Abdullah Ibrahim: Water From An Ancient Well (1985) Blackhawk

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Blue Note’s Unsung Heroes: The Microphones

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A change from record reviews, I decided to take some time out to explore one of the reasons, possibly the main reason, why vintage Blue Note recordings sound as good as they do. Yes, brilliant musicians, yes, Van Gelder at … Continue reading →

Andrew Hill: Passing Ships (1969) Blue Note TP (2021)

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Track List “Sideways” – 4:09 “Passing Ships” – 7:08 “Plantation Bag” – 8:32 “Noon Tide” – 9:49 “The Brown Queen” – 6:22 “Cascade” – 6:27 “Yesterday’s Tomorrow” – 5:11 Selection: Passing Ships (Hill) .  .  . Artists (with wiki-links) Andrew … Continue reading →

Collector’s Guide to Vintage Blue Note Classics: BLP1595 Cannonball Adderley: Somethin’ Else (1958)

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Collector’s Corner What started me on this journey through Somethin’ Else was an enquiry from Takashi in Japan, who has a mysterious Liberty pressing of Somethin’ Else. In his own words: “Side 2 has RVG STEREO Stamp but, side 1 … Continue reading →

Dexter Gordon: Gettin’ Around (1965) Blue Note (updated 3/12)

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UPDATE III: December 3, 2020, both rips replaced with new and comparable copies, made yesterday on the same equipment on the same day. This eliminates the problem of the old USB rip being out of pitch with the MM33. UPDATE … Continue reading →

Lee Morgan: Cornbread (1965) Blue Note (Tone Poet 2019)

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Selection: Most Like Lee (TP, stereo) .  .  . Original Liberty 1967 monaural : Most Like Lee .  .  . Artists: Lee Morgan, trumpet; Jackie McLean, alto sax;  Hank Mobley, tenor sax; Herbie Hancock, piano; Larry Ridley, bass; Billy Higgins, … Continue reading →

Collector’s Guide To The New Jazz Record Label

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Enforced time away from music, while power cables were being upgraded, seemed an ideal opportunity to tackle a subject that had been at the back of my mind for some time. For once, time was was in abundant supply, to … Continue reading →

High Fidelity: Decades of Decline

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Though hi-fi makes a very important contribution to the quality of my day, I haven’t written much about it lately.  I  don’t read Hi-Fi magazines, as I find it impossible to keep up with all the developments and equipment. I … Continue reading →

Liberty Blue Note, Part 2: Loose Ends

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Last Updated: December 31, 2019 Loose ends Liberty’s acquisition of Blue Note in mid-1966 was well documented in the music industry press at the time, and also Liberty’s acquisition of two pressing plants. There the “facts” stop, to be replaced … Continue reading →

Mono or Stereo – is it really just a matter of preference?

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A reborn vinyl collector wrote to me recently for advice on whether they should seek out a mono or a stereo copy of a particular record. (I do respond to interesting questions)  I think it was regarding Kind of Blue, but … Continue reading →

Bobby Hutcherson: Head On (1971) Blue Note/United Artists

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Selection: Mtume (Hutcherson)  Mtume  is a Swahili bantu word meaning  “the messenger”. You knew this of course. It is the only Hutcherson composition on the album, the rest of which is attributed to pianist Todd Cochran. Artists Oscar Brashear (trumpet, flugelhorn) George Bohanon, Louis … Continue reading →

The recording studio in the sky…gains its finest engineer: RVG no longer with us, his heritage lives on.

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It’s been a good few weeks for the afterlife jam session – first Bobby Hutcherson, Toots Thielmans, Louis Smith, now Rudy has cut his last acetate. The giants are gathering on the other side. We have so much to be … Continue reading →

At last, it’s possible! Real home-download vinyl!

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Thanks to ground-breaking  technology of Additive Manufacturing, the new process of making three dimensional solid objects from a digital file, in conjuction the LJC exclusive hybrid Analogue Conversion Vinyl Pump™,  real home-downloadable vinyl is just a few clicks away. Just connect the LJC vinyl pump to … Continue reading →

Riverside/Jack Higgins (1959) vs Van Gelder (1983)

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ROUND 2 of this Van Gelder ’80s Vinyl Comeback Collection Original Stereo LP: Riverside RLP 1139 Blue Spring  Kenny Dorham (1959) Riverside Recording engineer: Jack Higgins Mastering:  Jack Mathews Selection: Spring Cannon (1959)   Artists (1959) Kenny Dorham (trumpet) Dave Amram (French … Continue reading →

What Rudy Did Next: Master By Van Gelder, ’80s

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Life after Blue Note, Impulse and Prestige – and before CD: “MASTER BY-  VAN GELDER”.  The continuing LJC mission to track down the affordable good stuff. What Rudy Did Blue Note, Prestige, and Impulse in the ’50s and ’60s: Rudy Van Gelder made clean, crisp, … Continue reading →

Freddie Redd: Lonely City (1985) Uptown Records

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 Selection: Bleeker St Blues Artists Freddie Redd (piano) Clarence “C” Sharpe (alto) Clifford Jordan (tenor) Gerry Cappuccio (baritone) Don Sickler (trumpet) George Duvivier (bass) Ben Riley (drums) recorded Englewood Cliffs NJ, January 18 &19, 1985 Music Pedigree line-up, some of … Continue reading →