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New Blue Note SACDs


Cali

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Just receive an email from CD Universe of these SACD re-issues:

HOOTIN' 'N TOOTIN' - Fred Jackson

MOANIN' - Blakey

A.T.s DELIGHT - Art Taylor

DEXTER CALLING - Dexter Gordon

They're selling for $23.18 each.

Has a domestic CD of HOOTIN' ever been released?

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These SACDs are an off-spring of the 45rpm LP reissue series by Analogue Productions. They are mastered by Steve Hoffman.

They've been released a couple of months ago already but were first only available at a few "audiophile" stores, at a price of $30.

Here's a list of all Analogue Productions/Blue Note SACD titles which have been released or will be released shortly (at the bottom of the list):

http://www.sa-cd.net/alltitles/51

The one's I've heard are a huge sonic upgrade over the RVG CDs, not so much because of the higher resolution (with a SACD player), but because of the mastering. The sound is much more natural.

The "Hootin' 'N Tootin'" SACD contains the extra session as well (14 tracks total)

Edited by Claude
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Are these SACDs from Analogue Productions limited editions? I almost swoon at the thought of replacing all these in my collection, although the obviously excellent sound of these new remasterings is very tempting ...

Analogue Productions owner Chad Kassem told me that these are not numbered limited editions - which does not answer the question whether or not they will be repressed once the current run is depleted.

Edited by J.A.W.
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The previous Analogue Productions SACD reissues of popular Riverside, Contemporary or Prestige albums (check my link above) have been around for many years (and some still seem to be available), so I don't think the Blue Note SACDs will sell out that quickly.

I just ordered two of them at CD Pacific, for a total cost of $48, i.e. 18€ per disc (excluding customs fees, which are usually not claimed here).

Edited by Claude
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This is looking good, thanks for links. How is this upcoming Mobley session?

http://www.sa-cd.net/showtitle/6016

'A Caddy for Daddy'. Musically, it's a good, solid mid-60's Blue Note session, well worth having but not something that stands head and shoulders above the rest of their/his catalog from that period. There was a certain calculatedness that began to run into some of those Blue Note sessions after the success of "The Sidewinder", and if I remember well, it shows some here, but certainly there's nothing to dislike about the session, and it's well worth having, as is most every Blue Note from that era. But it's no replacement for 'No Room For Squares' or 'Soul Station'.

Edited by felser
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I have to disagree about A Caddy For Daddy...that's one of my favorite Mobley albums from the period. It's worth owning for the song "The Morning After" alone.

I'd second that. An essential 60s Mobley session - although it does seem to have its fair number of detractors.

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I have to disagree about A Caddy For Daddy...that's one of my favorite Mobley albums from the period. It's worth owning for the song "The Morning After" alone.

I'd second that. An essential 60s Mobley session - although it does seem to have its fair number of detractors.

And I'll third it.

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  • 2 months later...

I picked up several of these SACDs. The mastering, even on the CD layer, is astounding!

Can you let us know some of the titles of SACDs you picked up?

I'm wondering if anybody's heard the SACD version of Cannonball's Somethin' Else? I don't have an SACD player, but I think my CD player is at least mid-fi to lower hi-fi level and is extremely revealing. Good recordings sound excellent, but terribly recordings...well you get the idea. I only have U.S. RVG of Somethin' Else and though its one of my favorites, the mastering seems pretty bad.

Edited by Norm
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Guest Bixieland

Sure, I've got Blue Train, Lee-Way, Moanin', Whistle Stop and Hootin' 'N Tootin'. I don't think the SACD of Somethin' Else is out yet. Current List of Blue Note SACD

For Blue Train, I also have the Ultimate Blue Train version and the HDAD version from Classic Records (DVD-Audio, 24bit/192k). This SACD/CD version bests them all. I think even the CD layer bests them frankly. The RVGs certainly have problems -- bright and loud. I also have the HDAD of Somethin' Else and will likely get the SACD of that when it comes out too. While the HDAD version of Blue Train is awesome this current SACD has the most clean and accurate sound -- every frequency is perfectly articulate and easy on the ear. You just can't beat the "crank up the volume" ability of these SACD/CDs. Even if you don't have a SACD player.

