The late 60s/early 70s were a peak era for Soul Jazz, you just have to look at the avalanche of e.g. Prestige ‘Chitlin Circuit’ LPs put out in that vintage so it was still popular out there on the ground. There’s no doubt though that classic jazz started to become very much out of flavour and the suits at Liberty would have taken an increasingly hard line with Blue Note.
1 Like
Not on the release schedule for this year but Byrd In Flight is…
Yes, so good that I bought an almost complete set of the Music Matters series on subscription. With the shipping these were coming home at around £50 a pop but still worth it IMO. Pity MM have been ridiculously hiking the prices of remaining stock since that series ended.
With the introduction of the Tone Poet series manufactured to the same standards but at a more wallet friendly £35ish I have been collecting all of these to date just because they are Tone Poet irrespective of the music, they have become beautiful objects of desire.
However, its proving difficult to keep up with the release schedule and unlike the MM series I am pleased to see that the TP’s right back to the first titles are still available, so no manufactured sense of urgency with these and I’m cherry picking going forward.
Great times to love vintage Jazz and Analogue
1 Like
Yes I think the Tones are not going to be limited which is a good thing.
Well done on the MM’s - they are wonderful and I collected quite a few along with some of the Analogue Productions but had to give up eventually as it was getting a bit out of hand with import duties on top. Still I am planning a MM bulk buy of some others I’d like in the coming months…
As you say good Jazz musical times…
1 Like
One to request, Joe Harley is attentive. He was engaged in discussion on the dedicated Hoffman forum thread, another title I suggested that he acknowledged was Dizzy Reece Blues In Trinity.
It’s a shame he got fed up with churlish “audiophiles” whingeing obsessively and unreasonably about stuff like warbling pianos that went, and still is going on to epic proportions.
These are after all vintage master tapes that can be approaching up to 70 years old transferred warts n all all analogue without limiting.
Joe understandably is currently absent from that discussion.
1 Like
Lucky we have people like him who love the music and have the skill to do what he does. Hoffman forum can be an inhospitable place at times so not surprising he went…
1 Like
Sadly, I had a bit of a negative in the end with MM. I had a subscription to receive every title on release. During the series I recieved two duffers with pressing defects. No problem, they shipped replacements without wanting return of the faultys which was great.
Then I didnt receive the final two titles in the series which were definitely released. I emailed several times and tried phoning to no avail.
I think they excommunicated me for daring to complain about a couple of moody pressings!
1 Like
I subscribed to the full 45rpm series. Had a couple of pressings with mysterious severe scrapes across them (not just one scratch but what can only be described as an etch-a-sketch). They were replaced no problem though so I was happy.
2 Likes
I have several RVG remasters (including Slow Drag) as well as some in the earlier released version. In every case I prefer the RVG versions since they sound more alive and vibrant than the earlier pressing to my ears.
1 Like
Hi Clive, I have quite a few since a record shop was selling loads of them cheaply back when. (I think because they are missing the outer card sleeve)
No real issues to my ears, I’ve just often read so called “audiophiles” complaining about them along the lines that RVG’s hearing was not what it once was and this translated to the RVG series mastering.
A bit like Jimmy Page remastering Zeppelin, but in that case truly awful
I hate audiophile snobbery. It’s the music which comes first in my view. If there then happens to be a cleaner remaster, that’s great as far as I’m concerned.
As for the LZ remasters, I’m in agreement. There does seem to be a preference for the SHM versions though, for some reason, yet aren’t they also from the JPP masters? I didn’t think he’d allowed anyone else to mix them. There was a time when I bought everything LZ, but thankfully my tastes have moved on, which is why I occasionally dip into this thread.
2 Likes
I was referring to the Jimmy Page remasters that came out in the last few years (the most recent I think), single or multiple disc vinyl and CD sets. I foolishly bought into them on LP and they sound totally horrid, like they were monitored by someone completely mutt n jeff ie Jimmy Page!
Me too, if for someone it’s about anything other than music (and good times), it’s about the wrong thing
Should this thread be renamed The Jazz (if it’s on vinyl) Music Thread?
Just asking? 
1 Like
It actually has interrupted the schedule. This month’s three titles will be the last for a while.
Here’s what Joe told me. I figure it’s OK to pass on since he shared it with the TP thread on SH forums.
So we were able to get three more titles completely manufactured and packaged snd shipped to distributors before the shut down of RTI and Stoughton occurred:
April 24
- Lee Morgan – The Cooker (Blue Note, 1957)
- Duke Ellington – Money Jungle (United Artists, 1962)
- Lonnie Smith – All In My Mind (Blue Note, 2017)
The three above will all come out as scheduled.
- Stanley Turrentine – That’s Where It’s At (Blue Note, 1962)
- Bobby Hutcherson – The Kicker (Blue Note, 1963)
- Jackie McLean – It’s Time (Blue Note, 1964)
- Joe Henderson – The State of the Tenor: Live at the Village Vanguard, Volume 1 (Blue Note, 1985)
The four above have all been mastered, stampers created and the artwork has all been prepared and approved.
- Horace Silver – Further Explorations (Blue Note, 1958)
- Jimmy Smith – Prayer Meetin’ (Blue Note, 1963)
- Herbie Hancock – My Point of View (Blue Note, 1963)
- Duke Pearson – The Phantom (Blue Note, 1968)
The above four have all been mastered, stampers have been created and I’ve received test pressings. I accepted Further Explorations and Prayer Meeting and rejected My Point of View and The Phantom for having some noise on the stamper. It happens. It’s why we have test pressings made and check carefully.
- Art Blakey & The Jazz Messengers – Roots & Herbs (Blue Note, 1961)
- Bobby Hutcherson – Oblique (Blue Note, 1967)
The above two have been mastered and stampers made. I have not received test pressings and will not until RTI reopens.
-
Tina Brooks – The Waiting Game (Blue Note, 1961)
-
McCoy Tyner – Tender Moments (Blue Note, 1967)
-
- Donald Byrd – Byrd In Flight (Blue Note, 1960)
- Lee Morgan – The Rajah (Blue Note, 1966)
The above four have all been mastered (just two weeks ago during a two-day mastering marathon!) and (thankfully!) were all plated the next day, just like I demand, even though RTI was about to shut down. Dorin Sauerbier, the plating guy (who is superb!) is still coming in and doing his work… he’s the only guy there.
- Paul Chambers – Bass On Top (Blue Note, 1957)
- John Scofield & Pat Metheny – I Can See Your House From Here (Blue Note, 1993)
The above two are the only ones we have not yet mastered
Just had notice that the new Marcin Wasilewski Trio album vinyl on ECM is going back from June to September - definitely impacts coming through now…
A rare outing on vinyl for ‘Oblique’. Other than the original (v. rare) issue on King, there was a short-lived 90s CD issue by Blue Note as well as a (more widely distributed) RVG CD. Good to see it back - and hopefully they spell Herbie’s name properly this time !
Right! I was wondering. Well I’m glad to have got Money Jungle
Especially for you jazzman22 on CD although I’m playing a ripped copy via my Fiio M9 connected to my Dac.
Recorded at Showa Women’s University’s Hitomi Kinen Kōdō and released just 11 months before his death it is in my opinion one of his finest recordings.
5 Likes
Thanks. Nice thought but unfortunately the album is not on Qobuz and is greyed out on Spotify but there are two (2) of the tracks on an album titled Chet Baker Live in Paris & Toyko - Almost Blue; My Funny Valentine and I’m A Fool To Want You. Streaming on my study set-up now. Not sure about the replay quality though.
Dave