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Los Angeles—April 26, 2021 — Verve/UMe’s Acoustic Sounds series celebrates Impulse!’s 60th anniversary, releasing May 14 two of the four titles that originally launched the iconic orange and black label:

• Ray Charles – Genius + Soul = Jazz
• Gil Evans Orchestra – Out Of The Cool

Ray Charles’s classic soul/jazz album was last in print a decade ago on a dazzling sounding all-analog edition from Analogue Productions with Kevin Gray cuttings lacquers using the original master tapes. For those who missed that one, the metal parts will again be used to produce this QRP pressed 180g edition. It’s Ray trading piano for Hammond B3 performing a jazz/soul mix backed by a big band featuring members of Count Basie’s orchestra fueled by Quincy Jones and Ralph Burns arrangements.

Perhaps even more exciting is the newly mastered Out of the Cool cut by Ryan K. Smith at Sterling Sound Nashville also using the original analog master tapes.

To the best of my knowledge the last time these tapes were used was for the mind-blowing 1997 Alto-Analogue edition.

The long thought “lost tapes” clearly exist because I’ve seen a recent box photo, but hearing is believing and I’ve got a test pressing that backs up the image. This is the real deal and an absolutely essential sonically and musically mind-blowing album.

Gil Evans groundbreaking composing and arranging masterpiece arrived following three classic Miles Davis collaborations including the meditative Sketches of Spain. Here, with an all-star rhythm section of Charlie Persip, Elvin Jones and Ron Carter plus guitarist Ray Crawford anchoring a ten piece horn section, Evans delivers on “La Nevada”, the opening 15 minute track, a churning mix of musical colors, gritty, aggressive textures and explosive dynamics on an enormously wide, deep and airy soundstage that impresses more with each play. The road from here to Miles’ In a Silent Way almost a decade later will be clear.

Pre-Order Ray Charles Genius+Soul=Jazz.

Pre-Order Gil Evans Orchestra Out of the Cool.

The rest of the year’s offerings cut by Ryan K. Smith from original analog tapes are no less impressive and 21st Century essential.

Now, before we get to the rest of the release details, it’s time to clear up the many misconceptions about the 2008 NBC Universal fire (some of which I regrettably spread based upon what I thought were accurate and well-researched newspaper stories) and the faux sacrosanct “original master tape” mantra when applied to 60 year old tapes.

For instance, the source for the stunning sounding A Love Supreme that kicked off this Verve/UMe-Acoustic Sounds Series was a flat transfer from England that recording engineer Rudy Van Gelder had years ago chosen as the best available source when compared to the original master tape. Which would you prefer be used? The “original master tape” or “the best available” tape?

Let’s go one step further: here’s a statement from UMG’s head archivist Pat Kraus:
“Working closely with Verve, UMe and Acoustic Sounds, each tape from UMG’s archives was individually selected to ensure that only the very best all-analog audio sources were used for this celebration of Verve and Impulse!’s storied legacy. Contrary to the flat-out inaccurate claims by The New York Times Magazine, not one of the master tapes for these albums were lost in the 2008 NBC Universal fire — in fact, none of those tapes were even in that vault.”

Where were they? At the time of the fire, UMG was in the process of moving all of the tapes to “Iron Mountain” where they now are stored. AnalogPlanet hopes to visit “Iron Mountain” outside of Pittsburgh, PA and if protocol allows, produce videos.

Skeptics should consider this: The New York Times story claimed that the Buddy Holly tapes were lost in the fire. Anyone who bought the Analogue Productions reissues of Buddy Holly and The Chirping Crickets both cut by Kevin Gray can easily hear that these were cut, as claimed, from the original master tapes, probably bullet-proof Scotch 111.

More to the point of this series, ORG released post fire produced, now out of print editions of Coltrane’s Crescent, Live at the Village Vanguard and Ballads—the other Verve/UMe-Acoustic Sounds Series lead title. Those out of print editions now sell for hundreds of dollars each. Now, you have the opportunity to again get these albums all remastered from the same great sounding masters for $35 pressed at QRP on 180 gram vinyl.

