I haven't heard that version, so not sure - but my guess is it would sound great if they had the original tapes to work with - would be hard to ruin this one. Here's the catalog info on the French CD reissues I have, which I can definitely vouch for, just in case: BARNEY - BMG France 1997 - catalog # 74321454092 MORE FROM BARNEY AT THE CLUB SAINT-GERMAIN - BMG France 1997 - catalog # 74321544222 BTW I received the Johnny Griffin KERRY DANCERS XRCD you'd posted on (picked it up on your rec), and I'm really looking forward to checking that out sometime soon!
That Griffin album is nice and the Yoshida-mastered XRCD sounds OK Griffin hardly made a bad album in those days (1950s/early 1960s, Argo, Blue Note and Riverside)
Back to disc 5 of Thelonius Monk The Complete Riverside Recordings, just so I can hear "Well, You Needn't" What a gem! First off, love the inclusion of the false start. Then, to hear Monk yell out Coltrane! To cue his part, is all too much. Blakey is simply tearing this track up! His playing just blows me away. I love his feel and groove, and hearing that hi-hat keep time is enough to put a big o smile on my face.
Thanx! Checked out the Discogs listing,there were eight. None show a recording engineer or a mastering (or Re) engineer. Looks like there's a 2xCD version as well: Barney Wilen - Barney At The Club Saint-Germain (Paris 1959) - The Complete RCA VICTOR Recordings » Me thinks you'll enjoy that Griffin.
I think the 2 discs I have must be essentially the same as the 2 disc set listed on Discogs - based on track listings and cat numbers. Mastering engineer for my discs is Jean-Pierre Chalbos and it is specified that original tapes were used and transfer was 20 bit - for what that is worth!
Bobby Timmons - Little Barefoot Soul (Prestige) dark blue mono van gelder pressing. Liner notes by Joel Dorn when he was a dj in Philly 1964. This has been in my collection a long time so it gets ignored and unfairly sobecause everytime I put it on my foot starts tapping and I wonder why it's been so long since I played it. Sam Jones sounds great here, funky as hell and rhe recording really captures his woody sound. I don't know if the cd sounds good but this is a really nice recording.
I was reading on Ethan Iverson's DO THE MATH blog earlier tonight the transcript from a lengthy interview he did with pianist Fred Hersch in 2012. Hersch said early in his career he played a lot with Sam Jones at the club Bradley's in NYC and it really left an impression on him - he raved in the interview about Jones as a musician and mentor and person. Anyway I'll have to look for that Timmons date, sounds promising.
Read this in a "Grandpa Simpson" voice: "Back in my day, we had CDs too, and they were 16 bits not this fancy 20 and 24 bit stuff ya got now, and that was just fine with us, thank you very much - only we called them "albums" and they were black and had grooves and...zzzzzzzzz....."
Where's that confounded bridge? Well, this may be the last thing played on the main system for some time. Shutting down for a week for "infrastructure upgrades". Getting another 20A circuit put in this coming week to accommodate some new amps, finishing some DIY amp stands, so need to power-down, move speakers, amps yada yada. Looks like the backup system for a week and no vinyl (s). At least I won't be: "Without A Song"!
I flipped the record and played both sides, something I rarely do. It takes the right album and/or the right mood. It's definitely a groover's paradise. Sam Jones just lays it down and Bobby keeps it simple but effective and it jist ends up being a solid musical adventure. I'm willing to bet the Japanese have reissued it on cd or sacd.p
Sam Jones really lays it down on that record. I think he's as important as Bobby Timmons on that date. I rarely flip a record over when I post here and I didn't even hesitate. It's a joyful album, not an analytical exercise or political statement.
I tried listening to Charlie Byrd Live At the Village Gate today. It just felt so safe, I had a hard time really grooving on it. Occasionally some inspired playing, but otherwise, it felt like safe supper club jazz. One of the better cuts from it:
Jimmy Giuffre - OLMPIA 23 FEVRIER 1960 - 27 FEVRIER 1965 (Trema, a French CD issue). Two different live trio engagements that were, as near as I can tell from the French liners, broadcast on radio. The first is with Jim Hall and Wilfred Middlebrooks, the 2nd with Barre Phillips and Don Friedman. Both dates are quite exploratory as you'd expect from Giuffre around this period, with things moving a bit farther out by the 1965 engagement - Freidman was a really great partner for the leader. Be forewarned, the sound quality of these mono recordings is listenable, but no better - all the instruments register reasonably well, but there is quite a bit of distortion present. I think anyone who enjoys Giuffre or Friedman a lot would be able to "listen past" the fidelity issues and enjoy the music - the less committed, perhaps not.
WP Pepper Adams Quintet (Mode Records) VSOP reissue, mono NP Wardell Gray Memorial Album (Prestige) dark blue mono van gelder pressing. This double album seemed ubiquitous in my local shops so I ignored it for a long time. Why buy something common now when there's this more rare pressing calling my name. It is probably my love of Sonny Criss, Hampton Hawes, Teddy Edwards, Harold Land, West Coast guys who were every bit as "hip" as the East Coast cats but never got the same due in the press. But I digress. This is some great playing even if the sound is less than stellar. This is one of those albums where you'll use every bit of your system's ability to produce decent sound with these recordings. There are far worse examples out there and I'm not talking bootlegs here. This was 1951 +/- 2 years so it is a product of its time and environments weren't always controled. The roots of bebop West Coast stylee. Anyone else a fan?
An original might not cost a lot as it isn't one of his "hit" albums so could be undervalued by a shop owner.
Interesting, I just received Sam Jones' "Seven Minds" a trio with Cedar Walton and Billy Higgins. Have not gotten to listn to it yet. Being a Hersch fan, along with the others involved I'm now looking forward to it even more.
Abdullah Ibrahim - Mindif (Enja) This has a great band with Ricky Forward and Craig Handy on reeds along with Benny Powell on 'bone which allows those harmonies so important to the music in South Africa not to mention the textures they create with the right arrangements. David Williams and Billy Higgins who have played together so much they can work telepathically, take care of the rhythm section and then some. Ok, this isn't his South African band and I have some of those but these musicians play cohesively and play Ibrahim's music well. I know Ricky Ford has played with the pianist and maybe Handy too, I'm not 100% sure on that. It's not a must own title by Ibrahim but it's solid and might be a good intro to him.
One more for me as well before calling it a night: Stanley Cowell Trio, ILLUSION SUITE (ECM, recorded 1972). With Stanley Clarke and Jimmy Hopps. Wonderful early Cowell stuff, with a program of 6 originals by the leader - all memorable. Very nicely recorded by George Klabin (HUGE dynamic range and outstanding reproduction of transients). This is a Japanese CD reissue, would like to hear the vinyl someday.
Here's a link to the interview if you're interested, a fun and informative read: Interview with Fred Hersch - Do The Math »
