Blue Note 80th Anniversary reissues...any news?

Discussion in 'Music Corner' started by riverrat, Nov 9, 2018.

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  1. Dean R

    Dean R Forum Resident

    It's a lovely idea, but it would definitely be considered a cost within the Universal system
     
  2. recstar24

    recstar24 Senior Member

    Location:
    Glen Ellyn, IL
    I don’t have the BN80, I spent enough money on the MM lol.
     
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  3. recstar24

    recstar24 Senior Member

    Location:
    Glen Ellyn, IL
    The only one I plan on double dipping is inventions dimensions. I have the MM but it is in my top 5 favorite, and the MM is super rare (never got a 2nd pressing so there are easily less than 500 out there). I’ll snag the BN80 and I’m sure that will suffice as my primary player.
     
  4. dastinger

    dastinger Forum Resident

    Location:
    Portugal
    Even though I agree with @mpayan and couldn't buy anything on vinyl that I don't know at least a bit, I know you don't like to stream so my recommendation is purely on personal preference and variety. Blacks and Blues. I love that album, but I'm also a huge Michael Jackson, Motown and Soul/Funk fan and that album checks all my boxes so I'm biased. I think that the fact that you probably have more jazz than soul/funk (I'm purely assuming) should make a difference in your decision imo. At least it's something different.

    Oh, and remember... I usually do not like flute. At all.
     
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  5. scotti

    scotti Forum Resident

    Location:
    Atlanta GA
    I think you folks have convinced me to at least sample a bit, but I also have to realize the sound is going to reward much more on this type of vinyl. Not sure why I always say I don't care for the flute in Jazz that much either, when I am a big fan of Dolphy and Rivers.

    I think I may be a hypocrite...ouch! By the way, I love Soul/Funk music, not so much MJ all though I will say Quincy Jones worked wonders with him. Big Stax/Volt fan (Otis Redding) and Motown if it is say some psychedelic Temptations or Marvin Gaye, just not the pop flavored stuff.

    With that said, you have convinced me to take a chance with Blacks and Blues, but it will have to wait until December now. And I did sample it earlier (yes me), liked most of what I heard, but I stayed away from the vocal tracks.

    Got some Sonny Rollins "The Bridge" on my mind for later this week. Thanks "dastinger" for your response and of course all the others I received.

    Time to get some cold ones iced up, sure is nice not to have to work 80 hours a week any more. Going to enjoy Hub-Tones and my dog has requested some "Alligator Bogaloo" followed by "Mr. Shing-A-Ling"...smart dog!

    Got to play some of The Cars to start off the afternoon though, very sad about Ric...their first three albums are classics!
     
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  6. Crazysteve

    Crazysteve Gonzo Party Member

    I’m so excited for that album!
     
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  7. dastinger

    dastinger Forum Resident

    Location:
    Portugal
    Glad you liked what you heard, scotti!

    I mentioned MJ because the producers of Blacks and Blues also produced some Jackson 5 albums and the vibe is exactly the same.
     
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  8. Josquin des Prez

    Josquin des Prez I have spoken!

    Location:
    U.S.
    I wonder how many MMJ 45s that's true for? I guess that will make someone happy after I kick the bucket.

    I haven't listened to Inventions and Dimensions in a while, maybe not since I received it as a subscriber. I need to start playing my MMJ 45s again.
     
  9. John Moschella

    John Moschella Senior Member

    Location:
    Christiansburg, VA
    You loose a song on the BN80, with the MM45 you get 4 tracks. The BN80 leaves off "If Ever I Would Leave You".
     
  10. musictoad

    musictoad Forum Resident

    Location:
    Salt Lake City, UT
    Woah that's a crazy low amount. And so strange as it's easily one of the best MMJ releases. I'm glad I found one for a pretty decent price recently. Demo SQ and just a killer date.

    Yeah I know the BN80 will be good but for this title I just had to have the MMJ 45.
     
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  11. recstar24

    recstar24 Senior Member

    Location:
    Glen Ellyn, IL
    Not many, in fact inventions and dimensions may be the only one that Ron and crew never bothered with a 2nd pressing once the initial pressing sold out. Ron in conversation had mentioned that it simply was a slow poor seller, and at the time Ron didn’t want to sink more money into it. The only other title that may have had a similar history is the Elvin jones genesis
     
  12. Josquin des Prez

    Josquin des Prez I have spoken!

    Location:
    U.S.
    Thanks for reminding me that I haven't played this in a long time. That's a great album. I have the ORG reissue, but I also have a set of three double LPs reissued by RCA France that include it. I think I'll give some a play tonight.

    [​IMG]
     
  13. MisterBritt

    MisterBritt Senior Member

    Location:
    Santa Fe, NM, USA
    Speaking of Art Blakey ... I went ahead and ordered a bunch of Blue Note AAA limited editions, several of which arrived just today. While not strictly BN80s they are in the spirit of the recent spate of AAA reissues. Give the drummer some!

    [​IMG]

    VMP BLUE NOTE:

    From VMP we have the Joel Ross KingMaker limited edition double album vanilla white vinyl, as well as the Art Blakey Freedom Rider.