All titles in the series are housed in Stoughton Printing Co. high-quality tip-on gatefold jackets, replicating the original Impulse or Verve packaging. Like all Acoustic Sounds titles, CEO Chad Kassem will be supervising these reissues and Quality Record Pressing will do the biscuit-squeezing on their highly customized presses.

Following the May releases, the Impulse titles will include Oliver Nelson’s post-bop classic, The Blues And The Abstract Truth (1961) and Sonny Rollins’ first of three albums recorded for Impulse, the electrifying On Impulse! (1965) on June 25followed by Charles Mingus’ back-to-back masterpieces, The Black Saint and the Sinner Lady (1963) and Mingus Mingus Mingus Mingus Mingus (1964) on August 20.

I have test pressings of The Blues And The Abstract Truth and On Impulse! and there’s no mistaking the quality of the source tapes or the mastering or the pressing. I have originals too. These too are “the real deal”.

Representing “The House that Trane built” will be four John Coltrane titles: the legendary “Live” At The Village Vanguard (1962) and the epic, meditative Crescent (1964) on October 22, followed by his sublime collaborations with big band legend Duke Ellington and singer Johnny Hartman, on the albums Duke Ellington & John Coltrane (1963) and John Coltrane & Johnny Hartman respectively, on December 10. Also due that day: Roy Haynes’ adventurous Out Of The Afternoon (1962). Additionally, Ellington’s impeccable pairing with Coleman Hawkins on the aptly titled Duke Ellington Meets Coleman Hawkins (1963) will come on November 19.

The Verve titles will include Bill Evans’ excellent duo of trio platters, Trio 64 (1964) and Trio 65 (1965) on July 30 followed by his elegant live album, At Town Hall, Volume 1 on October 22. Ella Fitzgerald’s enduring Christmas classic Ella Wishes You A Swinging Christmas will bow on September 10 in time to get folks ready for the holidays and will be succeeded a couple weeks later by her immortal duets albums with Louis Armstrong, Ella & Louis (1956) and Ella & Louis Again (1957) on September 24. Oscar Peterson’s blues and R&B-laden Night Train (1963) and his final Verve effort, We Get Requests (1964), featuring inspired interpretations of some of the era’s popular songs, will hit on November 19, ending with a musical and sonic bang the year’s Verve/UMe-Acoustic Sounds Series offerings.

Here’s the release schedule June through December:

June 25

• Oliver Nelson – The Blues and the Abstract Truth (Impulse!, 1961)
• Sonny Rollins – On Impulse! (Impulse!, 1965)

July 30

• Bill Evans – Trio 64 (Verve, 1964)
• Bill Evans – Trio 65 (Verve, 1965)

August 20

• Charles Mingus – The Black Saint and the Sinner Lady (Impulse!, 1963)
• Charles Mingus – Mingus Mingus Mingus Mingus Mingus (Impulse!, 1964)

September 10

• Ella Fitzgerald – Ella Wishes You A Swinging Christmas (Verve, 1960)

September 24

• Ella Fitzgerald & Louis Armstrong – Ella & Louis (Verve, 1956)
• Ella Fitzgerald & Louis Armstrong – Ella & Louis Again (Verve, 1957)

October 22

• Bill Evans – At Town Hall, Volume 1 (Verve, 1966)
• John Coltrane – “Live” At The Village Vanguard (Impulse!, 1962)
• John Coltrane – Crescent (Impulse!, 1964)

November 19

• Duke Ellington & Coleman Hawkins – Duke Ellington Meets Coleman Hawkins (Impulse!, 1963)
• Oscar Peterson – Night Train (Verve, 1963)
• Oscar Peterson – We Get Requests (Verve, 1964)

December 10

• Duke Ellington & John Coltrane – Duke Ellington & John Coltrane (Impulse!, 1963)
• John Coltrane & Johnny Hartman – John Coltrane & Johnny Hartman (Impulse!, 1963)
• Roy Haynes – Out Of The Afternoon (Impulse!, 1962)

These are peak analog times!