Also FYI, 2nd, 3rd and even 4th pressings of these titles exist and in my opinion they all sound better than anything cut recently...In fact, its really hard to tell between 1st and later pressings (Japanese only) - the only thing better about a 1st press is a cooler looking obi. the period these all came out is like peak vinyl in Japan, formulation, recording, playback...hard to go wrong.
Understand your prerogative, and respect keeping that between you... I'm not even in the market for the box, nor do I care if there are digital steps as long as it sounds good...Impex did a great job with the Hosokawa and Greensleeves records which are both digitally recorded. Im just curious what happened to the tapes...and hopefully they aren't lost. Either way, Im glad that I put the effort into my collection of TBMs over the last 15 years as the prices are crazy now and seem to be heading to insane!
so digital steps involved then. Not that I care because I think they sound great. But i know that has been a big contention amongst people around here, so if no info to be given, ill assume its not AAA.
I got a Cisco of Misty recently. I just did a very quick comparison today and found to like the Impex KPG@CA more. The Cisco, cut in Japan by Kotetsu, is certainly louder, you can hear that and with much less deadwax you can pretty much see it too, so some leveling is in order before a fair comparison. The Cisco is a little more like a Japanese original in that it focuses mostly on the Piano and comes off as slightly thin in the bottom end. The KPG cut is more full and just a hair less bright because of it. The Cisco is therefore likely a bit more dynamic sounding, again like originals, while the KPG more up front and compressed but for the extra bass I like the tradeoff. One thing I did notice is that the signals differ a bit. There is a thump sound that is much earlier on the Impex but in general the Cisco runs faster and the Impex slower when I compared the runtimes. Not sure which one is correct but you likely wont hear it anyway. The Cisco also has more tape hiss but that could just be due to the slightly brighter mastering. Oh and the colors are much better on the Impex, Abey did mention she corrected that. Although the images themselves, which will be most revealing on the back, are much sharper on the Cisco. The Impex is clearly some subpar JPEG while the Cisco is likely using an original negative.
First play of Lovely 'Card / Paper' version as they say in Japan or as we call it a 'digi-pack' complete with OBI and japanese fold out insert, its like a mini record sleeve that opens up to show a photo of the trio performing set out from left to right piano, bass then drums on one side and the track listing on the other well onto the music ...fabulous as always from the trio and here captured really well, this version of the album from Venus is excellent reproducing the original TBM album, i won't go through the track listing except to say that i have the Impex 45rpm TBM boxset and sonically this compares well particularly Misty, although it being a cd doesn't have quite the spaciousness or depth as vinyl, but it is very very good, there are some new TYT numbers to me on here, "Cool Struttin" and "Speak Low" among them which is why i bought the album. If you've not heard the Tsuyoshi Yamamoto Trio i urge you to do so, if you like smooth jazz or simply great melodic piano jump right in, don't hesitate this album is stuffed full of gems to chill and engage and excite each by turn. A particular standout for me is their rendition of "Jealous Guy" such deep emotion is conveyed in how they play this very well known number brought a tear to my eye. Kit used to listen to this cd Musical Fidelity A5 CDP BenchMark Dac1 HDR (as pre) Cyrus Mono Xs Quantum Infinity Jrs Graham Slee Lautus cables
Thinking of looking for Like Someone In LoveWritten-By – Jimmy Van Heusen 13:14 2 BlueWritten-By – Tsuyoshi Yamamoto 9:54 3 For Once In My LifeWritten-By – Orlando Murden 6:16 4 Rhytm-A-NingWritten-By – Thelonious Monk 9:01 5 My Body, My SoulWritten-By – Tsuyoshi Yamamoto 7:54 6 The Night Has A Thousand EyesWritten-By – Jerome Brainin 13:33 7 The Good Life Written-By – Sacha Distel 6.35 your thoughts appreciated ... listened on spotify seems alright .... audience applause so assuming was live ..can find a review or much about it on the web though ..
