J.A.W.

The "First Editions" reissue of Art Blakey's A Night in Tunisia also sounds better than previous incarnations.

And, of course, Duke Ellington's ...And His Mother Called Him Bill, the wonderful tribute to Billy Strayhorn, who had died just before these 1967 recordings.

I'd rate the "First Editions" reissue even higher, 8.5 out of 10, and the French 24-bitter 5 out of 10 - at the most...

The presence of the guitar was a major factor, but so far as I can remember I didn't like Dunmall's playing either.

I hated that one, a feeling that increased with every listen... Sold it ages ago.

I just listed the Japanese Pacific Jazz/Toshiba SBJC mini-LP sleeve reissue of Chet Baker & Crew on eBay.

Happy birthday!

The following CDs are scheduled for release. November 2005 Toshiba TOCJ 6601(Blue Note)24bit,New Quebec,Ike/Blue & Sentimental 1500 Toshiba TOCJ 6602(Blue Note)24bit,New Three Sounds,The/Good Deal 1500 Toshiba TOCJ 6603(Blue Note)24bit,New Smith,Jimmy/At the Organ Vol.2 1500 Toshiba TOCJ 6604(Blue Note)24bit,New Donaldson,Lou/Gravy Train 1500 Toshiba TOCJ 6605(Blue Note)24bit,New Burrell,Kenny/Blue Lights Vol.2 1500 Toshiba TOCJ 6606(Blue Note)24bit,New Blakey,Art/The Freedom Rider 1500 Toshiba TOCJ 6607(Blue Note)24bit,New Smith,Jimmy/Plays Pretty Just for You 1500 Toshiba TOCJ 6608(Blue Note)24bit,New Three Sounds,The/Here We Come 1500 Toshiba TOCJ 6609(Blue Note)24bit,New McLean,Jackie/One Step Beyond 1500 Toshiba TOCJ 6610(Blue Note)24bit,New Green,Grant/Grantstand 1500 Toshiba TOCJ 6611(Blue Note)24bit,New McLean,Jackie/New Soil 1500 Toshiba TOCJ 6612(Blue Note)24bit,New Reece,Dizzy/Soundin' Off 1500 Toshiba TOCJ 6613(Blue Note)24bit,New Byrd,Donald/At the Half Note Cafe Vol.1 1500 Toshiba TOCJ 6614(Blue Note)24bit,New McLean,Jackie/Bluesnik 1500 Toshiba TOCJ 6615(Blue Note)24bit,New Parlan,Horace/Speakin' My Piece 1500 Toshiba TOCJ 6616(Blue Note)24bit,New Donaldson,Lou/Good Gracious 1500 Toshiba TOCJ 6617(Blue Note)24bit,New Parlan,Horace/Up & Down 1500 Toshiba TOCJ 6618(Blue Note)24bit,New Coles,Johnny/Little Johnny C 1500 Toshiba TOCJ 6619(Blue Note)24bit,New Silver,Horace/Cape Verdean Blues 1500 Toshiba TOCJ 6620(Blue Note)24bit,New Blakey,Art/Meet You at the Jazz Corner of the World, Vol.2 1500 December 2005 Toshiba TOCJ 6621(Blue Note)24bit,New Smith,Jimmy/Plays Fats Waller 1500 Toshiba TOCJ 6622(Blue Note)24bit,New Hancock,Herbie/The Prisoner 1500 Toshiba TOCJ 6623(Blue Note)24bit,New Shorter,Wayne/Adam's Apple 1500 Toshiba TOCJ 6624(Blue Note)24bit,New Morgan,Lee/Delightfulee 1500 Toshiba TOCJ 6625(Blue Note)24bit,New Turrentine,Stanley/That's Where It's At 1500 Toshiba TOCJ 6626(Blue Note)24bit,New