New dual-layer SACDs from vintage BLUE NOTE Analogue Prods, questions answered here..

So wait, you'd rather not have cd/sacds released of the these albums????

Why deny non-analog users the joy of having your versions available?

 

Hi Steve,

Sorry to hear about your back - hope all goes well and you're feeling better soon!

I may have missed this, but will you be mastering both the SACD and CD layers on these hybrid discs, or will they be using existing (McMaster? RVG?) masterings for the CD layer? Or is this still TBD?

Thanks,
Joe

 

Excellent news!

I've already pre-ordered Coltrane's Blue Train. Can't wait.

 

Great news! I wish it was "of course", but record companies (even top-notch reissue companies) have made me scratch my head enough times that it pays not to take things for granted!

- Joe

 

Actually, I feel the same way as Jeff. I really want to support the series, SACD, get things mastered by Steve, etc., but I'm not a *huge* jazz fan (tho' I love Charles Mingus to death), and, within jazz, hard bop is not really my thing too much. (I seem to have the worst luck with Analogue Productions and Steve. Another genre I'm not really into is early/mid 70's hard rock. ) So I'd love to hear at least some discussion about the music. (I did a quick check for threads relating to the original 45RPM series and didn't find anything. I guess everybody who wants these already knows them?)

Anyway, are any of these releases particularly unusual or not the norm in some way? Like weird instrumentation or unusual arrangements or something? And are there ones that are just so amazing that anybody with even a passing interest in jazz shouldn't live without them? Blue Train I guess is the obvious one. And the Art Blakey one too? Sorry to be so pig-ignorant, but I really am in a bind.

Thanks!

Geoff

 

Steve-
Are you surprised that they chose SACD rather than regular cd?
Many have give up on the format. I wish more would come out.

 

Steve are you doing the tape transfers for this project or are are you working from the prexisting DSD transfers for these titles? Kevin's post wasn't clear...

 

I'm really excited about finally getting a good sounding Blue Train. I wasn't really satisfied with the HDAD.

As a more casual jazz fan (I have little outside of Trane and Miles) what titles are essential for the neophyte?

 

If you like the blues, I highly recommend Kenny Burrell's Midnight Blue & Lou Donaldson's Blues Walk. I also like Grant Green's Greent Street & Idle Moments, but I'd start with Burrell's Midnight Blue.

 

Thanks!

 

I'm looking forward these being released. I trust Steve and Kevin to do some excellent work on these titles.

 

I can see that you don't have a turntable listed in your profile, so you've probably ignored all of the Blue Note vinyl threads. Check out some of those threads and you should be able to get some ideas.

 

thank you for clarifying explicitly wrt master tapes, DSD & redbook, Steve. This is magnificent news (but not for our wallets, of course).

As per post #36, any expectations as to conversion / mastering environment? Redbook to be sourced as downconverted DSD, or a separate conversion employed?

If the former, with info about SRC method and dither utilized, you'll be providing not only fantastic music, but also something of significant instructive value which the academic, mastering and audiofool communities are always looking for: an example of superbly-mastered content with common source for DSD and PCM, allowing reasonable study in effect of SRC, dither, etc.....

And very best wishes for a successful procedure, fine painkillers, lovely caregivers and most of all a speedy recovery!

 

Steve,

Let me say that I am very pleased you are doing this project. Several of these titles were remastered by Rudy Van Gelder in an early batch of his "RVG" CD reissue series circa 1998-1999. That first wave of RVG remasterings in the CD series was all over the map sonically, sometimes marred by massive compression and near mono blending of the two track stereo master tapes. The RVG series got better in subsequent years, but the intial batch of reissues contained many of the best titles and they remain unsatisfactory -- until now.

Grant Green's beautiful Idle Moments should be a real treat hearing your excellent mastering skills. The late 1980s Ron McMaster CD transfer of this title breaths much easier than the 1998 RVG remastering which is massively compressed. Looking forward to hearing your rescue of this and other titles. Midnight Blue was also overcompressed as an RVG -- can't wait to get your version of that one too. Big John Patton's "Along Came John" was remastered by Ron McMaster in 2000, but it was a little too bright for my taste. Looking forward to picking up your remastering of that one too. This is just great news. I think this will be a very successful series.

 

I have a stupid question. Will these releases offer a higher fidelity than an HDAD. I own BLUE TRANE and SOMTHING ELSE on HDAD and I am quite pleased, but of course I just own a cheap mid-fi stereo system. I realize that there might be some eq variations, but as far a high fidelity reproduction, wouldn't SACD and HDAD be similar.

 

I'm hardly taken as an authority here, but I do claim knowledge and experience of a wide range of jazz. John Coltrane 'Blue Train' and Dexter Gordon 'Go' are classic records and would be on my list of the top 50 jazz recordings, ever. The Blakey is also a terrific album, and Jackie McLean 'Jackie's Bag' is also a great record.

Most of these recordings would be considered 'hard bop' because of the time period in which they were recorded. None are particularly unusual in their arrangements or instrumentation, as I recall.

 

Thanks. I see that my questions are valued.

 

This is interesting. Mobile Fidelity, do they downconvert DSD to 16/44 using SBM Direct, or a separate PCM A/D for 16/44 CD ?

I remember Steve said he does not prefer SBM Direct because of a tonality change.
I think SBM Direct sounds exellent, very "analogue", smooth and "PCM-unlike" in sound.

 

To me its a matter of the mastering we will be getting.Whether they are done in hi-rez or not they are going to be definitive imo.

Sorry, that probably doesn treally answer your questions on the technical aspect of HDAD vs SACD.From what I have read bother are very good formats though.

 

I think you really have ME to thank for the SACD reissues. You see, when I finally gave up hope of more SACD releases and bought a new turntable, cleaning accessories and a bunch of new and used vinyl it set the wheels in motion for new SACD releases.

I definately will be picking up many of these, some I have on CD (Midnight Blue) and some on LP (Green Streets, Standard issue). I'm very eager to hear them in SACD since I can't quite wrap my mind around a $50 album that you have to flip four times.

Thaks for all your efforts Steve.

 

Have you heard the MFSL gold CD of Blue Train? I think it sounds quite nice.