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Blue Note Classic Vinyl Reissues

Graham H said:
Matador?
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Oops total confusion on my part as I was in the middle of something else when I posted. ‘The Latin Bit’ of course, but I do also have Grant Green’s - Matador as a Music Matters reissue. That was recorded about a year later than the Latin Bit (1963), but not first released till first in Japan in 1979.
 
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Graham H said:
I’d be interested to know what you both think of side 2 of the Milt Jackson. I notice the Monk selections differ to the CD release, and the Monk titles on the CD sound poor, probably taken from acetates.
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Didn’t notice side 2 sounding significantly different to side 1. The whole album is a tad thin, trebly sounding. I put the Bud Powell on straight after and the latter is waaaay better, sound quality wise.
 
RickyC6 said:
Didn’t notice side 2 sounding significantly different to side 1. The whole album is a tad thin, trebly sounding. I put the Bud Powell on straight after and the latter is waaaay better, sound quality wise.
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I guess the Milt Jackson recordings are from the 78 era and the early 50s were a time when recording technology was advancing in leaps and bounds.

Who actually recorded the Milt Jackson material? Discogs lists the studio names but no engineer (I can't see a credit on the 78 entries either). I understand RVG was introduced the Blue Note in 1953.
 
To reiterate, the Bud Powell is outstanding. I’d heard it previously via Amazon Music and enjoyed it, but this is very very good.
 
For years I've read people stating that Bud's later recordings were poor, that he'd lost it by the mid-fifties. But I love all his records. Even if he slowed down a bit his playing still sounds beautiful to me. I'm listening now to a seventies reissue of Strictly Powell from 1956.
 
Graham H said:
I’d be interested to know what you both think of side 2 of the Milt Jackson. I notice the Monk selections differ to the CD release, and the Monk titles on the CD sound poor, probably taken from acetates.
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Graham,
I don’t have the CD version but - Short answer - ditch the CD and get this it sounds great. ;) Worth it for Monk’s early versions of Misterioso and Evidence alone.
Longer version: This was released in 1955, but recorded in three sessions that are much earlier. Recorded at the Apex Studios, NYC, on July 2, 1948 (tracks B3, B4), at the WOR Studios, NYC, on July 23, 1951 (tracks A6 to B2, B6) and on April 7, 1952 (tracks A1 to A5, B5). The track listing and order on this reissue is exactly the same as the 1955 original release.

I was expecting quite a vintage recorded sound given the dates and from other recordings I have from this early, but I really surprised how good this sounds on both sides. There are differences that I can hear in all three recorded sessions, but these are really a matter of emphasise and balance not in general overall quality. I played these mono recordings with my Cadenza Mono cartridge.

One side on side one the emphasis is clearly on Jackson and the balance clearly favours him. Even though this is a mono recording I get a clear large image of his vibes well in front of my speakers and even a sense him moving up and down across keys. The transients and dynamics are amazingly good. There is a hint of mike overload when he hits some higher notes quite hard, but nothing that really disturbs me. It is closely miked with perhaps the mike positioned close to the upper notes. Despite the close miking there is a a big pool of room ambiance around the vibes and the notes decay beautifully into this. The other instruments are also clear and detailed and not lost in the mix. Lou Donaldson’s Alto when he solos is brought up in the mix and is equally forward of my speakers as well. Kenny Clark’s drums are further back but nicely captured particularly his brush work on snare and cymbals.

As I said nothing really poor about the two sessions on side two, but The emphasis here is on Monk’s piano and also Shihab’ Alto on the session he is on. You can clearly hear the differences in Alto tone from him and Donaldson on side one. Milt is further back in the mix just behind my speakers, but still clear and reasonably dynamic. Actually this really sounds a bit more of a natural balance to the other instruments to me. Monks piano is just forward of my speakers and beautifully detailed and dynamic especially for the time. You can easily hear Monk singing along to his playing on some tracks. On Misterioso and Evidence the two from the session without Shihab and with Wilson rather than Blakey on drums the piano is particularly good. It is a pity as Paul mentioned that the engineer on these sessions is not noted only Van Gelder for remastering. If only most VG piano recordings were this good. On these tracks Wilson’s drums, while again towards the back in the mix, are better recorded than Blakey’s where the cymbals are are bit ‘spashey’ and I’ll defined, but this is in the overall scheme of things is the only complaint I have about side two. I’m really enjoying both Monk and Jackson’s playing on this, some of his fast runs of notes are remarkable and work wonderfully with Monk’s percussive piano. I’m glad I didn’t pass on this.

