Dear Mep: IMHO I think that almost everyone that want to buy vintage jazz recordings did/do it because the specific artist/player quality performance level ( own skills. ) and not looking for a " good recording ". We don't bought a B. Johnson or B. Webster recordings looking for no other thing that player performance.
Now if we are lucky enough and that recording had a good quality sound recording level well that is a " side line " and always welcomed.
Robert and Vincent posted a similar point of view so I'm not alone on this subject. There is no doubt that in those old times the recording resources were more limited than todays one even that we can found out very good recordings from those times like the ones I posted in the other thread.
++++++ " Never in my wildest dreams did I think that some people were going to jump in and say WOW is really not a very good recording. I never tried to say it was the best recording ever made, but I will stand by my remarks that it will still put to shame many modern recordings. " +++++
I don't want to go inside on WOW that for me is not a good recording ( btw, in my dictionary " mediocrity " means, averageness: a quality that is adequate or acceptable, but not very good. ) but looking for other subject: I would like to know which " many " modern recording WOW put on shame ( as you posted. ). Could you tell us?, thank you in advance.
I know that today exist mediocrity level on some recordings but normally the modern recordings are way better than the old ones.
Btw, if you like sax instrument these ones are great performances and IMHO with good quality sound recording too:
C. Hawkins............: Hawkins Alive at the Village Gate, Johnny Hodges: Blues A-Plenty, Lester Young/Roy Eldridge and Harry Edison: Laughi'n to keep from Cryin', two recordings by D.Ellington and Johnny Hodges: " Back to Back " and " Side by Side ", Budd Johnson and Earl Hines: Mr. Bechet, Chet Baker: Chet.
All these in the re-issue versions.
Other than the hardware limitations of those all days always exist the human been " factor " ( recording enginner/producer ) where things happen or not depending on the recording persons own skills.
An example of how things happened ( for the god and bad. ) in the same recording you can take the B.Johnson ( the one I name it. ) tenor/soprano very good sound quality instrument recording and at the same time you can heard/hear to the unforgettable E.Hines poor/mediocre piano sound quality recorded in the same LP.
I like many of you own hundreds/thousands of records on almost any genre and from almost any " time/era " and IMHO modern recording are and have the best sound quality recordings of all times. IMHO it can't be in other way or : do you think that modern recording enginners and producers are all stupid or deaft?, I don't think so.
Dear jazdoc: +++++++++ " I too was a bit taken back by Raul's comments, but he is often a contrarian ... " ++++++
often a contrarian?. Well could be but that has a foundation: first hand experiences. What mean I with this?.
when you are aware and already have/had experiences ( any subject ) that I did not maybe I can't understand what you are telling me and because I don't have/had yet those kind of experiences/information I could be " contrarian " or not agree with you.
You can put that in the other way around where you don't agree with me but that IMHO does not means you or me are " contrarian " per se only that we say what we say due to the information each one of us have on hand ( in my case almost always first hand information. ).
In the other side time to time I like to think and had/have experiences in many audio subjects " out of the box/AHEE " ( questioning not only me or my audio system but questioning other people opinions including the ones from professional reviewers/audio designers or audio retailers. ) where other people always stay inside the box and thinking on an orthodox way.
My audio/music learning day by day process always till today received and receive great and wide benefits from that self attitude.
Regards and enjoy the music,
Raul.
