mjzee

Searching the web, I don't see a reference to this, so it could be my faulty memory. The Columbia series involved half-speed masters.

Thanks for posting the link. I have one quibble with the following paragraph: "It was not until 1992 that Wilder discovered that the prime three-channel deck had been running slightly slowly during the first session, with the result that on the LPs and CDs made from it, the numbers on side A (the first three tracks) played slightly sharp in musical pitch. By the time of the second recording session, seven weeks later, the prime three-track deck had received some maintenance, so the numbers on the LP's side B were recorded at the proper speed. To get the proper pitch without adjusting the playback deck's speed, and knowing that the backup tapes had never been played, Wilder used them for the 1992 Columbia Mastersound SBM Gold CD remastering. Those tapes have been used ever since, including for the SACD releases." IIRC, this was discovered around 1980. Columbia had a short-lived audiophile LP series which was meant to compete with Japanese imports: pressed on pure vinyl, with a clear heavy-duty plastic bag instead of shrink-wrap, etc. Very expensive, too, with discs around $20. They released KOB with the correct speed as part of this series. Does anyone else remember this?

Do the master tapes still exist? All the reissues have been needle-drops.

What's wrong with the way they're presented by Black Lion? AFAIK, they're long OOP.

Not sure your efforts are the right venue, but since you have an "in" with 1201 Music, it would be wonderful to have a properly-presented set of Monk's Black Lion recordings.

Just got this email regarding an upcoming Houston concert: Konk Pack Tuesday, October 15, 2013, 8pm Studio 101 at Spring Street Studios $13 general / $10 with student I.D. / Free 18 and under The British/German trio Konk Pack handles a gritty, writhing mass of electroacoustic sound/noise with the rare finesse and skill, one would only expect from veterans of the European improv scene. Puckish and virtuosic, Konk Pack has created a music that is as detailed as it is expansive. Their work possesses a potent mix of delicate textures interlaced with intermittent explosions of sound. The trio juxtaposes elements of weightlessness and heaviness, silence and clacking noise, to both seduce and terrify listeners. Thomas Lehn manipulates his analogue synthesizer with an electrifying, kinetic physicality. His able pianism, most obvious during his live performances, transcends through the patchbay of his vintage synthesizer, where it warps into something both startling and alluring. Born in Cologne, Germany, he studied both jazz and classical piano, and although his interest in electronic music began early on. Tim Hodgkinson is well-known amongst North American and European avant-garde audiences as a founding member of the legendary and radical art rock band Henry Cow, with whom he played for a decade. Tim Hodgkinson's musical output is marked by versatility, creativity, and an intense work ethic. His work encompasses improvisation, composition, activism, writing, lecturing, and ethnomusicology. To Konk Pack, he brings a sense of musical precision and instability, elements that have roots in his political and cultural view of music-making. Both intense and nuanced in his approach, veteran drummer Roger Turner exemplifies the extremes of percussion in contemporary jazz and improvisation. A powerful presence behind the kit, Turner draws audience members in with intricate detail, and then drives them into a foot stomping beat or an irresistible swing groove. Turner’s connections to jazz were established amongst the UK’s 60s Canterbury scene. He later worked with the ensembles of Elton Dean and Alan Silva, to name a few. The physicality of Turner's performances is not easily forgotten. The strength of his personality projects a natural humor that is well-balanced by his focused intensity. Ultimately, these three artists’ talents combine into a thrilling medley of pricks, thumps, and shrieking sound which possesses an unpredictable density and clarity. Learn more about Konk Pack: http://www.myspace.com/konkpack http://thomaslehn.de/read/info_kp.html http://www.thomaslehn.de http://timhodgkinson.co.uk http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roger_Turner_%28musician%29 http://efi.group.shef.ac.uk/mturner.html http://churchofgrob.com/Churchofgrob/CATALOG/Grob654/index.html

Not meant to offend, but have you cleaned the disc? If so, try playing it on other CD players and computers; you may find one that can play it. Also, if you have Roxio Toast or similar, try to make an exact copy of the disc onto a blank; the blank might then play.

Amazon is currently offering an mp3 download of Esoteric Circle for $6, possibly further diluting your potential sales: Amazon

I'm not aware of a song titled "Softly As A Summer Breeze". It sounds like a song title. I thought it might be a sequel to Softly As In A Morning Sunrise.

It will be released in Europe with a slightly different title:

Good news! Owing to the unexpected success of their Redd Foxx box (selling out in two weeks, now fetching $1,100 on eBay...although, admittedly, it was a limited edition of 100 copies), Mosaic has now announced their next big release: The Complete Moms Mabley Chess Recordings! Includes four unreleased sessions, including Moms engaged in a cutting contest with Pigmeat Markham, and the long-rumored doo-wop duets with Bob Newhart! Original masters supplied by the Library of Congress (they couldn't be bothered with Chick Webb and Ella Fitzgerald, but turned the place over to find the Mabley masters)! Worldwide release limited to 25,000 copies...order now!

Legendary folklorist Alan Lomax discovered the music in 1938 when he visited the Midwest on his famous 10-year cross-country trek to document American folk music for the Library of Congress. A trove of his Michigan recordings is now being publicly released for the first time by the library, coinciding with the 75th anniversary of Lomax's trip. The release is causing a stir among folk music fanciers and history buffs. "It was a fantastic field trip — hardly anything has been published from it," said Todd Harvey, the Lomax collection's curator at the library in Washington. The Michigan batch contains about 900 tracks and represents a dozen ethnicities. Full story here: Yahoo

I'd love to have the old Mosaics available again, in one form or other.

Pleasing?

Yes. You had to think about what you wanted to "say," the trajectory of the music within 47 minutes (the length of a side of a 90-minute tape). You had to gauge the gaps between the tracks, adjust the recording levels for each track...it's analogous (sorry) to writing a letter on paper vs. on a computer. It's difficult to erase, you can't really go back once you've started... And there was the plus side, where you really got caught up in the creative act of putting the tape together, making the music flow. For a non-musician, it was as close as we could come to actually making music.

crooksandliars.com has some Softs radio broadcasts available for streaming.

I really liked 3, 6 & 7. 4 & 5 were good, but in 6 & 7 they got into some vampish grooves that were a lot of fun. I guess Ratledge was phasing out around then; I found them much less interesting after he left. 1 & 2 were OK, but a much different band, and the rapid edits and such were wearying to listen to. Karl Jenkins has had quite the career since then. Anyone familiar with Adiemus? The first album also had Ratledge.

I think you have to accept that the proceedings are never going to get "hot." Things are more leisurely, "composer-ly" if you will, and without a horn there's not going to be a lot of dynamics. I'm not a big fan of John Lewis, and can certainly do without the finger cymbals. I think there's only so much jazz you can play in tuxes. For the piano chair, why not try substituting either Monty Alexander, Gene Harris, or Cedar Walton?

Mr. Seerman, 36 years old, is on an unusual quest: For years he has been scouring campuses across the country hoping to identify every defunct college band he can, digitizing and mastering their work and shopping it to companies looking to license snippets of cheap, original period music that has never been heard—except, maybe, at frat parties. Read the full article here: WSJ For those of you who can't open the article, Google the following headline: Old College Try: No-Hit Wonders Get Fresh Shot at Fame

Yay!

Where are you seeing them?

Listening now to DP 36 (9/21/72, Philadephia) - just amazing.

very much looking forward to finding it somewhere where the postage cost isn't such an issue. Problem is I'm not sure how much sdistribution Mr Rudolph gets to Europe Amazon's carrying it - release date November 19.