advertisement


Tone Poet Blue Notes

Tony L said:
My Jazz Dispensary order (Bryant & Bartz) arrived earlier from the US without even a hint of customs/tax, the Bartz in particular is a beautiful thing with a lovely heavy tip-on gatefold sleeve. I’ve pushed my luck and gone back for more (Hayes Shaft & Black Moses and the 24 Carat Black album)!
Click to expand...

No luck with the Charles Kynard? It’s the jewel in the crown IMO. Let’s hope there are more in the series.
 
Any one noticing and surface/pressing noise?

My copy of Duke Ellington ‘Money Jungle’ is being returned.
Too much surface noise. And the piano on Caravan didn’t sound right. I know the tune well as I have had it on a Blue Note sampler c.d. for decades.

Playing Herbie Hancock ‘The Prisoner’ now and there is a bit again. Mastering is very nice though.

It is noticeable as the Lee Morgan Sidewinder and Schofield/Metheny are super quiet.
 
I’ve not had any issue with any Tone Poet yet beyond one having a slight dish-warp (can’t remember which!). I do wet-clean everything before first play though.
 
Big Tabs said:
Any one noticing and surface/pressing noise?

My copy of Duke Ellington ‘Money Jungle’ is being returned.
Too much surface noise. And the piano on Caravan didn’t sound right. I know the tune well as I have had it on a Blue Note sampler c.d. for decades.

Playing Herbie Hancock ‘The Prisoner’ now and there is a bit again. Mastering is very nice though.

It is noticeable as the Lee Morgan Sidewinder and Schofield/Metheny are super quiet.
Click to expand...

Must admit I've raised my eyebrows at claims of silent background. Nothing that bothers me but no better than a lot of other standard pressings and cetrainly no less than most of the DeAgostinis I bought a few years back which were very good on that front.

I've also had finger marks and smudges on at least three of mine. Again nothing I'd send them back for but made a mental note that it was quite a poor show for such a high end package.
 
FWIW I don’t like the fairly hard plastic Tone Poet inners and replace them on mine (I use these). I’m always very careful getting the record out the first time before it goes through the usual Zerostat and wet-vac ritual. If you have a good wet-vac machine I do advise cleaning before first play, it removes anything, be it physical or chemical, before the stylus has the opportunity to weld it to the groove wall and I’m sure gives me a higher success rate with quiet pressings. I use a good fine-line stylus profile too which helps.

PS I’m actually quite horrified by how thick my stack of Tone Poet inners is now! I really have gone a bit mad buying these things...
 
This site contains affiliate links for which pink fish media may be compensated.
Tony L said:
I’ve not had any issue with any Tone Poet yet beyond one having a slight dish-warp (can’t remember which!). I do wet-clean everything before first play though.
Click to expand...

yeah, me too.
It’s not that kind of dirt sound anyhoo.

I played Sidewinder again, sounded spot on.
 
Tony L said:
FWIW I don’t like the fairly hard plastic Tone Poet inners and replace them on mine (I use these).
Click to expand...

I'm not entirely convinced by those inners, either. I also inadvertently left one on a still-hot valve. Are those Spincare replacements similar to the Mobile Fidelity inners, minus the branding and other visual cues?
 
This site contains affiliate links for which pink fish media may be compensated.
Yes, pretty much identical. I think they are exactly the same as the sleeves the Acoustic Sounds Verve and Impulse ship in.
 
Tony L said:
Yes, pretty much identical. I think they are exactly the same as the sleeves the Acoustic Sounds Verve and Impulse ship in.
Click to expand...

I use those too. I started with MoFi, but the Spincare ones are so much cheaper and look identical.

The worst inners were those on BN 80 series. Horrible paper inners ‘glued’ to the LPs with static.
 
kjb said:
tbh, Lloyd, who produced the record, has put himself front and centre. There are very few solos from others, much more of an integrated ensemble feel. When Frisell does have some solo space it still tends to be mixed close to the ensemble. Frisell also has a thicker sound here that usual: I'm not sure I'd have identified him straight away if I didn't know he was on the record.

Don't get me wrong its a good record but an interestingly organic mix with the individuals very much subsumed into the whole. The drums and bass sit quite a way back, there's less air in the mix and there are very few moments when instruments apart from the sax or flute are really highlighted. Its a very different flavour of TP to previous releases, for the most part, more reflective and a bit less dynamic than their live set here.

Charles Lloyd & The Marvels with Bill Frisell - 2016-01-30 set 1 - Lincoln Center, New York, NY - YouTube
Click to expand...

Are you allowed to quote yourself? ;)

I've been replaying this a bit since my last post and since our power supply moved back to a new mains cable and off a shared generator. ( see other post in the audio room)

All of the things I'd fretted about no longer apply - the drums and bass are far crisper and more forward in the mix and the interplay between the instruments is delightfully intricate, esp between the guitar and the steel guitar. Frisell's guitars sound is much richer and more central than on the first plays and the whole record far more dynamic and spacious.

I'm moving from liking this to loving it.

How have others found it?

Kevin
 
I listened to Lee Morgan The Rajah and Sam Rivers Contours yesterday. Both great but everything about the Sam Rivers record blew me away from the compositions to the clarity of the pressing. Excellent. These are the only two Tone Poet records I own.
 
Roots and Herbs arrived today - my fault for watching 'I Called Him Morgan' on Netflix then realising how little Art Blakey and Lee Morgan I owned. 2 LPs and 4 CDs purchased as a result!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.


advertisement


Back
Top