Jazz for aficionados

Pryso, I've been waiting for someone to answer your question, but that's not my thing; although I enjoy the best recorded CD's and records, I don't make any effort to discern anything other than the music.

Yes o10, I'm waiting too, though it is not critical.

I do own a few D2D LPs, but all of them were produced by US companies.  So it was just a curiosity about the Japanese pressing.

pryso, I think that you may be misinterpreting some of what luiscfcoimbra wrote re the LA4 recording.  That particular LA4 recording (direct to disc) was recorded by and issued by the now defunct Japanese record label Eastwind Records.  The confusion may stem from the fact that it was recorded at Warner Bros. Studios in the USA.  However, eventhough the Warner Bros. facilities were used (rented) the masters would still have been owned by Eastwind and unless there was some other contractual issue, WB would have had no say in the matter.  Re your comment re the need for the stampers to be created as soon as possible:  

I got to know Lincoln Mayorga on a couple of musical projects that I was a part of on which he was pianist (he is a very accomplished piano player) and we talked audio a bit.  I have been meaning to contact him to say hello for a while so I put a call in to him this morning and will ask him about this issue.  I will report back if I get any info.

O-10, I enjoyed the Chico Freeman clip; it is, as you say, an interesting tune. I have owned that record since it came out and if I’m not mistaken that record was discussed a while ago.

I have never been much of a Chico Freeman fan and that record was considered his breakthrough recording and it was his best (by far) recording up to that time. Although it is an interesting tune and Freeman is the leader on the record, I think an argument can be made that Freeman is no more than a sideman on this particular tune. First, it is not Freeman’s tune, it was written by bassist McBee who sounds fantastic on it. Additionally, of all the soloists Freeman is the least distinguished, imo. Bobby Hutcherson sounds amazing on this tune and Wynton plays one the most exciting solos that I have ever heard from him; and he was twenty (!) years old at the time. Overall, interesting tune and some really great playing.

To put it into a certain perspective, I think it should be remembered that this record came out at a time when many were feeling that (real) jazz was dead and the arrival of “young lions” like Wynton who considered themselves traditionalists was considered a really big deal. This was the first record by Freeman in a more traditional bag and a departure from his prior avant-garde recordings. He is clearly a good band leader, but imo, as a saxophonist he is, to use an unfortunate recently used term, fairly irrelevant. Still, nice record. Thanks for the clip.