Taking a break from High End Munich coverage of which there's a lot more, brings me to Analog Spark's recent reissue of Bernstein Conducts Rhapsody in Blue/American In Paris (Columbia MS 6091).
We find ourselves during the ongoing pandemic abstaining from pleasurable activities like hanging out on the street. Listening to the 1970’s power pop group Big Star will one day help ease the way back to that once taken for granted lifestyle.
Discovering older musical acts like Big Star is for a child of the 21st century like me mostly a matter of pure luck. I happened upon Big Star’s song “Thirteen” on an episode of “That ‘70’s Show” airing on Netflix. That tune, a captivating piece of tender musical perfection, led me to discover Big Star the group and boy, am I thankful for that!
The gentle, introspective Bill Evans Trio of The Village Vanguard sessions that produced Sunday At the Village Vanguard and Waltz For Debby yielded two years later to the somewhat more rhythmically assertive trio heard on this December 18th, 1963 Webster Hall recording released early in 1964.
The late bassist Scott LaFaro’s friend Gary Peacock replaced him in the trio with Paul Motian continuing on drums. Though no less cerebral and harmonically tuned in than was LaFaro, Peacock brought to the group a faster, more aggressive rhythmic style punctuated with nimble staccato runs. More tapping of the toes and less tugging at the heart.
It’s almost an impossible task trying to “review” an iconic album like Bill Evans Trio’s October 1961 live masterpiece, Sunday at the Village Vanguard, but a new 180g 1LP edition under Craft Recordings’ revival of the Original Jazz Classics series umbrella is most definitely worth a closer look — and listen. Read Mark Smotroff’s review to see why this AAA edition of an all-time jazz classic belongs in your collection. . .
BS&T fans fall into 4 camps: the 1st which prefers the Al Kooper led original group and the album Child is Father to the Man, the 2nd that prefers only the second eponymously titled album, which was the group's most popular, the 3rd camp that loves the first two albums and the 4th camp that loves all of the group's albums. This box is definitely for them.
Blue Note's new "Tone Poet Audiophile Vinyl Reissue Series" is part of the company's 80th anniversary celebration. Wayne Shorter's Etcetera is the first release in the series. Joe Harley, well known among audiophiles for his work with AudioQuest both as a press liaison (among other tasks) and especially for the series of all-analog AudioQuest LPs he produced back when vinyl was "dead", "hand picked" these "Tone Poet" titles and oversaw their production.
Coming January 28th: a 6 LP all-analog 180g "Tone Poet"vinyl box set containing all six 1960s Blue Note Ornette Coleman albums including his five as a leader (the two volume At The 'Golden Circle' Stockholm (1965), The Empty Foxhole (1966), New York Is Now! (1968), and Love Call (1968)—as well as Coleman's lone sideman appearances on saxophonist Jackie McLean's New And Old Gospel (1967).
(Blue Note Press Release): OCTOBER 23, 2020—We’re proud to present the Blue Note Classic Vinyl Reissue Series, a continuation of our acclaimed Blue Note 80 Vinyl Reissue Series which was launched in celebration of our 80th anniversary in 2019. The Classic Series will once again feature all-analog 180g vinyl pressings in standard packaging that are mastered by Kevin Gray directly from the original master tapes and manufactured at Optimal in Germany.
Blue Note today announced an extensive list of upcoming Classic Vinyl Reissue Series titles launching October 1st, 2021 through April 15th, 2022. All reissues mastered by Kevin Gray cut directly from the original analog master tapes, with the exception of two titles, as noted, cut from the digital masters, and pressed on 180g vinyl at Optimal in Germany.
Blue Note today announced the next series of affordable Classic Vinyl 180g, all-analog reissues mastered by Kevin Gray using the original master tapes plated and pressed at Optimal in Germany. The records come in standard packaging to keep the costs down. Blue Note president Don Was and Cem Kurosman curate.
Blue Note Records just announced a new "Tone Poet" Series of all analog vinyl jazz reissues curated by Joe Harley, who co-produces with Ron Rambach the Music Matters Blue Note vinyl reissue series. These records will be produced the way those are: mastered cut directly from the original analog tapes by Kevin Gray at Cohearent Audio and plated and pressed at RTI and deluxe gatefold packaged.
Pandemic-related closures temporarily put Blue Note’s “Tone Poet” series production on hold, but the series resumes on August 28th with the release of three titles: vibraphonist Bobby Hutcherson’s first session The Kicker (1963), alto saxophonist Jackie McLean’s It’s Time (1964) and tenor saxophonist Joe Henderson’s The State of the Tenor: Live at the Village Vanguard, Volume 1 (1965).
A New Zealand-based reader recently emailed asking if Mobile Fidelity's double 45rpm monophonic Bob Dylan reissues were "worth the money". He added that he was a big Bob Dylan fan.
The release blurb for Eric Clapton's new Glyn Johns produced and engineered record has left some readers confused about the source. Bob Ludwig clears it up.