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Jazz Reissues (Individual and short runs)

paulfromcamden said:
A couple of interesting reissues from Jazz Dispensary - David Axelrod’s - Heavy Axe and Bernard Purdie - Purdie Good!
Both mastered by ...Kevin Grey of course (has he kidnapped all the other mastering engineers?!) pressed at RTI etc.
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Stewart Mason of Allmusic states, "it seems like Purdie's much-vaunted ability to play well in just about any style thrown at him is almost a liability on 1971's Purdie Good... the covers are competent enough, but why listen to them when the originals are far superior? At best, the album only barely lives up to its title".

I'd agree with that. Pity as there are so many interesting Prestige LPs that I'd like to see reissued by Jazz Dispensary. Purdie fans better served by the brilliant Afrodisiac by Charles Kynard also released by Jazz Dispensary about 10 years ago. Still available I believe.
 
Just played a few clips of the Purdie and I like it. As expected it is all about the drums/groove, and I can live with that. Less keen on the Axelrod, and given how expensive they are (£38 with postage from Juno) I’ve just gone for the Purdie. Way outside my price comfort zone, by about £15 being honest, but I have far too little of this sort of thing in my collection. I’ll keep an eye out and if it is listed on Amazon I’ll cancel and move there as it may dip cheaper, plus postage is no cost (Prime).
 
paulfromcamden said:
Did I miss something or did he only devote half a sentence to how the reissue actually sounds?
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No, but I think he’s a bit out of his depth with this one, I don’t think wha-wha sax and harp is his thing. Mind you he does mention one violinist who played with Magma, and Michel Urbaniak who sounds like he should have. I’m sure LJC will be back on earth very soon.

Tony L said:
I’ve got that one, it is very good as I recall. I must dig it out for a spin.
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If you mean Elements, you should, it’s great. More than just a passing fad.
 
Graham H said:
If you mean Elements, you should, it’s great. More than just a passing fad.
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Thanks to some recommendations here I bought a few of that series; Elements, the Gary Bartz, a couple of Azar Lawrence, and a Rusty Bryant. All really good, though I need to drag them out for some more plays.
 
Tony L said:
Thanks to some recommendations here I bought a few of that series; Elements, the Gary Bartz, a couple of Azar Lawrence, and a Rusty Bryant. All really good, though I need to drag them out for some more plays.
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It’s a promising series, just a bit too sporadic. Don’t forget Charles Kynard. I was hoping they’d get round to the first two Melvyn Sparks and Sonny Philips titles. VMP released Sparkplug, but doesn’t appear to have been on general release. The second Bartz NTU Troop title would be nice, too.
 
paulfromcamden said:
A couple of interesting reissues from Jazz Dispensary - David Axelrod’s - Heavy Axe and Bernard Purdie - Purdie Good!

Both mastered by ...Kevin Grey of course (has he kidnapped all the other mastering engineers?!) pressed at RTI etc.

https://jazzdispensary.com/jazznews/two-new-top-shelf-reissues-from-david-axelrod-bernard-purdie/
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Axelrod & Purdie 2023 Universal music rehash of the 2021 1,000 copy vinyl me please version & same as the 2024 RSD & 2025 Black Friday
Purdie sounds excellent have a KG test pressing of the 2021 VMP version
 
Just got my Candid Cecil Taylor - bit crackly in places and quite left-right but sounds great, very punchy.
 
Seanm said:
Just got my Candid Cecil Taylor - bit crackly in places and quite left-right but sounds great, very punchy.
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Mine arrived yesterday and I glad to say it very flat and quiet. Hopefully yours is not too bad, perhaps a good clean will helpI. It does really require a quiet pressing on some tracks notably track two ‘This Nearly Was Mine’ a trio track that starts very quietly until Taylor ups the dynamics and stands out in the mix. I agree it is very left / right with virtually no centre fill, but it does sound spacious and very dynamic. I’ll try it with my mono cartridge to see if I prefer that, but it is possibly the best sounding of these Candid reissues so far and apart from the quality of the covers they have all been excellent. I give it a top recommendation with the slight reservation that this while not ‘totally free jazz’ it may be a bit too avant-garde for some. I love Taylor’s music and as well as the compositional complexity there is great subtlety and beauty in the music on this recording. I would say stream it first, but I doubt any stream would sound as good as the Bernie Grundman master here.

For a totally different and to me quite bizarre review of the earlier Candid reissue of Booker Ervin’s see this from London Jazz Collector: https://londonjazzcollector.wordpre...ny-sharrock-ask-the-ages-1991-hive-mind-2019/
Scroll down beyond the Sunny Sharrock review.

I do have respect for LJC as a researcher and of late given his favourable Tone Poet reviews have at least thought he was now making reasonable sense about reissue quality, but either he got an unbelievably bad pressing of this or he is going deaf. He first accuses Grundman of using a digital step in the remaster. While I am no longer hard core re. AAA so don’t really care as long as it sounds good, this does only say ‘remastered from the original master tapes’ so is a little ambiguous. I personally hear no digital artefacts at all. Listen carefully to Al Harewood’s cymbals and the ring from the sharp taps in Mojo and later the ‘air’ around them when he uses brushes. Missing air and sonic detail? Not on my pressing. It also has plenty of front to back depth a lack of which sometimes happens with (poor) digital transfers. Also great dynamics on Booker’s Tenor that capture is pretty unique Tone. I might agree a little lacking in lower bass. Perhaps he is too accustomed to RVG nearly everything upfront RVG recordings to appreciate a different approach. I have this, the Mingus and the Cecil Taylor (above) from these reissues so far and apart from the covers they have been good enough for me. I dread to think what he would make of the Cecil Taylor where he is no fan of the music either?
 
A new update on the Contemporary Series


Explanation re the artwork for Meets The Rhythm Section (7.30). Short story, we got the original in the end not the colourised version, hence the delay. The Mono and Stereo were in fact different. (So there you have it In-Groove Mike!)

West Side Story - Previn, Manne etc - May 19th
Leroy Vinnegar Sextet - June 19th
Something Else!!! The Music of Ornette Coleman - July 14th
Tomorrow Is The Question, The New Music of Ornette Coleman - August11th
My Fair Lady - Shelly Manne - September 15th
You Get More Bounce With Curtis Counce - October 13th
Portrait Of Art Farmer - November 10th
Phineas Newborn Jr - A World of Piano! - December 15th
 
paulfromcamden said:
A couple of interesting reissues from Jazz Dispensary - David Axelrod’s - Heavy Axe and Bernard Purdie - Purdie Good!

Both mastered by ...Kevin Grey of course (has he kidnapped all the other mastering engineers?!) pressed at RTI etc.

https://jazzdispensary.com/jazznews/two-new-top-shelf-reissues-from-david-axelrod-bernard-purdie/
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My buddy brought both records over yesterday to listen to while shooting pool. I really enjoyed both albums and glad he left them here for me to revisit through my big system.
 
New reissue on the Verve By Request series.

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