Great recording labels

[jazdoc]

OK let me add a few followup comments.

1. It's great to recommend original recordings but my experience is that the majority of them are in terrible shape; that's opposed to classical LPs where either the owners only played them once and put them on the shelf or had some better tables. I've returned countless jazz LPs that were graded as mint or NM. I can count the number of classical albums returned on one hand in the last five years.
2. I highly recommend the MM and Analog Production 45 rpm series. I've compared some to 15 ips tapes and they are very good transfer. The main thing I hear is that the LP is a little lighter sounding and brighter. The LPs are even slightly closer to the tapes thru the Allnic phono section.
3. Fantasy is hit or miss. Some good, some bad. I also think Verves are a little better than you give them credit for. The tapes sound much better than the LPs. Listen to the 45 rpm issues and one hears some of the sound issues probably stem from poor transfers/vinyl. Verves tend to somewhat veiled with a pronounced bump in the low midrange of voices giving them an unnatural chestiness. That said, Oscar Peterson We Get Requests is to die for! Some other great recordings/music on Verve include Mel Torme I Dig the Count/I Dig the Duke, Gerry Mulligan Meets Ben Webster and Ella Fitzgerald Clap Hands Here Comes Charlie.
4. Contemporary is underrated. As Steve Hoffman told me, these albums were recorded in Contemporary's mail room after hours The best sounding Contemporary is Benny Carter Jazz Giant. Great musicians backing him and great sound!!! Very close to the tape! The tape just has a little more palpabality and less mechanical feel to it.
5. I give the Impulses a slight edge over the BNs. As Steve Hoffman related to me, most of the BNs are recorded very hot and there's some tape overload. My favorite Impulse is A-1 with JJ Johnson/Kai Winding (not to mention Bill Evans and a host of other great sideman!). Positively spooky and in the right system, their trombones have an eery tonality. (esp at CES this year thru the BIG Sonus Fabers!).
6. Don't forget the ORG transfers by Bernie Grundman. I've never been a great fan of his earlier work but his latest total retooling of his remastering chain has clearly born fruit. The 45 rpm ORG Impulses are really good though still prefer Steve Hoffman's transfer work as a whole.
7. Be careful with the OJC. They vary widely in sound quality and are about 1/10th of the original sound. The LPs just sound emasculated

Thanks Myles! This is great stuff. Very helpful to have the insight of a tape guy!

1. I agree that it is more difficult to find NM jazz and rock used LPs. People played these LPs a lot; often drunk, high or both ;-) Through trial and error I've found a few reliable sellers on Ebay. Your experience with used classical is similar to mine. Box sets/operas are often unplayed and excellent sounding.

2. Agreed.

3. Perhaps our difference of opinion regarding Verve recordings is attributable to the differences between the originals versus reissues/tape. The 45 rpm reissue of "Gerry Mulligan Meets Ben Webster" is fabulous and one of my favorites.

4. Agreed. The Benny Carter "Jazz Giant" is terrific. I also like Carter's "Swingin' the '20's". Keep an eye out for the Art Pepper's "Smack Up" and "Gettin' Together", Leroy Vinnegar "Walkin'", Barney Kessel/Ray Brown/Shelley Manne "The Poll Winners" and Teddy Edwards "Teddy's Ready".

5. Thanks. I'll look for the JJ and Kai

6. Agreed.

7. Sadly I agree. I can only recommend one OJC: Tommy Flanagan and John Coltrane "The Cats"

I'm a neophyte with classical labels and haven't found a rhyme or reason with respect to labels other than the grey Columbia 6 eyes generally sound good. Maybe just a lack of experience on my part, but I've had mixed results with RCA, Mercury and Angel.

Can you offer any further insights?

[Bruce B]

Only Bruce could answer this definitively. Maybe it wasn't the same source?

We've never done a transfer of "The Weavers' for HDtracks. He must have gotten it from somewhere else. Upsampled CD rip maybe?

[garylkoh]

Gary,

I certainly can't say if this has anything to do with it, but we do know that each pressing copy of a CD like each pressing copy of an LP (and in the case of the LP each side) can and does sound different.

Rich

Hi Rich,
I agree. That is why green pens, edge cutters, CD mats, all make a difference with the sound. However, once it is ripped, all this does not make a difference. Nevertheless, different issues can sound different, and this is due to the different digital data that was pressed. They are likely to be different masters. Even if they were all transfers from the same analog tape, due to the transfer equipment and process, they can sound different.

Since we now know that Bruce did not do the transfer, we do not know how the HDTracks file was sourced. It could have been from the same analog master, but they used inferior electronics (including the ADC) to the Classic Recordings DAD (which I believe was the Pacific Microsonics).

[MylesBAstor]

Thanks Myles! This is great stuff. Very helpful to have the insight of a tape guy!

1. I agree that it is more difficult to find NM jazz and rock used LPs. People played these LPs a lot; often drunk, high or both ;-) Through trial and error I've found a few reliable sellers on Ebay. Your experience with used classical is similar to mine. Box sets/operas are often unplayed and excellent sounding.

2. Agreed.

3. Perhaps our difference of opinion regarding Verve recordings is attributable to the differences between the originals versus reissues/tape. The 45 rpm reissue of "Gerry Mulligan Meets Ben Webster" is fabulous and one of my favorites.

4. Agreed. The Benny Carter "Jazz Giant" is terrific. I also like Carter's "Swingin' the '20's". Keep an eye out for the Art Pepper's "Smack Up" and "Gettin' Together", Leroy Vinnegar "Walkin'", Barney Kessel/Ray Brown/Shelley Manne "The Poll Winners" and Teddy Edwards "Teddy's Ready".

5. Thanks. I'll look for the JJ and Kai

6. Agreed.

7. Sadly I agree. I can only recommend one OJC: Tommy Flanagan and John Coltrane "The Cats"

I'm a neophyte with classical labels and haven't found a rhyme or reason with respect to labels other than the grey Columbia 6 eyes generally sound good. Maybe just a lack of experience on my part, but I've had mixed results with RCA, Mercury and Angel.

Can you offer any further insights?

BTW, the second Kai Winding, Impulse A3 is also amazing. What I also found interesting is that Impulse wanted to kick the label off with a recording that would send a msg to jazz fans --and I can't think of two better recordings Of course, Coltrane came later--and interestingly asked for van Gelder for a recording engineer.).