Kevin Bresnahan

This print has been signed by Fred Anderson and Henry Grimes!!! Mark, Being a B&W print, did you get the signatures in silver? I have a few B&W's signed in silver and they look phenomenal. Kevin

Marla, In the start menu, click All Programs->Accessories->System Tools->System Restore Follow the directions and restore your system back to the time before all this stuff happened.

True, but as I said above, be careful... Microsoft seems to think music burning-PC users want their audio "flat" so they futz with the levels to give you what they "think" you want. I can't tell you how many people have used several of Microsoft's "free" (like you didn't paid anything for XP?) burning packages only to find out that the levels are all screwed up. Stick to EAC and you'll be alright. THERE IS NO BETTER .WAV BURNING PROGRAM THAN EAC... and it's free to boot. If you want to burn audio, use EAC. I use Roxio's EZ-CD Creator for data. Kevin

The only tool I use these days to make backup copies of my CDs is Exact Audio Copy. It is really the only app that makes exact audio copies. Beware using Windows Media Player to make back-ups... it defaults to turning on normalization. Makes many CDs sound like crap after. Note: during installation, it asks for a LAME encoder - you do not need to have a LAME encoder, so ignore that. The steps to use EAC are pretty simple. After installing, it goes through and sets up your drives. Stick to the default settings to start. Once it's up & running, simply click Action-> Copy Image & Create CUE Sheet-> Uncompressed. After the disc is backed up to the harddrive, put a blank in your burner and then select Tools-> Write CD-R... This brings up the CD Layout Editor. In this window, click File-> Load CUE Sheet and click on the CUE sheet you created with the first step. After it loads, click CD-R-> Write CD... Remember, after you're done, you have to delete the huge files or you'll run out of disc space pretty quickly. Kevin

But Weizen, it's only 8 cups! My wife and I go through 8 cups in no time. I have to decide on our next machine soon. Our beloved Krups Crystal Aroma is nearing the end of the line and they no longer make it. When we bought this machine many years ago, I researched it on-line and this maker came out ahead due mostly to it's high-temperature water heating system. There seems to be a correlation between using very hot water and extracting the flavor out of the beans. How hot is the coffee right after being brewed with the Capresso MT500? Kevin

Hank Mobley's "Dippin'"? Finally! I have come so close to buying this from Japan so many times. One of my favorite Mobley dates. So funky and fun.

I can't pass up a chance to hear how RVG made "Further Explorations" sound... at least for $18. PM sent. Kevin

Aunt Ester? That looks like uncle esther in drag to me!

So what happened? Did "Rolling With Leo" find a new home? Kevin

Californian wine fan here... Although I do enjoy the Beaujolais Nouveau. I didn't relaize it needed to sit. I was always told to drink it asap as it would only go downhill after bottling. Hmm. Maybe I should pick up a couple of bottles and stash them?

As I sit here typing, I'm listening to mp3's of "Rolling With Leo" off my PC. Hey, I had to have these tunes at work. They lift me up when I'm sick of work. These Leo Parker Blue Note dates swing like mad. My foot starts 'a tappin' from the opening beat and by the end, I'm smiling. Parker's affinity for the blues helps a lot. The slower tunes don't come across as funeral dirges but real head-nodding blues vehicles. Play "Talkin' The Blues" and tell me your head ain't bobbin'! Play it, Leo, play it! Of course, it could be that I just love Leo's bari sound. He plays a bit like Hank Mobley plays tenor... just a hair behind the beat. Yeah, that's it... Leo's the "Hank Mobley of baritone". "Rolling With Leo" didn't sit in the can because it was a bad date but because Leo Parker died shortly after it was recorded, at least according to the liner notes. It even had a Reid Miles cover designed and it appeared on other LPs' inner sleeves showing upcoming releases. Later, Kevin Oh, I just love "Talkin' The Blues". Blow them blues, Leo!

I heard back from Ron McMaster that he has not used Sonic Solutions for nearly three years which would put the Grachan Moncur set (issued in 2003) right near or at the point he changed over to a Pyramix Mastering System. He mentioned a lot of other stuff but I didn't get his OK to post it all. One thing he did mention that I don't think he'd mind repeated is that when he remasters a tape he likes "staying all analog except for the very last part and that is the analog load into the computer with all of the eq settings etc. done in analog." So what I think Ron is saying is that he queues up the master on the machine and plays it back to adjust the sound he wants off the analog tape. After he tweaks it to make it sound right, he digitizes it using the Pyramix Mastering System. He doesn't futz with the sound in digital. Kevin

If I didn't have it, I'd buy it in a second for $20. This sucker never shows up in the used bins! And I must say, it's one of my favorite Blue Notes... well, both Parkers are up there for this bari sax fanatic. If you decide not to buy it, yes, it will eventually get reissued. However, it won't be for many months in the least. $20 is cheap for a rarity like this when you consider that many new releases sell at a $17.99 list. Heck, I once paid $32 for a Japanese Blue Note that I really, really wanted. BTW, the Japanese CD will be missing a bonus track. Kevin

It made sound like No Noise was used, but it wasn't. I asked Ron McMaster about this back when we debated last January. Ron told me, "The version that you hear on the Mosaic Select is from the original RVG master tapes. The track (as well as all the others on this release) are just ever so slightly eq'd so as to sound as they did when they were originally recorded. They contain no NoNoise processing of any kind. This is the closest to the original as you can get". Quite honestly, I don't think the Mosaic Select sounds bad at all, but then again, everyone's system is different so we are comparing apples to oranges. I should pick up this RVG to hear it. Rudy seems to do a nice job with Hutcherson's vibes. Kevin

Thank you... thank you... thank you!! I thought I was going crazy! I tried every note I could and couldn't help but think "How the hell would someone transcribe this?" Next time I listen, I'll see if I can hear the two tones. Of course, with rumors rampant that almost all radio stations are using mp3 files for their playback medium, I may never hear it on the radio. Kevin

So I'm driving into work today with Loren & Wally on the radio (love those "Men From Maine" skits) and they play The Doors' "Love Her Madly". Well, I singing along with it and when the harpsicord/Mellotron/organ(?) solo comes along, I cannot get the right pitch no matter what I do! Drives me nuts. Help me out here... is it because people can't whistle flat? Or sharp? What is it about this tune?

