shawn·m

It is not a quality control issue when flaws are the result of a re-mastering engineer’s preference. There was hope; I still maintain Rudy did a good job of preserving dynamic range on the recent Capuchin Swing, so there’s absolutely no excuse for this “pumping” SACD mess. Hell, I was going to wait it out too...

I suspect you’re right, but this is complete and total bullshit. This doubly sucks since I was one of the original guys publicly pushing BN for this title on SACD.

And so it is. “Buyer beware” fine print is plainly visible on the outside of the case. Frankly, I’m so disgusted by this release that I emailed Blue Note. New SACD mastering that can’t surpass, let alone match old CD mastering will kill SACD faster than anything.

A graphic representation of the entire “Blue Train” song from start to finish. Loud moments reach toward vertical boundaries (1s) while quieter moments stay closer to center lines (0s). Er, does this help?

Well, Blue Train is rendered with more body and detail on the SACD layer, but Parkertown’s right; there’s an unnatural treble boost. Beyond that, RVG is back to his old over-compression tricks. This also goes toward what Parkertown describes as reverb artifacts: Reverb may not be apparent when Lee Morgan plays relatively quietly, but it increases as his playing becomes louder. But compression makes Lee’s playing sound like it’s all at the same volume so it’s as if somebody is arbitrarily switching reverb on and off. I just don’t understand why RVG is doing this. I suppose an argument can be made for Redbook’s resolution benefiting from high compression, but that argument doesn’t hold water with DSD. What’s more? McMaster’s ’97 Ultimate has superior dynamic range. I’ve compressed the following image about as far as I can to conserve bandwidth for our hosts. The top graphic shows the left and right channels of the SACD layer of “Blue Train,” while the lower image displays the left and right channels of Ultimate’s “Blue Train.” Both were recorded through analog outputs.

Just got my copy. haven’t listened to it yet, but… The bottom of the tray card reads; “This is a Hybrid SACD designed to play in both CD and SACD players, as well as SACD-compatible DVD players. This product is provided AS IS, without any express or implied warranties.” (uppercase “AS IS” is BN’s doing). Boy, that sure read like a hearty slap in the face. Considering Crest’s trouble with cracking spindle-holes, I’ll be replacing the original tray with an older, softer black plastic tray –just to be on the safe side.

Very cool number. I’m also fond of Branford Marsalis’ cover.

Good eyes, Late. I can’t begin to imagine why Lion didn’t offer Shafi Hadi more recording opportunities. Then again, considering the way Hadi seemingly turned his back on jazz, maybe he did?

See, that’s what’s so cool about the DVD. You do get a few uninterrupted performances.

I’m a big Mobley fan. I love the little odd figures and phrases he peppers his solos with and the way he makes them somehow fit. I don’t think Mobley was a terribly flamboyant musician —he tended to stay in the middle register of his horn— but as others have mentioned, there’s lots to admire.

Go isn't one of my favorites either. Dex spends too much effort chiseling his notes and the result sounds stilted. Yeah Ok, I'll give Thinking of Home yet another kidney punch. I guess times were changing and so was the music... but what a static, flacid stinker. Somehow I expected more from The Waiting Game, but on the other hand I enjoy Minor Move far more than I expected. All IMO, of course.

But you gotta admit that thanks to GM, PBS, Park Foundation, The Corporation for Public Broadcasting, The Pew Charitable Trusts, The Doris Duke Charitable Foundation, Louisiana Department of Culture, Recreation and Tourism, The National Endowment for the Humanities, The Arthur Vining Davis Foundations, The Reva and David Logan Foundation, The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, The National Endowment for the Arts and Helen and Peter Bing... the Making Of Jazz documentary was kinda nice.

To tell the truth, I thought the screen time devoted to Armstrong and Ellington was an inspired stroke (boy, could somebody ever have fun with this sentence). Influential originators from two different sides of the same coin, yes, but they also provide a narrative thread that ties the series together. Necessary? Probably not, but it is an effective story-telling device. And as for Branford’s “bullshit” quote... Branford was trying to say the idea of listeners having to prepare themselves before listening to Cecil (or jazz?) was nonsense –not Cecil’s music. The interview transcripts bare this out.

So PD, no little Liz cheese effigies this year, Ok?

What Sngry said.

Comparing your musical taste, expectations and experiences with another’s is sometimes a quizzical thing. It can be downright awkward if you happen to like and respect the other as an individual and his value his opinions —especially if that someone else has superior working knowledge. Having said that… I’m mystified when someone says they can’t find anything of interest in Wynton’s music. Several tunes leap to mind (and from a guy not given to remembering titles) starting with the Second Davis Quintet informed “Twilight” and its vicious single-note bass line. There’s “Premature Autopsies” whose closest relative might be Mingus’ “Scenes In the City,” “Cityscape” with its joy of textural arrangement and then there’s the sheer fun of “The Cat In the Hat Is Back.” Perhaps Wynton’s influences are too obvious for some? Maybe, but I’m not sure that I hear the music of a conservative revisionist either. What I do hear is someone tapping elements of the past to see what can be done with them today, and in a very personal individual/ensemble voice. Financially successful or not, I think Wynton has an excellent opportunity with Blue Note to move in yet another direction. Oh well, just another 2¢.

…or that Dali didn’t know his way around the female keister.

No, I still don’t understand the hard feelings toward Wynton. I guess that’s not likely to change. In the meantime, I’ll still hold out hope for a Wynton/Lovano paring (ideally in a piano-less quartet setting, but as guest with Lovano’s nonet could be interesting too). I certainly hope Wynton’s first Blue Note recording isn’t a duet with Nora interpreting Billie Holiday/Dr. John tunes with Osby producing. That should thoroughly offend just about everybody.

“...They got this guy, in Germany. Fritz something-or-other. Or is it. Maybe it’s Werner. Anyway, he’s got this theory, you wanna test something, you know, scientifically —how the planets go round the sun, what sunspots are made of, why the water comes out of the tap— well, you gotta look at it. But sometimes, you look at it, your looking changes it. Ya can’t know the reality of what happened, or what would’ve happened if you hadden a stuck in your goddamn schnozz. So there is no ‘what happened.’ Not in any sense that we can grasp with our puny minds. Because our minds... our minds get in the way. Looking at something changes it. They call it the ‘Uncertainty Principle.’ Sure, it sounds screwy, but even Einstein says the guy’s on to something.” –Freddie Riedenschneider

There are just too many good dates to choose from. Hey, where’d that dog come from?

If the Navy can recruit dolphins into military service, why can’t the Army train sperm whales? Imagine airdropping hundreds of the beasts who then stealthily roll (laterally) their way into strategic position. Then upon a single remote command, the behemoths bark their target into stupefied submission. No small or heavy arms fire, no unpredictable chemical agents and no collateral damage! Of course, some soldiers will experiment with recreational barking. Some form of substance abuse program may have to be established if the practice is habit-forming and widespread…

I agree with Late, Our Thing is an absolute must. Hill does some wonderful things underneath the front line. Maybe I missed mention of it, but the live The Standard Joe on Red Records is a gotta have, too. I think it’s even a cut above Blue Note’s State Of the Tenor.

No, I don’t remember anything about Bonham’s birthday; they just played a straight set. All the evidence suggests the show was postponed until June.

How ironic. I didn’t have any desire to see the new Zep DVD before this thread, but now I think I’ll have to take a look. Still not sure about the CDs though. It’s a dangerous question but, is How the West Was Won an improvement over The Song Remains the Same?

Horse’s mouth? I hope those roadies aren’t gonna trash my humble domicile looking for bootleg photos they missed 23 years ago.