June 19 BN Japanese Reissues - uncommon titles

[Shrdlu]

The CDs that I have by Larry Walsh are fine. But if they are going to use these masterings again, they should say so.

[jazzbo]

In at least one case they do note this on cdjapan.co.jp . . . for example "Components"

[jazzbo]

I just went through the upcoming list on cdjapan. Kenny Burrell's "Introducing Kenny Burrell" is listed as "Remastered" in the track listing. McCoy Tyner's "Tender Moments" has one track that says "1987 - Remaster" and three that say "Digitall Remastered" and two with no indication. Bobby Hutcherson's "Total Eclipse" has one track that says "1968 Version" whatever that means. All the others either don't have any extra notation on the track listings or don't have track listings. I don't know what to make of that but I suspect the majority of these if not all of them will feature older masterings. 

Edited April 18, 2019 by jazzbo

[Justin V]

As the dope who passed on a partial Larry Young box due to a bout with my budget conscience, I am glad to see Heaven on Earth on this list.

Edited April 18, 2019 by Justin V

[Late]

5 hours ago, jazzbo said:

I don't know what to make of that but I suspect the majority of these if not all of them will feature older masterings. 

I agree. This shouldn't deter people who simply want to hear the music, of course. But if the Grundman transfers are out there (and those I've heard are excellent; Wayne Shorter's Schizophrenia is an example), I wish they could be used. But maybe your thought — using older remastering as a deliberate choice — is accurate.

At any rate, I'm happy that a reissue program for Blue Note still exists. Now if only the the pre-1947 Blue Note material was considered for reissue! (Maybe in 2039?)

[bertrand]

Isn't it 'Introducing KB' rather than 'Freedom'?

[jazzbo]

Yes, my typing error.

[erwbol]

On 18/04/2019 at 2:39 PM, jazzbo said:

Bobby Hutcherson's "Total Eclipse" has one track that says "1968 Version" whatever that means.

The 1988 CD was remixed by Malcolm Addey. The Japanese CD from the late 2000s used a poor remaster of the original mix. It's likely they'll reproduce the latter.

[Aftab]

Definitely picking up Merry Go Round, Portrait of Shelia and Cliff Jordan - three titles that have somewhat escaped me over the years. I saw Shelia Jordan a few years ago in Chicago - man, she's a kick!

 

[felser]

1 hour ago, Aftab said:

Definitely picking up Merry Go Round, Portrait of Shelia and Cliff Jordan - three titles that have somewhat escaped me over the years. I saw Shelia Jordan a few years ago in Chicago - man, she's a kick!

 

"Merry-Go-Round" escaped you because it never has been domestically released on CD except for the Mosaic box, was on Japanese CD for about five minutes a decade ago.  You'll be happy with all three;

[jazzbo]

July titles. Some good "returns" here imo.

http://www.cdjapan.co.jp/products?term.prodkey=UCCQ-9521,UCCQ-9522,UCCQ-9523,UCCQ-9524,UCCQ-9525,UCCQ-9526,UCCQ-9527,UCCQ-9528,UCCQ-9529,UCCQ-9530,UCCQ-9531,UCCQ-9532,UCCQ-9533,UCCQ-9534,UCCQ-9535,UCCQ-9536,UCCQ-9537,UCCQ-9538,UCCQ-9539,UCCQ-9540,UCCQ-9541,UCCQ-9542,UCCQ-9543,UCCQ-9544,UCCQ-9545,UCCQ-9546,UCCQ-9547,UCCQ-9548,UCCQ-9549,UCCQ-9550

[mikeweil]

If anybody purchases McCoy Tyner's Tender Moments from the upcoming June batch, please tell how it sounds. 

[bertrand]

The two that I don't have that I would consider as a Hutcherson and Grant Green completist are Natural Illusions and the Dodo Greene.

The former has a really bad reputation. Not sure about the Dodo. Comments?

[Aftab]

Harold Vick - Steppin’ Out - one of my faves. Highly recommended. 

[mjzee]

34 minutes ago, bertrand said:

The two that I don't have that I would consider as a Hutcherson and Grant Green completist are Natural Illusions and the Dodo Greene.

The former has a really bad reputation. Not sure about the Dodo. Comments?

Dodo is like Gloria Lynne (maybe not so over the top, but in that general style).  She would have been at home on the Ed Sullivan Show.  Hardly jazz, even with the stellar accompanists.  

How are those two Blakey Holiday for Skins albums?  Are they similar to his other drum-focused albums (Orgy in Rhythm, Drums Around The Corner, Drum Suite)?  I kinda liked DATC, never cared for Orgy, haven't heard Drum Suite.

Oh yeah, The African Beat too; never heard that one either.

[JSngry]

16 hours ago, mjzee said:

Dodo is like Gloria Lynne (maybe not so over the top, but in that general style).  She would have been at home on the Ed Sullivan Show.  

Ike Quebec & Grant Green on the Sullivan show would have been not just good, but great! #TONYTIGERINDATTANK

[Aftab]

Just started listening to the Dodo Greene on Spotify. Couldn't get past "You Are My Sunshine" - wowza - now I remember why I sold my Conn years ago.