Morgan,Lee/Cornbread 1500 Toshiba TOCJ 6627(Blue Note)24bit,New McLean,Jackie/Let Freedom Ring 1500 Toshiba TOCJ 6628(Blue Note)24bit,New Henderson,Joe/Mode for Joe 1500 Toshiba TOCJ 6629(Blue Note)24bit,New Blakey,Art/Mosaic 1500 Toshiba TOCJ 6630(Blue Note)24bit,New Mobley,Hank/Reach Out 1500 Toshiba TOCJ 6631(Blue Note)24bit,New McLean,Jackie/It's Time 1500 Toshiba TOCJ 6632(Blue Note)24bit,New Hutcherson,Bobby/Dialogue 1500 Toshiba TOCJ 6633(Blue Note)24bit,New Taylor,Art/A.T.'s Delight 1500 Toshiba TOCJ 6634(Blue Note)24bit,New Gordon,Dexter/Dexter Calling 1500 Toshiba TOCJ 6635(Blue Note)24bit,New Turrentine,Stanley/Hustlin' 1500 Toshiba TOCJ 6636(Blue Note)24bit,New Dorham,Kenny/Trompeta Toccata 1500 Toshiba TOCJ 6637(Blue Note)24bit,New Roach,Freddie/Down to Earth 1500 Toshiba TOCJ 6638(Blue Note)24bit,New Clarke,Kenny/The Golden 8 1500 Toshiba TOCJ 6639(Blue Note)24bit,New Turrentine,Stanlley/Look Out 1500 Toshiba TOCJ 6640(Blue Note)24bit,New Roach,Freddie/Mo' Greens Please 1500 January 2006 Toshiba TOCJ 6641(Blue Note)24bit,New Hubbard,Freddie/Hub Cap 1500 Toshiba TOCJ 6642(Blue Note)24bit,New Vick,Harold/Steppin' Out 1500 Toshiba TOCJ 6643(Blue Note)24bit,New Blakey,Art/Buhaina's Delight 1500 Toshiba TOCJ 6644(Blue Note)24bit,New Hancock,Herbie/Inventions & Dimensions 1500 Toshiba TOCJ 6645(Blue Note)24bit,New Patton,John/Along Came John 1500 Toshiba TOCJ 6646(Blue Note)24bit,New Henderson,Joe/Our Thing 1500 Toshiba TOCJ 6647(Blue Note)24bit,New Byrd,Donald/A New Perspective 1500 Toshiba TOCJ 6648(Blue Note)24bit,New Henderson,Joe/Inner Urge 1500 Toshiba TOCJ 6649(Blue Note)24bit,New Byrd,Donald/At the Half Note Cafe, Vol.2 1500 Toshiba TOCJ 6650(Blue Note)24bit,New Gordon,Dexter/A Swingin' Affair 1500 Toshiba TOCJ 6651(Blue Note)24bit,New Parlan,Horace/On the Spur of the Moment 1500 Toshiba TOCJ 6652(Blue Note)24bit,New Hill,Andrew/Judgemant 1500 Toshiba TOCJ 6653(Blue Note)24bit,New Morgan,Lee/Search for the New Land 1500 Toshiba TOCJ 6654(Blue Note)24bit,New Wilkerson,Don/Shoutin' 1500 Toshiba TOCJ 6655(Blue Note)24bit,New Henderson,Joe/In 'n Out 1500 Toshiba TOCJ 6656(Blue Note)24bit,New Shorter,Wayne/Speak No Evil 1500 Toshiba TOCJ 6657(Blue Note)24bit,New Hubbard,Freddie/Blue Spirits 1500 Toshiba TOCJ 6658(Blue Note)24bit,New Hubbard,Freddie/Hub Tones 1500 Toshiba TOCJ 6659(Blue Note)24bit,New Smith,Jimmy/Back at the Chicken Shack 1500 Toshiba TOCJ 6660(Blue Note)24bit,New Gordon,Dexter/Doin' All Right 1500 February 2006 Toshiba TOCJ 6661(Blue Note)24bit,New Byrd,Donald/I'm Tryin' to Get Home 1500 Toshiba TOCJ 6662(Blue Note)24bit,New Gordon,Dexter/One Flight Up 1500 Toshiba TOCJ 6663(Blue Note)24bit,New