Blue Coast Records - Banjocaster, Uilleann pipes and pennywhistle on one track?

Enjoy high quality recordings in DSD or on your favorite streaming service!

Jul 13, 2025

Buy Two Albums Get One Free…. email us your receipt with two albums, include your choice of album and format, you’ll get the free album within 2 days. Visit bluecoastmusic.com to make your purchases for this offer.

https://bluecoastmusic.com/store/BlueCoastRecords

For more information on Blue Coast Records visit:

https://bluecoastrecords.com/

Ben Demerath - if Steve Winwood and Alison Krause had a love child

A amazing voice, great guitar playing and incredible songwriting defines Ben Demerath. Thirty Degrees was one of my first productions created more than 30 years ago. It led to life long collaborations and friendships after producing it.

For DSD and High Resolution downloads…
https://bluecoastmusic.com/ben-demerath/thirty-degrees

Streaming services
https://bluecoastrecords.com/recording/thirty-degrees/

Today I want to talk about my favorite track from this album (and maybe my favorite production ever) called “Hundred Years of Solitude”.

The song starts and ends with Uilleann Pipes (John Peterson), banjocaster (Tony Furtado) and pennywhistle (Paul McCandless) playing a joyful tune then crossfades into Ben singing and playing acoustic guitar in a reflective ballad fashion. Slowly the song builds as it takes a journey to times gone by.

The song was Brigadoon for me - a mysterious place that happens once in a lifetime where you fall in love. Suddenly, it’s gone and your haunted by thoughts - did you really go to Brigadoon? Or was it a dream?

If you’re used to most of the recordings on Blue Coast Records, this may shock you. It was recorded more than 30 years ago, to tape, with dozens of musicians performing to get this giant sound. The song has become a favorite of our young crew also! Hope you enjoy it as much as I still do.

Strings Across Time: Exploring the Artistry of Alex De Grassi

In high resolution audio

https://bluecoastmusic.com/jenna-mammina/walk-the-sky

https://bluecoastmusic.com/alex-de-grassi/shenandoah

https://bluecoastmusic.com/alex-de-grassi-keith-greeninger/live-at-the-fenix

On streaming services

https://bluecoastrecords.com/recording/shenandoah/

https://bluecoastmusic.com/alex-de-grassi/shenandoah

Walk the Sky documents a groundbreaking live concert with vocalist Jenna Mammina, streamed in high-resolution DSD from Skywalker Sound. The collaboration brings together Alex’s intricate jazz and blues-inflected guitar work with Jenna’s emotionally charged vocals, especially poignant on tracks like “King of Pain.” Engineered by Leslie Ann Jones and Cookie Marenco and mixed at Blue Coast Studios, the album captures the raw energy and subtle interplay of two artists at the top of their craft.

Shenandoah is a deeply expressive solo guitar album that highlights Alex’s storytelling ability through pure instrumental performance. Produced by Cookie Marenco and recorded using Blue Coast Records' Extended Sound Environment (E.S.E.) technique, the album is rich in texture, emotion, and clarity. From the shimmering meditation of the title track to the bluesy groove of “Single Girl” and the dynamic contrasts in “Angel,” Alex’s playing is both technically masterful and profoundly heartfelt.

Live at the Fenix features Keith Greeninger and Alex de Grassi in an unforgettable concert at the Fenix in San Rafael, California. Recorded live by Cookie Marenco in DSD256 while celebrating the 10th anniversary of Blue Coast Records.

Jenna Mammina Redefines the Art of Intimacy in Song

In DSD and high resolutions audio:
https://bluecoastmusic.com/jenna-mammina/mutineer

Streaming and other download platforms can be found here:
https://bluecoastrecords.com/artist/jenna-mammina/

With a voice called “sweet and flexible,” Jenna Mammina blends jazz, folk, and pop with effortless charm. Born in Michigan and now based in the San Francisco Bay Area, she has shared the stage with legends like Bobby McFerrin, Al Jarreau, Rickie Lee Jones, and Rosemary Clooney. Her debut Under the Influence was named a top album of 1999 by The San Francisco Chronicle, and her follow-up Meant to Be earned a California Music Award nomination. A dedicated performer and educator, Jenna brings vulnerability, humor, and improvisational ease to everything she does.

Mutineer captures that intimacy. Recorded live with pianist Matt Rollings—no overdubs, no headphones, just a small in-studio audience—the album feels close and unfiltered. Covers by Warren Zevon, James Taylor, Leonard Cohen, and Abbey Lincoln take on new life through Jenna’s subtle phrasing and emotional clarity. “Dream” was chosen for Amazon Music’s Best of 2021: Jazz, a fitting nod to the album’s warmth and immediacy.

Jenna draws fresh meaning from familiar songs. With Matt as a sensitive collaborator, tracks like “Alexandra Leaving” and “Another Grey Morning” become quiet revelations. Mutineer is understated, elegant, and deeply felt—perfect for late nights, early mornings, or anytime reflection calls.

All the albums mentioned were recorded by Cookie Marenco to tape or DSD256 at OTR Studios. With Cookie as the founder, Jenna was an obvious choice for Blue Coast Records and appears on many other albums as a guest artist.

While She Sleeps was performed on an 1885 Steinway, without the use of studio enhancements like equalization, compression, reverb or other digital effects, the recordings were immediately sought after by audiophile manufacturers to demonstrate their gear. The first artist album on Blue Coast Records and recorded by Cookie Marenco and Jean Claude Reynaud.

Check out the Blue Coast Records Relax With Solo Piano playlist for more beautiful pieces!
https://bluecoastrecords.com/playlist/relaxwithpiano/