Wynton Kelly - Kelly Blue - Best version on CD?

Discussion in 'Music Corner' started by Jamie Tate, Nov 1, 2008.

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  1. Jamie Tate

    Jamie Tate New Member Thread Starter

    Location:
    Nashville
    Not much about this one in the archives. Should I get the OJC, SACD or XRCD?
     
  2. Steve Hoffman

    Steve Hoffman Your host Your Host

    Get the dual layer SACD. It's the best, right from the masters, pretty flat transfer.

    However, the tapes have mucho piano distortion overload.
     
  3. J.A.W.

    J.A.W. Music Addict

    Either the OJC, mastered by Joe Tarantino in 1989, or the first XRCD issue (JVC JVCXR-0050-2), mastered by Alan Yoshida at A&M Mastering Studios, Hollywood. Haven't heard the SACD recently, but I didn't prefer it to the others.
     
  4. TOCJ-4091

    TOCJ-4091 Senior Member

    Location:
    Washington, DC
    I'm partial to both SACD and the JPN 'Masters of Jazz' K2 issue (VICJ-5076)
     
  5. triple

    triple Senior Member

    Location:
    Zagreb, Croatia
    This must be the first time a Prestige SACD being recommended over anything, let alone XRCD (which I have and like). Interesting.

    Goran
     
  6. Jamie Tate

    Jamie Tate New Member Thread Starter

    Location:
    Nashville
    A friend is letting me listen to the XRCD and it sounds like it was sourced from a copy tape of some sort, but never having hear it before I didn't know what the recording sounded like to begin with.

    I'll order the SACD.

    Thanks for the advice! :wave:
     
  7. Jamie Tate

    Jamie Tate New Member Thread Starter

    Location:
    Nashville
    Oh, I didn't realize this was released by AP on 45RPM. Did Steve and Kevin do this one?
     
  8. J.A.W.

    J.A.W. Music Addict

    What makes you think the XRCD was sourced from a copy tape? Were you listening to the first XRCD issue in the cardboard cover that was mastered by Alan Yoshida (JVC JVCXR-0050-2) or a later one that was mastered in Japan?

    It's been years since I last heard the redbook layer of the SACD (I think it came out about four years ago), and, if memory serves, it didn't sound that good.
     
  9. Kayaker

    Kayaker Senior Member

    Location:
    New Joisey Now
    Then there is the DVD-Audio from Japan which IMHO (and on my system which has a bias to DVD-A over SACD) is better than the SACD, and significantly improves on the XRCD and the OJC. It's one of my favorite Jazz albums
     
  10. J.A.W.

    J.A.W. Music Addict

    Which XRCD issues are the posters talking about here? There were at least two versions, the first one that was mastered by Alan Yoshida at A&M Mastering Studios, Hollywood, and a later one that was mastered in Japan. There might have been even more than two, but I lost track of all those Japanese reissues.

    It might help if the posters identify the version they're referring to.
     
  11. Kayaker

    Kayaker Senior Member

    Location:
    New Joisey Now
    Mine is mastered by Allan Yoshida and has "JVCXR-0050-1F" on the inner ring.
     
  12. Jamie Tate

    Jamie Tate New Member Thread Starter

    Location:
    Nashville
    That's the one.

    There's a glaze of hiss over the whole thing that makes me think it's from a dub. The transients, static and dropouts have that dub tape sound too. Plus the hiss on some tracks sounds different than others. Lots of things I guess. Difficult to explain.
     
  13. J.A.W.

    J.A.W. Music Addict

    Thanks. I'll have to listen to this one, the OJC and the CD layer of the SACD again, but I'll have to get the SACD back first, I sold it ages ago...

    By the way, does anyone know who mastered the SACD? Joe Tarantino? Didn't he do most hybrid SACDs for Fantasy, before they (Fantasy) were sold to Concord? I wasn't too enthusiastic about those SACDs at the time - the ones I'd heard, that is :)
     
  14. Mike in OR

    Mike in OR Through Middle-earth...onto Heart of The Sunrise

    Location:
    Portland, Oregon
    Yes they did, and this is what I listen to when I want to hear this. I really dig this album. I have the Fantasy SACD and the original XRCD (JVCXR-0050-2), but the 45 is what gets played. If you listen to vinyl, this is definately the way to hear this album, imo. I really wish that Analogue Productions would have had Doug Sax do this title as well as the other Riverside titles they released on SACD. Unless they did, but I do not ever remember seeing it?
     
  15. J.A.W.

    J.A.W. Music Addict

    After Analogue Productions had released several (then) Fantasy-owned recordings on hybrid SACDs, mastered by Doug Sax, Fantasy decided to do a few series themselves. Doug Sax never mastered Kelly Blue for Analogue Productions.
     
  16. Mike in OR

    Mike in OR Through Middle-earth...onto Heart of The Sunrise

    Location:
    Portland, Oregon
    That is what I figured, what a shame. I really don't care too much for the Fantasy SACD's myself.
     
  17. J.A.W.

    J.A.W. Music Addict

    Some of the ones I've heard definitely sound unpleasant, with boosted highs and things like that. It seems others are fine, but I stopped buying the series after a while.
     
  18. triple

    triple Senior Member

    Location:
    Zagreb, Croatia
    Mine is too. Nice, fat bass and warm piano sound.

    Goran
     
  19. Planbee

    Planbee Negative Nellie

    Location:
    Chicago
    Yes.
     
  20. J.A.W.

    J.A.W. Music Addict

    Thought so. Thanks.
     
  21. I have the early Victor Japan CD with catalog number VDJ-1509 which was released in 1985. Mastered by Joe Gastwirt.

    It sounds very nice to me, but I haven't done any comparisons for this album.
     
  22. Jamie Tate

    Jamie Tate New Member Thread Starter

    Location:
    Nashville
    Just got the SACD. It sounds quite similar to the XRCD but you can hear it's from better source tapes. Also, the static, audible tape splices and dropouts that are throughout the XRCD are gone. Overall, I can't see paying twice as much for the XRCD when the SACD is better. Thanks for the suggestion Steve.
     
  23. Steve Hoffman

    Steve Hoffman Your host Your Host

    I remember telling 'em which tapes to use for the SACD (having just done the 45 RPM version). When it came out they sent me one and it sounded just right (or as right as it can sound).

    One of the few Fantasy SACD's I like. Eric Dolphy OUT THERE and GIL EVANS + 10 also are quite nice.
     
  24. Jamie Tate

    Jamie Tate New Member Thread Starter

    Location:
    Nashville
    Why did they have such a difficult time using the right tapes? I've been pretty disappointed with their SACDs too.

    Thanks for the other SACD suggestions.
     
  25. Claude

    Claude Senior Member

    Location:
    Luxembourg
    I had the SACD, and I thought it sounded rather poor. Very muffled treble, as if defective tapes had been used. The sound quality varies a lot among the tracks.

    The 45rpm LP that Steve mastered sounds very different. It's hard to believe the same tapes were used by Fantasy for the SACD.

    I also have a japan import K2 remaster with bonus tracks which sounds much better than the SACD, closer to the 45rpm but a little bit too bright.

    I posted a comparision on sa-cd.net, prior to hearing the 45rpm:

    http://www.sa-cd.net/showtitle/1610
     
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