Miles Davis remasters by Mobile Fidelity (2012-?)

I came across this interview with Jimmy Cobb in which he discusses and answers some questions about Kind of Blue. I enjoyed it and thought others here might enjoy reading it too:

http://www.JazzWax.com/2009/01/interview-jim-1.html

Just to realize it, there is part of a series of interviews he did. There is some subtext, like the reference to Dinah Washington, and more to follow on the links at the top of the page. Here's a snippet from Part Three of the four part series.

JazzWax: There was a bit of a mix-up on Kind of Blue with Bill Evans and Wynton Kelly, wasn't there?
Jimmy Cobb: That’s right. Miles had Wynton Kelly [pictured] in to the studio to play Freddie Freeloader [on March 2, 1959]. Wynton came in from Brooklyn but when he showed up, Wynton saw Bill there and didn’t understand what was happening. By then he was officially in the sextet.

JW: What did he say to Davis?
JC: He didn’t say nothing to Miles. He said to me, “Man, what’s happening? I thought I was on the gig.” I said, "You are, man, don’t panic. Bill’s just going to play something [So What] and you’re going to play something. So don’t worry about it. See, everybody winds up getting paid.” [laughing]. That cooled Wynton off right away. We was friends. I could talk to him like that. I had known Wynton since he was 19 years old.

- See more at: http://www.JazzWax.com/2009/01/interview-jim-2.html#sthash.O7cjGkNQ.dpuf

 

THANKS for the links to those interviews!

 

See : Sinatra, Frank

 

The Miles Davis catalog hasn't changed hands.

 

No but MOFI often claims they will release titles and then they don't. We didn't get The Beach Boys Today. How about those first two Chicago albums?

 

It is the jazz equivalent of the Candy-O complaint thread.

 

Are you saying the Chicago discs are cancelled? That was not the version I got when I emailed.

 

No I am saying that I will believe them when I see them.
The bottom line is they shouldn't advertise months or even years in advance. It's just bad business.

 

The way you lumped them in with Today made me wonder if I was missing something. Out of the Blue was another one canned.

 

You mean the ELO album? I didn't know about that one. Would be a good title to do, if you ask me.

 

ELO, It was listed in a catalogue, never on the web page. The only things I take seriously is the email updates with shipping soon. When they show that there is no doubt it is coming. Everything else, I refuse to develop an ulcer over a title I in all likelihood own already in some form.

 

Why is Music Direct/MFSL taking so long to release KoB?

 

They announce titles too far in advance and then seem to take too long, not just for Miles but for pretty much eveything else. Friend them on Facebook if you want late-breaking release announcements.

 

But they've managed to release the other MD titles pretty soon after their first announcement.

 

I'm really wondering if they're going with the remix for that one or not. If it's a remix I'm going to pass. Not my favorite Miles album anyway.

 

Well it's not going to be a Multichannel SACD, that's for sure. I've read on numerous sources that the new analog 2 channel mixdown tape is going to be used, so MFSL are basically working with a tape that sounds identical to the HDTracks 24/192 files and make their own EQ choices based on that. Since I trust Mark Wilder to have done best possible transfer of the tapes and the mixdown, I think this is the closest MFSL can get to the original 3 track tapes.

 

Thanks, that's what I was afraid of. I have an early 70's stereo pressing ('Masterworks' style label), so I think I'll just stick with that.

 

Have you ever heard the HDTracks version of KoB? Many here consider it the best version ever, even compared to first pressings...

 

No. I bought a US Columbia KoB CD (late 90's or early 2000's, Mark Widler remix) and thought it was crap compared to the original stereo mix. I gave up on Miles Davis remixes at that point. That's why I love the MFSL Sketches of Spain so much; that original mix isn't perfect but sounds much, much better than the remix (although to be fair, that remix was done by Phil Schaap, IIRC - boy, he destroyed the tonality on that one!).

 

But the point in doing this (last) transfer and downmix was to recreate, as good as possible, the sound of the original stereo and mono releases of KoB...I'd give it a try, I'm sure you won't be disappointed. I wss skepticsl at first, too, but now I am just amazed at how natural it sounds.

 

I love KOB in mono.

 

Me too!

 

But I've seen no cancellations of the Beach Boys or Chicago titles. It takes a long time for MFSL to release titles, but most of them are released eventually. That said, cancellations do happen, to wit this past week's cancellations of the Bob Dylan Greatest Hits and Barry Manilow Greatest Hits SACDs.

 

Good question. I wrote them about it last fall, they said they hoped to release it before the end of 2013. They gave me some blah about taking extra care with a classic album.

 

Dylan's greatest hits is kinda redundant anyway.
I am pretty sure The Beach Boys album was cancelled, even if no announcement was made. Not sure about the Chicago titles since they advertised them and turned around and released something altogether different by Chicago.