The Japanese Blue Note CD LT series - awesome stuff!!

The awesome Blue Note LT series from Japan is now complete. This superb series shows exactly how to do a reissue series on physical CD in the year 2012. Budget price - the conversion is about $10 each. Highest production standards - from the artwork, through to pressing, all the way to the mastering, which is clearly from original analog tapes supervised by Michael Cuscuna (who provides brief new notes to each title) and done by a Japanese mastering engineer whose work here is simply outstanding. Let's face it - the LT series of Blue Notes has never got a whole lotta love. They came on LP with average pressings, and subpar sound for the most part, at least nowhere near the original BN RVG sound. The cover art was universally despised, being such a great departure from the 'classic' BN look. And at the time, many considered this to be a series of leftovers, a barrel scraping exercise to wring a last round of profits by United Artists from their acquisition of Blue Note. Subsequent reissues have done little to re-evaluate these titles, and they have never been reissued as a comprehensive series - until now.

This really is the way to do a reissue campaign. Three big batches of titles a month apart gives us the ability - in fact, implores us - to re-evaluate the LT series as a whole. And in doing so, these titles for the most part come to life again under a whole new light. 

The fact is that I have always had mixed feelings about unreleased sessions and tracks surfacing, it all too often seems that the right decision was the original one and there were good reasons the sessions didn't get released in the first place. That is true of many of the titles here. But at the same time, understanding that, it also becomes clear that a whopping number of these sessions have huge merit musically and historically.

Larry Young's "Mothership" is a stone classic, for me the very best Larry Young record. It features Lee Morgan and the outstanding, seldom recorded tenor of Herbert Morgan, it is Young's last BN session, and his most straight ahead date very much in the vein of mid period Coltrane. Smoking hot. I previously had the domestic BN Connoisseur edition which this mastering easily tops. Totally and urgently recommended.

Jackie McLean appears several times in the LT series, "Vertigo" is an incomplete 1963 session supplemented with an earlier track, here the title track is one of Jackie's best in  his extensive discography, the title is descriptive as it is not a head/solos/head piece, but a very well laid out vertigo-inducing set of cell like riffs and developments, stops and starts with solos weaving in and out of the angular theme. Despite having some superb playing and great writing, the session didn't yield enough for an entire album - maybe due to how challenging the title track must have been - hence its laying in the vaults until the LT issue. Donald Byrd, Hancock, Tony Williams - a rare appearance of Byrd in front of Williams - worth it just for the title track. More McLean - Consequence is a '65 session with Harold Mabern, Lee Morgan and others that likely never came out as Jackie had moved on to more 'new thing' material, yet this is a session that ranks up with his best - might even be better than a lot of his stuff of that era. 

Speaking of Lee Morgan, Sonic Boom is a session that most notably features the only appearance of Fathead Newman on BN, sticking to tenor, obviously BN were looking for another boogaloo hit from Lee and bringing Fathead on board was probably aimed at stimulating that, but with the caliber of musician on board here, that wasn't going to happen. Sure, it does have some of that vibe happening, but Fathead is such a complete player that the date is elevated to a deeper hard bop one, and likely this one sat around the vault as BN issued Lee records that they thought might have another  'Sidewinder'. A fine date, made important due to Fathead.

Morgan's "Infinity" with McLean is a another great date ignored at the time purely due to how much Lee material BN had in hand. McLean appears, a superb Reggie Workman on bass. Essential, as is Lee Morgan's "Taru" with has Bennie Maupin on tenor and in much in the same vein as "Sonic Boom" but a bit funkier, and Maupin is still today an under-appreciated tenor man. The remastering here subtly exceeds my previous go-to 88.1 Japanese remastering, which is still very fine.

Wayne Shorter's "Soothsayer" and "Etcetera" are both remastered here so well that they come across almost as new records. Etcetera I always considered to be second rate Shorter, although the Music Matters vinyl went a long way to changing that. But this edition takes it all the way, if not to classic status, but to the level of being a fine quartet date, the previous Connoisseur version had watery, wimpy sound that here has power, dynamics, a full tonality. It roars, where it used to whimper. A transformation, as is "Soothsayer" where the RVG is easily exceeded with more natural sound, more organic, warm tone  and ease with the series' characteristic deep transparency, full dynamics and rhythmic integrity.

Donald Byrd with Pepper Adams on baritone can never be less than stellar. "The Creeper" is a late BN Byrd date that brings back Pepper, along with Sonny Red's alto and Chick Corea, for a straight ahead hard bop date that updates the classic Byrd/Pepper combo and sums up the era while pointing ahead, particularly with Miroslav Vitous making a very rare BN appearance. Great tunes, and the band is on fire. An essential, and very unique, date.

The remastering on these is simply outstanding in every respect. Clearly original tapes have been used, and the mastering is very sensitive to representing the fidelity of the tapes and the BN vibe. While I find the original BN McMaster CD's to be lacking in transparency, with little air or bloom and a rather dull, flat sound, now with this series we are at the other spectrum - vibrant, full-throated, open, very analog-like sound. These titles are sonically transformed and can now be heard as faithfully to the tapes as digital allows, for the first time.

One exception to that may be Hank Mobley's "A Slice Of The Top", where I felt the sound was not quite up to the rest of the series. I find it a bit flat, a bit artificial or un-natural sounding, not bad by any means, but something less open and dynamic, almost like a copy tape several generations down has been used. It may well be that what I am hearing is simply what the tape represents. It's not my favorite Mobley anyways, and the LT series has "Thinking Of Home" in sound that again far exceeds the sole domestic CD issue, and "Third Season", with a rather out of place sounding Sonny Greenwich on guitar, again a major sonic upgrade. Thinking Of Home is late BN Mobley and likely considered less marketable as it is less formulaic than usual from BN, and Third Season, while featuring some great tunes and Lee, Spaulding solos of intense power, was probably left in the vault due to the Greenwich experiment not working out. But looking at it again with such fabulous sound, there is much to recommend.

There is no bad Harold Land, and "Take Aim" is no exception. This is a no-name quintet that is a really fine late hard bop date that surely should have been released at the time. Just as Andrew Hill's "Dance With Death" is a superb date featuring Joe Farrell, and is just as important as any of Hill's earlier BN stuff, and even if it isn't "Smokestack" or 'Judgement", this is a fine series of challenging yet accessible tunes with great playing, and an unusual for BN cast of characters. Never sounded so good. Totally recommended.

Stanley Turrentine gets a mixed bag in the LT series. "New York Shuffle" is a grab band of larger band Turrentine which is enjoyable yet far from essential or memorable. "In Memory Of" is a '64 session with Hancock, Blue Mitchell, Curtis Fuller and the under-appreciated Otis Finch on drums that is again not essential, but a great band and a thoroughly enjoyable session. The mastering gets Turrentine's tone exactly right. Blue is not really the right foil for Turrentine, but this is very unique, so is recommeded, as is "Mr. Natural", which has something of a legendary status in Japan, primarily I suppose because it has Elvin Jones in a very rare appearance behind Turrentine, as well as Lee and Tyner. It is another case where Elvin is the wrong guy for Turrentine, but looking back, it is very interesting and compelling as a one-off. Great tunes and playing by all. Turrentine is challenged to go a bit further with Elvin than he did in more typical settings. Interesting. Recommenmded.

This is simply a superb series that brings a barrel full of records back to life in superb sound, the best 16bit digital today can possibly be, and at a deep bargain price. This is the way it should be every time - no skimping on the packaging, production or sonics - just a price aimed at putting fantastic music in as many hands as possible. There is no excuse, get as many of these as you can - and like everything else issued in Japan, these will only be around for a very short time.

Here Come The Beatles on Vinyl - 2012 Lp reissues!

The Beatles remastered on vinyl in 2012 was bound to be contentious, with the internet being a fountain of misinformation, hidden agendas, negativity and whatever. Already on the Hoffman misinformation board the bi-polarites and manic-obsessives are all over them, and spouting waveforms ad nauseum.

EMI were never going to win here. Had they done pure analog transfers from the original analog tapes, Huff-types were going to shoot them down immediately as not sounding like the first press originals - which would be impossible, as that was then and now is now - the analog chain itself has improved, and in truth mastering for vinyl today can be vastly superior to what it was back in the day. Just ask Music Matters, or visit Bernie Grundman. So EMI did them from hi-res digital files (except Revolver and Rubber Soul which are from 16 bit files) and have very carefully and thoroughly labelled the individual titles to make the sources ultra-clear. They are digital copies of the tapes, cut specially for vinyl at Abbey Road.

