wolff Posted July 28, 2004 Author Report Share Posted July 28, 2004 Heads up vinyl addicts: new Japanese Blue Notes (180 gm pressings!) including True Blue are available at Acoustic Sounds (www.acousticsounds.com), maybe elsewhere too. Other titles by Jackie McLean, Mobley, even J. Griffin's Congregation lp! These are not cheap at $49.95, but they should sound terrific and are usually very limited issues. I've received confirmation, from a very reliable source, that these are from the digital master. Another opinion and more info.: Mar. 24, 2004 “Blue Note 65th Anniversary” Series, Limited Edition, by Toshiba EMI Our dream has come true - Toshiba EMI decided to release Blue Note reissues even in this year 2004! This series (20 titles) is to celebrate Blue Note's 65th anniversary. And this series has several specialities... This is the first Japanese LP reissues ever, from the tapes mastered by Rudy Van Gelder himself. And it must be noted that the cutting engineer of this series is the famous Toru Kotetsu, a superb cutting/pressing engineer in Japan. However in my humble opinion, this series actually sounds like that they are pressed using the same remastered tape as “24bit by RVG” CD reissues: stereo mixing has been changed to near-monaural soundscape; I feel the atmosphere of hiss-noise and cymbals sounds rather digitally. But it's not certain whether Toshiba used newly remastered analogue tape or digitally remastered tape. And all titles of this series come with coated cardboard jackets, as well as 180g heavy-weight thick flat vinyl. By all means, get some if you want to and let us know what you think, but I'm passing. Also, search around and you should be able to find them cheaper. Since Classic Records has duplicated many of the same titles they are another option. That same $50 could also get you nice analog 2nd and 3rd pressings of a few of the titiles. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wolff Posted July 30, 2004 Author Report Share Posted July 30, 2004 Listening to Kenny Drew: Undercurrent Classic Records re-issue of Blue Note 84059. Available at the usual places for $20-30. First copy was warped and I received a replacement. Only problem with this I've had from Classic, but I've read that others have worse luck. Great hard-bop with a ballad and Hubbard is a joy to listen to. I'm no reviewer, but these songs are really fresh and different Quite a few suspended rhythms that I like. Sound is pretty good, but nothing special. Some things are a bit 'off' that can be a bit distracting (read un-lifelike) and take away from the great music. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sidewinder Posted July 30, 2004 Report Share Posted July 30, 2004 Interesting - this release has certainly caught my eye, too bad that there are some concerns sonically. The original 47th W 63rd must be like gold-dust I guess. Great session and Mobley is pretty damn hot ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wolff Posted July 30, 2004 Author Report Share Posted July 30, 2004 Interesting - this release has certainly caught my eye, too bad that there are some concerns sonically. The original 47th W 63rd must be like gold-dust I guess. Great session and Mobley is pretty damn hot ! Yes, Mobley really impresses me with class and melody on this one. Sonically, I'll say this, the highs are out of whack and it's not an LP I can sit through play after play without being distracted by the unnaturalness. I love playing it once and then moving on to something less abrasive in the upper mid-range and higher. YMMV Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clunky Posted July 30, 2004 Report Share Posted July 30, 2004 (edited) Interesting - this release has certainly caught my eye, too bad that there are some concerns sonically. The original 47th W 63rd must be like gold-dust I guess. Great session and Mobley is pretty damn hot ! Yes, Mobley really impresses me with class and melody on this one. Sonically, I'll say this, the highs are out of whack and it's not an LP I can sit through play after play without being distracted by the unnaturalness. I love playing it once and then moving on to something less abrasive in the upper mid-range and higher. YMMV This is one of only two Classics I have ( I have no other BN vinyl at all ) sound is ok in my book but it isn't as knock out as I expected it to be. Same goes for "Introducing Johnny Griffin" sounds ok, but not amazingly better than CD. I don't think it's my set up as other LP versus CD comparisons more oftn than not favour LP. Edited July 30, 2004 by Clunky Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wolff Posted July 30, 2004 Author Report Share Posted July 30, 2004 ( I have no other BN vinyl at all ) You need to fix that. Do you have any re-issues that Classic has done from other labels? If not, try one of these: Duke Ellington: Blues in Orbit Coleman Hawkins and Clark Terry: Back In Bean's Bag Holly Cole - Temptation Sonny Rollins & Coleman Hawkins: Sonny Meets Hawk! Ella Fitzgerald - Clap Hands Here Come Charlie Ry Cooder: Buena Vista Social Club The Dave Brubeck Quartet - Time Out Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clunky Posted July 30, 2004 Report Share Posted July 30, 2004 You need to fix that. If only I could, the Classics are a bit pricey as imports. I've a great local record outlet which though completely disorganised has some real gems but no BNs at all. They have a huge amount of vinyl at £3 per LP or £5 for doubles. Picked