Blakey,Art/Indestructible 1500 Toshiba TOCJ 6664(Blue Note)24bit,New Hill,Andrew/Point of Departure 1500 Toshiba TOCJ 6665(Blue Note)24bit,New Smith,Jimmy/Prayer Meetin' 1500 Toshiba TOCJ 6666(Blue Note)24bit,New Byrd,Donald/Free Form 1500 Toshiba TOCJ 6667(Blue Note)24bit,New Mitchell,Blue/Down with It 1500 Toshiba TOCJ 6668(Blue Note)24bit,New Williams,Anthony/Spring 1500 Toshiba TOCJ 6669(Blue Note)24bit,New Coleman,Ornette/At the Golden Circle, Vol.2 1500 Toshiba TOCJ 6670(Blue Note)24bit,New McLean,Jackie/Right Now 1500 Toshiba TOCJ 6671(Blue Note)24bit,New Mobley,Hank/A Caddy for Daddy 1500 Toshiba TOCJ 6672(Blue Note)24bit,New Taylor,Cecil/Unit Structures 1500 Toshiba TOCJ 6673(Blue Note)24bit,New Blakey,Art/Holiday for Skins, Vol.2 1500 Toshiba TOCJ 6674(Blue Note)24bit,New Parlan,Horace/Us Three 1500 Toshiba TOCJ 6675(Blue Note)24bit,New Patton,John/Let 'Em Roll 1500 Toshiba TOCJ 6676(Blue Note)24bit,New Mobley,Hank/No Room for Squares 1500 Toshiba TOCJ 6677(Blue Note)24bit,New Green,Grant/Street of Dreams 1500 Toshiba TOCJ 6678(Blue Note)24bit,New McLean,Joackie/New and Old Gospel 1500 Toshiba TOCJ 6679(Blue Note)24bit,New Gordon,Dexter/Gettin' Around 1500 Toshiba TOCJ 6680(Blue Note)24bit,New Mitchell,Blue/The Thing to Do 1500 March 2006 Toshiba TOCJ 6681(Blue Note)24bit,New Williams,Anthony/Life Time 1500 Toshiba TOCJ 6682(Blue Note)24bit,New Donaldson,Lou/Mr Shing-A-Ling 1500 Toshiba TOCJ 6683(Blue Note)24bit,New Tyner,McCoy/Tender Moments 1500 Toshiba TOCJ 6684(Blue Note)24bit,New Pearson,Duke/The Right Touch 1500 Toshiba TOCJ 6685(Blue Note)24bit,New Silver,Horace/Serenade to a Soul Sister 1500 Toshiba TOCJ 6686(Blue Note)24bit,New Ervin,Booker/The In Between 1500 Toshiba TOCJ 6687(Blue Note)24bit,New Smith,Lonnie/Think 1500 Toshiba TOCJ 6688(Blue Note)24bit,New Byrd,Donald/Slow Drag 1500 Toshiba TOCJ 6689(Blue Note)24bit,New Pearson,Duke/The Phantom 1500 Toshiba TOCJ 6690(Blue Note)24bit,New Shorter,Wayne/Schizophrenia 1500 Toshiba TOCJ 6691(Blue Note)24bit,New Tyner,McCoy/Time for Tyner 1500 Toshiba TOCJ 6692(Blue Note)24bit,New Green,Grant/Goin' West 1500 Toshiba TOCJ 6693(Blue Note)24bit,New Donaldson,Lou/Hot Dog 1500 Toshiba TOCJ 6694(Blue Note)24bit,New Shorter,Wayne/Super Nova 1500 Toshiba TOCJ 6695(Blue Note)24bit,New Morgan,Lee/The Sixth Sense 1500 Toshiba TOCJ 6696(Blue Note)24bit,New Pearson,Duke/How Insensitive 1500 Toshiba TOCJ 6697(Blue Note)24bit,New Corea,Chick/The Song of Singing 1500 Toshiba TOCJ 6698(Blue Note)24bit,New Byrd,Donald/Blackjack 1500 Toshiba TOCJ 6699(Blue Note)24bit,New Green,Grant/The Final Comedown 1500 Toshiba TOCJ 6700(Blue Note)24bit,New Morgan,Lee/Lee Morgan (Last Album) 1500