I picked up a copy of Sgt. Peppers last week, it was pressed at Rainbo, the notorious Rainbo, and I have to say it is not a bad pressing. Reasonably flat, not terribly well centered, quite quiet and clean. Overall, Rainbo have upped their usual low standards this time, probably understanding that to blow it on this job would be pretty damaging reputationally. The cover is pretty good, thick and solid, but nothing approaching a true UK original or early pressing. For what I paid (about $16 Canadian, those Hoffman morons who buy in Toronto at Sunrise have no clue that they pay more WITH their 10% discount card than anyone else charges!) I have no complaints about the pressing or cover.

But I have both a red wax Japanese mono and a 70's vintage Japanese stereo pressing here, and while I am far from obsessed about what a true, first issue, first stampers UK pressing sounds like - I am just into good analog sound here - I do have very good sounding comparators. And of course, I have both the mono and stereo 2009 CD remasters, which I like overall.

So let's get straight to the point. This Sgt. Peppers sounds NOTHING like my 70's Japanese pressing. Not anywhere near. It sounds nowhere near the MOFI vinyl pressing that I had for many years. It sounds nothing like the original domestic pressing I had in the early 70's. On the one hand - it has astonishing clarity, detail, and prodigious bass. On the other, it has virtually no analog qualities at all. It sounds fairly loud, the vocals are quite upfront and in my opinion sound un-natural in their forwardness, all in all, it sounds like a very good digital transfer taken DOWN to the vinyl medium - they tried to give the closest representation possible of the digital files and succeeded very well - and in doing so, lost all the magic of the music. It sounds very clean, very clear, very precise, very polished. None of it sounds real, none of it sounds natural, none of it sounds right.

Take a pass. This new box set is for completists and those foolish enough to lay out over $300 for clean pressings and a very nice but wholly redundant hardback book who don't know analog or don't care.

UPDATE:

I have the Magical Mystery Tour and White Album now. Neither are as good as the remastered Sgt. Peppers. The bass is muddying up the White Album, and although there is amazing detail (just listen to the crunch on the guitars of Happiness Is A Warm Gun), it still is missing the 'wholeness' and 'continuity' of sonics that true analog has. Magical Mystery Tour seems to me to be another case of too much detail, clarity, and clinical sound that has much to admire but less to love over the longer term.

Look, the bottom line on these is - they are superb transfers from the digital files, which obviously are now considered in the Beatles camp to be the masters going forward. They are a very good modern sound. For many, they may be very valid and I can understand why many listeners will love them. They are not the sound I remember, and not a transport back to the 60's. Get an early pressing for that, it isn't too hard. If you want these, take them for what they are. I recommend waiting for the mono set to acquire the early albums, and starting here with Sgt. Peppers as it seems to be the best one.

I have seen the future...Hi-Res Downloads:

I have been watching the evolution of online music downloads for some time, with a mixture of horror at Apple's expert promulgation of the lowest quality audio, and the obvious understanding that ultimately the way music will be consumed for the current generation coming up will not be physical in any sense, but clearly will be coming off a computer - certain in short time to be a tablet - and for those who care about superior audio, will be in hi-res files that at this point appear to be coalescing around 24 bit at 192k sampling rate - and maybe down the line 384k. What is obviously happening is that labels are pumping out the last gasp of physical discs derived from 24/192 files that are being done to create a catalog of hi-res files to fulfill the future market. It is also clear that analog master tapes are being transferred to hi-res files - pretty much direct transfers - for the last time, and that these files will now be the master going forward. For the last few years, we have been seeing audiophile labels increasingly being given these hi-res files to remaster from - Audio Fidelity as a prime example, who no longer claim to master from original analog masters - and many other labels. Sure, labels like Mobile Fidelity and Music Matters are still using true analog tapes as their sources. But the end of access to analog master tapes is fast approaching.

So I have taken my first steps into these waters, prompted by two developments - first was a review in venerable Hi-Fi News out of the U.K., in my opinion the last bastion of true audio journalism in the English language, of the new Chord QuteHD DAC, which is a reasonably priced (I paid under $1500 for mine) DAC that does not do any bullshit upsampling, but accepts and outputs to 32 bit resolution at up to 384khz (up to 192k over USB, which is good enough for me at this stage). Consensus seems to have formed around asynchronous USB as the way to go, jitter being largely eliminated, and the Chord can even directly carry DSD natively over USB without conversion to PCM, which is potentially useful. The unique Watt Pulse Array DAC is a true unique advancement in digital conversion, in a game where so many others are pimping some marketing hyperbole.

So the Chord got me turned on, and got my attention with the right technology at the right price.

Looking into software, I am aware, due to the excellent journalism of HiFi News in exposing the all too common hanky panky with HD Tracks in claiming high resolution that turns out to be nothing of the sort. A lot of supposed hi-res files that are nothing more than an upsampling of 16bit 44khz files. But very recently some amazing titles from the Atlantic catalog have been appearing in 24/192 files on HD Tracks, as well as a smattering of Blue Note warhorses, also at 24/192. That, along with some interesting stuff on Naim, Linn and a few BeeJazz titles starting to appear, and the start of fine French label Naive in hi-res, pushed me to jump in.

I am using at this stage a standard cheap USB cable as I am unsure of any benefits to 'audiophile' brands here, although I will probably get the Cardas USB cable - can't go wrong with Cardas. I am using the Chord with my usual Yamamura 4000 interconnects - still nothing made can beat the old Yamamuras. I am moving between Foobar and JRiver on my laptop, so far, I can't say I hear any difference. Kernel Streaming mode.

I started with Dream Theater's latest "A Dramatic Turn Of Events" which is pretty heavily compressed on CD, and sounds just terrible on vinyl (Roadrunner could give a rats ass about vinyl sound) - but HD Tracks have a 24/96 file that is taken from an uncompressed (or more likely, a pre-CD mastering) file . It is a great album, for me the best Dream Theater have done in years. The file from HD-T over the Chord at 96k sounds devastating. Monstrous bottom end. Dynamics and nuance are incredible. The bottom end - the bass definition - is like I have never heard, the bottom is earth moving, it is so deep and powerful it gets right down to the bones. And volume becomes not an issue at all - you know, how with digital, there seems to be an ideal volume point, too low and it sounds tinny, wimpy - too high and it starts to sound fatiguing, hard, un-natural. Here, that goes straight out the window, it is completely crankable, the only upper limit is probably the room, or the point at which your internal organs start to fray. Recognizing that this is a proto-metal record, if there is any qualm, it may be a bit too much softening, a bit like what I have found SACD sound is - everything is great, very round and full, transparent, detailed, very organic - but still a subconscious sense that it is a bit too organic, a bit of the edge is taken off. This may go away with longer break in. But it blows away CD in every sense.

My first impressions come from both the earth shattering bottom end, the richness of tonality, and the absolute freedom from any digititis. Even playing at 44.1 sampling redbook is totally decimated - which leads me to think that maybe the absence of a transport as a limiting factor is at play here. So I tried some standard CD through the Chord's S/PDIF input, using the legendary Digital Precision X-60 (which is still unsurpassed 10 years on) and the quick summary is that with redbook CD, the Chord came nowhere close to my 47 Labs Progression DAC, not even in the same ballpark for realism, tonality and definition. Admittedly, that Progression is a killer digital filterless DAC, and has stood the test of time in my system. Tough to beat. I didn't expect the Chord to best it, but I thought that maybe DACs had progressed sufficiently in the past decade for it to be close. It wasn't, which leads me to believe that the exceptional sound I am hearing from both CD resolution files and hi-res files on the Chord has much to do with taking out the middleman, in this case, the transport.This also tells me that perhaps DACs optimized for redbook playback, created before hi-res, usb, dsd and so on, still rule redbook in a way that hi-res designed DACs cannot, and in turn, that tells me that dumping such equipment in favor of an all purpose USB DAC might not be a good long term move - we might see 1990's era digital become highly coveted pieces 10 or 15 years from now.