up original pressings of "The Big Challenge" and "Earl Hines Paris 1965 solos" at those prices. I can get 6 or 7 LPs for the price of one Classic !!! I dont mind hit or miss in terms of quality at £3 per disc but at £20 plus I get more picky ( which isn't as much fun ) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wolff Posted August 2, 2004 Author Report Share Posted August 2, 2004 Louis Armstrong: I've Got The World On A String Classic Records reissue of Verve Mg V-4035 Killer reissue in my opinion. If the music suits you, grab it. To me the music is timeless. Added bonus is the sound, if you appreciate that. His voice and trumpet are right there in all their glory. Very intimate and real. 5 seconds into this one you'll forget about the sound and just be carried away by the music, because the sound serves the music and does not distract. There may a touch of tape hiss and sibilance that engineer chose to leave in. Hope your mileage does not vary. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wolff Posted August 6, 2004 Author Report Share Posted August 6, 2004 Shelly Manne: 2 3 4 Alto Analogue(Germany) re-issue of Impulse A-20 ($25 at Red Trumpet) I do love Shelly Manne's drumming, but this is a spotty, half-baked LP. Playing is way to loose. Pretty much jamming their way through the songs. Thank god Coleman Hawkins is on a couple songs. Should have gotten the Blue Mitchell or Gene Ammon's titles. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wolff Posted August 10, 2004 Author Report Share Posted August 10, 2004 (edited) Thought I'd slip a blues LP into the mix. Weepin Willie: At Last On Time Analoge Productions. Available at most on-line vinyl sites. Very good electric Chicago blues from 1998. My intro to SusanTedeschi, who helps out on a few songs. Sweet sounding LP. Full, deep bass. Great sax tone. Sound really captures the drive of the music. Up-tempo electric blues is not really my thing, so the ballads fit right in for me. Edited August 10, 2004 by wolff Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wolff Posted August 14, 2004 Author Report Share Posted August 14, 2004 Is this one jazz? Ry Cooder: Buena Vista Social Club 2LP Classic Records This one is a no brainer if you like the music. Very natural, open, accurate and warm recording. Makes many other recordings sound very, very poorly done. Having an affinity for most things Cuban I enjoy these LP's very much. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dmitry Posted August 14, 2004 Report Share Posted August 14, 2004 wolff, re:Buena Vista How do you rate the cd to the Lps? The most awesome unexpected reissue is Phineas Newborn - *Here is Phineas, The Piano Artistry of Phineas Newborn*, on Atlantic. This one is from 1986[!], released as #33 of the Atlantic Jazzlore series, whatever that is, 30 years after the original issue. The bad first - for some reason the cover is not original, it's a badly colored Chuck Stewart photo, neither are the record labels, furthermore the title is *The Piano Artistry of Phineas Newborn*, sans Here is ... , but the back cover has George Wein's original liners and also Dan Morgenstern's write-up. The good news - it sounds amazing, music is totally transformed by the way Newborn's piano comes out in the Mono[!] reissue. Thank god the reissue producer picked the Mono master, it is so much better than the stereo version of this record. Whoever Illhan Mimaroglu was, he produced a great-sounding reissue. Koch released the stereo cd that sounds bad, the Japanese had good sense to go mono with mini-lp version, but this Lp smokes them both in an understatement. I could never get into this one as much as the Contemporaries, because it sounded so muddy. You couldn't even hear Calvin Newborn. Now I can. Oscar Pettiford is practically resurrected. The whole band comes together because of the transformed sound. I bought mine for $3. You can too. It's a hidden gem. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wolff Posted August 14, 2004 Author Report Share Posted August 14, 2004 wolff, re:Buena Vista How do you rate the cd to the Lps? Never heard the CD. I'll keep an eye out for that Newborne title. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wolff Posted August 17, 2004 Author Report Share Posted August 17, 2004 The Bee Hive Session: Unissued Tunes Vol. One It's been out since 1983, but Cadence has a few left at $10. 6 tunes on nice, quiet red vinyl. 4 songs are over 7 minutes. Nick Brigola Johnny Hartman Sal Salvador(2) Sal Nistico Walte Davis Wish I had more from this small, hard to find/afford label. The Hartman tune and the Nistico(tenor)Ronnie Mathews (piano) duet stand out for me. Walter Davis Jr. also cuts loose on a nice tune. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wolff Posted August 17, 2004 Author Report Share Posted August 17, 2004 Harold Mabern Trio: Don't Know Why Venus(Japan) $22 at Cadence Recoded in 2003. I was very excited to finally get this. Venus is one of the few labels releasing new jazz recordings on vinyl and I'd heard good things from a fellow poster. My only worry was whether or not I'd like the music. as I have little from their stable of artists. The packaging and look and feel of the vinyl ooze quality. IMO the Venus covers are the nicest out there, period. Full, rich, all analog sound(I beleive they spared no expense by recording in both DSD and 30ips tape). Nice hearing a piano that sounds close to actual size!! It sounds very natural which lets me fully enjoy the music and be amazed by his musicianship. Wow! Nice mix of tempos. Very interesting jazz. I recommend getting a title or two(about 40 out there, but going fast) and then more if you like them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom in RI Posted August 17, 2004 Report Share Posted August 17, 2004 Hey Wolff, if you thought the Weepin Willy was ok you should definitely keep an eye out for Mighty Sam McClain who, if memory serves, got a producers credit on Weepin Willy's date. Sam had several great releases on the Audioquest label and I am pretty sure there were vinyl releases of them (I have the cd's and can't recommend Mighty Sam strongly enough). