SwingDJs

KevinSchaper wrote:So, to take this in a different directions, what're some of your favorite recordings for straight up sound quality?

Kevin asked this question in another thread, and I thought it a good enough question to deserve its own thread.

The Ray Brown-Duke Ellington CD that Kevin mentioned is great.

This "Big Band All-Stars" CD that we discussed in the thread on Ellignton is phenomenal.

JesseMiner wrote:

Sadly, the liner notes are non-existent, so I have no information about the band's line-up or when it was exactly recorded.

I always get chills listening to it.

The DMP Big Band has also put out some Big Band recordings designed to show off surround sound. Some of the recordings somewhat match that "lifeless hi-fi" description Kevin made in that other thread ("lifeless" if viewed from a dancing perspective), but the sound quality is so amazing, that it is worth it if you have the stereo system for it. There are a few amazing lively songs, too: Perdido and C-Jam Blues off the Duke Ellington Tribute CD, for instance.

I have an "Original Master Recording" (japanese master, whatever) LP of Harry James, and even on my shit equipment it sounds great. Hi-Fi can be fun. Swings pretty well, too, although there are very few solos so the musicians sound kind of bored.

Yakov wrote:I have an "Original Master Recording" (japanese master, whatever) LP of Harry James, and even on my shit equipment it sounds great. Hi-Fi can be fun. Swings pretty well, too, although there are very few solos so the musicians sound kind of bored.

It is awesome sometimes how even a somewhat tired, bored big band can sound amazing with good sound quality. And then when the musicians are not bored or tired.... uumph!

Duke Ellington's "Historically Speaking" (re-release) that we discussed in another Ellington thread is another EXCELLENT recording that absolutely floored me when I listened to it at home on a good stereo without distraction. Absolutely amazing!

The DMP Big Band has also released a few Swing CDs (Duke Ellington retrospective being perhaps the best) where the sound quality overcomes the just-under-perfect musicianship. The liner notes describe the extent they went to accurately capture the live sound of a Big Band, including using surround sound recording, using both ambient and direct mics, and the sound studio they chose. Turn off the lights and just listen!