K-2 remasterings

[connoisseur series500]

What do you guys think about these remasterings? There's always so much talk about RVG remasterings. I tend to upgrade my Blue Notes when RVGs come out. I've also started to upgrade to K-2 issues as well for Fantasy/OJC/Prestige issues.

I think the K-2 remasterings are definite improvements. I do complain, however, about the retail price. RVGs are semi-reasonable; K-2 reissues go for $15-16 apiece.

Couldn't they be cheaper since there's no new artwork or whatever?

[sal]

I love the K2s. They sound so much better than any other remasters out right now, including the RVGs and the Columbia's. I wish they would come out faster.

[Quincy]

They've become my favorite reissues as well, and in a sense I'm saddened that they do sound so good, as I know I'll have to replace my Miles to K2s sometime. But this is a good problem to have.

As far as prices, here are 2 options.

CD Universe pre-order prices for the last time around were $11.19 (not including shipping.)

If you place an order above $99, K2s at alldirect will run $10.68 a piece including shipping (no charge on shipping over $99.)

Edited October 23, 2004 by Quincy

[Brad]

Sound is very good, similar to the Japanese JVC XRCDs, much better than the JRVGs. Also in a quandry about the prices but I don't have a lot of what they've reissued, such as Bill Evans so I find it to be worth it nonetheless.

[connoisseur series500]

Damn! Forgot about the Bill Evans remasterings. I've got the Miles Davis series all taken care of and Wes Montgomery (along with an odd Cannonball and Kenny Dorham.)

Now I've got to upgrade my Bill Evans. And at $15-16, whew...

[Claude]

I like the K2 series a lot. The remasterings are very clean and dynamic but also very neutral (unlike the RVGs), and the price is reasonable ($13.3 at cduniverse). They are consistingly good and are only topped by the new SACD versions (although not all of them) and by the DCC CDs (now OOP).

There is however an issue with the "Monk's Music" K2, which was made from mono tapes, while the older CD and the new SACD are stereo.

One thing I don't understand in Fantasy's reissue policy, is why they release a K2 version and then a bit later a hybrid SACD (only a year later in case of "Mulligan & Monk"). I doesn't make sense for a label to have two audiophile series with partially the same titles.

http://www.fantasyjazz.com/html/20-bits_main.html

http://www.fantasyjazz.com/html/sacd.html

[wesbed]

The K2s are very good. Not only are they very good, they are consistently good. As with all old, remastered recordings, the K2s are not perfect. But, they are, many times, the best I've heard.

The original recordings from Prestige, Riverside, and Contemporary are every bit, equally as good as the Blue Notes, regarding the quality of the musician's performance and the selected songs. The K2 remastering, though, is, to my ears, some of the best. If not the best. The remastering engineers, Tamaki Beck and Shigeo Miyamoto, simply never have a bad day in the remastering studio. In comparison, there are many Van Gelder remastering attempts that sound electric. Some McMasters sound a little flat and distorted.

I've written various Board entries in regard to the excellent quality offered by the K2s. I made a recent post here. And a few other posts here, here and here.

From my experience CD Universe has a good selection of the K2s. CD Universe offers a competitive price tag as well.

[Tony Pusey]

I agree with all of you. I look forward more and more to each new batch. To me the advantage is that unlike with the RVGs I am not having to upgrade since in many cases I never got round to buying the older versions! My only complaint is that for me several titles remain of marginal interest (Peanuts? Vince Guaraldi) and I would really like them to toss in the odd left field choice( relativly speaking ) Booker Ervin, Griffin or Joe Hendersson frinstance! They could easily double the rate of releases and i would be one happy camper. Oh and drop the price a tad.

[jazzbo]

I don't know, I don't always like K2 remasterings. Case in point: to my ears, in my system the regular OJC of "Wide Open Spaces" sounds much better than the K2 from Japan. And there are a few other instances where Kirk Felton's remix and remastering sounds better to me.

And I'm a fan of the RVG series . . . . The clarity is a big plus for me, and most sound quite nice on my best system.

[connoisseur series500]

I just ordered the K-2 of Wes Montgomery, "Full House."

Man, the older version sounds excellent. Why remaster that one? Surely, there were other titles ahead in the triage?

[Brad]

You're in for a treat with Full House. Great cd.

[J.A.W.]

You're in for a treat with Full House.  Great cd.