Sorry for going on. You did ask, but now you know you should have settled for the short version above. :)
 
Thanks Jim, you’ve answered all my questions enough to order a copy. So it seems the CD I’ve heard is the odd one out, maybe the masters for the original album couldn’t be located at the time. I’m sure there must be various CD editions too.

poco a poco said:
Worth it for Monk’s early versions of Misterioso and Evidence alone.
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You even managed to read my mind!
 
I have just played the Bud Powell Time Waits as well now and this has top rated sound quality including Van Gelder’s recording of Powell’s piano on this 1958 recording. Pity he did not retain this early quality of piano recording all the time going forward. Perhaps though as this is just a trio he didn’t have as much of a problem with mike bleed from other instruments in his relatively small recording studios with larger groups close together. Joe Jones’s drums do sound really large, loud and dynamic on this and the most forward so potentially could have caused problems here at his Hackensack, parents home, studio. Bass sound really good on this as well.

Both this and the Milt Jackson and Monk have also been totally trouble free and very quite pressings in my case although I see elsewhere others are still complaining about stitching and non fill.
 
The New Run of the Blue Note Classic Reissues has now been announced starting on 17th May:

May 17, 2022—

Ronnie Foster: Two Headed Freap (1972)
Brother Jack McDuff: Moon Rappin (1969)
https://store.bluenote.com/collections/classic-vinyl-series

June 17, 2022—Hard Bop

Lou Donaldson—Blues Walk (1958)
Sonny Clark—Dial ‘S’ For Sonny (1957)

July 15, 2022—Hidden Gems
K
Don Wilkerson—Preach Brother (1962)
George Braith—Extension (1964)

August 19, 2022—Post-Bop

Larry Young—Unity (1965)
Wayne Shorter—Adam’s Apple (1966)

September 16, 2022—Rebirth

Charlie Hunter—Bing Bing Bing! (1965)
Joe Lovano—I’m All For You (2003)

October 18, 2022—Soul Jazz

Big John Patton—Oh Baby! (1965)
Stanley Turrentine—Common Touch (1968)

November 18, 2022—The Avant-Garde

Andrew Hill—Point of Departure (1964)
Grachan Moncur III—Evolution (1963)

December 16, 2022—Bebop

Thelonious Monk—Genius of Modern Music Vol. 1—BLP 1510 (1947-48)
J.J. Johnson—The Eminent Jay Jay Johnson, Vol. 1—BLP 1505 (1953-54)

Some indeed genuine Classics this time. Some I have decent copies of and will pass, some where I am looking to upgrade or just will just be happy to get. To be pressed again by Optimal still. Hope the pressing quality remains at the level of the most recent ones.


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Some great titles there, I’m certainly up for Larry Young’s Unity as that has somehow avoided my collection for a long while (just waiting for the right copy). Can’t recommend Blues Walk highly enough, anyone who hasn’t got that one needs it for sure. A few I need to investigate too.

PS Watching the last The In Groove new releases video I see some Candid titles are getting the luxury tip-on sleeve and Kevin Gray or Bernie Grundman (can’t remember which) mastering including a Mingus I’ve already got (Mingus Presents… I think) and Max Roach We Insist: Freedom Suite, which I very much want. I’ll be very interested to see what source they have for the latter as the last official Candid CD I heard (at least it checked with Discogs) was obviously a needle-drop. I can’t see either of these engineers getting involved unless they have found a good source.
 
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