On to some 24/192 Blue Note - Lee Morgan's The Sidewinder, and Wayne Shorter's Speak No Evil. These are new transfers from the analog master tapes by Alan Yoshida, who did the aborted Audio Wave Blue Note XRCD's that were very fine. These exceed them, Speak No Evil in particular now has some actual bass, a known deficiency of the master tape. In some ways, this is much better than even the Music Matters 45rpm vinyl version - but then again, listening to this as what must be the finest digital transfer Speak No Evil ever can or will receive also shows that good vinyl, like the Music Matters, still has a 'rightness' to the sound and an ability to convey the emotional essence that hi-res digital still can't compete with. Hubbard spits and sings, and Shorter's dry tone needs both the higher resolution and broader, more natural tonality that hi-res brings to adequately convey the understated power of his tenor conception. Sidewinder I didn't think would show much difference - it's a pretty simple, straight forward recording, two tracks, it is what it is and makes no apologies for it. I was wrong, particularly in tonality and ease, this hi-res simply relaxes in on itself. It has a clarity and depth that rivals the RVG digital without the drawbacks of the RVG transfers - natural tonality combined with exceptional transparency, a natural ambiance, astonishing resolution, the multitude of vocal interjections now coming through with great clarity, micro details in abundance, the spatial and rhythmic cues  showing just how much those RVG analog tapes have on them, never really adequately captured before. The HD Tracks Sidewinder also is superior to the Analogue Productions SACD version, as it gets Billy Higgins just about perfect, actually, it gets out of Billy's way and lets every bit of detail from his cymbal splashes come through as music rather than hash, or mush as the blunted AP Hoffman version does.

Moving on to the Atlantic catalog transfer at 24/192, overall, these are superb and far better than any digital coming before, there is a bed of quite audible tape hiss, a good sign. It appears that these are all simple, straight transfers from the analog tapes, without any EQ tampering. In that sense, it is what it is. Nice thing about what Atlantic is giving HD Tracks is that many titles have never been even on CD before, and many others haven't been done digitally since the early days of redbook. So many are very welcome indeed. Aretha Franklin's "Aretha Now" is a very old recording, but comes up beautifully - punchy, detailed, Aretha's voice is notoriously difficult to capture and here there does seem to be some audible ceiling where her voice hits, yet it is very extended and shows no breakup or distortion all the way up. Very nice. There is a much greater sense of space and very precise imaging, the background vocalists gaining a great detail from the higher resolution. Brook Benton is largely a forgotten figure at this point and his "The Gospel Truth" has sadly never even been reissued on CD. It is a classic. A stripped down southern R&B gospel record showcasing a terrific soul singer who had a great deal of class, with great songs and a great band, and an outstanding choice for a high-res release. Otis Redding's "Love Man", the best posthumous Otis record featuring a very cohesive set of 1967 recordings, shows Otis in red hot R&B action with the emphasis on the rocking side, an essential Otis record, in hi-res it sounds much better than my 1980's Rhino CD, rivaling the original vinyl as it has a much greater clarity, definition and tonality, it really puts Otis out front with great, direct resolution and brings deeper tonality and detail to the band, and all held together by a rhythmic cohesiveness that redbook digital never can really achieve. Wilson Pickett's "Right On" is a largely forgotten late period recording that comes just before disco was to hit, and shows Pickett expanding his thing to some pop hits, some gospel and some more contemporary for the era funk. It's a very good record, and it actually has somewhat more depth on repeated listening than his earlier ones. Sounds fabulous, deep and dirty, another one that has never been released on CD. I also got The Wicked Pickett, an earlier record that gets a superb, rich, vibrant hi-res transfer. Maybe a bit too rich, it does take away some of the rough grit, but it sure does have power. Yusef Lateef's "The Gentle Giant" is a great 70's recording, among the best of his Atlantic period and one of the few not screwed up by Joel Dorn with heavily dated arrangements. Kenny Barron's Rhodes is a key element. Gentle Giant is certainly of its time, yet sounds pretty amazing here, that funky Fender Rhodes vibe is all over it, the tonality of Lateef on flute and oboe particularly is outstanding, the transparency is so deep you can pretty much measure the room dimensions. A must have. Coltrane's "Alternate Takes" is a bit more reserved, it doesn't have quite the transparency and spatial accuracy of the other Atlantics I downloaded, leading me to wonder if a lesser generation tape was the source - or maybe this actually is what the master sounds like. It's good, but a notch below sonically. I was supremely pleased to see two Les McCann  titles on the list - "Another Beginning" and "River High, River Low", the former being the more essential, the latter being a fine soul/jazz record. Sure, McCann's Atlantic records have dated all over them, but they are still prime pieces of the 70's, McCann's voice is outstanding, his funky Fender Rhodes is deadly. Hi-Res does wonders for Les, his voice is rich with nuance, these are thoroughly enjoyable records that deserve reconsideration. Ornette Coleman's "Ornette On Tenor" is a revelation, a record I have known for decades very well, sounding fresh as the morning - rhythm is intensely organic, insistent, the horns urgently melodic, organic and immediate. Highest recommendation. The Atlantic 24/192 series is exemplary in every respect, this catalog is being revealed through this excellent work.

Where Hi-res may have some drawbacks is where it gets closer to now. Muse just released "The 2nd Law" and it is a gloriously, totally over the top bombastic record with monstrous deep bass and quite an extended top end. The bass in particular is very forward, as Muse this time have incorporated more urban and techno sounds into their proggy/metallic/glam rock model. The beat is very much in front here. it is quite glorious in hi-res, very immediate and the sound just ricochets off the walls and almost lifts the floorboards. It is quite an experience, which is just what Muse want it to be. Quite immersive in hi-res. But the 24/96 resolution seems to be like a typical modern movie done with heavy CGI and post-processing shown in high resolution - the seams are very apparent, and the artificiality of it all is accentuated by the higher resolution. It may be very exciting, but it is also obviously not very real. It lacks humanity, in its ultra-clean artificiality. The Muse in hi-res, alluring as it is, points to an issue hi-res will need to deal with - it may very well be that hi-res will force a reconsideration of recording techniques, particularly Pro-Tools and other digital processing, and it may very well be that the ultimate medium for recording in high resolution turns out to be analog tape.

I picked up a few titles from Naim and Linn, as well as a new Bee Jazz title, also. All highly worthwhile. I may be getting a nice little hi-res library going here! So now, on occasion, I will be following hi-res audio also so look for more in the future!!

A BIG roundup of recent Speakers Corner and Pure Pleasure vinyl:

 Got quite a few titles to get through here from Speakers Corner and Pure Pleasure. Getting the technical out of the way first - all the pressings are fabulous. Dead quiet, flat, flawless, the best Pallas can do. The cover art is equally above reproach. So with that out of the way, what about the music?

The Kertesz Dvorak cycle has been a top choice for decades, to say that it has stood the test of time would be an understatement. The 8th reissued here is a great reading, and I do have an original Decca UK pressing to compare it to - a mint copy, in fact. Overall, the Speakers Corner needs not make any excuses. It is superb, wide open, accurate, thoroughly captivating. Compared to an original - and original UK Deccas are legendary - it may have a slight, slight bit less bloom, but a slight, slight more open and wide soundstage, and almost certainly a more extended top end. The differences can pretty much be attributed to more accurate modern equipment, and while originals have their charms and a sonic signature that can never be wholly replicated,  there is in my opinion no reason to search one out when such a solid reissue is in play. Don't hesitate.

 From Pure Pleasure, Coleman Hawkins And His Orchestra is a very odd choice. Late period Coleman, before his mid-sixties Indian Summer, a solid date where the playing is good, but uneventful, everything goes according to plan but no fireworks happen, it can only be considered a nice but inessential piece of the Hawkins discography, chosen by PP perhaps for its obscurity rather than anything else, it surely sounds better here than it ever has. For Coleman completists perhaps, or those who like a fairly relaxing, midweight bop outing.

 Speakers Corner have the legendary Flagstad recital of Sibelius orchestral songs accompanied by the long neglected Fjelstad (whose 1950's EMI Sibelius recordings are still coveted in some parts) this is surely a must-have, the sound again misses the n-th degree of warmth originals have, but this is completely eclipsed by the greater extension and dynamics and the air around the voice. Quite simply, this is better than an original in every way that counts, it is a more modern sound, yet the increase in transparency and sense of space opens up the recording and breathes new life. An exceptional reissue.

 Back to Pure Pleasure for a run of 1970's soul. Numero issued a magnificent Syl Johnson box last year, and now PP have a highlight of his Hi-Records years, "Total Explosion" which proves that Hi under-promoted Syl in favor of Al Green while Syl was way more authentic and gritty. It is raunchy, lyrically blunt and sometimes downright mean, smoking hot, in every way the antithesis of the too-smooth Green. An outstanding choice for reissue and sonically unimpeachable. Totally, and urgently, recommended.