    [​IMG]

    BLUE NOTE REVIEW:

    From the Blue Note Review Vol. 2 ("Spirit & Time") box we get two albums full of Blue Note young lions, to include Brian Blade, Kendrick Scott Oracle, Tony Allen, Chris Dave, Nate Smith, Eric Harland, Gogo Penguin, and some previously unreleased Tony Williams, and their respective bands. There has been some discussion about the value of sampling before you buy. As far as I know, none of these have migrated online. They are all a pig in a poke to me. I'm trusting Blue Note has done me right.

    [​IMG]

    Moreover, there has been further discussion about the quality of the inner sleeves. The VMP offerings, pressed at QRP, come in their signature semi-translucent audiophile sleeves. And the Blue Note Review ("Spirit & Time") issues come in paper sleeves with the promotional photos of other Blue Note offerings, as I believe had been suggested here, although not with rice paper linings. Those raw paper sleeves do leave some transport scuffs. In my experience, playback will not be affected.

    For myself, everything gets a thorough cleaning with MoFi PLUS enzyme cleaner and a full ultrasonic bath or two before being placed inside fresh Sleeve City deluxe rice paper sleeves. I've got several Sleeve City record cleaning work mats going because it is a clean bill of health orgy of vinyl today.

    [​IMG]

    Continuing with the Blue Note Review Vol. 2 ("Spirit & Time") box we have the Art Blakey Africaine from 1958 and the Bobby Hutcherson Patterns from 1968 with Joe Chambers on drums. These are RVG recordings, supervised by Joe Harley, and mastered by Kevin Grey at Cohearant Mastering and manufactured by RTI. I'm giving the Patterns vinyl a double-wash treatment in hopes of scrubbing as much of that flute off the album as possible. My primary interest is in everything Joe Chambers was doing at this time. I believe he is alive and well and living in NYC. Of course Bobby Hutcherson's playing is always sublime.

    There remains, however, a minor fly in the ointment. My turntable is undergoing a complete upgrade and refurbishment. It is out of my hands with an estimated return date of (I'm guessing) two - four weeks. It's already been out of the listening parlor (that would be my living room) now for about eight - ten weeks so I've got the most recent Tone Poets on deck as well. That's why I haven't been commenting recently on sound quality. But all these Blue Note gems will be among the first to get played when everything is up and running!

    Meanwhile, pictures of Blue Note records are always fun! And besides, I've got the playing cards and photographs from the Blue Note Review Vol. 2 to keep me occupied.
     
    Last edited: Sep 17, 2019
  14. scotti

    scotti Forum Resident

    Location:
    Atlanta GA
    Well, might be for your amusement and why not, but I say, it's for our viewing pleasure and then some! Keep it coming, awesome stuff once again!
     
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  15. timzigs

    timzigs Forum Resident

    Location:
    South Central PA
    Great choice! I was just gonna mention some of the audiophile stuff on other labels like AP, CR, ORG, etc. You definitely picked one of the highlights of my non-BN collection :) And if you haven’t already gone down the OJC route, there are some real gems there as well.

    I know you mentioned you usually prefer not to stream, but the likes of Pandora and other random streaming avenues have led me to artists and songs I probably wouldn’t have heard otherwise. I find this to be a decent remedy when I’m having difficulty making the next purchase. You’re definitely not the only mess here :unhunh:
     
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  16. Josquin des Prez

    Josquin des Prez I have spoken!

    Location:
    U.S.
    Two gems in my collection are Rollin's Way Out West and Contemporary Leaders. In both cases I have black-on-orange pre-OJC Contemporary pressings that sound amazing. I haven't listened in a while, but my previous impression was they sounded better than the AP remasters (33 RPM for WOW and 45 RPM for CL). :righton:

    Roy DuNann rules!
     
  17. timzigs

    timzigs Forum Resident

    Location:
    South Central PA
    Nice finds! I would love to find a decent original of Freedom Suite (I have the OJC). His sound on that record just gets soooo under my skin.
     
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  18. Josquin des Prez

    Josquin des Prez I have spoken!

    Location:
    U.S.
    I bought these new in the late 70s when I worked part-time at a local record store. I manned the jazz section and counter with one of the best jazz drummers in St. Louis. I learned a lot about jazz working with him. We had a lot of idle moments on weekday mornings where he played all kinds of stuff to educate me. It was awesome.
     
  19. dastinger

    dastinger Forum Resident

    Location:
    Portugal
    Oh yeh, one of the best. His recordings sound absolutely great!
     
  20. Let us know what you think of The Bridge. I’ve been eyeing that one for a while
     
  21. MisterBritt

    MisterBritt Senior Member

    Location:
    Santa Fe, NM, USA
    Oh, I initially left out some more great stuff that comes with the Blue Note Review Vol.2. There are are couple of booklets about drummers that I really wanted. Honestly, this might sound corny, but for $200 for the box (and I believe that includes shipping around the world) the thing that pushed me over the edge -- besides these particular vinyl never being otherwise available as AAA reissues by Joe Harley and Kevin Grey -- was these booklets. They are replete with photographs (we get Eddie Blackwell but still no Otis "Candy" Finch) and the comics and essays, etc. I haven't sat down to pore over these yet but I've got my reading glasses in hand. Here are some photos to give you an idea.