Whoa, be careful with that, some car polishes have a grit in them. Make sure if you're going to try this, check that the polish says it's safe for "Clear Coat" finishes! I've used SoftScrub (works, but the disc looks crappy after) as well as Crest toothpaste (doesn't work no matter how hard I tried). I've been told glass polish will work but it takes a lot of "elbow grease".

EAC can extract data from scratched discs. I have done it before. There are also refinishing services out there. I've never used them but I've heard good things about them. It should set you back about $5.00 to get it resurfaced. I would try to extract the music using EAC before sending it out. FWIW, I would not recommend buying/using one of those "Disc Doctor" machines that they sell at most chain stores. Those things just scratch up your CD more than it already was. Go the professional route where they use glass polishing machines. Kevin

I've bought a lot of gear off of sellers on Audiogon. However, in two of the purchases, I found an Audiogon seller who was local so I could see the items first. In looking around there today, I see a SONY DVP-555ES in silver for $300 in San Anotonio and another that just went for $230(!). Kevin

Oh. I saw "Den Haag" and immediately saw "Copenhagen Denmark" for some reason! I guess Denmark and Copenhagen fooled my eyes. Doh. Well then, have the three tracks from Royal Jazz's "Live In Copenhagen" ever shown up elsewhere with extra material? As I said, Trane goes nutso on these three tunes so any extra material would be welcome. BTW, it sounds like I should look for this Paris material but can you guys recommend the best version? You know: best sound, all of the tunes, good price, availability, etc. Kevin

Is this date correct? I have a three track CD titles "Copenhagen - 1960" on the Royal Jazz label and it says "Recorded in Copenhagen, Denmark, March 24th, 1960". The three tunes are "So What", "On Green Dolphin Street" and "All Blues/Theme". Did they record the band more than once in Copenhagen or is the date wrong on one of these CDs? If these Royal Jazz tracks are the same ones on this Lonehill CD plus "'Round Midnight" from the same concert, I may have to break my vow of non-support for Lonehill as well. Trane is on fire on this and if there's an extra track... well, I wouldn't mind getting that. Kevin

This is weird... this question has come up a few times recently. There may be some confusion that can be easily cleaned up: ALL SACDs have stereo playback. Some only have stereo. Multi-channel playback was added later on due to DVD-Audio's success using this feature. All of the first SACD players were stereo-only. DVD-Audio is also pretty much guaranteed to have stereo tracks. I've never heard of one that doesn't. However, most DVD-Audio discs require some kind of video monitor to make it play back correctly. Not all do, but some automatically default to multi-channel. Having a stereo-only playback system shouldn't dissuade you from considering SACD. SACD sounds very nice in stereo. Multi-channel adds that extra dimension, but many find it "gimmicky" or not natural because it throws the listener into the middle of the band. I happen to like multi-channel rock SACDs. Jazz not so much. Later, Kevin PS. Sorry about derailing your original question. I should have re-read the entire thread before adding what I did about the Hoffman forums. If you check out the Fantasy SACD thread, you'll see that I put those comments were they belonged.

I just recently picked a whole bunch of these Fantasy SACDs. There seems to be a lot of variability in overall sound quality. None of them have been "bad" by any means, but none have gotten a "Wow!" out of me either. I intend to get all of these that they decide to make if only because I generally like the sound of my SACDs. Later, Kevin BTW, regarding the off-topic comments in this thread regarding Steve Hoffman's forum moderators. They seem to have gotten more lenient since I wrote what I did back in this thread in 2004... Either that or everyone's gotten the hang of what can be said. I still don't like the fact that Steve's word is gospel, but I guess that's what happens when you open your own forum. He has some crazy ideas on audio, particualrly his endosement of special rocks that you put on top of your amplifier to make it sound better. But damn, does he know how to make a nice-sounding CD!

Oops! Wrong thread for this comment... I'll go put it where it belongs!

Boy, Matthew, you dredged up an old one with this thread! I think you'll find that Denon's SACD combi-players are very nice. However, the Pioneer Elite Line and Marantz's players have a following. I have also read good things about Onkyo, but I haven't trusted Onkyo for years... they were my favorite many years ago. It may look like Sony is "off the list" but I don't mean it that way. Sony is my first choice for TVs but I bought one of their entry-level SACD players a few years ago and it was a very good SACD player but a lousy CD player. There may be a good model out there now. I just haven't read about it. Later, Kevin BTW, regarding the off-topic comments in this thread regarding Steve Hoffman's forum's moderators. They seem to have gotten more lenient since I wrote what I did back in 2004... Either that or everyone's gotten the hang of what can be said. I still don't like the fact that Steve's word is gospel but I guess that's what happens when you open your own forum. He has some crazy ideas on audio. But damn, does he know how to make a nice-sounding CD!