As you probably know, these SCAD/CDs all mastered by Steve Hoffman at AcousTech, which has extremely clean, flat and neutral sonics. I've become an admirer of his mastering...but the proof is always in the finished product, and I'd say these are clearly the ultimate version. Provided you don't mind re-re-re-buying your Blue Notes, I think it would be wise to grab a few of your favs.

Edited by Bixieland
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I don't think the SACD of Somethin' Else is out yet. Current List of Blue Note SACD

Right, it's not. They appear to be running about 2 months behind schedule on these SACDs.

Two months and counting...

Yeah I have been waiting a month and a half for Joe Henderson - Page One to ship from CDPacific.com. Apparently there are only two SACD pressing plants left in the U.S., so they often suffer huge backlogs.

The only one I have received so far is Blue Train which sounds fantastic, it is much better than the old RVG SACD version that has massive high frequency boosting, and seems to have hardly any bass. In fact a direct comparison reveals that RVG applied almost 4 dB of compression to his version. Why RVG applies compression to these recordings I have no idea. This is Jazz music, not rock and roll, it doesn't need to be made louder for the sake of loudness alone.

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Sure, I've got Blue Train, Lee-Way, Moanin', Whistle Stop and Hootin' 'N Tootin'. I don't think the SACD of Somethin' Else is out yet. Current List of Blue Note SACD

For Blue Train, I also have the Ultimate Blue Train version and the HDAD version from Classic Records (DVD-Audio, 24bit/192k). This SACD/CD version bests them all. I think even the CD layer bests them frankly. The RVGs certainly have problems -- bright and loud. I also have the HDAD of Somethin' Else and will likely get the SACD of that when it comes out too. While the HDAD version of Blue Train is awesome this current SACD has the most clean and accurate sound -- every frequency is perfectly articulate and easy on the ear. You just can't beat the "crank up the volume" ability of these SACD/CDs. Even if you don't have a SACD player.

As you probably know, these SCAD/CDs all mastered by Steve Hoffman at AcousTech, which has extremely clean, flat and neutral sonics. I've become an admirer of his mastering...but the proof is always in the finished product, and I'd say these are clearly the ultimate version. Provided you don't mind re-re-re-buying your Blue Notes, I think it would be wise to grab a few of your favs.

Thanks. Its nice to know that Moanin' is out (I didn't realize they were behind on the others). I have a brand new/sealed copy of the U.S. RVG that I ordered from Amazon a while back but didn't bother to open. Meanwhile, I know our library has the RVG version as well so I think I borrow it, order the SACD for CD Pacific and A/B compare them directly on my CDP. That way I can form an opinion and then at least make some of my money back by selling my unopened RVG copy if I truly do prefer on the SACD on my redbook player (it decodes HDCD which seems to be an even less popular format than SACD).

BTW, is the acronym you used, HDAD, related to HDCD at all? I haven't really bothered to try to look for HDCDs... As for Blue Train I have only the 1997 Ultimate Blue Train you referenced above but it sounds, from your description, like this new mastering takes the cake. Well, I'll try Moanin' first and work from there.

I haven't spent any real time on the Hoffman forum, but on another audio board to which I belong several veteran posters continuously refer to the quality of his masterings.

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BTW, is the acronym you used, HDAD, related to HDCD at all?

No relation, except that both formats mean to provide a higher definition sound (HD)

HDAD is a DVD, HDCD is a CD

http://surroundablog.blogs.com/surroundabl...ition_dad_hdad/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/High_Definiti...patible_Digital

Higher definition is good, but in my experience, with old analogue recordings, the mastering quality is much more important for the end result than the resolution of the format.

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Higher definition is good, but in my experience, with old analogue recordings, the mastering quality is much more important for the end result than the resolution of the format.

Yeah I agree mastering is most important. In fact I wish these Analog Productions releases were just plain CDs. That way they would be cheaper, and they would actually be able to release them on time instead of waiting ages for the SACD pressing.

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