I have this TYT CD and always thought it was a bit loud. Listened to it yesterday and it's a great album. But as far as overall SQ it's on the lower end of the of TY CDs and SACDs in my collection. Listened to Misty, Midnight Sugar and Live at the Misty SACDs this morning and they all sound excellent IMO.
Looks like there is a "new" vinyl album out. Tsuyoshi Yamamoto Trio – Misty For Direct Cutting (2021, Vinyl)
And the CD has a couple extra songs --- Tsuyoshi Yamamoto Trio – Misty For Direct Cutting (2021, MQA-CD, CD)
Some are not so happy with it though. Will probably pass on this as the music did not catch my ear nearly as much as the TBM albums.
I know what you mean. That is why I put the "new" in quotes. I have the vinyl shipping from Japan, so I will compare it to the other vinyl versions I have. I think the only cut I don't have various vinyl versions for is "The In Crowd" - I have a CD version of that though. It would be pretty hard for this album to beat the Impex versions of Misty and Midnight Sugar (highly recommended). And, I am curious to see how Girl Talk stacks up against my Cisco. It will take the album a couple of weeks to get here. I will post to this thread when I get it and have a chance to compare. Cheers!
I don't have any means of playing SACD so my cds are simply redbook cds ..i have the TBM 45 Box set (records not cd) and yes Misty & Midnight Sugar are stunning in that format to my ears ... I must admit i've been tempted with SACD in the past but the cost of a player for music that i probably already have on record has stopped me ... and great to read that SACD is rocking your world ... you've got me thinking again if SACD could get close to what records give
Just had a mad moment and bought from discogs as its the first one that i've seen less than £100 ($140) ... and others are £150 plus ($208) I went for the original 'book' version as what i've read this seems hopefully a little more to my taste than the 32bit remastering that follwed it ... am i mad to spend £90 (my final total incl shipping and VAT @20%) ..well the Lions lost and now this will arrive in around 3 weeks or so from japan as a consolation ...
My delivery from Japan was hands down the fastest vinyl I have ever received from Japan (thanks Recordshop Shibuya on discogs) Before I begin, my setup is a bass monster. I have dual subwoofers and I run a Sure m44-7 cartridge which is known for generating great bass. I am going to talk about Side A of: Tsuyoshi Yamamoto Trio – Misty For Direct Cutting (2021, Vinyl) A1 Misty A2 Midnight Sugar The basic premise behind this album is the direct cut (not utilizing tape to record the session). If you look up the process on this forum, it falls into sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn’t. However, there is a lot of commentary the Bass gets lost sometimes. This is a new recording of some of my favorite Impex titles (from Three Blind Mice albums re-released by Impex). I have them on vinyl and SACD. The original recordings of these songs are from the early 70’s. They are simply great. The Good This new edition was recently recorded and has a different character than the predecessors. The new renditions of both Misty and Midnight Sugar are presented with a smoother and more polished expression. The 70’s versions are like a hot and heavy first date, these new versions are like old friends who are fun, polished and laid back. I can see myself sharing Scotch that is old enough to drink with my fiancé on a long Minnesota winter’s evening and talking about all the good times we have had together. The Bad I have my system's bass cranked to the absolute max. And, I am getting about 70% of the Bass the Impex editions put out. Also, it is a 45rpm, so there is only so much music you are going to get out of one disc. It is pretty pricey to get it shipped from Japan for a very limited amount of music. The Ugly While this is the fastest shipment I have ever received from Japan, this album is probably the dirtiest new album I have ever received. And, don’t be thinking it may have been from the shipper. It was packed beautifully. There was a lot of complaining recently with the Miles Davis vinyl from Acoustic Sounds. If you had a bad experience with THAT album, you might want to stay away from this one. This album is dirty. I have side A playing and after a thorough cleaning and 6 plays it is finally giving up the surface noise. One or two more cleanings and another half dozen plays and it should be perfect. Yes, that is a lot of work for a new album. B1 The In Crowd B2 Girl Talk Posting my thoughts on the Side B. This is lot harder because I know my Cisco version of Girl Talk doesn’t have the same Bass capacity of the Impex songs. The Good I only have a CD version of “The In Crowd” to compare this too, and this version easily beats the CD version. I am also getting good Bass out of this song. “Girl Talk” compares favorably with my Cisco version and if there is a Bass drop off here, it isn’t noticeable. The Bad and the Ugly Side B is all Good. A welcome relief from Side A. My Opinion I like the album and definitely will play it a lot. I have side A cleaned up for the most part and side B has no surface noise problems (thank goodness). Do I think the value is there? I am sort of a completionist…so as a new expression of Misty and Midnight Sugar and these other songs makes me happy. For me though, Side B is awesome, I like this version of “The In Crowd” and “Girl Talk” compares favorably to other versions I have. Would I buy it again? Yes. Does the bass bother me? After I have played this album a few times the Bass doesn't bother me so much, because I think the way these songs are played are different enough to make them unique and quite separate from the earlier recordings. Now which 21 year old Scotch goes best with this album? Answer, that is a trick question. Any 21 year old Scotch will do! Cheers!
