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I realize Membran has not received high marks for their classical releases. Has anyone auditioned their jazz series? See link:http://www.sa-cd.net/alltitles/428
Robert C. Lang
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I am loathe to take issue with Nefertiti (who knows his jazz) or especially with the lone reviewer at sacd.net (apparently an Osteopath with an upper torso redolent of an NFL offensive lineman) but......I have had generally good experiences with Membran Jazz. The well-presented slip-cased discs are NOT usually compilations and are NEVER 'Best Of' assemblages. Since the material is often well-known, it is readily available on RBCD; most of the material I already possessed in that format and I can tell you with 100% certainty that after often risible A/B comparisons on the same machine, they are NOT taken from CD sources!! The financial woes of most majors these days are such that one can get stuff licensed and with access to mastertapes for a fraction of yesteryear's cost. In one or two cases, it is possible that the usual PCM Membran sound comes from an edited and remastered 24/96 take from an LP--like some enthusiasts are now doing at home for themselves--but my judgment is that that's extremely unlikely for the pick of the crop. They're too darned good. Recommended--and at the jpc.de price of about six bucks, it almost feels like stealing--strongly:
Horace Silver: Tracks from three Jazz Messenger sessions with fabulous rendition of the tone of Hank Mobley, the bite of kenny Dorham and the wallop and swing of either Blakey or Taylor.
Sonny Rollins: OH, MY!! Tracks from 'Worktime' and 'Plus Four'. To hear Rollins' BIG tone fill the room on '...Show Business'is a treat I didn't think I'd live to hear!! And Clifford Brown and Roachy in compelling form too!
Cannonball Adderley: The complete 'Spontaneous Combustion' album recorded in NYC just before meeting Miles. Beautiful alto tone and brother Nat sounds more inspired than expected.
Charlie Mingus: A real discovery for me-- the album 'Jazzical Moods'--from the Jazz Workshop days, and in its twentieth century classical chamber-jazz fusion (say, Debussy, Ravel or Milhaud meets Monk and Mingus)a groundbreaking session. And astonishingly beautiful sound, let alone for the period!
I have been VERY disappointed with Jazz's contribution to SACD (although I gather that pricey JSACDs greatly improve on the harsh sound of the Sony Davis's). On my gear, the Verve's were very little better--and in one 'Supreme' case decidedly inferior--than the best remastered RBCDs. On major labels, I could only really recommend the Monk, Mingus and Brubeck Sonys. So these Membrans are really welcome additions to add to my beloved Classic Records/Blue Note Hi-Rez DVD-As!
One or two qualifications. On a few discs--though obviously not the above list--the derived rear channels can be a little 'boomy'. And on many of the discs, the 2 channel mix is flat and boxy--not pleasant at all but irrelevant to we multi enthusiasts!!
And, most egregious of all errors, off the Classical posting, I omitted the Mahler #5, Holst 'Planets' and Beethoven Piano concertos from the Membran classical catalog.
Thank you once again!. I had implemented a self-imposed adjournment on SACD purchases this year because I have been buying them by the handful and because I have a stack that I have not listened to (the Bartok "Bluebeard Castle" was among those), but you have convinced me to pick 2-3 of these Membran Jazz discs
Robert C. Lang
From one of MY stacks of unopened discs (yeah, me too; ditto the moratorium on purchases; but ditto the temptation to recidivism by way of the second volumes of Praga's auspicious Brahms and Bartok Quartet cycles..........) came Membran's RPO Borodin disc. Powerful interpretations, beautiful playing and sweet recording. And, lo and behold--to reinforce our point--when just released in 1998, the RBCD was the numero ono choice for these works in the 'Gramophone Good CD Guide'. A riposte to all the DSD-only dudes; if executed aright, PCM ain't no slouch, but that's another story...............Given how VERY accessible this music is, I'd strongly recommend you add this, the Shipway Mahler, and the Handley 'Planets' to those Jazz el-cheapos. To have this quality sound at these prices is truly nirvana!!
Good talkin' to ya--'bout time those Hamburg guys put me on the marketing payroll. 'Praps these discs are payment sufficient!!
John.
Most of the pop/jazz Membran reissues is in the public domain in Europe (more than 50 years old) and does not have to be licensed.This means that the label has no access to the master tapes and has to find it's own sources. Most of the public domain labels simply take the music from existing official CD releases (which is legit).
The fact that these discs are reissued on SACD is a simple marketing trick to make them stand out among the other cheap public domain reissues on CD.
That doesn't mean however that the performances aren't worth the cost. And the sound of some aren't too bad considering. Keep in mind that almost all are mono.
John Crossett____________________________
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