skeith

Interesting Medjuck, I find that the noise level of the crowds differs significantly on the different sets. Generally it does not bother me except for "Porgy" which is maybe the worst. Interesting how much crowd discussion compared to today at the VV, where during most sets there is NO discussion at all. One more thing, I actually find the crowd noise to be less prevalent in this box, than on other versions of the same recordings.

thanks couw for posting this

And who the hell was that woman who is laughing so much during "I Loves You Porgy"? She certainly was a casual fan - noise is one thing, but that tune is so beautiful and sad, particularly if you know the words to the song. Perhaps like the dancing woman at Newport, this one deserves a footnote in jazz history - but with my foot on her neck

Ron, I haven't done the comparison you are looking for, but the box and each cd within the box says 20bit K2, but I am not sure the sound is identical to the single cd issues. I guess this is not much help.

Agreed Lon, In all the above fracas it was easy to forget the contributions of LaFaro and Motian, which are stellar! This was really a trio where everyone gets to shine and the interaction is almost telepathic, for white guys that is.

that will teach me to say goodbye! Did Gopnik have any such prefatory statement? Again I don't have the whole article.

Well Jim, You may be very right about what you are saying about the Evans fans you encounter. BUT, while i don't understand every phrase in Gopnik's sentence, bottom line is I really don't think he is saying, in that sentence, that Evans's music is superior. He is saying it is different. If the rest of the article leads you to that conclusion, then show us the language. I do not necessarily think that music which is "pure emotion" is better than other music. But it may not be fair to label Gopnik as one of the delusional Evans fans you seem to encounter. I have edited some of my above posts to speak to the specific words in Gopnik's sentence which may clarify what it mean. And now I Will Say Goodbye.

Actually I don't think Gopnik is saying that. I think he is saying that the performances ON THIS RECORDING reach a level of pure emotion that is very high. I would guess he might allow that this would not be true of other Evans performances.

Ok, I want to take another look at this language. I wish I had saved the whole article because one sentence can appear a bit out of context. So Gopnik describes Evans's playing as close to "pure emotion" "without impediments" "as exists in music" That says to me that there is other music he considers to have such pure emotion. He does appear to compare it to bebop which he calls an "entire self poured out with inhibitions'" that is not clear what he means by that, but it also sounds to me like emotion, but if that is his definition of bebop well I disagree. But by saying that Evans's music on this record is "not at all the same thing" as bebop does not necessarily say to me that he is saying it is inferior. I mean if I said that the "rocking" music on the new Rolling Stones Cd is "not at all the same thing" as the new Sonny Rollins cd, can you tell which I like better? I guess Jim you see Gopnik using "bebop" as to represent black music as opposed to the Evans band, which is white? Is that where you are coming from? Hence your initial reaction of racism.

to be fair to you JSngry, I should clarify. I read Gopnik's review when it came out and don't remember thinking it was racist. As for the portion of his article that you quoted, it does not appear to be racist and I don't remember him comparing Evans with any black musicians on the issue of "emotion" or whatever. If there is a portion of the article that appears to put black musicians in a bad light, I may have to retract my comments, but I did not see it in what you quoted. Now, as for other musician/fans you encounter who are Evans fans that find Evans superior to black musicians, I can't say that's BS cause I don't know who you run into, so I wasn't saying BS about that. As an aside, I can't think of any fans/players in NYC who think Evans has a monopoly on feeling or expression over black players- but that doesn't mean you don't encounter them in Texas.

I am glad you said it before I did, but but what you said before, to use your term, was, in my opinion, BS. I like Bill Evans and Bud Powelll in equal measure.

I should make clear that I am a fan of Abbey and I have seen her a number of times in the 90's. But this performance was a disaster, I don't think it was a decent save and it wasn't fair to blame it on the band, as she was doing. It is one thing to be ahead of the beat, but several bars. It was inexcusable - I hope the reason is that she was under the influence. Because she is an artist I have had a lot of respect for. I don't think the cloth thing was a bandage, but I am not sure.

I thought Herbie Hancock and MCoy Tyner both gave great performances. For me the most interesting train wreck was Abbey Lincoln. Drunk? HIgh? Man she came back in several bars before the pianist's solo was over and then kept yelling at her band to lay out. And what was the white handkerchief about

YOu are welcome Lon, I think you are going to be happy with this. I was reluctant at first to buy this material again, but I am pleased with this box. You are right Mike, but I suspect that the sound on this new box is much better.

On further listening I am beginning to think the sound is better on the box than it is on the VICJ and the XRCD, so after some initial trepidation- i recommend this box. Yes the announcement are difficult to hear, but I like the idea of preserving the original sets in order - so that's a bonus. Wish they had included copies of the original covers, which are two of my favorites, but they did not.

I like Koln very much and not sure I would prefer Bremen. My favorite solo is Facing You. Probably I prefer the quartet stuff to the solo.

Before you get all conspiratorial and go on about the evils of capitalism, I should point out that at every single retail outlet in NYC where I priced the box versus the 2 cds, the box came out cheaper. I presume that is true online.

RDK, Not sure about noise reduction. It is not mentioned in the liners as having been used. after my message of yesterday I listened also to the XRCD versus the box and I think the XRCD and box are closer in sound than the mini lp and the box. DO you prefer the mini-lp or XRCD?

I picked up the box and compared it to my japanese VICJ of Waltz for Debby. What follows are first impressions, but the result of carefull listening: the first thing I noticed is that the background noise ("tape hiss"?)on the box is almost nonexistent. The entire background on the box is darker, blanker, quieter. Not sure whether this has an effect on the rest of the sound. and so is the crowd noise - it seems diminished and more in the background- which surprised me cause I thought this is something they emphasized in the box. Also Motian drums are mostly in both speakers on the VICJ , but usually on one speaker on the box. Some tracks which have clipped beginnings on Waltz for Debby also have it on the box, which is somewhat of a disappointment. Whether you like one or the other version may depend on your rig and your ears, but they certainly are diffferent. More later.

thanks everyone for your comments. to those that have the box, does the proper sequencing of the tunes add anything? Are the announcements an enhancement? Has anyone compared the sound to the japanese VICJs? or any other audiophile versions (those JVCXR versions, for instance)?

One other thing, unlike "Waltz for Debby" or "Sunday at the Vanguard", this box presents the material as it was played in the actual sets (by this I mean the order of the tunes). According to the little write up on the fantasy site, this box has been released already in Europe and Japan and I am very curious if anyone has any comments on sound quality in comparison to 20bit japanese mini-lp or the 20 bit domestics.

Came out yesterday, apparently it's newly remastered with an extra take and includes the announcements before and after tunes. any reason to get this if you already have the japanese mini-lps? Inquiring minds want to know....

I saw this band last night and as I have said before, they are my favorite working band. They did monster versions of "It should have happened a long time ago" and "Epistrophy" and also "Good Morning Heartache" which at first I thought was "Darn that Dream" (maybe similar melodies I guess or chord changes?) Epistrophy got the biggest applause- it was so hard driving- but as usual they had a mix of hard driving tunes with delicate balllads. Guy, I am surprised you are surprised about the Monk in their repertoire - do you have by any chance their all Monk cd "Monk in Motian" I highly recommend this gig!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Catesta, you probably know this already, but the big Italian festival in Manhattan's Little Italy is the San Gennaro festival and it usually is happening around now., but I am not sure of the dates. Also, Arthur Ave. in the Bronx has some good ones.

I'm seeing them tonight. Looks great. sorry I missed you guys.