Pacific Jazz/Capitol titles reissued by EMI Japan

[Clunky]

Bud Shank/Clare Fischer/Joe Pass 'Brasamba' (Pacific Jazz),

I played my Liberty reissue from 1981 tonight. It's a decent session with perhaps too much flute. Anyone care to compare to their other title " Bossa nova jazz samba" ?

[Jim R]

Bud Shank/Clare Fischer/Joe Pass 'Brasamba' (Pacific Jazz),

I played my Liberty reissue from 1981 tonight. It's a decent session with perhaps too much flute. Anyone care to compare to their other title " Bossa nova jazz samba" ?

I enjoy the flute material on that album (Jobim himself played the instrument, so it generally sounds "right" to me in the context of bossa), and there are actually more tracks with alto than flute. Anyway, to each their own.

On "Bossa Nova Jazz Samba", Shank sticks to the alto throughout. It's a very good session also, and because it contains what I believe is the original recording of Fischer's "Pensativa", I'd go ahead and call it essential.

[Teasing the Korean]

Those are both very much "of their time"...

I prefer "of their time" albums very much. Which "both" are you referring to? Presumably "Manteca" is one of them. What is the other? I want to buy it immediately, if I don't already have it. Assuming your review is accurate.

[JSngry]

Oh, sorry, was talking about the Cannonball still-not-on-CD-and-why-the-hell-not? items The Price You Got To Pay To Be Free & The Black Messiah.

I would by them PRE-Immediately if the option ever arose!

[etherbored]

daniel (!) -

i ordered them all (except for the mendes and de sah titles, which i already have). i had greater expectations of the adderley, but it's a fair enough date, imo.

the other records, especially the shank sides, shine....

[GA Russell]

What website are you guys ordering Japanese CDs from nowadays?

[jazzbo]

I'm old school. I use Da Bastids.

[J.A.W.]

CD Japan: http://www.cdjapan.co.jp/

Their prices are OK and their service is excellent.

[Chuck Nessa]

Occasionally Amazon has decent prices but you have to be careful.

[GA Russell]

Thanks guys!

[JSngry]

I got the latest Monday Michiru CD from CD Japan. Even with shipping that equaled the purchase price it was a buck or two less than DG and got here in about a week.

Such is not always the case pricewise, but point just being that CD Japan is a "proven performer", and if you want to pay less for slower shipping, quite possibly a cost-effective one, at least for US buyers.

But Dem Dirty Bastids are quite often very competitive, so...shop freely!

[GA Russell]

I see that the Brasil '65 and Softly albums are available together for $10.43

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001BJ65LC/ref=oh_details_o00_s00_i00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

[Eric]

What website are you guys ordering Japanese CDs from nowadays?

same here, DG and CDJapan, occasionally amazon

[jazzbo]

I see that the Brasil '65 and Softly albums are available together for $10.43

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001BJ65LC/ref=oh_details_o00_s00_i00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Right. DRG though from about 5 years ago, not Toshiba 2013.

[Kevin Bresnahan]

I'm old school. I use Da Bastids.

I don't know why Dusty Groove is Da Bastids. You're the guys that just cost me $70!

TOCJ-66621 [CD]Cannonball Adderley / The Happy People [Limited Release] 1143 yen

TOCJ-66622 [CD]Guitars Unlimited - Laurindo Almeida - Howard Roberts / Quiet Nights & Brazilian Guitars [Limited Release] 1143 yen

TOCJ-66626 [CD]Clare Fischer / Manteca! [Limited Release] 1143 yen

TOCJ-66627 [CD]Bud Shank & Clare Fischer / Bossa Nova Jazz Samba [Limited Release] 1143 yen

TOCJ-66628 [CD]Bud Shank / Brasamba! [Limited Release] 1143 yen

Subtotal 5715 yen

Shipping 1100 yen

Total 6815 yen

Edited August 21, 2013 by Kevin Bresnahan

[Daniel A]

I see that the Brasil '65 and Softly albums are available together for $10.43

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001BJ65LC/ref=oh_details_o00_s00_i00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Right. DRG though from about 5 years ago, not Toshiba 2013.

I went for the DRG for those titles. I hope it sounds OK. The combined playing time for the two albums is only 55 minutes.

As for the two Shank/Fischer albums I think of them as a unity and wouldn't be without any of them. Fischer's presence make them stand out from Shank's other Brazilian albums IMO

[Kevin Bresnahan]

For starters, the sound on these discs is fine. They don't suffer from the overly-loud, compressed sound that has degraded recent offerings in the TOCJ series. I did notice that EMI-Japan is now owned by Universal. When did Toshiba sell out to Universal?

Cannonball Adderley - The Happy People

Nope. Not doing it for me. This just doesn't sound like a Cannonball Adderley date (except when he solos). Not a huge fan of vocals to begin with but these just aren't great vocals. The moaning/screaming on the 2nd track really doesn't work and the whacka-whacka funk guitar sounds so weird with Cannonball soloing along with it. The echo-ey operatic singing on "Savior" is trippy. I suppose if all you're looking for a lot of energetic playing and a band having fun, go for it. I doubt I'll be playing it a lot.