Label mate Ann Peebles' "I Can't Stand The Rain" brings back another very under-appreciated soul singer who made a phenomenal string of records for HI, every one of which is excellent. Peebles is darker, classier, and much deeper than her soul and R&B contemporaries, and the relatively unadorned backing is timeless. This is so idiomatic and wholly southern - and so superbly crafted - that it was never going to have top 40 appeal. Pure Pleasure get big kudos for a magnificent choice for reissue, Kevin Grey's mastering from the original analog tapes takes no prisoners. Get this one.

 Pure Please make another class move by reissuing Ike & Tina turner's "Feel Good", perhaps the last great record of their collaboration and one that sees Tina stepping out from under Ike's domination, and the cover showing a jubilant, bursting out Tina - while the back cover shows a more somber Ike - tells pretty much the story. This is a funk record - not R&B, not soul - funk. Sleazy, sweaty funk, 70's funk, polished but not sanitized, killer riffs from Ike, Tina tears it up. Deadly, and incredibly a record that I had never heard or paid attention to before - and that is really what a great reissue program is all about, getting gems and dead flat classics like this back out front. Recommended with conviction.

 Pete Brown is best known fr his collaborations with Jack Bruce as lyricist, particularly on Cream's records. His own "A Meal You Can Shake Hands With In The Dark" is a pretty bold title to reissue, and I can't say it is anywhere near a lost classic - it isn't, it's far too odd a record to be that, and Brown is for sure no Jack Bruce. It has some fine playing, though, from the likes of Chris Spedding, and a very col cover that might be its most compelling attribute. Challenging, occasionally brilliant, always interesting, and more of a curiosity, it gets a fine Pure Pleasure reissue.

 Jim Hall & Bill Evans' "Undercurrent" is a classic, though. A classic of neo-classical, elegantly understated chamber jazz. The duo of Hall & Evans is a natural one, Hall being the master of the quiet fire, and Evans both a superbly sensitive accompanist and a soloist highly complementary.  Again the Pure Pleasure sound here is beyond reproach, opening up the soundstage and enhancing the chamber like interplay. A masterpiece, not to be missed.

 Lastly, a Columbia period Monk reissue "It's Monk Time" from Speakers Corner. Columbia era Monk is often considered second rate, but to me, this is the prime Monk period. A combination of quartet and solo pieces, Monk at this point had continued to move ahead, and Rouse had clearly been challenged by Coltrane. Rouse in particular here can be more aggressive and 'outside' than he was earlier with Monk, and Thelonious himself has put his angular technique completely together, often outright encompassing stride and ragtime in his playing. Ben Riley has long been under appreciated. Now..if only Speakers Corner would reissue "Underground" ....

Music Matters returns...and gets some competition!

 Music Matters returned in September with Art Blakey's "Free For All" and Herbie Hancock's "Inventions and Dimensions", both important titles in the Blue Note discography and both dates of some significance.

The Hancock is a 'latin-ish' recording featuring a rare appearance of Paul Chambers late in his career, and the latin percussion of Willie Bobo. Not at all a set of latin standards or latinish heads and with smiley face, percussion filled solos, this date is a through improvised set that is among Hancock's most adventurous and rewarding recordings. It shows what integration of latin instruments into a hard bop format that doesn't use the percussion in a patronizing or 'effects' way can be. Hancock gives wonderful solos,exceptionally spontaneous, with Chambers in particular playing at a peak, the bass almost soloing throughout, and Bobo is awesome.

I have been listening to the Heavenly Sweetness reissue of Inventions & Dimensions for some time and I liked it quite a bit. But as expected from Music Matters, Kevin, Ron and Joe have taken it to a new level. The tonality of Hancock's piano is fat, and percussive. Chambers is huge, but tight, and the beat is just so much stronger and organic than on the Heave nly Sweetness. Bobo is three dimensional. It has the organic quality that a great recording should have, and can only be considered another high point in the Music Matters series.

What is great about Music Matters is bringing back gems like this that are not formulaic or reissued to death warhorses. It's about rediscovery, and this is a prime slice of that. Thoroughly recommended.

Art Blakey's "Free For All" is another matter entirely. It is remarkable in that it features Freddie Hubbard in place of the drug-incapacitated Lee Morgan, and has a fierceness that is unique in the Blakey discography - and that is something, since Blakey on a slow day would ride red hot.

But again, the Music Matters time machine puts us right there. There are no ballads here, just 4 tracks perfectly suited to 45rpm cutting. Listen to what Shorter does with his tongue on the reed at the end of his solo on side 1. Amazing, it's right there in front of you. Blakey rides his cymbals so hot it is almost a barrage, and when he lets up abruptly near the end, it is a massive release of pent up tension. This is sonically a different world than the Hancock, and don't think that the "free" in the title alludes to free jazz, this is not that at all, it is a sizzling, ferocious hard bop date almost at the end of Blakey's prime period, almost as if Blakey knew the BN era was coming to an end - or at least that version of his band was - and let loose with a vengeance. Intense, and unique in the Blakey catalog. Music Matters puts you there and thankfully Hoffman isn't around anymore to blunt that ferocity - they let it all come through, and it s truly magnificent. Once again, Free For All comes through as a piece for reconsideration - it is just a monster. Don't miss it.

On the 'new competition' side of things, Analogue Productions is obviously feeling the heat from Music Matters. AP has a long history of substandard cover art and quality, and often 'name' mastering that was fine, but not up to the best possible at the price level. But the new 45rpm Brubeck "Time Out" sees Chad looking over his shoulder at Ron and Joe, sporting a very high quality cover, made at the same supplier Music Matters uses, very interesting gatefold photos, and the superb mastering of Bernie Grundman. The sound has never been better, and probably never will be again. As usual with Grundman, there is an astonishing openness and dimensionality, tonality is just dead on accurate, and the top end is open and sparklingly sweet. Grundman's hallmark is accuracy and faithfulness, so there is no 'fattening up' or EQ trickery here, no Hoffman-like blunting of the top end or mid range 'presence region' bump - just the straightest route to the music on the master, with great transparency, and honesty.

The thing I find about Grundman is - his remasterings keep on paying dividends with repeated listening. Other mastering engineers and the 'EQ consultant' play for the first listen - which often is impressive in the same way equipment in a dealer showroom can make a first impression - but subsequent listening yields diminishing rewards.

Kudos to Chad for raising the bar on this one. If there is one complaint, it is that the world hardly needs a new look at Time Out, but I am happy to have it regardless.

Recent release update - Diana Krall, Bettye LaVette, Bobby Womack, Ry Cooder, Bob Dylan

A few new releases to get caught up on.

The new Bob Dylan - Tempest - is Dylan's greatest record of the 21st century, and easily a five star record. It sports a fabulous collection of songs, the band is red hot, Dylan is on great voice, and this may well be the "Desire" of his last period. If Dylan is in an Indian Summer, it is surely one of the most impressive late periods artistically ever seen, and this record cements Dylan as one of the very greatest artists to span the past century. An instant classic. The vinyl is pretty good and sounds very good, better than the enclosed CD (which is decent enough)  - I have not truly loved a Dylan record in near 20 years. 

 Diana Krall's Glad Rag Doll has a cover aimed straight at the grandpa audiophile crowd. Verging on tasteful porn, it is pretty blatant - Krall set up as a bordello whore, maybe a conscious attempt to differentiate the music contained in the sleeve from her previous string of smooth jazz-lite stuff, and it is quite different, albeit ground heavily trodden by others, starting with Cassandra Wilson and following through Madeline Peyroux as the obvious reference points. Krall has neither the soul of Cassandra or the authenticity of Peyroux, and at times, her singing here can come perilously close to being so passion-less it becomes somnambulist, but in quite a few cases, it works quite well. If it shows a path for Krall to grow along, it may be of interest. The vinyl pressing is not terribly good, but the sound is fine.

 Bettye LaVette's Thankful N'Thoughtful is for me her best album yet. It is a better set of songs and very directly delivered, with perfect accompaniment and sound. Cut a 45rpm, this one cuts some deep, powerful sonics, it packs a punch, it is raw and direct rock & soul delivered by a prop who gets better every time. Great record.

 The return of Bobby Womack via Blur's Damon Albarn is another matter entirely. Albarn gives Womack a very modern setting, touching on electronica and beats, but also very natural, and Womack fits right on top like a well worn glove, delivering a fabulous set of personal and powerful songs with a voice that shows the years but makes no apologies for it. A decent pressing and good sound clearly cut from digital. One of the best records of the year and a great comeback from a great, under appreciated artist.

