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Wes Montgomery VME Smokin at Half Note 2/15


monkboughtlunch

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Montgomery's classic 1965 date with the Wynton Kelly Trio gets the Verve deluxe Master Edition treatment on Feb. 15.

1. No Blues

2. If You Could See Me Now

3. Unit 7

4. Four On Six

5. What's New

6. Willow Weep For Me

7. Portrait Of Jennie

8. Surrey With The Fringe On Top

9. Oh, You Crazy Moon

10. Misty

11. Impressions

At first glance, it looks as though it's just a reissue of the original LP with the 1968 posthumus "Willow Weep For Me" as bonus tracks.

But, the question is, will the bonus material feature the posthumous orchestral overdubs?

In 1995, the 2cd Verve set "Impressions: The Verve Jazz Sides" collected this material--but sound quality and sources were not always consistent.

So, just what are we getting here? No strings overdubs? Better tape sources and mastering? Or just a repackage job?

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So, just what are we getting here? No strings overdubs? Better tape sources and mastering? Or just a repackage job?

a remastering and repackaging...as well as six tracks not on the prior issue (previously available in japon as the complete somkin' at the half note).

no doubt a vast improvement over previously available domestics.

this was excellent straight ahead wes - to overdub it with strings would be like drawing a mustache on the mona lisa.

if you're reading this and don't own it, don't hesitate!

-e-

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I normally love anything Claus Ogerman does, and the arrangements in and of themselves aren’t bad; still, to these ears, they sound so intrusive.

I’ll be interested to see if there’s any improvement on this issue over the same tracks on the collection Impressions: The Verve Jazz Sides.

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there seems to be an omission on this new reissue. the original smokin' included three tracks recorded at rudy's studio in nj on 9/22, one of which was four on six. the compilation impressions: the verve jazz sides features this track, along with a live version of the tune recorded at the half note sometime between the 22nd and the 27th. looking at the track listing for the new reissue, i see only one four on six. i'm sure this track was excluded due to time constraints - all 12 tracks won't fit on a single cd, especially if they're using the reconstructed version of surrey with the fringe on top.

it's worth noting that the import complete smokin' at the half note featured only 9 tracks, leaving out the three studio tracks included on the original lp/cd. so if you want all the live material and the 3 studio tracks, the verve compilation is still the way to go.

btw, the live material was recorded on four separate occasions over a four-month period. the inconsistency in the sound quality among the various tracks is more likely to to be due to differences in equipment, environmental conditions, etc., than the mastering, don't you think? who knows, maybe they were able to pull off some studio magic and clean up the whole thing. if so, i might be tempted to buy the new reissue after all! ^_^

Edited by jazzshrink
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I’ll be interested to see if there’s any improvement on this issue over the same tracks on the collection Impressions: The Verve Jazz Sides.

i *guarantee* you there's going to be a huge improvement. that collection was, IMHO, bunko in terms of fidelity...

so this is out today (or yesterday)?

-e-

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I will have to get back with a detailed view when I have the time to compare in depth. But on the basis of just a few minutes comparing, I noticed the remaster is hotter (louder)-not necessarily a bad thing unless compression was used and killed the dynamics. The Four On Six is the studio cut. On Willow the channels are reversed from Impressions. The remaster was done by Bob Irwin, who I really respect, he has done some great work at least in the rock field. His Jefferson Airplane and Paul Butterfield remasters are quite good.

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What follows is a mere assessment based on the track listing I saw on the Verve website as well as the sessionography from the Impressions: The Verve Jazz Sides compilation. I am by no means an expert on any of these things.

The first three tracks from the original Smokin’ LP were actually recorded at the RVG studios sometime after the original Half Note dates. The last two are from the Half Note dates.

The bonus tracks on the VME, while also recorded at the Half Note, had some string overdubs, and were originally posthumously released on Willow Weep for Me. However, not every one of the tracks from that album are on the current VME. The missing track, ironically, is the version of “Four on Six” that was actually recorded at the Half Note (unlike its studio counterpart, which was actually included on the original Smokin’ LP). And has also been previously discussed, the string overdubs have been removed for this issue.

In other words, if you bought the Willow LPR and think that this VME replaces it, hang onto it, cuz the version of “Four on Six” on Willow is the grittier version of the two. And in the end, the Impressions comp is still the way to go, unless the VME is that much of an improvement in sound (and also if sound improvement is one of the determining factors for you).

Edited by Big Al
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Neophyte here wondering why all the intros and overtalk by Alan Grant on this re-release. It would be fine for the starts but he's 'all over' the music. Not really my cup of tea as for historical value to have the emcee being quite so present. I had heard that twofer a while back and did not recall any of that being on the cuts. Was it??

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Neophyte here wondering why all the intros and overtalk by Alan Grant on this re-release. It would be fine for the starts but he's 'all over' the music. Not really my cup of tea as for historical value to have the emcee being quite so present. I had heard that twofer a while back and did not recall any of that being on the cuts. Was it??

Only on "Surrey with the Fringe on Top." Is he on more than one track on the VME?

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