I first heard her in 1967 and I've loved her singing ever since.

To my ears the Sony Complete Hot Fives/Sevens box doesn't sound that good, but it could be bad EQ choices.

Again, I've yet to hear a CEDAR-ized CD that sounds good.

The following CDs are scheduled for release. On August 11, 2005 Pony Canyon MYCJ 30340(New) Lang,Walter/Memories of Ecm 2800 On August 24, 2005 Venus TKCV 35351(New) One For All/Killer Joe 2800 Venus TKCV 35352(New) Higgins,Eddie/I Can't Believe That You're in Love with Me 2800 Venus TKCV 35353(New) Higgins,Eddie/When Your Lover Has Gone 2800 Toshiba TOCJ 66266(New) Marsalis,Wynton/Amongest the People 2548 Columbia VQCD 10003(New) Spiro,Laszlo/Synergetics 2540

Gato Barbieri Bluebird "First Editions"

Louder isn't necessarily better. As I posted elsewhere (ad nauseam...), some engineers tend to maximize sound levels/use compression when remastering recordings, and as result the music is just LOUD, with hardly any dynamics; all life has been sucked out of it... Remasters like these give me headaches. Unfortunately these "modern" remastering techniques are quite popular nowadays My advice: go for the American Bluebird "First Editions", you won't regret it.

The U.S. Bluebird version is by far the best, it smokes all others, including the pumped-up Japanese 24-bit remaster. The reissues in the Bluebird "First Editions" series that I've heard are beautifully remastered, with a wonderful, warm yet detailed sound. I have the Bluebird "First Editions" remasters of the Desmond/Mulligan, Ellington's The Far East Suite and ...And His Mother Called Him Bill, Rollins' The Bridge, and Mingus' Tijuana Moods (a 2CD-set), and they're all very highly recommended

Here's another one, starting at $145 and with the same BIN price...

I'm going to pull out both Funny Rat and Daredevil tomorrow. I might as well join in the nostalgia! ← Don't have Funny Rat, but will do my Dried Rat Dog and Daredevil duties this week. ← That's an understatement. In my opinion it sucks ← You guys are messing with my head! 5000 posts about an album that nobody likes! ← I didn't realize all 5,000 posts are about Funny Rat... Must be getting old

The Cedar'd CDs I had/have sound completely lifeless and dull, the music is flat as a pancake...

Couw is, pure and simple, one of the nicest and most helpful guys on these forums, but hey, that's just my opinion. Edit: sorry to bring this off-topic stuff up again, but I just had to say something.

I won't talk to you anymore before you buy "Funny Rat" back and make me an offer (or just send it as a gift - minimum of rat-solidarity, that would have been!) ← That's funny, when I offered it on this very board a while ago, no one wanted it...

Don't let me stop you, the music comes first. It's just that I can't enjoy this set for the reasons mentioned above, neither on my high-end system nor on my low-fi Sony boombox.

That's an understatement. In my opinion it sucks

There are quite a few Mosaics I'm not very excited about, but one I really hate is the Lou Donaldson set. The music's good to great, but the sound is awful; maximized as hell, hardly any dynamics, everything's just very, very LOUD. An earbleeder if ever I've heard one. Why some engineers seem to think maximizing sound levels/using compression and thus taking life out of music is the way to remaster recordings is beyond me. A great big

Happy birthday Scott.

I hardly post here anymore and I'm still in fifth place?? What's the matter with you guys?