Keeping with the older folks Ry Cooder delivers his Election Special, and makes it quite clear he will not be voting for Mitt Romney come November. Whatever your politics, this is s short, tight, beautifully played simple record, full of great playing superbly recorded, often hilarious, never taking itself too seriously - and in this age of hyper polarized demagoguery fueled by 'angry old white men', at minimum this good hearted record has the ability to ease the partisan passions and poke some fun at an election, and a country, which is far from funny. Superb pressing and sound. Not to be missed.

An update on my equipment tinkering and such:

I've done a bit of tinkering and tweaking over the summer months, some caused by misadventure.

First, I ripped a nice size tear in the cone of one of my PHY-HP drivers - just a really stupid, freak accident that should never have happened. Of course, a tear in the cone simply ruins the driver, even more so a full range driver, Even my crude attempt at temporary repair proved useless - some pretty wild excursions were happening, pretty ugly stuff when it hit just the right (wrong) frequency range. Repairing a PHY-HP driver is not easy - they have to be shipped back to France, and in fact both have to be shipped back as they come from the factory as a matched pair, so both have to be re-coned, not just the damaged one. These are bulky and very heavy - big brass housing. Expensive to ship to France, expensive to recone, and time consuming - ever try getting anything done in France between June and September (especially July)?  Forget it. But... the guys at PHY-HP in France were beyond superb. They arranged with the Canadian dealer, the wonderful Samuel Furon at L'Atelier Audio in Montreal, to swap my driver for a pair he had in stock, for simply the price of the recone. And Samuel is such a class guy he drove to Toronto with them on a long weekend as part of a social trip. So my KM30SAG drivers were back in action in relatively short order - a month or so, which in high end audio terms is very quick.

I did not repeat the C37  Lack that had been on the previous drivers, which I may do again at some point. So it has been a period of re-acclimatizing my aging ears to the drivers in their natural state again. These are without question the best drivers in the world, when properly implemented.

Since my vinyl rig is part of the PHY-HP based system in my basement, I had an opportunity to get more deeply reacquainted with my digital 'upstairs' system, with my Tannoy Turnberrys - already heavily modified with Duelund resistors and caps in the modified crossovers, C37 Lack on the cones, Nordost jumpers in shotgun configuration (which really radically reduced hum) - and the no digital filter 47 Labs Flatfish digital through my Komuro based 300B amp.

In the course of getting reacquainted, I was reminded of lingering dissatisfaction with this system that really stemmed from the Tannoys in comparison to the PHY-HP - never will be a fair contest, but still, I felt there was room to grow here.

So I embarked on program to tweak the Tannoys.

In high end speakers, even speakers costing $10k, $20k, $30k - opening them up reveals a rather discouraging collection of cheap parts, like cheap resistors, cheap wire, cheap crossover components - and worst of all, in virtually every case a lining of cheap eggcrate foam to dampen vibration in a rather crude way. I have felt that after upgrading the crossover parts and wire (in the case of theTannoys, they came with excellent VanDenHul wire stock) the last frontier was the eggcrate foam.

I ripped it all out, going back to bare walls inside. I wanted to not dampen and kill all vibration, but to let the music sing - eggcrate heavily applied may kill vibration, but it deadens the sound too.

Looking into alternatives, I came upon Twaron Angel Hair, and what I read about it made sense intuitively (http://www.eltim.eu/index.php?item=&action=page&group_id=10000062&lang=EN) so I ordered some (more than I needed it turns out) and began the process of installing it bit by bit, fine tuning by ear to get the music out.Using spray glue to coat the walls and corners, I applied about half inch thich sheets of Twaron to virtually every surface that previously had eggcrate, using Twaron Unicorn Tail at every 90 degree angle. It took a bit of tuning via adding here and subtracting there, but in short order, the Tannoys were transformed - the bass became huge, and powerful, projecting deeply - so powerful it can rattle the glass in the china cabinet. The mid range became glorious and full of color, and the highs opened up and became super sweet. Overall, the sound became more organic - more tonally integrated, with more natural spatial cues, and certainly there is less dampening to the bottom end, but this is actually more natural - the bass moves as it would in real life, it is felt in the body, rather than just heard in the mind.

So for rather little cost and a bit of work, the Tannoy based system is transformed, and once again, I am reminded of what the audio passion is all about, as I am rediscovering the old as new again, and this digital system proves to be very musically satisfying.

And before I forget - I have taken my first steps into true High Resolution digital audio. More on that soon...the Chord QuteHd....

New Prestige 200g (or so) vinyl from Analogue Productions:

 The series of Prestige 200g vinyl starts to roll out, a year after it was announced (or was it like 2 years??) - I figure they announce these decades in advance to attract as many preorders as possible, and to get as many people to commit their dollars to them so as to 'corner' a certain piece of the market. Whatever - it actually helps me out, I am much less prone to impulse purchase if its been on my list for awhile, and that list regularly gets whittled down through occasional application of common sense to it. From me, anyways, Chad actually gets his sales reduced by announcing way too far in advance, as well as by his continual delays. I just move on to other things and realize that I really don't need it after all.

But here we are - "Coltrane", John Coltrane's first date as a leader, starts the series off in a very good 200g (or thereabouts, Chad says they are 200g, but I think they come up short of that, not that I care) pressing, sounding superb - in fact, better than ever, the characteristic Prestige tubbiness in the bass and love handles around the mids have been tamed without losing any warmth or tonality, there is an organic fully analog tone in a big, open space, Coltrane bites and the tonal range is all here. The top end is sparkling and hasn't been futzed with. All in all - and the same goes for the other two below - the sound is exemplary, even maybe a bit more than that.

Where the series falls down so far is in choice of titles. It's fair to say that 'Coltrane' would not be any even passing Coltrane disciple's lead off choice, let alone a tenth or fourteenth pick. It is an average hard bop album that is pleasant enough, hardly challenging or groundbreaking, and far from representative of Coltrane or an important Coltrane album. As one who came to Coltrane in the 1970's, and in fact took up the tenor largely because of late period Coltrane, I can say that in 40 years I have never really felt a need to own this record. So why pick it now for a high end vinyl reissue series when there are so many better Prestige records that could use a polish and relaunch?

 Much the same could be said for All Night Long, really a Mal Waldron date if anything, featuring Hank Mobley long before he developed into an interesting player, a young Donald Byrd likewise not yet at his peak, The always interesting Art Taylor - but when the most compelling attribute a record has is the fine flute playing of Jerome Richardson, you know that you are not in the presence of forgotten masterpiece. An odd record, Richardson is really the only highlight. Odd.

Mobley's Message is in many ways the best of the bunch, not just because it has a really very cool 50's vibe cover. Mobley is not entirely Mobley yet on this one, and even his weakest Blue Note date puts this to shame. But it has merit, as Mobley's tone at this point was much lighter, and his articulation much softer. He is far more of a changes-runner here than the improviser he became just a few years later, but even if this is far from an essential record, it is enjoyable.

There is nothing to fault in pressing, mastering, or artwork. All are above reproach and in fact can be considered best in class. All Chad needs now is someone who knows the music - and not just on the surface - to curate the series meaningfully.

The Tale of Wagner's Ring in 2012:

 Interesting thing about Wagner's Ring cycle - in 2012, the ones getting the attention are the oldest, in one case, the first stereo Ring released (but not the first recorded) and in the other, virtually the first commercially recorded cycle in mono. In both cases, likely the two greatest Ring cycles ever recorded, significant since both are in the 50 to 60 year old range.

Solti's Vienna Ring is given a very 'deluxe' edition from Decca, almost certainly the last kick at the can for this cycle that has been the de facto standard version for over 50 years, an astonishing testament to both its exceptional recorded sound and the near perfect interpretation. Little needs to be said about the Solti Ring - it is glorious, if somewhat hard driven in places, but the drive of Solti gives it a gloriously burning quality, and it is very well sung by a fine cast (although some were getting past their primes). The stereo sound is astonishing for its time, and the many sound effects, manually produced, give the recording a feel of being a stage production of an earlier era. The new remastering is intended to compete with the out of print and astoundingly expensive Esoteric version, and although I have never heard that, I can say that this version is simply beautifully remastered with extreme care, easily supplanting the 1997 version that I have owned and quite liked (although many complained about use of noise reduction). Improvements in both mastering technology and noise reduction software are obvious, and although this remastering is taken from the 1997 digital transfer (24 bit 44.1khz), the increase in realism, tonality, and accuracy is worth every penny - and the far more natural sound, organic wholeness, and coherence of the spatial cues for me made this a compelling version, that flows seamlessly - once it is 'on the table', it grips straight through and mesmerizes such that time seems suspended. The 1997 sounded very good, if a bit polite and sterile. The 2012 sounds powerful, driven and incredibly open.

