Customer Reviews

In San Francisco (Hybr)

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This review is for the CD layer only.

I think the reviewer before me is probably accustomed to hearing the mono mix, so things don't sound right to him. I have read that in the late 50's and early 60's many jazz labels recorded using two tape machines; one mono, the other stereo. The mono feed was what was usually monitored in the control booth, and the stereo feed was often allowed to run unmonitored. At that time, the record companies were still primarily selling mono records, so this is what they mostly cared about. This turned out to be very short-sighted since the record buying public was soon to purchase stereo equipment, and they wanted stereo records to play on it. The record companies began pressing records utilizing the imperfect and neglectfully recorded stereo masters, and incredibly, many mono masters were eventually discarded.

On this stereo recording, the instruments aren't always mic'd optimally, sometimes there is crowd noise (it's a live recording), and the bass drum distorts due to it being recorded at too high a level, but all things considered, it's a good recording with a lot of presence. This is a very good performance, and overall, a pretty good recording with some warts. I wouldn't pass it up.

I 1st. heard this album in 1962,it is an all time favorite of mine.Remastering ,superaudio, hybrid stero, or whatever else they have done to this latest CD has damaged rather than enhanced.This Here and Spontaneous Combustion are not to bad thus the four stars.The other cuts are ruined with discordinate sounds and very poor mixing. The Best of Lester Young another remastered album was simarily denigrated. Discordinate sounds,and a severe muting of the marvelous base and drum tracs. apparently these sound engineers are tone deaf with no ear for music.