The Blue Note Thread

Doctor_of_Jazz said:
Hey ya'll. Just FYI that I picked up a bunch of Blue Notes from Toshiba and can sell them at 20% below the listed price on my Discogs. If you're not familiar with Toshiba Blue Notes, here's the short version from the London Jazz Collector.


A few exceptions to this gloom stand out, the most obvious being the pressing of Blue Note recordings in Japan, by King Records and Toshiba EMI. Dating from the ’70s and ’80s, the audio standard of these vintage pressings is consistently high, and favoured for near-silent vinyl. The presentation is not as forward as original Blue Note, but generally quite acceptable, more available and more affordable, especially for the rarest of titles.

King Records vintage pressings (1977-83) are generally preferred to Toshiba. Toshiba reissued most of the 1500 series between 1983-85, and most of the 4000 series between 1990-95. Beyond these dates however, Toshiba continued with further reissues through to the present day, however any Toshiba Blue Note manufactured after 1995 should be treated with great scepticism. Often sold on the back of the reputation of earlier years,more recent Toshiba are not the same audio quality as the vintage releases 1983-95. They include digital transfers, and even supposedly RVG-remastered for CD, cynically pressed on vinyl, and are not audiophile quality.

I have a handful more to post after I figure out my duplicates, but it has been an amazing experience getting so many Blue Notes! I've been in BN heaven for a while, but it's time to be realistic and let these go. I've got several up at eBay and will be posting more. But selling outside of those venues saves me the 'seller fees' and lets me know that these LPs are going to other BN fanatics like me. So please reach out if I can help fill a gap in your jazz collection!

So many records, so little time....

Thanks!
Doc
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I may be interested in A Night in Tunisia and Sonny Rollins at the VV (the one with the red-ish cover). Are both of those Toshiba pressings? Any comments on the quality?
 
agutierrezb said:
I may be interested in A Night in Tunisia and Sonny Rollins at the VV (the one with the red-ish cover). Are both of those Toshiba pressings? Any comments on the quality?
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I have two Rollins at the VV, but this one is a Toshiba, and would definitely be the one I'd pick of the two. This Blakey is also a Toshiba and an outstanding album to boot!

Quality is great IMO. I posted a quote from the LJC, but he has some sage advice on this topic. I've sold a bunch of these already and have had no complaints. And if you were unhappy for any reason, I'd take them back and pay for return shipping. Same goes for anyone I've sold to. :)
 
jamieanderson1968 said:
As I get more into jazz and Blue Note, something that I wonder about is why the label kept a lot of sessions locked in the vaults for several years. I know there was a worry about flooding the market with releases by 1 musician. For example I think this was the case with Dexter Gordon's clubhouse. He had done several sessions and they kept that one in the vaults.

But for other musicians that does not seem to be the case, like Tina Brooks. BN only released True Blue during his lifetime (he died in the early 70's). His entire output as a band leader only makes 4 albums total.

And what did the musicians think about this? Someone as respected as Art Blakey must have been miffed with having Freedom Rider sit on the shelf for 3-4 years. Or was it a case that many BN musicians were so prolific that they fully understood that their output was way more than could be reasonably released close to the recording sessions.
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I recently came across this article that goes explains the different reasons why certain Blue Note albums were shelved. Worth the read imo.

www.udiscovermusic.com

Lost Blue Note Albums: 12 Buried Treasures You Need To Discover

Blue Note’s output was so prolific that many of its greatest sessions got shelved. These lost Blue Note albums more than deserve their due.
www.udiscovermusic.com www.udiscovermusic.com
 
Interesting article from 2005 on Tina Brooks (excuse the eye-searing wallpaper on the webpage). Even though Brooks was championed by the likes of Freddie Hubbard and Jackie McLean, Alfred Lyons was not so convinced of his talent as a bandleader. May also held against him that he was a junkie.

Who Killed Tina Brooks?

homes.chass.utoronto.ca
 
MikeH said:
Isn’t it on MM? I thought they said no MM will be on Tone Poet or BN80...
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Man, bummer. Just checked the Music Matters website and it’s $100!!! Plus the $10 shipping.

Can find a few blue label, black b presses for $65-75. Which is better but seems high for those presses and I’m not even sure either have a RVG stamp, via discogs.

How do people feel about the 80’s DMM presses? Can score one of those for under $30 and I’m tempted. Quite tempted.
 
I would go for a Japanese Toshiba pressing before I would get a DMM. Strangely, I don't think this ever had a Japanese pressing under the King imprint.

I have a deep and abiding hatred for the DMM pressings. The only one I own is Sam Rivers "Dimensions and Extensions" and I only own it because it is the only vinyl pressing available.
 
Dark Star Boogie said:
Man, bummer. Just checked the Music Matters website and it’s $100!!! Plus the $10 shipping.

Can find a few blue label, black b presses for $65-75. Which is better but seems high for those presses and I’m not even sure either have a RVG stamp, via discogs.

How do people feel about the 80’s DMM presses? Can score one of those for under $30 and I’m tempted. Quite tempted.
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Splurge for the RVG stamped blue/black. The DMM stuff can be a little... not great. At least that I've heard.
 
Dark Star Boogie said:
Man, bummer. Just checked the Music Matters website and it’s $100!!! Plus the $10 shipping.

Can find a few blue label, black b presses for $65-75. Which is better but seems high for those presses and I’m not even sure either have a RVG stamp, via discogs.

How do people feel about the 80’s DMM presses? Can score one of those for under $30 and I’m tempted. Quite tempted.
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I have the DMM copy and it’s okay. Won’t blow you away. I bought it a long time ago before I realized what DMM was. I’d say you are probably better off saving the money to put toward a better copy because that’s an album that deserves to be heard in really good quality. I looked at the MMJ the other week and the pricing is so fucked.
 
Dark Star Boogie said:
Man, bummer. Just checked the Music Matters website and it’s $100!!! Plus the $10 shipping.

Can find a few blue label, black b presses for $65-75. Which is better but seems high for those presses and I’m not even sure either have a RVG stamp, via discogs.

How do people feel about the 80’s DMM presses? Can score one of those for under $30 and I’m tempted. Quite tempted.
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Just to double up on what everyone else has said, I wouldnt spend too much on the DMM pressings. I have a few which I have picked up for around the £10 mark which im happy with, but any more than that its just worth putting a bit more money in the pot for a better pressing.
 
stpaulbrowns said:
Some big Amazon price drops on Impulse!/Verve Vital Vinyl series and one notable BN80 - Grant Green's Grant's Last Stand for $11!

Check out the green checkboxes on the Spreadsheet for significant price drops.
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I got this in yesterday from Amazon. The back wrapping has a Made In Germany sticker. Don't know how that influences the BN80 status. I don't recall the other BN80s having that sticker. Sounds great.
 
mdmost said:
I got this in yesterday from Amazon. The back wrapping has a Made In Germany sticker. Don't know how that influences the BN80 status. I don't recall the other BN80s having that sticker. Sounds great.
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All mine have had that Made In Germany sticker, I think it's just because they're pressed at Optimal (someone correct me here, not 100% sure about the German plant name). So no worries, you're all good!
 
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