The goodies in the box are welcome, particularly the Culshaw book, the Cooke doc, and curiously the Gramophone repos which are very cool.  The fill-up disc of Wagner overtures is not of the same caliber as the Ring itself, and the Bu Ray disc containing the 24 bit 44.1 files is BD+ protected so I couldn't copy the files to my hard drive - unnecessary paranoia, and annoying.

Expensive, magnificent, the last word on a great Ring and high point of recorded music. No great music collection should be without the Solti Ring and it has never sounded so perfect.

Then again, in the same price range ( a bit more, actually) is the Japanese hybrid SACD remastering of the Furtwangler 1953 RAI Ring, an Italian Radio studio production, and just as singular an event. This is the first complete studio Ring, in fact, the first complete version at all if one ignores a poorly recorded LaScala Ring from Furtwangler in 1951, which is so poorly recorded it really cannot be considered. Over the past 60 years, it has generally been thought that the LaScala Ring had better orchestral playing, and even perhaps better singing in some key roles, but that the sound was so poor it could never be a catalog choice. The RAI cycle was better recorded, but still not good enough sonically to be a contender or even anything other than a historical document for Furtwangler obsessives.

But with the discovery - or maybe not discovery, but granting of decades-denied permission - of master tapes with significantly better sound, there needs to be a reconsideration of the RAI Furtwangler Ring. Not as to its musical merits - those are at this point undeniable. Furtwangler gives a gripping, magnificent, incandescent reading, one that is wholly unique given his very personal (idiosyncratic) approach to time and phrasing and deep emotional style. But its sonic merits - all of a sudden, in this 2011 remastering, the sound is so strongly upgraded ( from C or D grade mono to at least B+ mono) that for once we can hear the RAI as a pretty fine orchestra, much better than has long been considered, and the nuances of Furtwangler's reading come through cleanly. The accomplishment here is likely far greater than what has been given Solti by Decca - EMI have not just taken a veil off, this is almost akin to what can be seen after cleaning Michelangelo's frescoes - revelatory is an understatement. Does it all of a sudden become a first choice? No, it can never be that. The sound is still nowhere in Solti's league. But it is, at last, eminently listenable, and although the orchestra still remains recessed, the singing is not - and it far surpasses Solti. And of course Furtwangler - this style of conducting, this unique interpretive style and  insight, will never be heard again. Those who revere Furtwangler, myself among them, understand that in the hundreds of recordings of any given work, only Furtwangler is truly unique, and in every case, so deeply moving.

This new remastering of Furtwangler's Ring is just as essential as the new Solti. If I had to pick one (a stupid reviewer straw man concept, I know) it would be Solti. And then I would forever regret not picking the Furtwangler.

Who would have though that in 2012 we would be having this discussion about two Rings recorded before I was born?

And if nether the Solti or the Furtwangler float your boat - there is always the 1955 Keilberth from Testament, Decca's first stereo Ring. Sonically pretty amazing for 1955 stereo (although not perfect, as I found the orchestral climaxes curiously lacking power, and there are numerous stage noises), and as a whole, it actually hangs together better than Solti, if less spectacular. And it is better sung than any....

ULVER - Chldhood's End - major new release!!

Here's another of those head turning moments. Swedish death metal band Ulver - undeniably fine musicians that I have never owned a record by before - come out with a record of covers. And not some lame group of covers, and not a group of songs done over in death metal style - a group of underground psych classics, with one exception all pre-1970, by bands like The Troggs, Chocolate Watch Band, Jefferson Airplane, The Pretty Things, 13th Floor Elevators, The Left Banke - and others. For the most part, not the usual tracks to cover either - look at the track listing and see how many titles you recognize, and match them up. This is obviously a tribute not only to the era but to the bands and songs which were formative to the band, and they have covered them with respect, where respect is not to mimic, not to maim, not to remake - but to capture the spirit, capture that feeling. There is no trace of Ulver's usual music here, these are not death metal butcherings. They are played like pop songs, by a fabulous group of musicians, in fact the musicianship is far higher than on any of the originals. The vibe is more Syd Barrett-ear Pink Floyd and even Revolver era Beatles, with a bit of Ayers era Soft Machine thrown in, but so much more as well, and a very singular voice. The sound is totally modern, and I can tell you that the CD sounds every bit as good as the vinyl - the songs have been mixed and mastered beautifully to retain the dynamics and tonality - and a fleeting, ethereal vibe - that Ulver bring to these great songs.

Whatever your opinion of Ulver, whatever you have hear from them before - put it aside. This is simply a stunning, beautiful, surprising record, and it is all the more so by being such an unexpected one. By far one of the best records of 2012, and it is one that I have listened to over and over for the past several weeks - and it still surprises and delights. Five massive doobies for where this great record has taken me.

The final four from Music Matters (for now)...

 Just received my last order from Music Matters until they resume in the fall. Herbie Hancock's "Empyrean Isles" has never been a record I could get into...until this one. This shows the genius of Ron and Joe in selecting Blue Note titles not to cater to the warhorse audiophile crowd, but to bring titles that have both massive musical value and are masterpieces - either minor or major - as well as being unique in the Blue Note catalog.

What could be more unique than a quartet record that features a cornet as the lead horn?? Some numbnuts on the Hoffman forum claimed the horn sound on this reissue is 'thinner', which is stupid, the cornet is a smaller horn than the trumpet and actually that is the whole point of Hancock's conception - to not only get Hubbard out of his comfort zone, but to produce a lighter, more ethereal, almost a proggy jazz record that moves away from running changes towards evoking vistas.

The sound is simply gorgeous. Now I 'get' exactly what Hancock was aiming for. It is a stunning record - another peak in the Music Matters series. Hubbard leaves his trumpet behind and gets deep inside. Carter, rarely recorded well by Van Gelder, sounds big, fat, solid. Williams' shimmering high work is beautifully etched, bombs are dropped with a solid, in the chest feeling.

As always, Music Matters pressings are the best RTI can produce. Mine came with new style RTI inners that unfortunately ripped the shit out of the inner seams of the cover - and believe me, the inner photos in this gatefold are totally cool.

In many ways, this is a tremendously important Blue Note record. Awesome job.

 Horace Silver's "Six Pieces Of Silver" I had a harder time with, it is cut fairly loud, I found the mono sound a bit on the rough side which is all to do with the source tape's vintage, all in all, it is a bit jarring to move from "Empyrean Isles" to Six Pieces Of Silver so that may be part of it. This is going a bit far back for me, so take it for that - the mono sound is driving, full bodied, propulsive, and so far above the earlier Classic Records mono 33 rpm LP it isn't even worth thinking about.

 On another plane entirely - Grant Green's "Street Of Dreams", by far the best record Green did in his career (including Idle Moments) - the team assembled here is gigantic - Larry Young, Bobby Hutcherson, Elvin Jones - it just doesn't get better, the first and only time these iconic artists recorded together. Four wonderful, elegant, relaxed improvisations that are still thoroughly modern today. Green is challenged to go to another level in this company, and plays like a dream. Hutcherson's metallic, percussive sound is a perfect counter to Green's long, beautiful lines, Young's organ presages his later work like "Heaven O Earth" while keeping fully in tune with the vibe, and there is no Elvin Jones that is less than amazing. The sound here is subtly huge - deep and wide, Green floats about 6 feet out in the middle, Hutcherson floats above, Jones cymbal work on top and holding down the bottom with Young's bass pedals - this is simply a must for any Blue Note traveller.

Last for now is a choice that may divide critical listeners - Wayne Shorter's "Speak No Evil". This is without a doubt a sonically challenged RVG recording, in truth, it wasn't one of Van Gelder's better days. It all has to do with the master tape, which has Carter's bass way too far back, not in another room - more lliked in another city - buried in the mix, a haze over the proceedings, generally a kind of fuzzy hash to the sound - the tapes simply lack the usual clarity and - more importantly - tonality. It is a challenging recording, sonically. Musically, though, it's an awesome date - Hubbard is completely on fire, as is Elvin, Hancock was just entering his most important phase, and Shorter's compositions on this record are virtually all standards of the modal hard bop repertoire at this point. This record ends a trilogy from Night Dreamer, to JuJu, to Speak No Evil, and in some ways closes a phase of Shorter's early career. It just HAD to be done by Music Matters, who haven't shied away from taking on a masterpiece with sonic challenges.

