Gigi Gryce - Reminiscin'

[colinmce]

There's been much talk around here about how this date has never been on CD, and about various Andorran sets that include it, but now here it is, as official as its ever gonna get:

http://www.dustygroove.com/item.php?id=ddq2v7shwz&ref=featured.php&refQ=cat%3D5

[clifford_thornton]

Really good record.

[JSngry]

Wonder if the inclusion of this on in that recent "monster box at cut-rate price" thing is indicative of this new Japanese issue finding its way into "other hands" a little prematurely, or if that box just used a needle-drop.

[Head Man]

There's been much talk around here about how this date has never been on CD, and about various Andorran sets that include it, but now here it is, as official as its ever gonna get:

http://www.dustygroove.com/item.php?id=ddq2v7shwz&ref=featured.php&refQ=cat%3D5

It's now sold out at DustyGroove but if anyone has this CD can they confirm whether the music on it comes from mp3 or lossless sources please.

Wonder if the inclusion of this on in that recent "monster box at cut-rate price" thing is indicative of this new Japanese issue finding its way into "other hands" a little prematurely, or if that box just used a needle-drop.

The music on the very cheap box set you mention all seems to come from mp3 sources. I guess that's why it's so cheap. A complete waste of money, IMO!

[JSngry]

Wonder if it was an mp3 of a needle-drop, or of this no-reason-not-to-be-from-the-master-tapes mastering? Who knows what changes hands when nobody's looking?

[clifford_thornton]

It's part of a series of Mercury Japan CDs but I don't know if that means anything.

[Chuck Nessa]

I have never heard of Universal using mp3s. Why would they do that?

[JSngry]

It's part of a series of Mercury Japan CDs but I don't know if that means anything.

This new one is, yeah, we're talking about the recent "25 LPs on 3 CDs for 59 cents!!!!" box sets of recent origin.

For all we know, this album had been remastered for legitimate CD issue a few years ago, but never made it out. Maybe somebody snuck it out and over to the Box Blizzard company.

Or maybe not.

I'm just saying - for this album to have appeared in that type collection and it not be some kind of needledrop in origin would require some kind of weirdness. And if it is just an mp3 of a need-drop, hey, how's that for a bargain, eh?

[Chuck Nessa]

I thought it had been determined the box transfer was mp3.

[JSngry]

Yes, but an mp3 of what?

[Chuck Nessa]

The internet is their friend. Needle drop no doubt.

[JSngry]

Somebody has/gets access to (or somebody who has access to) the depths of the Universal vaults, finds this project that got stalled out or whatever, and rips it to an mp3. Then they pass it on.

Or, somebody gets an mp3 of a needle-drop.

The internet is their friend. Needle drop no doubt.

One would hope so, but stuff gets out of vaults and not to the internet, at least not right away...

[Chuck Nessa]

I think you are overthinking this big time.

[JSngry]

Probably so, but it's either that or do laundry.

[ejp626]

I keep hearing this -- that the source is mp3. I just wonder how definitive this really is, esp. when there wasn't a clear source (as JSngry says). If it was a needle-drop, why on earth would they convert it to mp3? And even beyond this, there is a world of difference between a 192, 256 and 320 bit rate mp3s. I'd definitely need to know more before I dismiss these sets completely out of hand (not that I am presuming at all that they are quality products, I'd just like to know more).

[colinmce]

Just want to make sure people realize, as Clifford noted, that the disc I posted is a legit Japanese issue. What this means as far as origin, I don't know. I'm not familiar with how Japanese CDs are sourced.

[Chuck Nessa]

[mjzee]

Also available through Amazon.

[Eric]

I bought this from Dusty Groove along with a Mercury Cannonball Adderley CD. The Gryce CD obviously appears to be part of a Japanese Mercury series.

The sound is not great - but not in the needle-drop sense but in the probably never sounded great sense.

http://www.dustygroove.com/browse.php?kwfilter=Mercury+%28Japan%29&x=0&y=0&incl_oos=1&incl_cs=1

[clifford_thornton]

Yeah, sure, a little boxy but a fine, fine session.

[Head Man]

I keep hearing this -- that the source is mp3. I just wonder how definitive this really is, esp. when there wasn't a clear source (as JSngry says). If it was a needle-drop, why on earth would they convert it to mp3? And even beyond this, there is a world of difference between a 192, 256 and 320 bit rate mp3s. I'd definitely need to know more before I dismiss these sets completely out of hand (not that I am presuming at all that they are quality products, I'd just like to know more).

I think what probably happens is that someone at Andorran Records (or something similar) decides that the world needs a release of say, four very hard to find albums by Gigi Gryce, and carries out an internet trawl to find what is out there for free. Since most people seem to share music in mp3 format then there's a fair chance that this will be the format they'll find. They then press the music on CDs and release it for a very cheap price with minimal or no artwork.

Presumably there are enough people (like me) who are interested enough in hearing the albums to make this a paying proposition.

Anyway, I've just seen a copy of the Japanese Mercury CD on Amazon for a reasonable price so let's hope that one sounds OK.

Edited June 21, 2012 by Head Man

[brownie]

Nothing really outstanding about the sound on the original vinyl!

[romualdo]

Nothing really outstanding about the sound on the original vinyl!

Received the Japanese CD a couple of days ago & listened to it tonight (with & without headphones) - what a disappointment - it sounds like a "needle drop" with continuous background sound on many of the tracks.

Maybe it's just the poor initial recording (as Brownie mentions)

Regarding Japanese needle drops, they do exist - I have a DIW Ayler CD (The First Recordings, Vol. 2) that is definitely a "drop" - you can hear pops/crackles throughout most of the disc

Anyone else had a listen yet?

[JETman]

Nothing really outstanding about the sound on the original vinyl!

Received the Japanese CD a couple of days ago & listened to it tonight (with & without headphones) - what a disappointment - it sounds like a "needle drop" with continuous background sound on many of the tracks.

Maybe it's just the poor initial recording (as Brownie mentions)

Regarding Japanese needle drops, they do exist - I have a DIW Ayler CD (The First Recordings, Vol. 2) that is definitely a "drop" - you can hear pops/crackles throughout most of the disc

Anyone else had a listen yet?

The music is 50 years old. Given what we know about the track record of some of these record companies in the area of "tape worship", could it not be possible that the masters are just not in good shape, or that they're using 2nd generation and beyond simply because the 1st gens don't exist anymore?

This is not rocket science. Why all the analysis?

[Head Man]

Nothing really outstanding about the sound on the original vinyl!

Received the Japanese CD a couple of days ago & listened to it tonight (with & without headphones) - what a disappointment - it sounds like a "needle drop" with continuous background sound on many of the tracks.

Maybe it's just the poor initial recording (as Brownie mentions)

Regarding Japanese needle drops, they do exist - I have a DIW Ayler CD (The First Recordings, Vol. 2) that is definitely a "drop" - you can hear pops/crackles throughout most of the disc

Anyone else had a listen yet?

Oh dear, I ordered a copy last week as a replacement for a dreadful sounding release by Fresh Sounds. Sounds like everyone's using the same (bad) prime sources.