Music Matters Definitive Blue Note 45 RPM and 33 & 1/3 RPM vinyl series

rare instance of Ornette as a sideman

 

and on the trumpet to boot

 

haha!

 

Exactly. Blue Note is really fertile, and the musicians you mentioned are all heavy hitters. I believe they will sell.

Passing Ships is a really wonderful record, and it needs a proper reissue!

And speaking of Bobby Hutcherson, I'd love to see Patterns reissued as well as you mentioned. I have a 90s Connoisseur pressing that is fairly good, but it's not in print anymore and I know it could sound better. Really, any Hutch is good. Stick Up!, Components and Dialogue are classics.

 

I have that same LP pressing (plus the Conn CD), and I think your description "fairly good" hits it right on the head. It's certainly inoffensive, in terms of EQ and having a reasonably quiet surface, but it's really lacking in dynamics - the music just sort of sits there, lifeless, very little analog magic. Although they say "mastered from the original analog source" I don't know if that means an all-analog chain, or that they used a digital master made from the original tapes (rather than higher gen copies) - to my ears it sounds more like the latter.

Anyway, I'm confident MM could hit this one and all the Hutch BN titles out of the park!

 

again, late-60s bns are hit or miss fidelity wise. A friend speculates that rvg changed his board to solid state, but that's only speculation. yet, there's a dramatic drop off in fidelity. why?

 

That's a different point than the one I was making, actually. I have both the Conn CD and the LP of PATTERNS and my point was both sound essentially the same to me - very "digital" - and I think it's mostly about the mastering. I am confident the LP could be much better if given a true audiophile treatment - all analog mastering, great mastering engineer like Steve and/or Kevin. Would it sound as nice as something as, say, MIDNIGHT BLUE? Probably not. There'd still be some of that later 60s BN "graininess" there I'm sure. But I'm also sure a MM treatment of PATTERNS would sound a lot better than the Conn reissue LP I have.

The proof is in the later BN titles MM has already done - stuff like THE GIGOLO and Wayne Shorter's recordings that in every other versions I've heard were very lackluster. They may still not be MIDNIGHT BLUE but the MM versions sound MUCH improved from any other versions I've heard. The difference on something like Wayne's THE SOOTHSAYER is huge - the CD was a shrill embarrassment; the MM LP is still a little on the grainy/hard side as compared with the very best RVG recordings for the label, but eminently listenable.

I'm definitely fully aware that the later BNs often don't sound quite as good as the earlier ones - something did seem to change in the recording chain - but they're not THAT much worse that I think audiophile labels should avoid them altogether - a ton of great music would get neglected that way. I'm not of the school that believes only pristine recordings should get the audiophile treatment - that would make for a very depressing market for audiophiles. Already there is a big problem with the same few perfect recordings being recycled endlessly. Put another way, faced with the choice of having an audiophile label release something that is sonic bliss but musically rather ho-hum - like the infamous audiophile wet dream JAZZ AT THE PAWNSHOP - OR the less perfect sonically but musically brilliant Hutch date PATTERNS - I'll take the latter any day. Same deal with being faced with yet another recycling of "the Best" (whatever that means) Blue Notes in 33 1/3 rpm that were just issued a few years ago - versus the option of new titles that are less sonically sublime being reissued. Bring on the new stuff, warts and all.

And btw for whatever reason I find a few of the later BN recordings sound terrific - for example, some of Stanley Turrentine's (material that was issued years later on the RETURN OF THE PRODIGAL SON and A BLUISH BAG), and Duke Pearson's. It's only certain titles that seemed to have some problems, which to me suggests maybe a problem with the tapes themselves (I seem to recall one theory having to do with choice of recording tape).

 

I just don't have the same experience. Some of the best sounding MM reissues are the ones from the late 60s. Puttin' it Together by Elvin Jones is from 1968 and it is incredible. Hell, one of my favorites by MM is Genesis also by Elvin Jones, and that was recorded in 1971.

 

Elvin's MASSIVE drum sound is indeed very well-captured on these recordings.

Another great-sounding later 60s Blue Note reissue by MM is THE PROCRASTINATOR.

 

Lee Morgan - Cornbread, is another late 60s masterpiece that sounds very good to my ears. Would love to see that given the MM 33 RPM treatment.

 

... and San Francisco !!!

 

hey, what's that bn picture frame ya got in the background there?

 

Here's my list of musically and sonically satisfying MM LP's:


Eric Dolphy's "Out To Lunch"
Tina Brooks "True Blue" and "Back To The Tracks" (Since the tapes were in such fantastic shape)
Dexter Gordon - any of the titles reissued
Freddie Hubbard "Open Sesame"
Sonny Rollins "Vol.1"
Jackie McLean - any of the titles reissued
Herbie Hancock's "Empyrean Isles"
Andrew Hill's "Point Of Departure"
Lee Morgan "Search For A New Land"
Horace Silver's "Song For My Father"

 

They are posters from Acoustic Sounds for their Blue Note 45 rpm series. I liked the way they looked, so I decided to frame them a few years ago.

 

I would like to see something like Tina Brooks Minor Move given the MM treatment. It was released by King Records Japan on vinyl and also Mosaic as part of their boxed set, and I believe CD somewhere along the line but this deserves a re-issue. Back to the Tracks is one of my favorite albums.



I have Blue Mitchell's -Down With It on the Rare Groove vinyl series but I'd love to see that given a proper release as well.

 

New and Old Gospel is terrific, the title track hits you like a train!

 

Bummer. One could hope though.

 

Yes! Love "Joyride," and it would sound great given the MM treatment.

 

Dialogue would be fantastic to get the MM treatment. In fact I'm surprised it didn't make the 45 rpm list.

 

Thanks for posting this, what a great tune. This would be fantastic done by MM.

 

I received a shipment of MM titles the other day, cleaned them up and started listening tonight. Got through Cliff Craft, which was a really nice listen, but the second LP was really off-center. I'll probably exchange it.

Then I listened to Happenings... WOW. I figured this one would be good, but it's even better than I expected. As others have mentioned, the sound quality on this one is off the charts. The interplay between Hutcherson and Hancock is the highlight, but on top of that, I absolutely love Joe Chambers on drums. His playing and sound is always something I notice, for some reason.

 

I agree that Joe Chamber is great on Happenings. Every time I listen to it I have to remind myself that it isn't Anthony Williams. No other album with Joe Chambers has ever struck me quite that way, not that I can remember.

 

Another one for me is Mode For Joe, by Joe Henderson. I usually don't notice drummers for the most part, especially with someone like Henderson playing sax, but I couldn't stop listening to Joe Chambers on that one.

 

I actually have an indefensible fascination with Now!, but I'm probably the only one.