Teasing the Korean

There is a three-part "Asphalt Jungle Suite." Then, there is a two-part "Asphalt Jungle Theme." As a connoisseur of crime jazz, I had to have these!

My copies are from Holland. Two double LP sets, don't know if there were more. Blue covers.

They are also on the European "Duke 56/62" compilation LPs, not sure which volume offhand.

Great, then we can easily trade albums in the future!

Are they straight ahead jazz records? I am more interested in his easy/groovy/funky stuff. The presence of a conga player on the album is usually a good indicator.

Thanks for clarifying. I was mixing up Brubeck with Saul Bass.

Unfortunately, folding these particular mixes to mono makes it worse, because the centered horns become louder relative to the elements mixed off to the sides.

Thanks all for the replies. First, I am not an audiophile. Second, I can tell the difference between malfunctioning equipment and a lousy mix. I first knew this music from mono LPs. I heard them in stereo on CD decades later. I think the producer or engineer made a poor choice on the stereo mix to place the horns center and the rhythm instrument left and right. The horns overwhelm the rhythm section on my copies of the CDs. That said, I have hardware (and software) that allows me to reduce the center, and using this feature brought the stereo versions to life for me. This is how I will continue to listen to these albums. The bass and piano have much more presence now.

I have them in mono. That does not change the fact that the stereo versions suck.

Longo Dibango

That's fine, if you are happy with substandard mixes, more power to ya! The horns obscure the rhythm section on my copies of a few of the albums. Reducing the phantom center makes them come alive. I will report which albums in particular separately. It's really ESP and Miles Smiles.

Close enough. Either way, Brubeck is still cooler than all these other "jazz" musicians with lousy rent-a-center furnishings by Ethan Allen or Broyhill!

Horns too loud in the center, rhythm instruments mixed off to the side. You reduce the phantom center channel, and all of a sudden you can hear the music.

If you are able to reduce the phantom center, either through hardware or software, you can bring up the bass and piano in the mix and set the horns back where they need to be. The first time I did this, it was like I was hearing the music for the first time.

Ha ha!

Different QJ, as you know.

Not offhand, but it looked very similar to the Charles and Ray Eames house IIRC. The documentary that was made shortly before he died had great footage of both houses.

In th 1950s, Dave Brubeck lived in a west coast moderne Case Study House. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Case_Study_Houses Beginning in the 1960s, he was living in a New Canaan moderne house. https://nchistory.org/midcentury-modern-architecture/ Most would be lucky to live in even one of these in one lifetime. But Dave Brubeck lived in both in one lifetime.

It sounds like a blaxploitation soundtrack! My favorite of the three.

Listening all day to LPs by Mike Longo and Manu Dibango. RIP.

Enjoying an afternoon with Mike Longo: "Matrix" on Mainstream "Piano Giants" on Groove Merchant "Talk with the Spirits" on Pablo. Safe travels, friend.

Maybe they were reviewing the hideous cover art.

I love his easy/funky/groovy stuff from the early 70s. He has a conga in the group and does stuff like "Last Tango in Paris" and "What's Going On." Decadent cocktail music for the man who reads Playboy. I've never heard any of his "jazz" albums.

Will spin this weekend!

When I was getting into jazz in junior high, McCoy was an early gateway into jazz, because his chord voicings reminded me of the string writing in happy, uptempo 1950s production music. His Blue Note album "Expansions" has long been a favorite of mine. RIP.