I just got the Steve Hoffman remastered Full House, and to my ears it's even better than the latest K2 XRCD version, which I'm now selling on eBay (a little pimping will do no harm, I guess )

Edited October 23, 2004 by J.A.W.

[connoisseur series500]

You're in for a treat with Full House. Great cd.

Already aware of it as I've had the original issue for years. Will find out in a week whether the K-2 remaster improves it much.

[Shrdlu]

The older, jewel case, Japanese Impulse reissues were also K-2s. I have heard very few of these, but one, Milt Jackson's "The Jazz And Samba", is stunning - about the best CD (sonically) that I have ever heard. (Music's not all that bad, either! This is another one that Michael Cuscuna deliberately passed over, and it's very unfair. No train wreck here.)

[RZangpo2]

There is however an issue with the "Monk's Music" K2, which was made from mono tapes, while the older CD and the new SACD are stereo.

Some think the mono tapes sound better. They were close-miked, while the stereo was made from two microphones hung from the ceiling. I prefer the mono myself. IIRC, the stereo has all the horns hard left, Monk's piano hard right, the drums in the center, and no bass.

[Claude]

Yes, indeed, the stereo sound is slightly "experimental" But some posters on the BNBB were very dissapointed that the K2 disc didn't have stereo sound, that's why I posted my warning.

I'm still hesitating if I should get the K2 (mono) or the SACD (stereo). I currently have this session (stereo) in the cheapo german Monk Riverside box, which sounds a bit dated (original remaster from 1986).

[Chuck Nessa]

I suggest the mono unless someone confirms "magic" on the stereo SACD.

[wesbed]

If we could just, someday, learn that Malcolm Addey has been hired to do all future K2 releases. A sort of AddeSeries. The logo would read, "These are the titles you need to Add to your jazz collection, the AddeSeries of Jazz."

[nmorin]

I don't know, I don't always like K2 remasterings.  .

I wasn't thrilled by sonic upgrade of the K2 of "The Sound of Sonny", but I think their batting average is higher than that of RVGs (to my ears, on my system, etc). Some of the improvements are enormous--the poster child for me being Evan's "New Jazz Conceptions". Then again, some of the RVGs are enormous improvements (Monk's "Genius of..." CDs and Miles' "Birth of the Cool".

Edited October 23, 2004 by nmorin

[wesbed]

I had to order some new K2s! The K2s, in general, are consistently some of the best remastering efforts I've encountered.

Here's my latest order just received from CD Universe and the UPS truck.

Edited November 4, 2004 by wesbed

[Swinger]

I ordered my first K2 cds from cduniverse.com a week ago.They were shipped on monday. I should get them tomorrow or next monday.I'm anxiously waiting for what differences I'm going to hear.I've listened to the following cds as their original cd copies made in the 80s and I guess those K2 are going to sound *much* better. Do you agree with me?

my purchases (shipped on November 1st from cduniverse.com):

Wes Montgomery: Full House,The Incredible Jazz Guitar Of Wes Montgomery

My next K2 purchase is going to be Workin' with Miles Davis Quintet.I have all those other cds (Steamin', Cookin',Relaxin') as normal 20-bit versions and I don't intend to upgrade them.I save my money to other cds.

[Claude]

You're right, Swinger. The german OJC releases of these Miles albums are quite good.

As I told you in my reply to your PM on AAJ, don't expect too much (acoustically) from the "Incredible jazz guitar" CD, because the tapes are in bad shape and none of the reissues sounds very good.

[Swinger]

Claude:

Yep. Thank you for reminding me of your PM. I didn't remember it at all

I guess there is going to be some some sonical improvements in Full House. Its copy made in the 80s sound ok but I hope I didn't spend 2-3 extra Euros for nothing.

Steve Hoffman's DCCed "Full House" would probably be the best choice but I can't find it at ebay.com nor anywhere else.

Ps. Have you upgraded any other of your old OJCs to K2 editions? Have you noticed any significant sonical improvements in them?

[Tony Pusey]

I have just played the 2 Bill Evans Village Vanguard K2s again-sublime! and to my ears much improved over the german 20 bit digi pack versions which generally I had very little time for.

[J.A.W.]

Steve Hoffman's DCCed "Full House" would probably be the best choice but I can't find it at ebay.com nor anywhere else.

The Steve Hoffman version is my favorite. Amazon.com has a few.

Edited November 4, 2004 by J.A.W.