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wolff Posted August 17, 2004 Author Report Share Posted August 17, 2004 Hey Wolff, if you thought the Weepin Willy was ok you should definitely keep an eye out for Mighty Sam McClain who, if memory serves, got a producers credit on Weepin Willy's date. Sam had several great releases on the Audioquest label and I am pretty sure there were vinyl releases of them (I have the cd's and can't recommend Mighty Sam strongly enough). Yes, he sings a bit on the Weepin Willie. His Audioquest vinyl is pretty much sold out everywhere. How about Robert Lucas? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom in RI Posted August 18, 2004 Report Share Posted August 18, 2004 I haven't heard Robert Lucas but I have been uniformly impressed by pretty much all the Audioquest releases I have heard. Audioquest had a sale some years ago where some of the vinyl releases were under $10, I was tempted to spring for a few but never did. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wolff Posted August 22, 2004 Author Report Share Posted August 22, 2004 So, am I the only one who buys vinyl re-issues around here? Not jazz, but if you are a Sinatra fan it's very much worth getting!! Frank Sinatra - September of My Years Pressed on 180-gram vinyl at RTI and cut at AcousTech Mastering by Kevin Gray from the original analog masters. Includes all original packaging(no bar-codes). Released in 1965 when Sinatra was 50, this is one of his best efforts. The album sticks with a theme of reflection and regret. Nice string tone and hall ambiance for you sound buffs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
porcy62 Posted August 23, 2004 Report Share Posted August 23, 2004 So, am I the only one who buys vinyl re-issues around here? No, you're not! I buy every reissues I could find and am interested for, from jazz to classic rock. The Classics are not overpriced IMO, compared to the used originals on Ebay, and sound good, but I do not have the very first deep grovve pressing to test!! I found the Analogue Production of Fantasy, Riverside and Prestige lp pretty good. Did you own some OJC? How is the sound quality? For 10 bucks they sound like a bargain in these times! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brownie Posted August 23, 2004 Report Share Posted August 23, 2004 So, am I the only one who buys vinyl re-issues around here? Unless the CD has additional material that is not on the vinyl, I'll choose the vinyl... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paul secor Posted August 23, 2004 Report Share Posted August 23, 2004 (edited) So, am I the only one who buys vinyl re-issues around here? Unless the CD has additional material that is not on the vinyl, I'll choose the vinyl... Ditto here. Unless the vinyl is from a digital master. Edited August 23, 2004 by paul secor Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ajf67 Posted August 24, 2004 Report Share Posted August 24, 2004 I agree with Paul. I buy vinyl unless it's digitally remastered. I haven't posted in this thread that much, because I haven't bought that many re-issues. Most of what I have bought have been the Classic Records and Analogue Productions issues, and I've really liked most of them. I think the best re-issue that I have ever heard was the Miles Davis Prestige box by Analogue productions, but it's out of print. Wonderful sound and all the original packaging. I haven't bought any OJCs recently -- I used to wait for the August sale at Mosaic in order to get them for $5 each with the discount. I'm thinking of taking the plunge for a few of the Classic Records classical music re-issues, like that Janos Starker you guys were raving about, but I haven't pulled the trigger yet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ajf67 Posted August 25, 2004 Report Share Posted August 25, 2004 The Miles Davis Prestige box is available here if anyone is interested. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wolff Posted August 26, 2004 Author Report Share Posted August 26, 2004 Slightly off topic, I traveled north to Austin and picked up a new LP @ Waterloo Records - the Great Jazz Trio (Hank Jones/Richard Davis?Elvin Jones) SOMEDAY MY PRINCE WILL COME, a Japanese pressing recorded in 2002 and released on the 88 Records label. appears to be a great LP. Any other thoughts on this one? These other titles look tempting. Clark Terry & Max Roach: Friendship Grady Tate: All Love The Great Jazz Trio: Autumn Leaves Eddie Henderson: So What Roy Haynes: Love Letters Lonnie Plaxico: Live at Jazz Standard Will & Rainbow: Harmony Joe Farnsworth: It's Prime time The Great Jazz Trio: Someday My Prince Will Come Marlena Shaw: Lookin' For Love Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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