XRCDs coming in June - Blue Notes!

OK, I talked to the folks at Elusive Disc again. Yes, they pushed the street dates of this series but they indicated that we would be pleased with the end results. The reason for the delay is to ensure the quality of the final product and also to iron out the fine details involved with the subscription. My understanding is that the price has not even been settled yet, but I am highly anticipating this series.

 

Official launch of Audio Wave Blue Note XRCD24!

To Rocky and all the great Blue Note fans on the Forum,

The launch of our Blue Note XRCD24 project has begun! See link below.

http://www.elusivedisc.com/products.asp?dept=1513

A Subscription and all individual titles are now available on the www.elusivedisc.com website to order.

We are sending an official Elusive Disc email tonight releasing all these titles for pre-order. The release date has unfortunately been pushed back to September for the first 2 titles due to improvements to the artwork and packaging. You can now see the final front cover artwork on our website. I can assure you they will be worth the wait!

I was lucky to have the opportunity to help produce these great XRCDs.
My view all along has been to make everything about them as good as possible even if it meant more time and money. I appreciate everyone's interest and patience regarding this project. Believe me I know how hard it is to wait for something you really want. We started this project over a year ago and I can't wait for these to hit the streets! I hope everyone enjoys listening to these Blue Note XRCDs as much as I have.

Many Thanks! Your Fellow Jazz Lover - Bob Bantz

 

I'm in...just signed up. I cannot wait!

 

Thanks for the information Bob, I have subscribed to the series. Hopefully it will continue past the initial 25!!

I have been collecting jazz for many, many years, but never thought that I would be able to acquire so many killer titles in such high quality as I am able to now.

As I have said often, this is a great time to be a jazz lover!

Pat

 

Wow, looking forward to these releases. I think I will get them all (depending on how they actually sound based on the first few samples, but I am expecting these to sound nice), but there is no point in subscribing for me. I wish there was the "free shipping" incentive for subscribers, or if these were numbered editions, that you can secure the same number for each release.

 

Hi Joe

Any updates on the XRCDs? Am especially interested in Grant Green's Matador! Can't wait to hear Steve's sonic rescue of this legendary session with McCoy Tyner and Elvin Jones!

Also, curious if you are aware of a 1966 Grant Green TV performance that is rumored to exist. See here for details: http://www.stevehoffman.tv/forums/showthread.php?t=190717

 

Hi Monk,

Yes, they'll be out in September. The delay has been due to the jackets....we want these babies to be as exciting to see, hear and touch as the Music Matters series. That's really the idea here. Thirty bucks is a lot of hard earned scratch to pay for a single CD. We want for the buyer to feel like they REALLY got their money's worth in every respect: sound, look and feel.

The delay in these has had nothing to do with sound. We've been thrilled with what we are hearing. The delay has been related to getting the jackets JUST the way we want them....the correct colors, layout, reproduction of the photos...everything.

If you've never been involved in the release of a large scale series I can tell you that the first one is always the most difficult. After all, these are the ones that are setting the template for all that will follow.

Waiting is hard, believe me I understand. I think some of you will remember that there were similar delays at the beginning of the Music Matters Blue Note project. But most would agree that the end results warrant the extra care that was taken.

We're on track for September releases. And we've mastered enough to keep us going for some time.

Bob and I are VERY eager for you all to get your hands on a few of these. When everything has been done right, when you've really given it everything....THAT is the fun part!

Almost folks.....almost......


cheers,

Joe, Bob and Alan.

 

Thanks Joe!

What month is Matador scheduled for?

 

Below is the cover art for the LP version Joe is producing. Steve Hoffman mastered the Lp. Joe said he planned to make it an XRCD (compact disc format) as well, though it's unclear when this CD would be released. My guess is the XRCD of Matador would be mastered by Alan Yoshida.

 

OK, Monk. Now I see where it all comes from.
Thanks.

 

Excellent, you got me excited.

 

I agree. They do mention you can combine the monthly shipments, on request, to save on shipping costs. I will probably do that if I subscribe (which I am seriously considering).

 

Still 10 months to go 'till June.

Goran

 

I'm very interested in this series. I have 3 titles already on the 45rpm Vinyl editions but they are just too pricey for me to collect on a regular basis.

What is the benefit to subscribing? Are the XRCDs going to be limited like the vinyls? Numbered? Any reason why I can't just pick them up as and when I can afford them, rather than committing to a $60+ shipment every month or however often I decide to have them shipped?

 

Hi Joe,

Is "Soul Station" still on track to ship this month? Can't wait to hear this one as it's one of my favorites and the late 90s RVG is a compressed sonic mess.

Thanks for the info about the cover art. I'm sure these will look great. Are you printing direct to plate or using separations? Were you able to work with Reid Mile's original final cover negatives? Did Blue Note provide access to high resolution digital drum scans of the original art?

 

Hi Monk,

Basically, we're doing these in the same manner as Ron and I do when preparing the artwork for the Music Matters' LPs of these same titles.

Since the work of rebuilding the cover of "Soul Station", using the original Francis Wolf shot, has already been done we're making use of that for the cover art for this Blue Note XRCD and using the same process for all of the others.

We get the original photos through an arrangement with the great Michael Cuscuna at Mosaic Images, who is the caretaker of all things Blue Note.

Not a day goes by that I don't thank Michael in one way or another for his great help on both of the Blue Note projects I'm involved with. (BTW, he LOVES the results!).

cheers,

Joe

 

Wow, that's awesome! Going back to the original negative and rebuilding the cover means this will look better than the RVG CD cover, which was just a scan of an old LP cover.

 

I've been eagerly waiting since the announcement, I really do hope we'll see them this month. The Alan Yoshida mastered XRCDs I have sound fantastic, and I'm in no way disappointed these aren't high res.

 

I've been anxiously awaiting these since the original announcement! Has anybody heard when they are finally going to be released?

 

The inital two BN XRCDs have been pushed back until October 2009 according to the Elusive Disc site. I wonder if this was done because of the release of the Beatle remasters in Sept.? Maybe they thought the XRCDs would have been lost in the frenzy.

Michael

 

Still happening?

 

Pushed back again, to November 2009. Maybe it is taking a little longer than expected to get all the paperwork done for licensing.

 

Maybe we will see them by X-mas! I am not holding my breath though.
With the seeming hault in the SACD BN project by AP, and the simular delays with the XRCD BN project I am getting a little discouraged.

 

Yeah Joe, is this project still happening?