COMPLETE KOLIBRI RECORDS AUDIOPHILE DISCOGRAPHY & COLLECTOR’S CATALOGUE 2026

THE SOUND OF TAPE — COLLECTOR’S REFERENCE EDITION

Kolibri Records • Zürich, Switzerland

Kolibri Records is the independent Swiss audiophile label associated with musician, composer, Hammond-organ player, flautist and producer Tommy Schneider. Its catalogue centres on Tommy Schneider & Friends and the earlier SOS group, with releases spanning CD, audiophile vinyl and high-grade reel-to-reel master-tape copies. The Sound of Tape identifies Kolibri vinyl as being pressed by Pallas, Germany, while the music ranges across jazz, blues, soul, swing, funk, Latin and rock-inflected groove music. (thesoundoftape.com⁠)

Specification key

VERIFIED = explicitly published by Kolibri Records or The Sound of Tape.

NOT PUBLISHED = no reliable specification located; no assumption has been made.
★★★★★ The Sound of Tape Collector Rating = editorial collector assessment rather than a manufacturer specification.

Album Review with Description:

01 — TOMMY SCHNEIDER & FRIENDS — MOVE

Artist: Tommy Schneider & Friends
Album: Move
Label: Kolibri Records
Original release: 2002
Country: Switzerland
Genre: Blues • Swing • Groove Jazz • Latin • Jazz-Rock / Cool Jazz

CD EDITION

Catalogue No.: CD1002
Format: CD • Album • Stereo
Number of discs: 1 CD
Recording format: Original recording sessions, November 16–19, 2001
Mixing: January 12–14, 2002
Analogue/digital provenance: Exact original recording-medium chain not fully documented on the current CD product page
Mastering: Not published on current listing

Musicians:
• Tommy Schneider — Hammond organ, flute
• Adrian Stern — guitars
• Hans Peter Bartsch — drums

Producer: Michael Baumgartner & Tommy Schneider

The album contains 13 tracks on the CD edition, including two “vintage mixes” bonus tracks. The Sound of Tape currently lists the CD edition and documents the 2001 recording dates and January 2002 mix sessions. (The Sound Of Tape⁠)

LP EDITION

Format: Vinyl LP • Stereo
Number of LPs: 1
Vinyl weight: Not reliably published on the current store listing
Speed: Not published; do not assume 33⅓ rpm without label confirmation
AAA provenance: Not conclusively specified for this particular LP edition in the current listing
Pressing plant: Kolibri vinyl production is associated with Pallas Germany at label level; edition-specific matrix verification recommended. (thesoundoftape.com⁠)
Edition/status: Audiophile vinyl edition
Current availability: OUT OF STOCK at The Sound of Tape at the time of this 2026 catalogue check. (thesoundoftape.com⁠)

Collector assessment:

Move is historically important as the opening chapter of the core Tommy Schneider & Friends audiophile trilogy. Its combination of Hammond B3 weight, guitar, drums and spacious groove makes it particularly attractive for evaluating tonal warmth and rhythmic articulation.

★★★★★ The Sound of Tape Collector Rating: 4.7 / 5

COLLECTOR STATUS: ★★★★★ HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

02 — TOMMY SCHNEIDER & FRIENDS — PLAN B3

Artist: Tommy Schneider & Friends
Album: Plan B3
Label: Kolibri Records
Original release: 2008
Original LP catalogue reference: 11001
2019 LP reissue: 19001
Master-tape edition: KR22001T
Country: Switzerland
Genre: Blues • Funk • Swing • Groovy Jazz • Rhythm & Blues

A contemporary audiophile review identifies the original Plan B3 LP as Kolibri 11001, while the later audiophile vinyl reissue is identified as 19001. (Kolibri Records⁠)

ORIGINAL RECORDING

Recording format: Analogue — live in studio
Recording dates: November 24–27, 2007
Mixing: December 2007 / January 2008
Engineer / mixing: Ralph Zünd is credited in the current master-tape documentation
AAA provenance: VERIFIED — described by the label/store documentation as AAA / all-analogue. (The Sound Of Tape⁠)

