Blue Note titles on Blu-ray Audio (!)

[mjzee]

Release date May 5:

Hancock

Miles

[BFrank]

the new Steven Wilson is being issued on Blu-ray Audio, too!

[CJ Shearn]

This is interesting with some of the titles like "Maiden Voyage" on HDTracks too, same transfers? Will Blue Train feature all the takes that are on the recent Japanese SHM release? I just have the RVG which sounds fine to me. Don't feel like the upgrade game, especially because the SHM CD sounds very nice, which I got because I didn't like the RVG of that one. Might be worth it to hear a transfer of Somethin Else that doesn't have the treble boost of the RVG, (which I have, used to have the McMaster) I've never heard the audiophile releases of that title, and there are many, right?

Edited March 7, 2015 by CJ Shearn

[GA Russell]

My first thought is that those old Miles recordings are from the pre-hi-fi days, right? I wonder the extent to which their sound can be improved.

PS - I also note that the Amazon page says that the Herbie item is "Blue Note (Universal)." I'm confused. I thought that Universal sold all their EMI recordings except The Beatles and Robbie Williams to Warner.

Edited March 7, 2015 by GA Russell

[CJ Shearn]

I infer "Somethin Else" is included because it goes to 1951-58 when I looked it up. All Miles to me is worthwhile, but I think vol. 1&2 as great as they are, are not as interesting as the Prestige stuff, or the Columbia's.

Edited March 7, 2015 by CJ Shearn

[RiRiIII]

My first thought is that those old Miles recordings are from the pre-hi-fi days, right? I wonder the extent to which their sound can be improved.

PS - I also note that the Amazon page says that the Herbie item is "Blue Note (Universal)." I'm confused. I thought that Universal sold all their EMI recordings except The Beatles and Robbie Williams to Warner.

Acc. to wikipedia "On February 8, 2013, UMG sold to Warner Music Group the Parlophone Music Group consisting of Parlophone Records, Chrysalis Records, EMI Classics, Virgin Classics and EMI Records' Belgian, Czech, Danish, French, Norwegian, Portuguese, Spanish, Slovak and Swedish divisions, to a value of $765 million (£487 million)". So, Blue Note remained with Universal, if I get it right.

[king ubu]

They should rather reissue the Tyrone Washington album ... and maybe bring the Jutta Hipp ones back into real circulation, too. There are some others, I guess ...

And yes, it's my understanding that Warner got the classical music, Universal kept the jazz.

[Shawn]

You can fit entire box sets on blu-ray, so only having 2 albums on that Hancock disc is might paltry.

A single layer of a blu-ray is 25gigs, dual-layer is 50 gigs. You could fit Hancock's entire Blue Note discography on a single disc.

Edited March 7, 2015 by Shawn

[CJ Shearn]

You can fit entire box sets on blu-ray, so only having 2 albums on that Hancock disc is might paltry.

A single layer of a blu-ray is 25gigs, dual-layer is 50 gigs. You could fit Hancock's entire Blue Note discography on a single disc.

Yeah, instead of that they could possibly issue the complete catalogs of Hancock, Art Blakey, Horace Silver, Bobby Hutcherson, Jimmy Smith, Hank, on a disc or 2....... It would expose new fans to a lot of great music and the classic BN catalog, with just a bit more with the standard catalog. How about reissuing the Washington, sure, or some of the gems from the 80's and 90's catalog too. Don Was did say the entire catalog will be available in some form. Why waste space on physical product for most of the UA era stuff, downloads would be ok, so that people who love that period (my friend LOVES that period b/c he loves disco and jazz funk) can get it.

[BFrank]

They really SHOULD put their entire catalogs online, but I'm sure they're very worried about loss of control over file re-distribution.

[jazzbo]

Japenese versions and some may be Japanese original sourced? Upcoming next month.

http://www.cdjapan.co.jp/person/700234113?order=new&opt.include_eoa=1

I have (not from Japan) the Hancock, as I did not pick up either of these albums in SACD and I don't do files. The sound is very good. There are also previously unreleased alternates of tracks on Empyrean Isle.

[barnaba.siegel]

Is there really a big sound difference between nicely remastered CD or SHM-CD and Blu-ray? A read something about pros of blue laser, but sounded to me like like classic audio-voodoo. Sorry if I didn't find a thread where this topic was discused through and through.

[jazzbo]

Laser doesn't play into it as far as I can tell or know. I do feel there's benefit to high resolution playback. If you are prone to wanting the best sound and can reproduce the nuances at home, an equivalent mastering in 96/24 may well sound better than a Redbook version. But fine sound can come from excellent mastering in any of those formats imo.

On my system I think there may be a bit more of a discernible "difference" between SACD and the other formats, there just seems to be something a little different about the presentation of SACD and I like it. I buy SACD when cheap enough and the material is something I want to have. I don't do files so don't know how this pertains to DSD files of various resolution and the other formats.

Edited May 28, 2015 by jazzbo

[Kevin Bresnahan]

You can fit entire box sets on blu-ray, so only having 2 albums on that Hancock disc is might paltry.

A single layer of a blu-ray is 25gigs, dual-layer is 50 gigs. You could fit Hancock's entire Blue Note discography on a single disc.

Yeah, instead of that they could possibly issue the complete catalogs of Hancock, Art Blakey, Horace Silver, Bobby Hutcherson, Jimmy Smith, Hank, on a disc or 2....... It would expose new fans to a lot of great music and the classic BN catalog, with just a bit more with the standard catalog. How about reissuing the Washington, sure, or some of the gems from the 80's and 90's catalog too. Don Was did say the entire catalog will be available in some form. Why waste space on physical product for most of the UA era stuff, downloads would be ok, so that people who love that period (my friend LOVES that period b/c he loves disco and jazz funk) can get it.

Is that really true? I was under the impression that BluRay audio was a high resolution format that required rather large files. It's not like mp3 files.

Does anyone know how large the files are on one of these BluRay Audio discs?

[RiRiIII]

If it was not mentioned before, the US/EU Blu-ray audio by Herbie Hancock is remastered by Grundman (Isles), Vosgien (Isles bonus tracks) and Yoshida (Maiden Voyage). Are these the HD-tracks and/or the 75th anniv. LP series remasters?

EDIT: while the sticker says 24/96, the rear sleeve mentions "MINIMUM 24/192 audio matererial". Any idea what files are actually included? Same as with the japanese blu-ray audios? Both are listed as PCM.

Alex

Edited June 12, 2015 by Alexandros

[jazzbo]

This is interesting with some of the titles like "Maiden Voyage" on HDTracks too, same transfers? Will Blue Train feature all the takes that are on the recent Japanese SHM release? I just have the RVG which sounds fine to me. Don't feel like the upgrade game, especially because the SHM CD sounds very nice, which I got because I didn't like the RVG of that one. Might be worth it to hear a transfer of Somethin Else that doesn't have the treble boost of the RVG, (which I have, used to have the McMaster) I've never heard the audiophile releases of that title, and there are many, right?

All the takes on the SHM-CD of Blue Train are on the Blu-ray (I don't have this but this has been reported elsewhere). The Adderly title is NOT on the Miles Davis release (which sounds really really good). "Maiden Voyage" is the same transfers as the HD Tracks, as reported elsewhere. "Maiden Voyage" is the best sounding of the material I have heard on these discs (I have the Hancock and the Davis). I think all the material on them sounds better than Redbook (on my system, with my ears).