Chesky Records also offers binaural recordings, which seeks to replicate 3-Dstereo sound so that the recording sounds as if the listener is in the same room with the musicians.[7] They capture this sound using dummy head recording.[7] For its recordings, Chesky Records uses acoustically vibrant spaces, including the Hirsch Center in Greenpoint, Brooklyn and St. Paul the Apostle Church located in Manhattan.[7]
The company has a mastering studio in New York City, New York.[1]
History
Studio musician and composer David Chesky founded Chesky Records with his brother Norman in 1978. They began the label to preserve the sound of live-in-the studio recordings, without overdubbing original records. In 1990, they switched from recording in studios to recording in churches.[2] One of the company's first attempts at improving sound quality was the re-issue of classical pianist Earl Wild's recordings of Rachmaninoff for Reader's Digest.[8][9]
In 1990, Chesky Records released its Jazz Sampler & Audiophile Test Compact Disc, with the first nine tracks devoted to music and the remaining twenty devoted to listening and technical tests for headphones and loud speakers.[10] Other test discs include Dr. Chesky's Sensational, Fantastic, and Simply Amazing Binaural Sound Show and the Ultimate Demo Disc.[5]
In 2011, Chesky Records incorporated High Resolution Technology in their label[15] and introduced binaural recordings.[2][16] The Binaural+ masters are captured in high-resolution (24-bit/192 kHz) sound using a binaural dummy head nicknamed "Lars".[7] David Chesky collaborated with Princeton professor Edgar Y. Choueiri to begin producing binaural recordings.[17] The purpose of the technology is to capture three-dimensional sound and imaging.
In 2016, Chesky Records released the critically acclaimed jazz debut of Macy Gray, Stripped, which debuted No. 3 on the Billboard Jazz Charts.[18] The label also released the debut album from City of the Sun, which debuted No. 12 on the Billboard Jazz Charts, would go on to garner over 17 million album streams on Spotify and peak at No. 2 on the Spotify US Viral 50.[19][20]
In 2018, Casey Abrams and Meiko signed with Chesky Records. Abrams' debut album for the label, Put a Spell on You, hit #5 on the Billboard Jazz Charts,[21] and Meiko hit #23 on the Billboard Folk Charts with Playing Favorites.[22]
In 2019, Anna Nalick signed with Chesky Records and released her label debut The Blackest Crow that December.[23]
Chesky Records uses custom recording equipment and experiments with recording techniques and formats.[8][24]
