I had not been finding a lot of interest from either Pure Pleasure or Speakers Corner through 2010 and most of 2011, but over the last few months, some really great titles have been coming out. Both these labels are really coming alive and getting down to business. Here are some of my personal favorites. Herb Ellis' "Nothing But The Blues" pretty straightforwardly lives up to it's title, featuring Stan Getz in a rare session appearance, and a rare bluesy outing. Paired with Roy Eldridge, Getz shines, and the relaxed, informal setting is ideal. Not one I would have expected a lot from, very satisfying nonetheless, and excellent sounding.
Speakers Corner have not only revived their Decca series, but upped the sonic ante quite a few notches. Ansermet's Tchaikovsky 'Sleeping Beauty' is magnificently remastered from the original tapes. Apparently Speakers Corner have gone to surviving Decca staff for this series, and it shows. All the dynamics, and organic wholeness of the Decca sound is here, and the box presentation is exceptional.
Speakers Corner have also reissued the S/T Columbia Johnny Winter album, and it sounds far better than an original. No attempt to pander to the rocking chair crowd here - this one is transparent and detailed, warm, organic, and has all the bite and rock that Winter put down on the masters. A classic, essential.
Nina Simone is somewhat of an audiophile favorite, and Nina At The Village Gate is a classic, utterly timeless. Pure Pleasure, courtesy of a fine Abbey Road analog remastering, give it optimal, atmospheric sound that place Simone in a real acoustic space.
Back to Speakers Corner with Mitty Collier's "Shades Of A Genius", a Chess R&B obscurity that is simply a treasure. Kudos to Speakers Corner for reissuing this, it proves that courage to put out a title that has major musical merit but is off the beaten track pays big dividends. Buy this one. It's really genius.
On Pure Pleasure, no doubt derived from a digital source but who cares? It sounds fantastic. Lovano sounds amazing. Esperanza Spalding on bass! What a great record, spread onto two discs for maximum sonics. A modern classic.
Speakers Corner have Blood Sweat & Tears 3, often considered inferior to the S/T Clayton Thomas debut, but here, with a fine remastering that is vibrant, dynamic and propulsive, it is nothing of the sort.
After the long series Speakers Corner have done of the Ella Fitzgerald Songbook recordings, we come to the Johnny Mercer Songbook, later vintage in the series, not as popular as the earlier titles, dusted off here by Speakers Corner to show that it is just as impressive as any, Ella is in absolutely sparkling form, and the remastering is better than any earlier SC Ella reissue - and those were stellar. A wonderful record, superb sounding. It goes without saying - perfect pressing.
Likewise the SC reissue of Regine Crespin's seminal Sheherazade, coupled with Nuits D'Ete. Ansermet is on board with all the color and richness of the Suisse Romande, and Crespin sets a new benchmark particularly in the Ravel, which still remains top rated to this day. Magnificent sound.
Pure Pleasure just reissued the Thad Jones - Mel Lewis Big Band masterpiece, Consummation (the now classic A Child Is Born came from this one). Long dissed as a jazz footnote, this record has the tenors of Joe Farrell and Billy Harper, among an all-star cast - Roland Hanna, Jerome Richardson, Marvin Stamm, Howard Johnson, Richard Davis - and Thad Jones himself. Ron McMaster did the remastering here, and strangely, he does a magnificent job. A real classic, not to be missed.
Finally, Speakers Corner have Eugen Jochum's Philips recording of Bruckner's 5th, coupled strangely with Mozart's 36th, in glorious sound.
Pressings are flawless. Both Pure Pleasure and Speakers Corner have upped the sonic stakes considerably in the past year, despite sonics rarely being anything less than first rate. Speakers Corner in particular have come to the fore sonically, and in diverse repertoire, to take back their place at the top of the specialist labels.
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