What Jazz are you listening to now?

[Bogey]

These were initially made for 10" LPs - in jazz, only around 1955 the switch was made to 12" (with some exceptions, such as Duke Ellington's "Masterpieces" on Columbia - but that was Columbia and Ellington's prolonged versions of some of his most famous tunes were marketed as something like classical concerti ...). So independent labels like Prestige or Blue Note repackaged much of their catalogue into the new format. For Miles and J.J. on Blue Note for instance , you have two Vols. of 12" albums that in each case contain three 10" albums. In other cases (Monk, Bud Vols. 1 & 2) they compiled singles again (they already had compiled them onto 10"). With these changes in edition, sometimes a different take (whether by choice or by accident) would see the light, too.

Blue Note, when first releasing these sessions on CD, usually went with the 12" covers where they differed. Later on (with the RVG Edition) they switched to using the 10" covers, and in some cases still re-grouped the music (I think the earlier CDs reflecting the 12" releases usually did so, content-wise, as well, but I'm not sure). So with Miles and J.J., you get two ten-inchers (plus bonustracks like alternate takes if available) on one Volume, and the third on a separate volume ... thus what's on the cover will not necessarily reflect what's on the disc.

I like the "complete sessions"-approach, but many collectors seem not to, to the extent that - this was beyond silly if you ask me! - the reissues of Jimmy Smith's "The Sermon" and "House Party" in the RVG series while adding a few bonus tracks, omitted many other tracks that were available on the previous CD incarnations (which again split up the contents into original sessions, while the LPs and again the RVGs mixed sessions). Why they couldn't even included the remaining tracks at the end of the disc (not just alternates in that case, though with such great bands in a lose setting I like alternate takes as well ... heck I generally do like alternate takes anyway!). Seems to many anally retentive collectors complained about them abandoning the original LP configuration that they bowed in ... ridiculous indeed, as if you want to hear original, get first pressings, get a time machine (or at least wear sixties clothes, buy sixties furniture, eat sixties food, smoke sixties cigarettes and play your vinyl on crappy sixties audio equipment to make sure you ruin those first pressings on a small portable rekkid player etc. - never burst your bubble, but don't panick about a CD repacking known music into its own format - a CD will never be original, so what's the matter).

Edited to add: in many cases, an additional session was held to "pimp" an 10" and have the necessary additional 10-15 minutes to make it a 12" ... but sometimes stuff was repackaged in an adventurous way. Guess that was a Prestige specialty and it explains all the odd 12" LPs jumbling sessions that are still well-known today, by Miles Davis or Sonny Rollins or Thelonious Monk. Those silly purists should actually insist on 20-25 minute CDs that contain the 10" versions only, as those were "original".

That took effort and time.  Many thanks.  The key for me is not to rebuy what I have.  That is why I have made it a point to stay away from box sets recently. I may miss some bonus stuff, but I will make up for it with spending the money on cds that I do not have any of the material.

[Bogey]

Time Out - Dave Brubeck - AP SACD - mastered by Bernie Grundman 

Boom!

[king ubu]

foogly cover, but at least album #1 on this set (which is "Lenox Avenue Breakdown" - on my version the sequence has been fixed compared to the pic below) is a timeless classic ... the other three are new to me (bought a few month ago, but revisiting and first listening after the sad recent news ... finally finding some time for Blythe):

[George]

Boom!

Best sounding digital version of that album.

[SimonNZ]

Dan Faulk - Focusing In (1992)

[Bogey]

Recorded between '48 and '50



Big band swing sound, but throw in a dash of bongos and congas.  Doc Severinsen on one of the trumpets for those keeping score.

[SimonNZ]

Tom Williams - Straight Street (1993)

[king ubu]

Lately:



A lovely prepared piano solo set by Eve Risser (out on Clean Feed) ... saw her large ensemble (another disc on Clean Feed) at Jazzfest Berlin last fall and kinda fell for it/her ... she's scheduled to play Météo in Mulhouse in August, which I plan to visit.



Chico Freeman and Arthur Blythe - two sets from Ronnie Scott's in London.



This album from 2002 seems indeed to be Blythe's last one ... with longtime cohorts John Hicks (p), Bob Stewart (tuba) and Cecil Brooks III (d), excellent release.



And this was, I think, my first encounter with Blythe ... he's a perfect match for the warm, somewhat swampy sound of this project.

[SimonNZ]

Zach Brock - Purple Sounds (2013)

[king ubu]

Just got this solo recording from 1999 and gave it a first spin - lovely indeed! The tunes are a nice mixture of standards and originals (Parker, Ellington, Strayhorn, Dizzy, Monk, Parlan).

[king ubu]

This arrived a few weeks ago, together with the new Mobley ... and from my first impression, it's as great as I was daring to hope - I just love Don Byas, he was not fooling around!

[kishnevi]

Ubu is right: certainly will take several listens to get a grasp on this, but interesting enough even on first hearing
[asin]B01AK5SKP6[/asin]

[Dry Brett Kavanaugh]

Zach Brock - Purple Sounds (2013)

I gotta check it out. You must be a sick person!

[king ubu]

Late night listen yesterday was this here:



After all, what can you listen to after having listened to Don Byas? Right: more Don Byas!

Today:



The first just out on Intakt ... the latest by Trio 3, the second delivered today, and straight to the player - very nice 1991 recording with Hamiet Bluiett, Bob Stewart, Kelvin Bell, Gust William Tsilis, Arto Tuncboyaci and Don Moye (not everybody present on all tracks, Bluiett merely a guest on two tracks, other than that from solo to trio - Blythe/Tsilis/Tuncboyaci, Blythe/Stewart/Tuncboyaci - quartet - Blythe/Bell/Stewart/Moye - to full band (one without Tsilis, three with Tsilis and Bluiett). Pretty nice programme indeed, though the cover, once you flip open the digipack panels, is inducing eye cancer within minutes ... the 90s when they still looked like the 80s, the worst that you can get as far as aesthetics go!

[George]

Found a new copy of this today in a local shop and snapped it up! Now enjoying CD 01.

[SimonNZ]

Abdullah Ibrahim - Mantra Mode (1991)
Ray Brooks - The Free Slave (1970)



Art Blakey - Golden Boy (1964)
Gil Evans - New Bottle, Old Wine (1958)

[XB-70 Valkyrie]

This is very nice (Julie London Cole Porter), heard on KCSM!!

[Dry Brett Kavanaugh]

This is very nice (Julie London Cole Porter), heard on KCSM!!

Wow!!!!!!!!!!!

[Bogey]

Art Blakey - Golden Boy (1964)

I do not have any Blakey from the '60's, I believe.  Curious if he changed his sound or approach later in his career?

[Bogey]

George Shearing is great anytime anywhere in my book, but when he has the fabulous Armando Peraza along for the session on the bongos and congas then the lp goes directly to the top shelf.