What are these companies using as copy protection? Is it one of these schemes that induces errors into the datastream? If so, I can say there would be an audible difference without hearing the discs. Anything that increases jitter is BAD. The digital clock is the weakest link in the chain in most CD players and anything that would specifically mess with it even more would definately make a sonic difference.
I have no idea - please ask an audiophile fool, bluerein or some other fools. I am deaf.
I'm sure some audio fools picked up the information you posted and thought they could hear a difference as well. So US pressings don't sound much better to you now, do they?
Next time you should do such tests before talking about sound differences on chat boards, so audio fools won't be tempted to draw false conclusions that easily. How do you set up your listening tests btw?
I read a Zawinul interview where he said that he often collected tons of material over a period of time and later used just tiny bits on a record so there's a contradiction to what your source wants us to believe. Extensive editing and thoroughly composed stuff don't necessarily exclude each other. If the only reason for Z holding back this material is because he wants people to believe in first live takes or something = stupid. It would be cool to hear this music. I don't care how this stuff was put together.
In the bio Chester Thompson says "I was thrown by the detail of charts of each of them[...]I was surprised by the details of the charts, actually." It is also mentioned that editing was involved in putting WR albums together. Seems as if they were being pragmatic.
Edit: of course, Thompson was in the band before the period you're talking about.
I saw this was on the web. I've been trying to find this article - no luck. Just in case you come across it sometime, could you please post it to the board or send me a PM or something? Thanks.
There's another book. On occasion of Z's 70th birthday a biography (it's basically an interview covering Zawinul's entire life with some very nice photos) in German language was published in 2002. http://www.residenzverlag.at/programm/frue...002/baumann.htm
I haven't seen the video (don't have the plug-in) but the Cine-Tele Sound Studio, London, England, March 7, 1965 entry could make sense:
http://www.jazzdisco.org/morgan/dis/c/#650307
Another suggestion:
Instead of Darmstadt, how about Berlin - Palast der Republik? BBQ + (live?) music in front of this soon to disappear beautiful building.