Interesting review .... thanks for posting i think your coments mean that for now i'll give this a miss as like you i already have all these tracks, so to double dip for a slightly different variation on the same music ..when there is so much new to me musc that i wan to own doesn't make sense for me right now i think ...
1st play of as i write and so gooood .... to my ears Koji has a vey distinctive style of vocal delivery and with the Yamamoto Trio behind him the music comes alive ... if you've not come across this i'd encourage you to listen online to get a slight sense of how this sounds as this TBM cd is great, they bring so much out ... clearly they don't compress the sound but simply let it out .. the stand out for me is My Funny Valentine as it has a super balance between the Trio and Koji ...
A first session listening to Autumn in Seattle ... as i write this its the 3rd play on the bounce ... and i can hardly finds words to describe how beautiful this sounds .. so so so so much better than streamed via utube to be no comparision... First i can say right now i'm moved to tears.... listening to the title track...sat entranced in the aural delights sat in my sweet spot ...this is by a large margin the most i've invested in a single cd albeit the XRCD 'book version' but it finally was available in nr mint condition at under £100 ($140) , perhaps the standout after 2 plays surprisingly to me is "A Time for Us" which also moved me. Having said that ...there is no bad track on this album and now i have it i can see why it is so sought after ... i would of loved the record but alas apart from winning the lottery it is out of reach, as it is this cd has used up the budget of probably 5 or 6 other cds that i have had to pass on ..well for now If you enjoy Tsuyoshi .. then this album with its slightly different take on some well known tracks of his will give you everything you want from him and the trio .. a greater maturity is displayed on "The Way We Were" ... "Raindrops" is played in a 'jazzy' style that conveys hapiness ... "Autumn in Seattle" the title track conveys such emotion that it moves me deeply... "Misty" is played in an upbeat and to my ears more 'joyful' way ... "Love Is A Many-Splendored Thing" i can hear that this was a childhood favourite played like this, an adults memory of happy times past comes through to me... "Theme From Sparticus" many of us know this well but somehow Yamamoto makes this his very own ... "No Problem" the very track that inspired a young Tsuyoshi to take up piano having heard Art Blakey playing it .. and here the first time he recorded it WOW.. "As Time Goes By" a favourite of mine anyway, here its sublime ... "Sound of Music Medley" here the Trio put their spin on these familar tunes ..which leads us to "A Time For Us" another track that moves me to tears, this arrangement along with the drum beat towards the end echoing the melody has to be my standout on an album of standouts. listening kit Musical Fidelity A5 CDP ... analogue out used BenchMark Dac1 HDR used as a pre amp Cyrus Mono X amps Tannoy Berkerley speakers Graham Slee Lautus interconnect QED speaker cables @scotti ... if you haven't heard this ?..i know its not impex ...but man i'd be suprised if you didn't love it ..even the 'lowly' xrcd2 that i've managed to get hold of ....
