ECM SACD reissues: March 8, 2017

On March 8, 2017, Tower Records in Japan will release 3 SACD hybrids of ECM recordings featuring new DSD masters.

The Köln Concert
Keith Jarrett

Bright Size Life
Pat Metheny

Return to Forever
Chick Corea

 

Are these only available through Tower Japan?

 

Can't wait for this one. A personal favorite from college days.

 

Those are three amazing albums. This is going to be hard to resist...

 

Are there multichannel options on these?

 

I think this is it.

Return to Forever Return to Forever: Chick Corea: Amazon.ca: Music

 

I believe that ECM has never done a multichannel release. Unfortunate.

 

Koln Concert on SACD with remaster from Analog tapes...omg

 

The Japanese are quite stubborn in their resistance to multichannel, apparently.

 

CDJapan lists Koln as being a UHQCD rather than SACD. Can anyone confirm it's an SACD?

 

Ha, you beat me to it by two minutes. CdJapan is usually pretty good at consistent product description.

Link:The Koln Concert [UHQCD] [Limited Release] Keith Jarrett CD Album

 

Same goes for Return to forever.

 

the UHQCD options are part of a new series (¥2000) via Universal Japan: ジャズ100周年UHQCDキャンペーン - UNIVERSAL MUSIC JAPAN
the three titles in the OP are listed as SACDs at ¥3,780 via Tower: Keith Jarrett/ザ・ケルン・コンサート＜タワーレコード限定/完全限定盤＞ - TOWER RECORDS ONLINE
other info from Tower site (via google translate):

• The SA-CD layer uses the "new DSD master created from original, analog, master tape" by ECM
  
• SACD hybrid
• Printed surface: Green specification
• Tower Records Planning Limited Edition Fully Limited Press

 

Hey @John Kelman , can you add anything to this thread?

 

世界初！ECMレーベルの SA-CDハイブリッド盤をタワー限定でリリース - TOWER RECORDS ONLINE
The press release has more information, including a list of upcoming releases in this series;

June
* Keith Jarrett "Standard Trio Vol.1"
* Chick Corea "Crystal Silence"
* Pat Metheny "Memories of San Lorenzo"
September
* Keith Jarrett "Standard Trio Vol.2"
* Chick Corea "Trio Music"
* Pat Metheny "Off-Ramp"
December
* Gary Peacock "Tales of Another"
* Richard Beirach "Hubris"
* Steve Kuhn "Trans"

 

i think this should be the pat metheny group debut

 

Personally I don't have a high hope on the SACD reissues at all.
According to the description, the DSD transfers will be done by ECM themselves who are producing the digitally compressed flat sound these days.

BTW, the information tells that all the CD layers will be as exactly same as the stock CDs digitally.

 

I do NOT think it is. The prices are different. And the SACD is Tower exclusive.

 

As for the first album of RTF, the Japan first pressing sounds amazing. I doubt that this will be beaten by the SACD.

 

Correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe many of these albums (including the one you mention) have never been remastered.

 

The CD was issued on June 1983, long (four years in this case) before ECM started their own CD release.

 

In the 80's, Nippon Polydor made some unique ECM CDs such like Keith Jarrett's The KOLN CONCERTS.
The Japan first pressing has four tracks while the WG CD has just three. (And the former sounds better and is the best CD by now IMHO.)

 

I'd love to get a copy of PMG - Offramp if it's done right.

 

This is fantastic - Bright Size Life is brilliant!

Are these exclusive to Tower Japan?

 

From what I can tell, yes they are exclusive at least for the time being.