hopkins

I also compared a few tracks of that latest Fremeaux release, which is now also available on streaming services (I use Qobuz) and it does sound very nice.

After reading the above comments I checked some of my CD versions of "Jack the Bear". This is from the 1999 RCA Victor "Centennial Edition" box set - https://www.discogs.com/release/3838895-Duke-Ellington-The-Duke-Ellington-Centennial-Edition-The-Complete-RCA-Victor-Recordings-1927-1973 https://storage.googleapis.com/cloudplayer/samples/02 Jack The Bear.flac There is indeed a lot of distortion. This version is from the 13 CD "Anniversary" box set - https://www.discogs.com/release/7759958-Duke-Ellington-Anniversary-13-Volumes-Box-Set https://storage.googleapis.com/cloudplayer/samples/183 Jack the Bear.flac This second version sounds very similar to some of the previous Fremeaux versions I have heard (on streaming services) - I obviously have not heard the latest Fremeaux set mentioned at the start of this thread. It sounds good. Blanton's bass is not bloated as in the RCA Victor set, and everything sounds cleaner and more "natural". The engineer on that 13 CD set is Christophe Hénault.

For some reason, they came out with another "remastered" version of these two CDs with different covers (see here:http://www.disquesdreyfus.com/catalogue/538422392-ko-ko.html) , and the sound is weird. From what I remember, the originals were indeed good. Here is a track from the "remastered" version (but with the original cover), that I found on YouTube: The albums are on the Internet Archive, with the liner notes, and some sound excerpts: https://archive.org/details/lp_duke-ellington-1940_duke-ellington The sound seems to be quite good (samples are vinyl rips). And here is another Smithsonian version packaged as a box set: https://archive.org/details/lp_an-explosion-of-genius-1938-1940_duke-ellington

Here is another performance from that same concert. enjoy!

In addition to "Crazy and Mixed Up", previously mentioned, her Brazilian albums should not be overlooked, though they often are. "I Love Brazil" is particularly enjoyable.

This vocal coach has some good things to say about her singing, and the track is quite nice as well:

I just got these bargain speakers: https://lu.teufelaudio.com/ultima-40-105781000 400€! Hard to beat. They sound good. The bass could be a little tighter, but for the price they deliver a nice sound. Here's a good review: I will be "modding" them by completely replacing the crossover with a simpler design. But as is, the sound quality is hard to beat for the price. I don't think they deliver outside the EU. It is a German company.

Pine Gap. Enjoying season 1.

Rothko exhibit here in Paris. A bit overwhelming given that you can get so absorbed in a single painting and there are hundreds. Well worth a visit.

I found the equivalent on my digital player (converts on the fly) and I really enjoy listening to a lot of albums that way. I do prefer listening to the mono versions, when they are available. Out of curiosity, I recently purchased a few mono LPs that I already had in digital format in stereo. The mono version of Ellington's "Back to Back", for example, sounds great (played on a single speaker).

My Sunday afternoon...

I started seriously appreciating jazz only 10 years ago. It had always been there, but only for casual listening. You can imagine that I have a lot to catch up to...

I'll share my modest opinion, being someone with much less experience and knowledge than most of you here. As a "casual" jazz fan, I listened to Oscar Peterson a lot. Dave Brubeck as well - basically artists whose albums are always included in those "top 10" lists.... I then developed a much deeper appreciation for jazz, and broadened my very limited "scope". I don't listen to Oscar Peterson any longer, other than through his collaborations. What makes some artists so much more popular than others is a bit of a mystery to me, but I don't lose sleep over it. There are other artists in those "top ten" lists that I don't "get" (dare I say Miles Davis? Keith Jarrett? Late John Coltrane?). Perhaps some day I will. Until then, there is so much to discover, and so little time...

So many exciting recordings to look forward to. I will be getting the Art Tatum, Sun Ra, Nat Cole, Yusef Lateef, and possibly the Sonny Rollins... Here is a preview of the Tatum set: Exciting! Here is the complete list: https://recordstoreday.com/SpecialReleases

You can listen to the mono version of "Only the Lonely" on most streaming services, and on YouTube: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLt_qn2fMyYsYzQGYcjvKkE-FJzEuJq2Yn&si=CsoJySCesg384SnB It is interesting to read about these differences between stereo and mono recordings.

Very sad to learn of his passing away. His son send out an email to subscribers of his newsletter yesterday and mentioned this article: https://jazzlives.wordpress.com/2024/02/07/splendid-diligence-great-humanity-a-few-lines-for-jan-evensmo-and-robert-d-rusch-who-have-moved-offstage This page on his website has been added to publish messages: http://www.jazzarcheology.com/jan-evensmo/ RIP.

Here are a series of interviews with Durham: https://rucore.libraries.rutgers.edu/rutgers-lib/52035

I was really looking forward to seeing this, but unfortunately it is not available in France. Actually it seems to be available on YouTube https://youtu.be/Zas8LjN5-YI?si=hAwvMA5RKle__O9k

As I was just listening to it, thought I would point out that the CD is available on streaming services: https://open.qobuz.com/album/nqaso54vayhia It includes tracks from previous sessions.

One of the reasons I asked about this is that I have taken a liking to listening to mono recordings through a single speaker. I like the sound, especially on older recordings. I feel it offers more clarity. A single speaker also works well in a small space (my home office, for example). I use an old Altec 755C speaker. These were made in the 1950s. I don't take all this too seriously, it is fun and I enjoy it, but am obviously happy listening to stereo as well. Stereo was invented by Alan Blumlein in 1931, so way before it came to be used in recording studios. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alan_Blumlein The article I linked to above explains how Blumlein developed stereo for use in movies, not audio: "Blumlein’s initial inspiration for the invention of stereo recording was not an audio experience, per se. His biography, The Inventor of Stereo, tells an anecdote about Blumlein going to the cinema with his wife and complaining that the actors’ voices didn’t move with them across the screen. “I’ve got a way to make it follow the person,” he then said to her, in what may have been his eureka moment." But stereo is already "passé" and the new trend is now "immersive audio" which requires setting up a large number of speakers everywhere in your room, including the ceilings! No thanks...

This is a fun read: https://pitchfork.com/features/oped/9492-back-to-mono/ It mentions Brian Wilson's passion for mono, among others.

Agreed. The level of difference between the two channels is minimal and probably cannot be heard, but it is still there! So it is not "pure mono". I understand that at some point during the processing, some mono tapes may have been fed through stereo equipment and resulted in small channel imbalances.

I think you are right about that one. The "Pres & Teddy" recording, made a day later, is available in both mono and stereo. https://www.discogs.com/master/335897-The-Lester-Young-Teddy-Wilson-Quartet-Pres-And-Teddy With Audacity, or other software, you can check for mono by adding the inverted left channel to the right one. The track comes across faintly when you do this, so it seems that one channel is simply a little louder than the other. Hard to understand why they would do this, but perhaps it does not really matter.

Some of the mono CDs I have found have been issued in Japan - but these are generally expensive... Here is an example: https://www.discogs.com/release/10251913-Lester-Young-The-Jazz-Giants-56