[JSngry]

Dodo's not gonna be for everybody. but she does represent a very real segment of what was then "the jazz life".

Myself, I found the original LP a loooong time ago in a neighborhood where such music was common enough. Let's just say that all the bonus cuts added to the CD struck me as, uh....not helpful.

[felser]

7 minutes ago, JSngry said:

Dodo's not gonna be for everybody. but she does represent a very real segment of what was then "the jazz life".

Myself, I found the original LP a loooong time ago in a neighborhood where such music was common enough. Let's just say that all the bonus cuts added to the CD struck me as, uh....not helpful.

IIRC, she was able to record the album because she was Ike Quebec's girlfriend.  One of the few BN's from that era I have given myself full permission to pass on (another is Donald Byrd's "I'm Trying to Get Home").

17 hours ago, mjzee said:

Dodo is like Gloria Lynne (maybe not so over the top, but in that general style).  She would have been at home on the Ed Sullivan Show.  Hardly jazz, even with the stellar accompanists.  

How are those two Blakey Holiday for Skins albums?  Are they similar to his other drum-focused albums (Orgy in Rhythm, Drums Around The Corner, Drum Suite)?  I kinda liked DATC, never cared for Orgy, haven't heard Drum Suite.

Oh yeah, The African Beat too; never heard that one either.

I dutifully own those Blakey sessions, but have only played them once, nothing to draw me back to them.

[Dan Gould]

I do not hate the Dodo or either Byrd recordings with wordless vocals ... but that's just me.

[felser]

2 minutes ago, Dan Gould said:

I do not hate the Dodo or either Byrd recordings with wordless vocals ... but that's just me.

"A New Perspective" is pretty great, but not the others.

[JSngry]

Yes, she was IQ's GF, but I believe she worked a lot in local clubs before and after that. For whatever reason. And she did make one other record, for Time, before the BN date. In 1959, actually. And she stayed active for a good long while too.

Mention was made earlier of Gloria Lynne...Gloria Lynne sold a LOT of records to African-American audiences. Successful or not (musically and career-wise) Dodo Green was part of that market/society.

I don't find her that bad, actually. But a little does go a long way. Still, I hear people just reflexively ridiculing her with no real awareness of how/why/where that kind of career happens and survives, and although I kinda get it, still, it seems a little uninformed overall. Music like this don't exist in a vacuum, nor is being a girlfriend automatically the only explanation. There's, uh, life involved, ok?

https://www.allmusic.com/artist/dodo-greene-mn0000794573

https://www.discogs.com/Dodo-Greene-Aint-What-You-Do/master/1023113

 

Those Blakey "drum records"...many are similar, none are alike, though. None suck, but none have ever stuck me as "essential" in any way.

I myself prefer less "American" versions of that type thing, although I'll stipulate that their "American-ness" is probably what Blakey was aiming for. But give me Side 1 on Mongo's Up From The Roots any day.

[JSngry]

As far as actual recs go...looking at that list, the three I'd single (triple?) out for attention are the Vick (never, ever common in my life, and I know I LOVE me some Harold Vick), the Cecil (such a profoundly BEAUTIFUL record, lyrical even) and the BJP (nothing but groove/pocket from start to finish, the kind of thing where Grant Green just goes on and on and on and you NEVER want him to stop, but when he does, Patton keeps it right there and you never want HIM to ever stop, but when he does, here comes the next song, and...that kind of a record).

[felser]

On 5/14/2019 at 3:06 PM, JSngry said:

Yes, she was IQ's GF, but I believe she worked a lot in local clubs before and after that. For whatever reason. And she did make one other record, for Time, before the BN date. In 1959, actually. And she stayed active for a good long while too.

Mention was made earlier of Gloria Lynne...Gloria Lynne sold a LOT of records to African-American audiences. Successful or not (musically and career-wise) Dodo Green was part of that market/society.

I don't find her that bad, actually. But a little does go a long way. Still, I hear people just reflexively ridiculing her with no real awareness of how/why/where that kind of career happens and survives, and although I kinda get it, still, it seems a little uninformed overall. Music like this don't exist in a vacuum, nor is being a girlfriend automatically the only explanation. There's, uh, life involved, ok?

https://www.allmusic.com/artist/dodo-greene-mn0000794573

https://www.discogs.com/Dodo-Greene-Aint-What-You-Do/master/1023113

Understood on Greene, but I was/am not part of that market/society, and have no interest in additional listens to the album (I did listen twice).   And it certainly is a musical outlier in terms of the various things Blue Note was recording in 1962 (as was the Sheila Jordan album, which I like quite a bit) and widely considered very subpar in terms of that BN output.   I don't own any Gloria Lynne albums, either, have heard her.  I'm much more drawn to someone like Lorez Alexandria from that period.  We all have our many musical areas where we choose to remain uninformed,which is not a crime or a sin or a denial of life being involved.  Life and time are short.  Someone like, say,  Jim Peterik (Ides of March and, much later, Survivor) was also clearly part of a different market/society (actually a few),  and had talent and stayed active for a long time, yet the vast majority of members here will choose to remain uninformed about him/them and about that market/society.   

[JSngry]

I remember Jim Peterik from Chase!