Musicians

• Tommy Schneider — Hammond organ, flute, percussion
• Adrian Stern — guitars, percussion
• Hans Peter Bartsch — drums, percussion
• Philippe Chrétien — saxophone (The Sound Of Tape⁠)

PLAN B3 — AUDIOPHILE LP

Catalogue No.: 19001
Format: Vinyl LP • Album • Limited Edition • Numbered • Reissue
Number of LPs: 1 LP
Vinyl weight: Not explicitly stated on the current product page
RPM: Not explicitly published
Stereo: Yes
AAA: Yes — analogue-recorded source
Edition: Limited • Numbered • Swiss audiophile reissue
Release: 2019
Current availability: IN STOCK at The Sound of Tape during the 2026 check. (The Sound Of Tape⁠)

PLAN B3 — DELUXE MASTER REEL TAPE

Catalogue No.: KR22001T

Format: Reel-to-Reel Master Tape
Number of reels: 2 reels
Tape stock: RTM SM911
Tape speed: 15 ips / 38 cm/s
Tape width: ¼″
Track configuration: 2-track stereo / half-track
Reel: 10.5″ NAB reel
Equalisation: IEC / CCIR
Recording provenance: AAA / pure analogue
Edition: Limited Edition • Deluxe
Production: Made to order; transferred and assembled individually by hand
Certificate: Certificate of authenticity supplied according to the product description. (The Sound Of Tape⁠)

The two-reel edition divides the complete 12-track programme across two SM911 reels. Kolibri/The Sound of Tape explicitly describes the source as an AAA analogue live recording made in November 2007. (The Sound Of Tape⁠)

Current availability: IN STOCK / MADE TO ORDER at the 2026 catalogue check. (The Sound Of Tape⁠)

Collector assessment

This is one of the foundational modern European Hammond-organ audiophile recordings. The fully analogue provenance, live-studio recording technique and 15 ips two-reel edition make Plan B3 one of Kolibri’s most technically compelling collector releases.

★★★★★ The Sound of Tape Collector Rating: 5.0 / 5

COLLECTOR STATUS: ★★★★★ REFERENCE / MUST HAVE

03 — TOMMY SCHNEIDER & FRIENDS — THE HIDDEN PORT

Artist: Tommy Schneider & Friends
Album: The Hidden Port
Label: Kolibri Records
Original LP reference: 12001
CD catalogue: 12002
Master-tape listing: 12002 on the current retailer page
Original album: 2012
Master-tape edition: 2023
Country: Switzerland
Genre: Jazz • Blues • Cool Jazz • Funk • Rock-inflected groove

A period review gives 12001 as the original vinyl catalogue number, while the CD page identifies 12002. (Kolibri Records⁠)

ORIGINAL RECORDING

Recorded: November 2011
Mixed: December 2011
Studio: 2-inch Records, Goldau, Switzerland
Recording / mixing engineer: Ralph Zünd
Mastered: January 2012
Mastering studio: Echochamber, Zürich
Mastering engineer: Dan Suter
Producers: Ralph Zünd • Doris Schalch • Tommy Schneider (The Sound Of Tape⁠)

Musicians

• Tommy Schneider — Hammond organ, flute, percussion
• Massimo Buonanno — drums, percussion
• Adrian Stern — guitar / guitars, percussion
• Philippe Chrétien — saxophone (The Sound Of Tape⁠)

THE HIDDEN PORT — CD

Catalogue No.: 12002
Format: CD • Album • Stereo
Number of discs: 1
Released: 2012
Current availability: IN STOCK at the time of catalogue verification. (The Sound Of Tape⁠)

THE HIDDEN PORT — MASTER REEL TAPE

Format: Reel-to-Reel Master Tape
Number of reels: 1 reel according to the store presentation; the listing does not identify it as a multi-reel set
Speed: 15 ips
Tape width: ¼″
Tracks: 2-track stereo / half-track
Reel size: 10.5″ NAB
Equalisation: CCIR / IEC
Master-copy chain: Studer A80R playback → Telefunken M15A recording
Tape path: International Tape Path
Made in: Switzerland (The Sound Of Tape⁠)

Analogue provenance

The master-reel product is presented as an analogue master-tape copy. The available source specifically documents the duplication chain, but a complete session-to-master AAA chain should not be expanded beyond what Kolibri has published.