So go into it as what it is - a masterpiece, an essential record, but one where sonics take a back seat. Music Matters have done an amazing job with what they had to work with - Carter is still way too far back for my tastes, but there is nothing to be done about that. RVG never recorded Carter well until the CTI era, onehas to wonder if RVG simpy didn't care for Carter's playing at that point. Hubbard and Shorter punch through beautifully, and are right out front, in the room, projecting wide and deep. Jones thunders away in behind, a slight bit of haze over top, and Hancock shines through. I have a Japanese King pressing that has long been regarded as the best - and I can say that the Music Matters reveals more than would have been thought possible. One of Shorter's greatest records, and a must for anyone who cares for advanced hard bop at its best. Totally recommended.

New Smashing Pumpkins "Oceania" on vinyl:

I love the Smashing Pumpkins, straight through Gish to Machina, and so I have been looking forward to the new "Oceania" with baited breath.

I suppose that expectations can be hard to reconcile. The recent reissues of Gish and Siamese Dream were outstandingly well done, and great sounding. That maybe doesn't help when confronted with the newest reincarnation of the Pumpkins, which is far removed from the band that was a major influence for a generation.

My first impression, from the opening track, is that Corgan is fully in charge here and the supporting cast are falling under his vision. As a band, they strike me as fairly anonymous, even to some extent Corgan. There are more similarities with Adore and even Machina here, although Corgan's poppish, bubblegum tendencies come through not infrequently - Billy has a fair amount of pure pop cheese in his blood, particularly lyrically - some of the songwriting is cringe inducing.

There is an attempt at a grand concept here, and an attempt at painting on a grand scale. There are some great songs spread over these 2 vinyl slabs. There is a wide range of expression, and some cheesy duff songs. Nothing comes near Mellon Collie or Siamese Dream, but that is unfair - a record should be taken on its own merits. I think Corgan tries to cover too much Pumpkins territory here, and hasn't got the songs to do it. In the LP era, there is a hell of a good 40 minute record here. But a mediocre 70 minute one.

So I give it 3.5 doobies out of 5, for trying and for trying too hard, for being the Pumpkins, for the parts that are really superb. If you are looking for grunge, it isn't here. If you are looking for Mellon Collie or even Adore, Corgan on his own has too much bubblegum leaning to do that, and he has moved on. This is the Smashing Pumpkins in 2012, take it for what it is.

Decent - not great - vinyl that needs a good First Rv cleaning, then comes up fairly quiet, not a bad LP mastering by any means. Good rock mastering on vinyl, and if you are a fan, it's probably a buy.

RUSH Clockwork Angels - new vinyl:

The new Rush Lp, on vinyl, Clockwork Angels, absolutely the best Rush record in 25 years, my first reaction is - WTF - how can this be so good? Start to finish, a very organic sounding, back to the beginning and at the same time thoroughly today prog-adventure record, every track is just fabulous.

This is just a great record - from the starter "Caravan" straight through. And unlike last year's stop-gap Moving Pictures Live, where the damn MP3 files sounded better than the totally crap vinyl, this vinyl edition is not only clean, flat, quiet, well pressed, it sounds excellent, obviously a unique vinyl mastering. Obviously, this is being treated as a major release and handled with care - and you know what- it IS a major release.

This week, another Toronto band release an album - the much younger Metric put out Synthetica, a completely lame record by a bunch of proto-hipster posers fronted by a chalk on the board vocalist with lame, generic try too hard lyrics. 30 years on, Rush come back with a record that blows them away. These old guys are far from finished.

Comes with a download code for MP3 or FLAC files - thanks for that. Best $30 I have spent in a long time. Massively recommended.

Riccardo Chailly - Beethoven Symphonies on Decca

During the first 20 years of the CD era, it became almost an entitlement or a rite for every conductor to record a Beethoven symphony cycle - whether they had anything unique to offer or not. This glut of Beethoven symphony cycles has devalued the singular achievements of truly great Beethoven interpreters, and the fact that there are some very definitive cycles reaching back to the pre-digital era makes the need for another cycle dubious at best. We have seen rather needless cycles still get recorded - and there is never any difficulty finding a good set of Beethoven in the used stores for cheap.

So we have yet again another Beethoven symphony cycle, this one from Riccardo Chailly and the Gewandhausorchester - who previously recorded a very fine cycle with Kurt Masur on Phillips. Why is this one worthy of attention?

The reason is in the tempos. Not since Toscanini has a conductor really tried to follow Beethoven's tempo and dynamic markings to the letter. In the decades since Toscanini, we have had period instrument versions of varying success - Norrington, who gave great timbral and dynamic insight - but was fairly conservative on tempos, Gardiner, who gave a compelling cycle, and others. My opinion is that there has yet to be a truly great original instruments cycle.

And there are Beethoven cycles that are near perfect - Karajan's early 60's Berlin cycle still is a benchmark, Kempe's 1970's cycle is wonderfully played and given straight up, musical readings, Krips' Everest cycle is to me a better 'old school' one than Walter. In fact, the latter seems to be the genesis of the problem in Beethoven interpretation - Walter's widely disseminated Columbia Orchestra cycle was the epitome of the old school view - and as such, so much just plain wrong performing tradition sprung up from it, conductors have had decades of difficulty getting back to the true Beethoven. Maybe it is here with Chailly.

Yes, the tempos are fast - very fast, right up to Beethoven's metronome markings. More striking are the dynamics - very wide, sharp, crisp, almost brutal. Some may find some element of humor or lightness missing, or find these readings rigid, which they tend to be. However, they are very exciting in how driven they are - and it is highly likely that this is very much how Beethoven would have conducted them. In a sense, this is period instrument performance on modern instruments, however, we hear many instances where particularly in the valves (and even in the bowing) where an authentic approach has been taken.

So overall, without attempting to dissect individual movements, this is a cycle that indeed does have a very unique point of view, something very new and engaging to offer. the sound is superb, the Liepzig acoustic has been well captured - and in of itself brings a further air of 'period' authenticity to the recordings. The word 'cycle' really has meaning here - this is a true cycle, played and meant to be heard as a whole that shed a new light of Beethoven's symphonies when listened to as a cycle.

There could be no more appropriate tribute to the true Beethoven than a recorded cycle as this coming from Liepzig, with which Beethoven had such great affinity. A highly, highly recommended recording.

The completed Bruckner 9 - Simon Rattle

Bruckner's 9th has always eluded me - it is a torso, with undeniably beautiful music, but lacks both a sense of finality, of closing the argument, and a sense that the three completed movements almost certainly would have been significantly altered by Bruckner before coming to a 'definitive' text.  There have been attempts to complete the 9th, since Bruckner had actually composed and orchestrated a significant portion before his death.

But still, problems remain. What Bruckner left did not reach the coda or finale, except in sketches. And just because Bruckner laid out sketches or fragments, means little in terms of how Bruckner would ultimately have finished the 4th movement - sketches are working drafts. Bruckner worked on the finale up until the day of his death - he worked on it, in fact, all morning before dying around 3 in that afternoon.

There have been previous attempts at the 4th movement, most notably Carrigan's, which has taken those orchestrated, completed sections and fairly liberally completed and added to the fragments and sketches. This latest version can be more considered an 'arrangement' of those fragments and sketches based on analysis of the through orchestrated sections, out of the finale's 653 bars, 440 are pure Bruckner, 117 have been extrapolated from Bruckner sketches and fragments, and a further 96 are new material filling gaps to complete the work. Where controversy will inevitably enter the discussion is that last 96 - Carrigan put in significantly more material, and his vision of the sketches differs significantly.

Perhaps the only way to look at this is whether it actually forms a cohesive movement and represents what ultimately would have been Bruckner's final musical thoughts on this planet.

First out, Rattle and the BPO are given a truly fine live recording, slightly congested in the bottom end and on climaxes due to Philharmonie acoustics,  and are entirely convincing in the familiar 3 movement torso. Not as fast as Schuricht, but just as dramatic, somewhat dark and stormy vision entirely convincing as a representation of the turbulence of Bruckner's last days, as he reached out beyond to a God and afterlife he deeply believed in.

But I expect most will look to this recording for the 4th movement. Listened to on its own, it is highly musically appropriate - thoroughly Brucknerian, thoroughly idiomatic, as it should be - it's pretty much all Bruckner. Controversy compared to the Carrigan version will come from the build up to the coda primarily - but we have to look at how the movement works as a whole, and here it does, resolving to a grand climax as the heavens open up.

