XRCDs coming in June - Blue Notes!

I have the Stan Getz and it is good.

 

Just as a bit of an aside... there were many more JVC/Victor titles released some years ago in 20-bit K2 versions - heaps of Prestige, Contemporary, Riverside etc. titles, usually as mini-LPs. I'm not sure if Alan Yoshida was involved - I'd have to check - but some of them sound very good indeed. I haven't had the opportunity to compare some of those with corresponding XRCD versions, but I imagine they'd be very close.

So for example, the original Poll Winners album is available on XRCD, but they released all 5 Poll Winners titles as mini-LPs remastered via K2. They sound darn good.

I only have a few XRCDs - the cost has been a deterrent. One thing I've noticed is that the original packaging in the hardcover booklet form had some problems. I bought a couple of those, and the cardbaord sleeve that housed the disc inside the book was quite abrasive on the disc surface. I guess they figured that out because they changed later releases to a digipack-style book that didn't have that issue. I have a Bill Holman XRCD that came in the early version of the XRCD case, and the disc actually had signs of corrosion - like rust - on the surface. Obviously some moisture had gotten into the packaging, and the cardbaord sleeve had probably exacerbated the problem. I kept it because I got it cheap, but it was new and sealed. I had trouble playing it on my player, so had to make a CD-R copy to get a playable version.

I bought a copy of "West Side Story" (Andre Preven, Shelly Manne et al) and the disc had glue on the playing surface from the digipack construction. I got a replacement and it also had glue on the disc!

I have half a dozen other XRCDs which are all fine. Never had any such quality control issues with the JVC/Victor mini-LP discs from Japan

 

I have 2 that are Alan Yoshida mastered. The Bill Evans/Tony Bennett album and Shelly Manne's My Fair Lady. Both are amazing sounding and well worth every penny. Two of the most treasured cd's in my collection.

I'll be picking up some of the Blue Notes for sure.

 

Very well put Doc! Some folks tend to get overly hung up on the "engine" and forget that without a driver the car won't go anywhere!

The actual XRCD process is superb in every way....especially with the more recent developments in 24 bit JVC a/d converter tech. But without a great mastering engineer who truly understands the XRCD process, you're only part way to the finish line!

I have four test discs on hand to evaluate as I write. I'm extremely pleased with the results.

cheers

Joe

 

The XRCD mastering Alan did for Phineas Newborn Jr's "Harlem Blues" is phenomenal!

 

Got my copy of Booker T's "Potato Hole" today and noticed that it was mastered by Alan Yoshida. Haven't checked it out yet, but this is a new release and not too expensive from Best Buy ...

 

With all things being equal, good master tapes @ good remastering engineer. Which is better, XRCD or SACD?

 

Yeah, this was an issue with many of the RVGs - they were remixed to be 'nearly mono' - I presume Mr van Gelder felt that it was closer to how the original session was supposed to sound, or closer to the artist's intention. Who knows? It seemed to be a very arbitrary thing, with some RVGs maintaining that wide stereo separation and others sounding almost mono. I thin Adderley's 'Somethin' Else' was another that had the soundstage narrowed considerably.

Getting back to the XRCD mastering - I checked some of those Japanese mini-LP remasters that were K2-Remastered but which had not had an XRCD release. A good number of them said in the notes "The album is remastered using 20bit A/D converter with DIGITAL K2 interface. Mastering engineer: Tamaki Beck for Flair at JVC Studios." Others credited Shigeo Miyamoto as mastering engineer.

 

I got the impression that high priced used market for mono RVG Lps drove RVG to try to "recreate" the compressed, folded down experience of an old Lp on the initial batches of RVG CDs in the late 90s. Problem was they selected the greatest Blue Note albums for the first batches of reissues, so the best sessions sound the worst. Some of those early late 90s RVGs sound like pure garbage. Listen to the Japanese 1998 RVG of "Along Came John" or the 1999 JRVG of Lou Donaldson's "Here Tis." What the heck did old RVG do to those besides collapse the stereo image? Sounds like he compressed the ***** out of them and brickwalled them against a limiter. Pure garbage sound on those 2 discs. I think I threw them in the trash. The domestic series sounded a bit better through the years (wider stereo), but only after Cuscuna received a boatload of consumer pushback on garbage sound quality of those early RVG CDs.

 

Yes, I have read quite a bit of debate on this forum and others about the sound of the RVGs. A couple that I found particularly nasty were the JRVGs of Grant Green's "The Latin Bit" and "Bossa Nova Bacchanal" by Charlie Rouse - I couldn't bear to listen to those. On the other hand there were others that sounded quite good, eg. some Herbie Hancock titles

 

It is really tricky to guess what goes on in people's minds. What was Phil Spector thinking? Same here - RVG's reasoning is difficult to understand, but does it really matter? In the context of this subject, it is threadcrap anyway.

The important thing is that we are getting proper digital Blue Notes this time!



Goran

 

I own every one of the JRVGs and can't think of one that would fit the "pure garbage" category...or even one that I'd think to toss in the trash.

........well, I suppose there is that one Ike Quebec.

