Real Gone Jazz sets

[BFrank]

I just saw a bunch of great looking collections on Amazon of classic albums boxed on the "Real Gone Jazz" label and the prices are very reasonable.

Anyone know anything about these? Quality of remastering? They're identified as 'imports', so are they bootlegs of some sort?

Here's an example of a Harold Land box that sells for $11.99.

[ejp626]

They've been discussed extensively. This is a European PD label and generally the reviews have been poor in the sense that the sources are at best CDs and sometimes even MP3 sources (or MP3s of needle drops). Probably not worth your money.

[JSngry]

Please consider other options.

[BFrank]

Great thanks!

I did a search here and nothing came up.

[StarThrower]

Great thanks!

I did a search here and nothing came up.

This site has a useless search engine. Just use a general search engine and add "organissimo" to your subject.

[Teasing the Korean]

Is Real Gone Jazz related to Real Gone Music? Because the latter is a great reissue label and is now working with Dusty Groove on reissues.

[crisp]

No relation to Real Gone Music.

[Teasing the Korean]

No relation to Real Gone Music.

Thanks!

[Teasing the Korean]

In fairness, they have released some collections of stuff that includes titles otherwise unavailable on CD.

[Clunky]

These sets are fine if you buy music by the kilo. I'm glad I've not needed to consider these. I'd prefer to wait to find a better LP or single CD issue from more "legitimate" sources.

[RogerF]

I bought the George Russell seven classic albums for approximately a sixth of the price all seven would have cost individually. The packaging is basic but at least gives personnel details. I found the sound quality acceptable but the seven albums are merged onto four CDs, so there is some "overspill" of albums onto two separate CDs, but you get what you pay for.

[BFrank]

I think I'll pass on these. While there might be some merit to getting some just to have the music on hand, I think I'll stick to more conventional sources.

Thanks for the input, everyone.

[StarThrower]

I bought the George Russell seven classic albums for approximately a sixth of the price all seven would have cost individually.

That's because at individual price, the people who spent the money to produce the product get paid.

[Teasing the Korean]

I'd prefer to wait to find a better LP or single CD issue from more "legitimate" sources.

I would too. *IF* the "legitimate" sources would get up off their lazy asses and release them. I will only wait so long.

[RogerF]

Some of these Russell albums [to my shame] I'd never even heard of let alone heard before I saw this bargain basement box. Listening to these now I am much more inclined to buy the individually produced, premium products, when they become available and then ditch the box, since I really hate the track multi-stacking aspect. So as a method of sampling the music, these box sets do have an upside.

[felser]

I bought the George Russell seven classic albums for approximately a sixth of the price all seven would have cost individually.

That's because at individual price, the people who spent the money to produce the product get paid.

Occasionally.

[mikeweil]

Re: George Russell I think one fairs better with the two sets Fresh Sound has just issued: One 4 CD set with the 190-62 Decca and Riverside albums and one double CD with the 1956-60 Smalltet and Orchestra sessions for Decca and RCA including two tracks from a Columbia collection. A bit pricier than the real gone box but probably better in any respect. Since I have only three of the eight LPs involved an none of the bonus material this looks very tempting.

[Big Beat Steve]

I haven't bought any of these Real Gone sets but must admit I am tempted by the Gigi Gryce set for the simple reason that it includes 1 or 2 LPs that go for such silly prices even for simple CD reissues elsewhere (for whatever reason ...) so that these LPs alone are worth the price of admission for the entire box set - and those that I already have from that set will end up as CD player fodder in the car.

It is just as TTK says: If those "legitimate" sources would get off their asses and get moving then a lot of this discussion would be redundant. Don't even bother doing yet another re-re-remaster-mastering - just keep stuff that has already been reissued in print or splurge out another pressing run outside ripoff postage Japan sources (in order to keep the prices to a reasonable level) and that will be enough ...

Edited December 29, 2014 by Big Beat Steve

[Head Man]

I haven't bought any of these Real Gone sets but must admit I am tempted by the Gigi Gryce set for the simple reason that it includes 1 or 2 LPs that go for such silly prices even for simple CD reissues elsewhere (for whatever reason ...) so that these LPs alone are worth the price of admission for the entire box set - and those that I already have from that set will end up as CD player fodder in the car.

I bought the Gigi Gryce set a while back and discovered that two of the albums it contains (The Hap'nin's and Sayin' Something) both come from mp3 sources. I guess Real Gone had as much trouble as us in finding 'proper' copies of these two!

[gmonahan]

As others have said, they're occasionally useful for finding something that hasn't otherwise been issued, and likely never will be. Also for sampling the work of an artist that one might not otherwise know much about. I used the series to get some albums by Jack McDuff I didn't have. I think I have a couple of others sitting on my shelf somewhere. The sound can be wildly inconsistent, as one would expect.

gregmo

[crisp]

I'd prefer to wait to find a better LP or single CD issue from more "legitimate" sources.

I would too. *IF* the "legitimate" sources would get up off their lazy asses and release them. I will only wait so long.

The PD releases arguably discourage legit releases. I sense that people like us who care about sources and mastering are in a minority. I agree that the waiting game is painful.

[felser]

I'd prefer to wait to find a better LP or single CD issue from more "legitimate" sources.

I would too. *IF* the "legitimate" sources would get up off their lazy asses and release them. I will only wait so long.

The PD releases arguably discourage legit releases. I sense that people like us who care about sources and mastering are in a minority. I agree that the waiting game is painful.

Legit releases are dead except maybe in Japan. When's the last time we saw anything new stateside from Blue Note, Riverside, Prestige, etc. rather than the same old same old rererpackaged (Concord) or silence (EMI).

[jazzbo]

Well, Universal did release new transfers of Blue Note titles (Brown, Coltrane, Davis, Monk. . . ) in interesting re-packagings. From the same transfers the Japanese released more than twenty times as many discs, so point taken.

I guess the future is in downloads, which would be good really, I could bow out of collecting conceivably as I am not into those. . . .

[David Ayers]

The future is in high-res streaming. That's what they tell me in the local hifi shop.

[jazzbo]

Good. I'm not into that so maybe I can do something else with my life.