I don't care to be a musicologist in there matters - only in what I have to hear in front of me. Rattle is not a natural in the Germanic repertoire, but does a great service here that exceeds my expectations in the traditional torso and blazes ahead with a convincing finale. Very worthwhile, and highly recommended.

The latest round of Music Matters Blue Note vinyl arrives:

Just got in a fabulous box of Music Matters Blue Note 45 rpm vinyl to get caught up on. If you haven't been keeping up, now is the time, having listened to 7 new MM BN's over the last two days, which is a very interesting and enlightening way to do it, I can only say that sonically this series has never been better, in fact, it has never been this good (and it always has been superb). Not only that, the selection of titles has reached a peak, all these are true classics representing in each case something unique to Blue Note and at the same time a musical milestone.

Stanley Turrentine's "Look Out" is a record I have had for decades but rarely pulled off the shelf. But Music Matters have shone a light on this session and made it essential - not only Turrentine's tone, here magnificently represented in all it's tall, deep, widely thrown glory (check out the lame sound Hoffman gave Turrentine on the Analogue Productions "Up At Mintons Vol. 1" and them come back to "Look Out" for the truth) - the blues shouts, the deep honks, the slides, the shimmys, the soul - all here. But what struck me the most as I listened was just what a great drummer Al Harewood was - and what a solid swing he brings. The cymbal sound achieved here for Harewood is just so damn soulful - and swinging. George Tucker I always thought of as a capable journeyman, and maybe that's what he was. But he is just such a solid, powerful swinging force here. That's what makes this such a classic session - the swing of an outstanding rhythm section, underappreciated - until you here them on this reissue.

 Jackie McLean's "One Step Beyond" is another inspired choice. Once again, the sound is the best Music Matters - or anyone - has obtained for Jackie. I have previously written about the MM "Swing Swang Swingin", feeling that excellent though the sound is, McLean's tone wasn't quite truthful - it didn't entirely sound like his alto, and some high midrange was sucked out (by some EQ consultant no doubt). McLean just simply sings here - right out front, thrown way out of the speakers, that tart beautiful tone sitting right in front, so close I could touch it. But this session is more than that. It brought Tony Williams into the studio for the first time, and man, is he ever awesome here - just listen to his cymbal sound! It has never been so realistic, and I had never heard just how detailed and varied his cymbal sound was. Grachan Moncur is a monster here - a huge, enveloping sound, one that now can be seen to be so deep in the swing tradition - it all makes sense now, Moncur can now be heard as a deep traditionalist tonally while reaching for a new harmonic freedom. Of course, by now it must be accepted that only Music Matters have been able to get the warmly metallic, percussive, singing sound of Bobby Hutcherson's vibes right - awesome.

This is a hard bop session, yet a turning point - it reaches out and touches the 'new thing' without McLean abandoning where he came from. As such, it is iconic and unique.

Dexter Gordon had recorded quite a bit for Blue Note before "Our Man In Paris", and from my perspective, other BN-Dexter records are better. But Ron and Joe have again made a beautiful choice here in reissuing this title. Our Man In Paris is seminal in the Blue Note canon for several reasons. First - it is the only title Music Matters have reissued to date not recorded by Rudy Van Gelder. Second - it is a rare encounter between Dexter and Bud Powell, and even more rare - one where Bud is 'all there'. Third - the great French bassist Pierre Michelot's only appearance on Blue Note, and one of the few by the legendary Kenny Clarke.

Sonically, this is a real treat - not RVG sound, and Music Matters have done an amazing job with what I am guessing are very good master tapes. Bud's piano sound is wonderful, and unlike the RVG piano sound. Same goes for the rocking, swinging Michelot - the bass sound is powerful, full of wood. So sonically, this is very unique to both MM and BN - and an excellent session by a band never to meet again.

Obviously, Ron had the challenge in assembling this package of session photos - since this was a Paris recording, there are obviously no Francis Wolff session photos. In their place (and likely not without a lot of detective work to source) are two wonderful photos I have never seen before - a period appropriate shot of Lion, Dexter and Van Gelder together, and another of a rather charming Dexter in Paris. A fabulous job, and an unexpected highlight of the series.

 Speaking of photos, the ones inside Lee Morgan's "The Procrastinator", a session from July 1967 show that RVG must have kept the air conditioning at near Arctic levels - everyone is wearing either a heavy wool jacket, or (in the cases of Bobby Hutcherson, Ron Carter and Billy Higgins) a heavy wool sweater! Morgan even appears from the photos to have had to change shirts during the session - obviously, these cats were so hot that day they needed some cooling down!

The music smokes. Ron Cater is on bass, and truthfully RVG never really caught Carter properly - but here, MM have made it right, Carter is just so powerfully symmetrical and locks in with Hancock and Higgins, now we hear his wonderful tone and how much his fingers contributed to his sound. Higgins also could be problematic for RVG - his cymbals are often a sizzling, ear bleeding blur during this era, but again, it's all right here, there is a clarity and detail to Higgins' cymbal work that has not been appreciated until heard here. I also never before appreciated just how Higgins could drop bombs - and keep on swinging.

Morgan - Hutcherson - Shorter out front, Ron Carter in a rare Blue Note appearance, even more rare - Carter and Higgins together., amazing, a classic date, singular in the Blue Note catalog, and every tune is just smoking hot.

Notwithstanding a typo in the liner notes, the session photo of Lee Morgan clearly shows the dent in his forehead from an encounter with a radiator while a junkie. Magnificent attention to detail.

Speaking of attention to detail, check out the cover of Wayne Shorter's "Adam's Apple" - the inner photos show Shorter playing a Conn tenor on that one, which he only played for a short time - he started with a Martin tenor, moved to a Selmer Balanced Action, then to the Conn 10M, then ultimately to a Selmer MkVI - all the way through with his usual Otto Link 11* mouthpiece. Checking the Adam's Apple original front cover - I had never noticed before - there it is, the Conn 10M. That accounts for the sound on that Music Matters that blew me away - the bigger, darker tenor sound. That's the 10M sound. Music Matters got it right, and it never has been that right for the last 40 some years.

 Bobby Hutcherson's "Happenings" not only sports an iconic cover, it is one of Hutcherson's finest dates, an advanced modal hard bop quartet with Hancock - and the ideal Hutcherson companion, Joe Chambers on drums, anchored by Bob Cranshaw. Again here, Music Matters have 'got' Hutcherson's sound just perfect, the warm, metallic vibes float above, and dart in and out of Hancock's exceptionally well structured and inventive dialogs. Chambers' sound has to be heard to be believed.

Don't hesitate on this one - Hutcherson was rarely heard in a quartet setting, and this is just exceptional.

 Blue Mitchell's "The Thing To Do" may seem an odd choice. Here we have the Horace Silver front line of the day, Mitchell and Junior Cook, By this point Cook had grown tremendously as a player, but the real reason this is such an essential record is the appearance of Chick Corea on Blue Note for the first time, and in a straight ahead bop quintet at that. Not to be under-estimated is the first appearance on Blue Note of Al Foster either. Often dismissed as a second tier hard bop record, Music Matters bring "The Thing To Do" into the front ranks of Blue Note - a smoking hot date, Cook is on fire, Mitchell is challenged by Corea (and Foster) to produce his best work. A great choice and the sound is exemplary.

Finally, another seminal Blue Note date from Freddie Hubbard, essential for a number of reasons - not only the Coltrane band of the day (Elvin, McCoy, and the master Art Davis on bass making a rare Blue Note appearance) - but the presence of Bernard McKinney on euphonium. McKinney gives a whole different voicing to the sextet, and Music Matters have captured the unique euphonium sound perfectly, showing it as a very singular foil to Hubbard and Shorter as a solo voice. The compositions on this record are near standrads in their perfection. This record was the first, in my view, that really showed a fully developed, unique voice from Hubbard. It remains one of his finest moments.

As usual, the RTI pressings are excellent (barring some disturbing popping on side 2 of Ready For Freddie that my usual cleaning regimen could not resolve), and the packaging of the usual highest standard.

Thing about this series - it is not just the warhorses, it doesn't play to the gallery, it produces true iconic and essential records that each have a unique place in Blue Note history and form the most complete picture of the depth Blue Note produced in their prime - and as such, it can only be considered the finest reissue series ever produced. Here are a bunch of titles that demand consideration.