    [​IMG]

    [​IMG]

    [​IMG]

    Seeing those comics reminds me of a topic I have long considered, especially where RVG and Blue Note recordings are the matter at hand. This is a fresh topic. I'll start at the very beginning for me.

    New Topic:

    About 30 years ago I came across one of those "blindfold tests" in Downbeat magazine where they would invite a famous musician to listen to records and guess who was on them. (Some of the Miles Davis blindfold tests are hilarious! He nails them and he nails the musicians if he doesn't like their playing -- or if he does.) So this musician is responding that he doesn't recognize the record or the players but he knows from the way it sounds that it is a Blue Note record. That stopped me in my tracks. What? I mean, I got what he was saying about the placement of the microphones and the placement of the musicians and even the sound of the studio but I had never thought of a record that way. It blew my mind.

    Here's where this ties in to the cartoon. In cartoons, that space where the dialog is conveyed is called the cartoon "voice bubble" or "speech balloon" (not to be confused with a "thought balloon" - that's something different. This is all high science here. Ha.)

    When I listen to the RVG sessions -- and it seems especially so for the Blue Note dates -- you can imagine the patterns RVG was using on the microphones: cardioid, extreme cardioid, figure 8, omni, etc. It just seems really pronounced to me and the way I hear them. These recordings come across to me -- not in a bad or comic way -- but like cartoons.

    For instance, here's Freddie Hubbard with his cheeks all puffed out blowing that trumpet in to a cardioid pattern condenser (tube, not solid state) microphone and the image it captures and projects is like a cartoon character's voice bubble. Is it a big bubble? Is it a small bubble? It's so great to listen and consider this. For me, it adds another dimension to my listening pleasure.

    And on a less amusing note, I believe if a guy really knew his stuff, he could listen to one of these records and tell you things beyond who is on the date; beyond whether, for instance, that's Wayne Shorter on the horn. For example, if it's a Freddie Hubbard date, Wayne will be in the right channel (stage left) where the saxophone typically is. But if it is a Wayne Shorter date, he will be in the left channel (stage right). Now, before I draw that kind of line in the sand, I believe it is also time sensitive. Like it was this way or that way during a certain period. I'm certainly thinking stereo, circa mid-60's here.

    So a guy who really knew his Blue Note stuff could tell you all kinds of things about the date that he wouldn't need the liner notes to know. Listen to the Wayne Shorter Tone Poet, Etc., for instance. Drummer Joe Chambers is in the right channel, just as he should be on a RVG Blue Note date; but why isn't Wayne standing right there next to him? Because it's Wayne's date and the leader goes to the left channel. Just something to think about. I'm not all that intelligent about it myself.

    Another example. I had been listening to the Tone Poet Chick Corea Now He Sings album for quite a while before, say, the Andrew Hill Black Fire landed on my turntable. Roy Haynes goes from the left (Now He Sings) to right (Black Fire) channel between these two albums. There was some subsequent discussion about the fact that RVG didn't record Now He Sings. The Lonnie Smith Think! album is another one. I mean, it should have been so obvious that these were not done by RVG but we discussed it for a while before the light came on and guys started reading the liner notes. RVG always puts the drummer in the right channel. The leader typically goes in the left channel, regardless of his instrument.

    And back to the "voice bubbles." That's one of my favorite things to do while listening to these Blue Note records, is listen to the microphones and their placement, etc. Again, I don't mean this in a demeaning way at all, but they are presented like cartoons. I think it's so great! I really enjoy that. It's part of the Blue Note sound for me.
     
    Last edited: Sep 17, 2019
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  22. Josquin des Prez

    Josquin des Prez I have spoken!

    Location:
    U.S.
    Don't eye. Get! It's a deep jazz classic and sounds great.

    The ORG has been around for a while now so don't expect it to be available if you wait too long.
     
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  23. riverrat

    riverrat Senior Member Thread Starter

    Location:
    Oregon
    :D:D:D

    Really interested in that Blakey Freedom Rider from VMP, but they hardly ever press records I am interested in so I can't see joining their club. Will probably try to find it elsewhere..
     
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  24. Rob Zarzecki

    Rob Zarzecki Forum Resident

    Location:
    New Jersey
    MisterBritt _if you get time ,can you take a picture of the playing cards? Been curious about those and Google has brought me no luck. Glad to see that you got Joel Ross... Report back sometime about the colored vinyl pressing. I've got the black and it sounds nice.
     
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  25. MisterBritt

    MisterBritt Senior Member

    Location:
    Santa Fe, NM, USA
    In reviewing my post I suggested the Joel Ross was AAA vinyl. I don't actually think that's the case. I haven't heard it yet so I appreciate your report that the black vinyl sounds nice. I thought that creamy white vinyl looked to good to pass up. As regards the playing cards, I have completed your request and posted it instead on the dedicated Blue Note Subscription Series thread:

    Blue Note Subscription Series
     
    Last edited: Sep 17, 2019
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