Edition/status

The product page contains two slightly conflicting status indicators: its header says In stock, while its detailed description states “Sold out — special request only.” For collector-database purposes the safest classification is:

Current availability: SPECIAL REQUEST / MADE TO ORDER — confirm before ordering. (The Sound Of Tape⁠)

Collector assessment

An exceptionally attractive Kolibri title thanks to the combination of Hammond organ, Adrian Stern’s guitar, Philippe Chrétien’s saxophone and Massimo Buonanno’s percussion. The documented Studer-to-Telefunken duplication chain makes the reel edition especially noteworthy.

★★★★★ The Sound of Tape Collector Rating: 5.0 / 5

COLLECTOR STATUS: ★★★★★ REFERENCE MASTER-TAPE EDITION

04 — TOMMY SCHNEIDER & FRIENDS — THE BEST OF

Artist: Tommy Schneider & Friends
Album: The Best Of
Label: Kolibri Records
Reel catalogue: KRRTR19002
Vinyl catalogue: 24001
Country: Switzerland
Genre: Jazz • Rhythm & Blues • Smooth Jazz • Soul • Funk • Latin • Swing

The programme remasters selected material from the three main Tommy Schneider & Friends albums — Move, Plan B3 and The Hidden Port. (The Sound Of Tape⁠)

Musicians represented

• Tommy Schneider — Hammond B3, flute, Rhodes piano, percussion
• Adrian Stern — guitar, percussion
• Hans Peter Bartsch — drums, percussion
• Philippe Chrétien — saxophone
• Massimo Buonanno — drums / percussion on relevant selections (The Sound Of Tape⁠)

THE BEST OF — MASTER REEL TAPE

Catalogue No.: KRRTR19002
Release: 2019
Format: Reel-to-Reel • Stereo Compilation • Limited Edition • Special Edition
Number of reels: 1 reel
Tape stock: RTM SM911
Speed: 15 ips / 38 cm/s
Width: ¼″
Track format: 2-track / half-track stereo
Reel: 10.5″ NAB
Equalisation: IEC / CCIR
Flux/reference level: 320 nWb
Source: Original master tapes / first-generation master-tape copy according to the product documentation
Provenance: Pure analogue
Recording machine noted: Telefunken M10A with tube amplifiers
Master-copy chain: Studer A80R → Telefunken M15A
Master tape production: Tommy Schneider • Jürg Schopper • Doris Schalch (The Sound Of Tape⁠)

The product documentation says each SM911 tape is copied directly from the master tape and identifies the release as a first-generation reel-to-reel copy. (The Sound Of Tape⁠)

Current availability: IN STOCK during the August 2026 verification. (The Sound Of Tape⁠)

THE BEST OF — AUDIOPHILE VINYL

Catalogue No.: 24001
Format: Vinyl LP • Stereo • Compilation
Number of LPs: 1
Edition: Limited Edition • Numbered
Release: 2024
Vinyl weight: Not published on the current listing
RPM: Not published on the current listing
Source: Remastered selections originating from Move, Plan B3 and The Hidden Port
Current availability: IN STOCK at the time of verification. (The Sound Of Tape⁠)

Collector assessment

For a collector wanting one Kolibri release to demonstrate the label’s house sound, The Best Of master tape is arguably the most immediately useful choice. Its provenance and duplication specifications are also among the best documented in the Kolibri catalogue.

