaunas.

The current lineup of Djabe are:

Barabás Tamás - bass guitar
Égerházi Attila - guitar
Kovács Ferenc - trumpet, violin
Banai Szilárd - drums
Kovács Zoltán - piano, keyboards

Discography:

Djabe CD 1996
Witchi Tai To 2 CD (Enhanced), LP 1998
Ly-O-Lay Ale Loya CD, LP 1999
Tour 2000 CD 2000
Update CD 2001
Flying - Live in concert DVD 2002
Sheafs are Dancing CD 2003
Sheafs are Dancing DVD-Audio 2004
Unplugged at the New Orleans 2 CD (Enhanced) 2003
Djabe - Gödöllo 2001. júius 23. CD 2004
Djabe goes to festivals CD 2005
Slices of Life CD 2006
Slices of Life DVD 2006
Sheafs were dancing DVD 2006
Message from the Road CD, DVD 2007
Take on CD 2008

As of March 2008 the latest version 1.04 of TAK lossless audio codec can be found here