FWIW, my wife & daughter didn't like it at all. They were looking at me weird when it was playing. Not my usual musical fare for sure.

Guitars Unlimited/Laurindo Almeida/Howard Roberts - Quiet Nights & Brazilian Guitars

Nice mellow Latin Jazz. Wicked short though. It's only about 28 minutes long. The tunes are so short there's not a lot of deep thinking involved. I'm glad I got this one but I wish it was a bit longer.

Clare Fischer - Manteca!

Good playing but for some reason, I think of Charo as I spin it. I could see this being used as the soundtrack to a movie in the 60s. I like this date. The percussion is great.

Bud Shank & Clare Fischer - Bossa Nova Jazz Samba

Really like this one - best of the bunch. It's really well done Latin Jazz. Unfortunately, under 30 minutes of music. They could have combined this with the Guitars Unlimited date and still had a CD under 60 minutes.

Bud Shank - Brasamba!

This one is pretty good too. I agree with an earlier poster's feeling that the flute tunes are weaker than the alto ones. Joe Pass is great. I do like it when Larry Bunker added some vibes to a couple of the tunes.

[jazzbo]

Interesting. For me the Cannonball is the best. The most really Brazilian in feel and spirit. I like Brasamba! the most next, then Bossa Nova Jazz Samba, then Manteca. I didn't bother with the Almeida/Roberts.

I really like the sound of this series and the LT reissues series and the other non-Blue Note EMI reissues of the last few years.

Edited September 27, 2013 by jazzbo

[J.A.W.]

I did notice that EMI-Japan is now owned by Universal. When did Toshiba sell out to Universal?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/EMI_Music_Japan:

[EMI Music Japan] became a wholly owned subsidiary of British music company EMI Group Ltd. in June 30, 2007 after Toshiba sold off its previous 45% stake. (...) On April 1, 2013, the label was absorbed into Universal Music Japan as a sublabel under the name EMI Records Japan.

[David]

Thanks for the reviews, Kevin. I have some 'points' expiring soon at CD Japan and will definitely pick up the Fischer and Shank dates (along with a few more of the Warner Japan Atlantics). I'll have to listen to a few youtube clips (if available) of the Adderley before committing to that one.

I'm with Lon here that I think the sound of these recent EMI reissues is fine. Same feeling with the Japanese Warner Atlantics, and the Atlantics are certainly MUCH better than the too-often butchered offerings of Collectables.

[RiRiIII]

Thanks for the reviews, Kevin. I have some 'points' expiring soon at CD Japan and will definitely pick up the Fischer and Shank dates (along with a few more of the Warner Japan Atlantics). I'll have to listen to a few youtube clips (if available) of the Adderley before committing to that one.

I'm with Lon here that I think the sound of these recent EMI reissues is fine. Same feeling with the Japanese Warner Atlantics, and the Atlantics are certainly MUCH better than the too-often butchered offerings of Collectables.

I have got the Fischer and Cannonball CDs. The Cannonball one is louder than it should have been, but listenable (I have no idea how the LP of this one sound though). Brasamba! is very nice.The LTs I got are very good - no probem with them. The Atlantics (I ve got around 30 of them) work quite well for recs of the MJQ, John Lewis and similar, while the Lloyd's for example should have been less loud for sure.

Alex

Edited September 27, 2013 by Alexandros

[king ubu]

I did notice that EMI-Japan is now owned by Universal. When did Toshiba sell out to Universal?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/EMI_Music_Japan:

[EMI Music Japan] became a wholly owned subsidiary of British music company EMI Group Ltd. in June 30, 2007 after Toshiba sold off its previous 45% stake. (...) On April 1, 2013, the label was absorbed into Universal Music Japan as a sublabel under the name EMI Records Japan.

Universal (non-us) is slowly but surely turning into Jordi (angel) 's boldest competitor

[Daniel A]

I agree with Kevin's assessment regarding sound quality and the sessions, though I didn't get the Almeida and Cannonball albums. I enjoyed Kevin's review of 'The Happy People' and I suspect I wouldn't have enjoyed the album itself. I also have no problem with Shank's flute playing.

When it comes to the LT series, the titles I've got suffers from dull and unengaging sound quality.

Like David, I find the Atlantic reissues to be miles better then the Collectables that were hit-and-miss, but sometimes embarrassingly bad.

And I suppose I should remove "Toshiba" from the thread title. Will do so when not browsing from a mobile.

[J.A.W.]

When it comes to the LT series, the titles I've got suffers from dull and unengaging sound quality.

Those recordings never sounded very good, at least not to my ears.

Edited September 27, 2013 by J.A.W.

[Daniel A]

I agree, Hans. But I think some of those dates subsequently reissued in the Connoisseur series fared better then. Otherwise I would have thought that there was a problem with all of these (LT series) session tapes, like only EQ:ed tape copies remained or something like that.