★★★★★ The Sound of Tape Collector Rating: 5.0 / 5

COLLECTOR STATUS: ★★★★★ ESSENTIAL KOLIBRI REFERENCE

05 — SOS — PRESS BUTTON

Artist: SOS
Associated artists: Tommy Schneider • Philippe Chrétien • Jean-Michel Gosteli
Album: Press Button
Label: Kolibri Records
Original recording/release: 1997
Remastered CD: 2012
Audiophile vinyl: 2014
Vinyl Catalogue No.: 14001
Country: Switzerland
Genre: Blues • Funk • Swing • Groove Jazz • Acid Jazz

Musicians

• Philippe Chrétien — saxophone, organ, piano
• Jean-Michel Gosteli — drums
• Tommy Schneider — organ, flute (The Sound Of Tape⁠)

Recording & mastering

Recorded: Soundcheck Studio
Mixed: Soundcheck Studio
Original mastering: Greenwood Studios
Remastering: Echochamber
Analogue/digital provenance: Original recording medium is not sufficiently documented by the sources reviewed to classify the entire chain unequivocally as AAA.
Lacquer cutting: SST Brüggemann GmbH
Pressing plant: Schallplattenfabrik Pallas GmbH
Pallas job numbers: 32071 / 32072 (The Sound Of Tape⁠)

PRESS BUTTON — CD

Format: CD • Stereo • Limited Edition
Number of discs: 1
Original CD: July 1997
Remastered CD: October 2012
Catalogue No.: Not clearly published on the current CD listing
Current availability: Listed for sale by The Sound of Tape in the 2026 Kolibri collection. (The Sound Of Tape⁠)

PRESS BUTTON — AUDIOPHILE DOUBLE LP

Catalogue No.: 14001
Format: 2×LP • Stereo
Number of LPs: 2
Vinyl weight: 180 g
Edition: Limited Edition • Numbered
Release: May 2014
Original programme: 1997
Vinyl debut: 2014
RPM: Not explicitly published in the verified current listing
Pressing: Pallas, Germany
Current availability: IN STOCK during the 2026 verification. (The Sound Of Tape⁠)

Collector assessment

Press Button is significant because it documents the pre-Tommy Schneider & Friends SOS configuration and provides an excellent bridge between the label’s groove-jazz roots and its later audiophile releases. The numbered 180 g Pallas double LP is the collector edition to seek out.

★★★★★ The Sound of Tape Collector Rating: 4.8 / 5

COLLECTOR STATUS: ★★★★★ COLLECTOR’S CHOICE

06 — SOS — OUT FOR LUNCH / SOS LIVE

Artist: SOS
Store listing: Tommy Schneider & Friends / SOS Live
Album: Out For Lunch
Label: Kolibri Records
Format: CD • Album • Stereo
Number of discs: 1
Release: April 2002
Live recording: April 10–11, 1999
Venue: Helvetia Bar, Zürich, Switzerland
Genre: Blues • Funk • Swing • Groove Jazz • Acid Jazz (The Sound Of Tape⁠)

Musicians:

• Jean-Michel Gosteli — drums
• Tommy Schneider — Hammond organ, flute
• Philippe Chrétien — saxophone, organ, piano

Recording & mastering information

Recording: Live, April 1999
Venue: Helvetia Bar, Zürich
Mixing: Soundcheck Studio
Recording format: Exact analogue/digital recording medium not published in the currently verified information
AAA status: NOT VERIFIED — do not classify as AAA without further primary documentation
Mastering: Not identified in the current store listing

Catalogue No.

Not reliably published in the currently available source material.

LP / Reel tape edition

No currently verified Kolibri LP or master-reel edition was found in the active The Sound of Tape Kolibri collection. The verified offering is the CD.

Current availability

IN STOCK — CD, according to the current product page at the time of verification. (The Sound Of Tape⁠)

Collector assessment

The live setting gives Out For Lunch a different appeal from the later studio-focused audiophile releases. It is particularly valuable as a document of the SOS trio and of Tommy Schneider and Philippe Chrétien’s musical partnership.

★★★★★ The Sound of Tape Collector Rating: 4.6 / 5

COLLECTOR STATUS: ★★★★½ IMPORTANT LIVE DOCUMENT

🏆 KOLIBRI RECORDS — THE SOUND OF TAPE 2026 COLLECTOR RANKING

★★★★★ 5.0 — Plan B3 — 2×15 ips Master Reel Tape
Pure analogue provenance • 2×SM911 • 15 ips • ¼″ • 2-track • IEC/CCIR.

