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....