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Mono vs Stereo LP's

I recently purchased a 1958 mono issue of Art Farmer's "Farmer's Market" on the New Jazz purple label (New Jazz was a Prestige specialty label) The record looks to be in near mint condition and was carefully cleaned by me with a record vac. The recording, however, plays with a constant background noise or hiss. The dealer who sold me the record has a reputable history and is telling me the noise is because I need to play the record with a mono cartridge rather than my stereo Shelter 501. I have read the threads on Audiogon regarding mono cartridges which say they can sound better, but don't suggest there would be the type on noise I am hearing with stereo. I have many other mono records of similar vintage and have never encountered this before. Anyone have a similar experience to this?
jyprez
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jyprez OP
229 posts
 
Glad for you if you have that recording 4yanks! According to Allmusic Jazz, Farmers Market was a compilation of sessions that Art made in the mid 50's which explains the date ambiguity. Love that Art Farmer!! I also recently picked up a 10" original issue of prlp 209 "Art Farmer Quintet" with Gigi Gryce from 1955. Interestingly this mono recording is quite quiet (except for a little scratch on side 2) with my stereo cart and benefits only slightly from the mono mixing described
4yanx
1,576 posts
 
That stuff with Gigi is good stuff, man. Wish I could find more of that stuff (along with a few thousand others). As I have chronicled before, my dad lost what was then a small, and what is now a princely fortune when our house burned in the late 60's along with nearly all of his 1,000-odd Jazz LP's - and I'm talking those that everyone (mostly the rich) clamors for now. The Farmer is one of a scant few saved and I would not sell it for any price. I have spent the better part of the past 5 years finding some of them and, when he visits, playing them for him like he's never heard them before. He's cried in the process and that's something for an old B-25 pilot who's seen it all.
jyprez's avatar
jyprez OP
229 posts
 
1000 melted classic jazz albums! That was a sad day indeed!
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