 

XRCD is still a CD. No addiional encoding is done to my knowledge. Its just a better process for manufacturing I think. So people who have heard bad XRCDs should not shy away from them if mastered by the right person. Some of the Japanese XRCDs were mastered in Japan on the bright side, but that has nothing to do with the process.

 

good news -looking forward

 

The music is not garbage. Just the remastering. Another squashed, lifeless sonic abomination was the JRVG of Don Wilkerson's "Preach Brother."

It was a sad comment on the early JRVGs when the older non-RVG Japanese TOCJ CD (from the early -mid 90s) series sounded better than the JRVG masterings, despite that fact that the TOCJ's were sourced from 2nd generation copies! And they still sounded better as they had less heavy handed processing than the RVGs.

Let's face it. If a lot of those early RVGs weren't compressed and blended to near mono, like Larry Young's Unity or Kenny Burrell's Midnight Blue, there probably wouldn't be as much pent up demand for sonic upgrades. That's good news for Analogue Productions and Music Matters.

 

I have a question for you Joe....

All of the XRCD24 discs that I have in my collection mention in the booklet that they are available in limited quantities because they make the Stamper directly from the Glass Master....thus, eliminating the Father and the Mother from the production chain.

I read once, somewhere, that a typical stamper could produce 10,000 cd's. So, if the Blue Note discs your mastering are made on the XRCD24 format will they be limited to approximately 10,000 copies or will there be more than one Stamper created from the Glass Master?

How many Stampers can be made from a Glass Master?



As for previous XRCD releases, I have quite a few of the jazz titles that were mastered by Alan Yoshida (Don't remember the actual number off hand, but certainly more than enough to get a good judgement of their quality.) They are all terrific!

I also have two of the Living Stereo XRCD2 releases mentioned by someone earlier in the thread. They weren't mastered by Alan Yoshida. They are horrible! I was really excited about this series when they were announced for release on XRCD but after hearing the first two, I just couldn't bring myself to purchase any more of them.

I also have the four DECCA XRCD24 releases that came out several years ago. They are awesome! Who mastered them.....That's right, Alan Yoshida!

With both Joe Harley and Alan Yoshida working on these Blue Notes, I'll be the first one standing in line to buy every title that comes out!

 

Audio Wave Music and Blue Note XRCDs

Hello fellow music and sound lovers! This is Bob Bantz head of Audio Wave Music. I'd like to thank monkboughtlunch for starting this thread. I can't tell you how excited and honored I am to be working with Joe Harley and Alan Yoshida on this Blue Note XRCD project...It is a dream come true for me. I have loved and been involved with Music most of my life. To get a chance to re-issue titles from one of the most prestigious jazz labels ever (also one of my personal favorites) on XRCD with these guys defies description! Holding and hearing the original RVG masters and then watching and listening to Joe and Alan do their thing is so enjoyable and gratifying I can't put it into words! I am a very lucky man.

We hope to have the first two titles, Hank Mobley/Soul Station and Sonny Clark/Cool Struttin' available in July 09. Alan Yoshida and Joe Harley will be mastering and producing all our Blue Note XRCDs from the Original Analogue Tapes. These Blue Note XRCDs will be available at all your favorite audiophile and non-audiophile retailers. Our goal is to make these great albums available to as many people possible including newbies that may have never heard a Blue Note album. (I still remember when I heard my first one!)

I'll be happy to answer any questions I can that I have an qualified answer for. Happy listening! Bob

 

Will Cool Struttin' have the complete 6-track session that was recorded on January 5, 1958? The original album had only 4 tracks.

These are the 6 tracks that were recorded on that date:
Cool Struttin'
Blue Minor
Sippin' at Bells
Deep Night
Royal Flash
Lover

 

Hans, it will not have Royal Flush or Lover due to technical and artistic reasons...but when ever there are alt takes or additional songs that are good enough we will use them. Good example is Horace Parlan Speakin' My piece which includes Alt takes of Rastus and Oh So Blue with very cool and different solos. I love this album!

 

That's a pity and reason for me not to get the XRCD, even though I do like much of Mr Yoshida's work. Some CD reissues of Cool Struttin' do have the complete session, including my Japanese version.

Thanks for your reply.

 

Hans, I understand completely. Would have liked to have included them.

 

I'm with you on this one. I was really disappointed that the Classic Record DAD (which sounds great) did not have those 2 bonus tracks (my RVG has it, but the DAD trounces it in sound quality and by using the original mix). When I saw it listed here I got excited, but now disappointment sets in again. Those two tracks are excellent, and the short time of the regular album would have made the additions welcome.

Looking forward to Soul Station though and the series in general. I think that Allan Yoshida did an incredible job with the XRCD24 of "Art Pepper Meets the Rhythm Section". I greatly prefer it to the APO Gold and even over the APO SACD.

Someone mentioned how good the Decca Allan Yoshida XRCD24 Classical discs sound. I've got one - Benjamin Britten's "Young Persons Guide to the Orchestra" and thinks it's great.

 

Hello Bob:

Glad you joined SH forums. Couple of questions. As a subscriber of the MM Blue Notes 45s, I was wondering if the Blue Note XRCDs will be available as a subscription. Also, how limited this BN XRCDs will be? Thanks in advance.

 

Which one are you listening to? I'm still spinning the McMaster.