George Russell's "NEW YORK, N.Y."

[garthsj]

I just wonder if it is me, or my antiquated audio setup, but I have a problem with this CD. I was reminded by a recent thread on George Russell how much I enjoyed this album, and ordered a copy. I used to have an original LP copy of this on Decca, and then the double reissue LP (paired with "Jazz In The Space Age") on MCA. Those were excellent vinyl recordings. This newly remastered CD reissue, now on Impulse, is a travesty ... in particular Art Farmer's solos (coming out of the right speaker) makes it sound like he is in the next room ... entire ensemble sections, always on the right side are muffled ... and Jon Hendrick's narration is buzzy" in places ... makes me wish that I had my well-worn LP back again. This botch job was done by Bernie Grundman in Hollywood.

Just to be sure that it was not my setup, I am now playing the remastered Basie "Chairman of the Board" on Roulette ... WOW! In this case the tape transfers were done my Malcolm Addey, and the remastering by Ron McMaster. This is what "New York, N.Y." should sound like. George Russell's important work deserves much better..

[Clunky]

I listened to this last night, it's a great session. Not having heard the LP I can't say reallybut the sound is occasionally a little distorted on the piano and there is a slight sense of the music being veiled , but it strikes me as ok.

Russell's Jazz workshop CD on RCA is another matter, why are the original tracks in such muffled sound compared to the alternates takes( I have the RCA France version). Perhaps the masters were lost?

is the Koch version any different?

[jazzbo]

I just have this on the Decca cd that was out before the Impulse! and I think it sounds. . . like a Decca cd from the early digital age. . . .

[sidewinder]

Pick up the MCA twofer LP set if you can find it. Sounds just dandy. Both sessions excellent, some superb Bill Evans and with Jon Hendricks showing the rap guys a thing or two. Talk about ahead of its time ! B)

[Alexander]

"Think you can lick it? Get to the wicket, buy you a ticket, GO!"

[DrJ]

Great recording.

I didn't find anything overly distracting on the Impulse! remastering but that is from memory, will listen again (once we get unpacked after our pending move).

[Claude]

I just listened to this CD again, and I don't find it overly problematic. It's not a great recording, but the instruments generally sound full and natural.

Only on the ensemble passages the trumpet section in the right channel sounds thin and slightly distorted. The biggest oddity is that the instruments are hard panned to the stereo channels (and the drums divided between both on some passages), with nothing in the middle except the narration, which sounds very dry, as if recorded in a radio announcer booth.

I hear no buzzing in Jon Hendrix's voice. Art Farmer's solo sounds like a trumpet recorded in a big band section, with the microphone placed in front of the complete band. So it's a bit distant, but not really "like he is in the next room".

So it's acceptable (even) for me

Edited April 16, 2004 by Claude

[SGUD missile]

I just listened to this CD again, and I don't find it overly problematic. It's not a great recording, but the instruments generally sound full and natural.

Only on the ensemble passages the trumpet section in the right channel sounds thin and slightly distorted. The biggest oddity is that the instruments are hard panned to the stereo channels (and the drums divided between both on some passages), with nothing in the middle except the narration, which sounds very dry, as if recorded in a radio announcer booth.

I hear no buzzing in Jon Hendrix's voice. Art Farmer's solo sounds like a trumpet recorded in a big band section, with the microphone placed in front of the complete band. So it's a bit distant, but not really "like he is in the next room".

So it's acceptable (even) for me

I haven't heard the Grundman remastering job, but it is worth remembering just what was technically available at the time of the original recording ..

a maximum of 3 tracks was the standard .. ( and in this case, my guess is that Hendricks was given his own center channel )

stereo echo chambers had yet to come along ..so the hard left and right panning was accentuated ..

what I DONT understand is why some of these things were not fixed on the remanstering ..since many technical means to do so exist these days ?

[Late]

Haven't heard it, but this album has been available twice in a Japanese edition on compact disc ... with the original cover art. I'm assuming the remastering would be better.

Here's a pricey copy.

[brownie]

I'm glad I saved all the vinyls I bought. I have the original mono Decca LP of this 'New York, N.Y.'. The sound on that one is pretty spectacular. Can't hear the problems that are mentioned in the reissues.Too bad, Decca never bothered to credit the names of the people who engineered their records. A lot of the Decca jazz albums had superb sound.

[garthsj]

Thanks for the all of the responses, folks. I might have been too harsh in my initial judgement, but I am used to hearing this album a certain way. I am going to take this remastered CD over to a friend's house later and give it a try on her pricey system. I should confess that my Harmon-Kardon CD player is 11 years old! Perhaps the technology has passed me by, and I need to upgrade. I have been waiting to get a whole new rig, and perhaps that time has come.

As I said in my original post, I have had all of the various vinyl issues of this great album, including the original. I agree with Brownie that the original Decca was a fine recording. Interesting that as a label Decca was high quality, but some of its sister labels, most notably Coral, which put out of lot of great jazz in the 1950s, seemed to have very poor quality vinyl, and they deteriorated quickly .. but then again, maybe it was those 10 oz. tone arms we used in those prehistoric times.