News

MPS Reissues '70s Era Jazz Classics AAA

Michael Fremer  |  Aug 11, 2016

The German MPS label has just released five excellent jazz albums originally released in the early 1970s under the supervision of noted German audio journalist and record producer Dirk Sommer. All have been mastered AAA from the original master tapes by mastering engineer Christoph Stickel, who was responsible for the Oscar Peterson box set Exclusively For My Friends.

In addition to the pictured Montreux Alexander are these four:

Baden Powell Images on Guitar
Joe Henderson, Chick Corea, Ron Carter, Billy Higgins Mirror
Freddie Hubbard The Hub of Hubbard
The Oscar Peterson Trio Walking the Line

I singled out the Monty Alexander record because I have an older Speakers Corner reissue that sounds spectacular and is equally so musically, recorded June 10, 1976 at the Montreux Jazz Festival. The Kingston, Jamaica born pianist is still active. I can also recommend guitarist Baden Powell's Images on Guitar, because I have an original I bought when it first was released, but looking at who plays on the others, there's probably not a less than excellent record among the five.

Expect full reviews of all of them shortly. Each includes a full sized image of the master tape and all are beautifully pressed on 180g vinyl but not sure if at Pallas or Optimal (or somewhere else?).

American distribution is via Naxos.

COMMENTS
Auric G's picture
Submitted by Auric G on Thu, 2016-08-11 11:39

will be great. Though, these already sound(pun) like a sonic home run.

ViciAudio's picture
Submitted by ViciAudio on Mon, 2016-08-15 14:17

This MPS reissue is pressed at Optimal Media and it sounds really very good, much better than the original German pressing. Must have LP :)

cundare's picture
Submitted by cundare on Wed, 2016-08-24 16:45

...what I'm really waiting for are reissues of contemporaenous releases from Iron Curtain musicians -- or even the major Rock in Opposition West European bands. There were hundreds of jaw-dropping albums released during that decade on Soviet, Estonian, East German, Czech, & Polish labels that would have people here dancing in the streets -- especially fans of Zappa's electronic chamber music, Miles, progressive rock, & fusion -- labels like PolJazz, Atem, Melodiya, Cryonic, & Amiga; RiO bands like Zao, Art Zoyd, & Univers Zero; and Soviet bloc jazz monsters like Tomazs Stanko and Krystof Komeda.
That's when I'll be dancing.
I see that Cuneiform (Wayside) Records still offers a # of its 70s&80s RiO imports on vinyl, but is anybody affiliated with Recommended Records listening?

guitarsg5's picture
Submitted by guitarsg5 on Thu, 2016-09-01 20:34

I just purchased the Baden Powell Release and it has HL in the deadwax which could be Heino Leja (Mastering Engineer) at Optimal. If the Lacquer was cut at Optimal I don't think it can be AAA can it? The info sheet talks about All Analog Remastering Equipment but doesn't discuss how the lacquers are cut. Mike hopefully you can get us a confirmation on this.

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