★★★★★ 5.0 — The Best Of — Master Reel Tape
15 ips • SM911 • ¼″ half-track • 320 nWb • documented Studer/Telefunken duplication chain.

★★★★★ 5.0 — The Hidden Port — Master Reel Tape
15 ips • ¼″ • 2-track • Studer A80R → Telefunken M15A master-copy chain.

★★★★★ 4.8 — SOS — Press Button — 2×180 g LP
Limited numbered Pallas pressing.

★★★★★ 4.7 — Move
The beginning of the principal Tommy Schneider & Friends studio trilogy.

★★★★½ 4.6 — SOS — Out For Lunch
Important live SOS document recorded in Zürich in 1999.

🎞️ KOLIBRI MASTER-TAPE REFERENCE

PLAN B3

2 reels • RTM SM911 • 15 ips • ¼″ • 2-track stereo • 10.5″ NAB • IEC/CCIR • AAA

THE BEST OF

1 reel • RTM SM911 • 15 ips • ¼″ • half-track stereo • 10.5″ NAB • IEC/CCIR • 320 nWb • pure analogue

THE HIDDEN PORT

1 reel • 15 ips • ¼″ • 2-track stereo • 10.5″ NAB • IEC/CCIR • Studer A80R → Telefunken M15A duplication

These specifications are taken from the individual currently published product information rather than applying a generic Kolibri tape specification to every title. (The Sound Of Tape⁠)

💿 KOLIBRI RECORDS — VERIFIED FORMAT INDEX

Move
CD • LP

Plan B3
LP • 2×Reel Master Tape • historically also issued on CD by Kolibri

The Hidden Port
CD • LP historically documented • Reel Master Tape

The Best Of
Audiophile LP • Reel Master Tape

SOS — Press Button
CD • 2×180 g Audiophile LP

SOS — Out For Lunch
CD

The official Kolibri site currently identifies these same six album programmes in its LP/CD catalogue and separately maintains a Mastertapes section. (Kolibri Records⁠)

⭐ THE SOUND OF TAPE — KOLIBRI RECORDS VERDICT

Kolibri Records occupies an unusual position in contemporary audiophile music: the recordings are not merely demonstration records — the music itself is groove-driven, improvisational and built around real instrumental interplay.

At the centre is the unmistakable sound of Tommy Schneider’s Hammond B3, supported across the catalogue by musicians including Adrian Stern, Philippe Chrétien, Hans Peter Bartsch, Massimo Buonanno and Jean-Michel Gosteli.

For the reel-to-reel collector, the three essential editions are:

PLAN B3 — 2× MASTER REEL TAPE
★★★★★

THE BEST OF — MASTER REEL TAPE
★★★★★

THE HIDDEN PORT — MASTER REEL TAPE
★★★★★

For vinyl collectors:

SOS — PRESS BUTTON — NUMBERED 2×180 g PALLAS LP
★★★★★

THE BEST OF — LIMITED NUMBERED AUDIOPHILE LP
★★★★★

PLAN B3 — LIMITED NUMBERED AUDIOPHILE LP
★★★★★

THE SOUND OF TAPE

Music For Life | Audiophile Quality

COMPLETE KOLIBRI RECORDS AUDIOPHILE DISCOGRAPHY & COLLECTOR’S CATALOGUE 2026

 

 

Kolibri Records is a Swiss independent audiophile music label founded and owned by Swiss composer, flautist, and Hammond organist Tommy Schneider. Based in Switzerland, the label specializes in high-fidelity analog recordings, releasing music primarily on master-quality open-reel tapes, audiophile vinyl LPs, and CDs.

The music released generally falls into blues, soul, swing, funk, rock, and jazz genres. The label is owned by musician Tommy Schneider.

Releases predominantly feature music by Tommy Schneider & Friends (including Adrian Stern, Philippe Chrétien, and Hans Peter Bartsch) and the group SOS.

 

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