Blue Note records to release SACDs!

Topping off this morning's headlines, Tom Everet of Blue Note announced that BN will be releasing a batch of five SACDs, including Blue Train, with more to come. BLUE TRAIN on SACD!!!

 

Cool. I have a feeling they'll also do Cannonball's Something Else and Sonny Rollin's Cool Struttin.

Hybrids? Through Capitol? Uh oh! Lookout!!

 

Possibly, except Cool Struttin is a Sonny Clark session, not Rollins. Blue Note and Capitol are owned by EMI, but I think they can remain fairly autonomous as long as they turn a profit. EMI isn't expecting jazz to sell like those boy bands.

Don't know if they'll be hybrid or not. I'm sure further details will be forthcoming.

 

Sorry for the mixup.

 

I think even the "master" for Blue Train sounds like trash. The MoFi is no sonic prize. Hi res probably won't save this one unfortunately.

Hopefully, as with the brilliant "Connoisseur Series" that Blue Note did on vinyl in the mid 90s, they'll dig up some more obscure titles to reissue along with the big sellers. There are some real gems in the vaults that don't get much attention.

I'd personally like to see Eric Dolphy's "Out To Lunch" on hybrid SACD. MMMMM Good.

 

I'd like to see them kick off the SACD series with Lee Morgan's 'Sonic Boom'. It's not too common of a disc and it's also a VERY good session for Morgan.

I'd also like to see the Hancock titles done in SACD!

Kudos for Blue Note SACDS. There will be a lot of SACD players sold due to this decision. I know that not all members of this forum are jazz fans but I must say that there are a lot of Blue Note Jazz fanatics out there in retail musicland that will pay for these releases sight unseen.

Happy camper!

 

Blue Note says that Bob Belden's 'Black Dahlia' is a guaranteed title set for release. I have a feeling that the 5 SACDs slated for release are not all going to be classic BN reissues.

For those who have never heard it, 'Black Dahlia' is a great title, BTW.

I have a feeling we are going to see Cassandra Wilson's latest effort, 'Belly Of The Sun' and/or Norah Jones 'Come Away With Me' (which I would buy in a heartbeat; check this one out).

 

Me too! Bring'em on. I'm more interested in the stuff from the '50s and '60s, but I'd buy Black Dahlia to support the cause, if nothing else.

 

I bet the Norah Jones is one of them, and I'd get that one right away too!

:-jon

 

Blue Train has already been released in hi-res digital via Classic Records DAD (Digital Audio Disc - 24/96 precursor to DVD-A). I don't see how SACD can improve upon it, but what the heck. I own like six versions of this already...

 

It may not improve on the sound quality, but it would probably sell much better than, and be less expensive than (an assumption on my part), then Classic DAD.

Digital Audio Discs basically bombed in the marketplace, and are only bought by a niche market. The SACD market, although small in size at this point in time, has the propensity to be substantial. In addition to the SACD probably being hybrid, the new BN releases can play in the millions of CD players already on the market.

On the other hand the DAD cannot universally be played unless your DVD player can pass the 96/24 bitstream, AND you have a DAC or receiver that can decode that bitstream. SACD is much more user friendly.

I also own a DMM vinyl version of Blue Train (released in the mid 80's), the original CD issue of Blue Train as well as the CD issue "The Ultimate" Blue Train - but I would buy the SACD in a heartbeat.

 

Yeah, I do too. Might be the least expensive high end version. I have the DAD, the stock Capitol CD and LP, the CLassic Records 45RPM, the SBM CD remaster....Lord... I'm one behind you.

 

"Blue Train" is kinda like Blue Note's version of "Kind of Blue." It always sells, and seems to lead any incursions into the new audio formats.

Nothing wrong with that as it's a great session, but I too hope that BN takes this opportunity to throw in one or two more "obscure" titles that haven't been released too many times before. "Sonic Boom," mentioned above, would be a good one.

Ray

 

Although Blue Train is superb, and has sounded wonderful, the original master tape has been out of business for years. Steve said something about it long ago.

 

OMG, can one ever have enough of that terrific line-up? I wish there were more of this session available or something else in the can we don't know about. Fat chance! It would have come out long ago.

I didn't think the master was in such a bad shape.

 

Are the multis (Twin track? Three track?) for Blue Train still extant? Perhaps that is one instance where a careful remixing might be in order.

 

All the BNs of that era were direct to 2 track.

 

There are extras from that session, and a few of the tracks ended up on the SBM reissue, the CD that's as "Stock" now. I think McMaster (sp) did it.

 

Ron McMaster. . .yep. I always thought that was such a perfect name for a guy who stamped out the bulk of the BN catalog on edgy-sounding CDs like, well, fast food. Yeah, I'll get the vanilla shake and a McMaster to go.

 

This is a list of the next batch of RVG's due out in September. I wouldn't be surprised if one or two make it to SACD. My money is on 'Roll Call' as a very good candidate for SACD. This is one of the few that ever made it to DAT.

Horace Silver- The Stylings of Silver
Jackie McLean - Capuchin Swing
Stanley Turrentine - Hustlin'
Hank Mobley - Roll Call
Grant Green- Green Street

 

Some McMaster stuff sounds good. Others, well...sound like overcooked fries. The original Manhattan/EMI "Blue Train" is best. The new 20 bit SBM by McMaster is great for the bonuses, the Quicktime program for the PC/Mac is great, but you can't exit it. They killed the gentle dynamics and the breath of the room. I'm wondering if they're going to take the master that they used before the SBM for the SACD.

A lot of record companies are using 20-24 bit PCM processed to DSD. This will be one of the biggest dissapointments that the record companies will hand us yet.