(LP CTI King Records Gatefold GP-3116) .... recorded April 1977 .... Art Farmer (flh) + Jackie McLean (as) + Cedar Walton (p) + Sam Jones (b) + Billy Higgins (dr) .... wonderful live performance by this All Star group with Art Farmer`s chiselled Flügelhorn mastery contrasting the edgy delivery of Jackie McLean spot on - the Rhythm Section needs no furher introduction me believe .... the concert is captured in excellent sound and the King vinyl press from 1977 is just perfect ....
The Conte Candoli Quartet / Mode / 1957 / Premier Reissue from 1963 Personnel: Conte Candoli (trumpet); Vince Guaraldi (piano); Monty Budwig (bass); Stan Levey (drums) Technical: Recorded June, 1957, Hollywood, CA.
One of the great Mingus albums. I have the Kevin Gray-mastered Analogue Productions hybrid SACD, which is sonically the best version I've heard.
Well since I'd already gone rogue and ordered before you pointed out the (probable) dicey-ness of this, I will at least be able to post impressions of the product's quality once it arrives.
You probably have the Steve Hoffman-mastered DCC gold set from some years back - if not, I would venture to say it is probably all you'll ever need. Just heavenly, not a hint of brightness as you would probably have already guessed. Haven't heard the new LP though, interesting that it's being perceived as a bit bright - I do find at times Ryan Smith's work can have that quality.
You have me intrigued, Milan. Have you heard the old Sony single-layer SACD of this one mastered by Mark Wilder (which I find sounds quite good), and if so, how does it compare to the Impex? I know in one sense that is apples to oranges (digital vs analog) but just in overall sonic terms? If the Impex is a substantive upgrade, I'd be on this- this was the first Monk album I ever heard (in college), and in fact one of the very first acoustic jazz albums I had ever really checked out period - and I was smitten right from the get go, so it holds a very special place for me.
A Koch Jazz CD reissue of this 1957 outing for Puente where he surprisingly mostly shed an overtly "Latin" approach and does pretty much straight ahead big band charts - and it turns out yes, Tito was quite a well-rounded musician because it really works nicely. The band is stocked with jazz and studio pros including trumpeter Doc Severinsen, drummer Jimmy Cobb, Al Casey or Barry Galbraith on guitar, Gene Quill on alto, Mongo Santamaria on congas, and the outstanding (and to me previously unknown) tenor player Marty Holmes, who is hot. Sonically none of Puente's early recordings are that great for some reason but they have definitely made the most of this one on the Koch CD - it sounds much, much better than the transfer of NIGHT BEAT that was issued as part of the visually pretty but (I find) sonically challenged (compressed, distorted, just yuck..) later-issued QUATRO 4-CD box.
I prefer the AP SACD as well which is more relaxed sounding, has more depth/detail and can be played much louder. This MCA disc is a bit too bright and touch flat. I grabbed a big box of CDs from my parents house over Thanksgiving and this MCA is one I hadn't ripped yet/listened to in a long time.
Columbia Legacy Record Store Day 2013 mono pressing. Since the mono masters are lost, this mono mix (all-analog transfer) was made from the original 3-track tapes by Mark Wilder and Steve Berkowitz, and then the LP was pressed by Ryan Smith. I had forgotten how good this pressing is. It sounds freaking phenomenal on my rig, transparent but not a bit bright, with tremendous weight to the instruments and a remarkable depth; the mono sound field seems to extend several feet back and forward from the plane of my speakers. Super quiet vinyl as well. Now that I have "rediscovered" it, this is definitely my go-to version of this classic. After listening I Googled the release just for fun and found Michael Fremer's review which was a very positive one and he also comments on the depth of the sound field: "...if you remain unconvinced that mono can produce three-dimensionality, this record will convince you." Amen, Michael (entire review is here: Miles Davis "Kind of Blue" Monophonic Reissue From Sony/Legacy: An Analog Planet Exclusive! » ).
Hey Tony, unfortunately I haven't. But - in case this serves as a reference for you - I also have the "Monk's Dream" from Impex and the SACD from ORG, and while both sound absolutely stunning, the vinyl has that typical ethereal quality. The SACD has it's strong suits in terms of bass and overall clarity. This is pretty much the same observation I had after comparing the Impex 2LP of Miles at the Blackhawk against the 4CD edition. Of course, this may just be the mastering by Kevin Gray, but nonetheless, it sounds just great.
Great post, but one little detail is not entirely correct IIRC: the new mono mix isn't all-analogue. In fact, Mark Wilder transferred the tapes to 192/24 to be able to recreate all the fader moves from the original mix. He then transferred the files to tape, from which the Legacy vinyl edition was cut.
Oscar Pettiford Sextet / A Memorable Session / Vogue / 1954 / French Original LP Personnel: Al Cohn (tenor sax); Kai Winding (trombone); Henri Renaud (piano), Tal Farlow (guitar); Oscar Pettiford (bass, cello); Max Roach (drums) Technical: Recorded on March 21, 1954 in New York City. Photography by Jean Pierre Leloir. Liner Notes by Henri Renaud. A real steal. €12,50 for this quite rare recording of Oscar Pettiford in great V++/NM condition. I took a look at Discogs and ebay, and there's not a single copy which sells below ~$35.
Will probably pick up the new Lester Young Mosaic later this month, but in the meantime this is a good alternative: The Essential Keynote Collection 1–The Complete Lester Young - Mercury/Keynote PHCE-10035 (Japan, 1996). It's included in the Mosaic. Recorded 1943-1944. Collective personnel: Buck Clayton (trumpet), Dicky Wells (trombone), Lester Young (tenor saxophone), Count Basie (piano), Johnny Guarnieri (piano), Freddie Green (guitar), Rodney Richardson (bass), Slam Stewart (bass), Sid Catlett (drums) and Jo Jones (drums). Can't say I'm a fan of Slam Stewart's style
I'm not a Sun Ra expert or anything but he has much better albums than this one. I would recommend Space Is The Place, Heliocentric Worlds, Disco 3000, On Jupiter or Cosmos. Those are all top Ra picks for me!
Thanks - this was a point of some confusion for me but Fremer's write up suggests that the Legscy is all analog while the concurrent Music on Vinyl edition was digital. But that is hard to imagine for reasons you mention so I can believe it might well be that both were from digital. Either way though the sound of the Legacy RSD LP is amazing!
John Zorn / Masada String Trio plays Masada Book Two — Book Of Angels Vol 2 (Tzadik) — With Mark Feldman (violin), Erik Friedlander (cello), Greg Cohen (bass)
Herbie Hancock – Empyrean Isles [(F) from The Complete Blue Note Sixties Sessions] (Blue Note) — With Herbie Hancock − piano; Freddie Hubbard − cornet; Ron Carter − bass; Tony Williams − drums; two alternate takes
