It’s occurred to me lately that this site is becoming laden with too many take- downs. I have recommended quite a few records on this site, but I’ve panned just as many, most recently the Blue Note Tone Poet Series reissues.

So I realized that if I’m going to keep criticizing records on this site I need to offer more in the way of recommendations, especially to those of you who were thinking of buying some of the BNTPS reissues and may now be asking yourself – what jazz reissues out there are both available in good condition AND good sounding?

As it turns out, there are A LOT of them. Many great recordings from jazz’ golden age have been reissued, many of them numerous times, and many of these reissues are AT LEAST as good if not BETTER sounding than the originals.

In fact, there are several examples already on this site of some STUNNING jazz reissues that are not that expensive or difficult to come by, can be found in great playing and collecting condition, AND have SERIOUS audiophile chops.

Here are some examples already on this site:

Miles Davis’ Kind of Blue

Sonny Rollins’ Way Out West

Sonny Rollins’ Saxophone Colossus

Charles Mingus’ Au Um

Here are more recommendations that are not already mentioned on the site, starting with this classic:

T. Monk’s Brilliant Corners

It says a lot about the players on this record when Paul Chambers and Max Roach don’t even get a billing on the front of the jacket. This all star lineup delivers one of the more memorable jazz records of this era, and one that’s long been a favorite of mine.

This OJC pressing was released by Fantasy Records in 2013 and you can still find sealed copies. Fantasy originally reissued Brilliant Corners in 1983. I can’t say for sure but I don’t believe this more recent pressing is a complete remaster and is likely to sound similar to the 1983 version.

Clearly this a record that belongs in any jazz collection, and here’s a pressing that presents the performances with the weight, presence and clarity that won’t set you back an arm and a leg.

UPDATE! – I CAN NO LONGER RECOMMEND THIS PRESSING. AFTER MAKING SOME SYSTEM UPGRADES OVER THE PAST YEAR IT’S FLAWS ARE MUCH MORE APPARENT.

IN PARTICULAR, THE SOUND IS BOOSTED AT THE EXPENSE OF DYNAMICS. I HAVE A COPY OF THE ’83 OJC ON ORDER SO I’LL UPDATE AGAIN WHEN I’VE HAD A CHANCE TO HEAR THAT ONE. UNTIL THEN, I WOULD AVIOD THIS 2013 VERSION.

B. Evans’ Everybody Digs Bill Evans

I bought this record several years ago brand new from my local record store. This was before I knew any better than to buy new jazz reissues, and while most records I’ve bought new in the past 10 years or so have been disappointing, this one is among the very few exceptions. In fact, not only is Everybody Digs my favorite Bill Evans record, it’s probably the best sounding Bill Evans record I own.

There are quite a few high points on this record that include Evans’ composition “Peace Piece” and the Gigi Gryce tune “Minority,” but I keep coming back to Cole Porter’s “Night and Day,” where Philly Joe Jones’ sparse, latin flavored intro pulls us right into the studio with him and Bill and bassist Sam Jones. This recording has LOADS of studio space atmosphere and brings the performances to life in just the way a great jazz record should, and the remaster does and excellent job of conveying that.

I’ve not heard other pressings of this record, but I have heard anecdotally from a reliable source that the originals leave a lot to be desired. I’ve also heard enough jazz records, bad and good sounding, to know that very few have the weightiness and “alive in the studio” sound this one does.

UPDATE! – AFTER PLAYING THIS RECORD FOR THE FIRST TIME IN A WHILE, I CAN NOW HEAR THAT THE THIS VERSION LEAVES A LOT TO BE DESIRED.

IN PARTICULAR, THE PIANO JUST DOES NOT SOUND RIGHT AT ALL. FLAWS IN MY SYSTEM HID THIS FACT FROM ME BEFORE, BUT IT’S VERY CLEAR TO ME NOW.

I’VE HEARD GOOD THINGS ABOUT THE 80’S OJC SO I WOULD TEND TO STEAR YOU IN THAT DIRECTION IF YOU’RE LOOKING FOR A COPY OF THIS RECORD. IN THE MEANTIME, AVOID THIS 2015 FANTASY RELEASE.

T. Monk Quartet’s Misterioso

Rounding out the Riverside reissues is this live date with Monk, saxophonist Johnny Griffin, bassist Ahmed Abdul-Malik and drummer Roy Haynes recorded at the Five Spot Cafe in NYC in 1958.

I bought this OJC reissue not too long after it came out and while I’ve played it periodically over the years, it’s never been a favorite of mine. I had a fairly decent system in those days, certainly better than your average college student, and while some records sounded very good on that system, this record always sounded veiled and dull to me.

Recently I pulled it out, cleaned it up and played it on what is a WAY better system than the one I had in the late 80’s. With better gear capable of greater transparency and the ability to present instruments nearer their full size with realism, listening to this record is a lot more fun and engaging.

Now I’ve realized that the very thing causing the record to sound veiled before – the background noise from the Five Spot Cafe, is actually the thing that makes the record sound good to me now. Being able to discern the voices of the guests and the clinking of their glasses, along with the sound of the cafe space presented more clearly in the background means the sound of Monk’s piano is that much clearer and on stage. It also means appreciating the full force and presence of this quartet’s performance in the venue, a performance that I can now see this record delivers beautifully.

John Coltrane’s Soultrane

Moving over to the Prestige label, this record has been a personal favorite of mine since I bought my first copy, an OJC reissue, in college. But unlike the OJC’s above, their version of Soultrane is not one of their better efforts.

This ’72 green label Prestige reissue, on the other hand, can sound quite good. The jacket, which says along the top front “…ELECTRONICALLY REMASTERED For STEREO” is somewhat misleading. It does appear to have been remastered for stereo but the sound is unlike the version of S. Rollins’ Saxophone Colossus on the green label I wrote about here a short time ago that was “RE-PROCESSED” for stereo.

There isn’t any weird reprocessing sound on this version. Instead, Rudy Van Gelder, who remastered this version of Soultrane, did so with a very light touch, and the record plays more mono than stereo, which is a good thing.

M. Davis’ Workin’ And Steamin’

This budget twofer includes two of Davis’ Prestige sessions, both re-mastered beautifully by Brian Gardner, AKA “Big Bass” who worked for both Alan Zentz and Bernie Grundman in L.A.. Brian remastered Workin’ And Steamin’ for Fantasy Records in Berkely and it was released in 1974. The sessions feature the first Miles Davis Quintet of Coltrane, Garland, Jones and Chambers alongside Miles.

Better Records has carried this title with some regularity since I started shopping with them several years ago. They don’t bother with any titles that don’t offer the possibility for master tape sound and this album is no exception. I didn’t buy my copy from them and the sound quality varies somewhat from side to side with some sides shining brighter than others.

If you’re a fan of this phase of Davis’ career, you’ll want to get a copy of Workin’ And Steamin’. It’s got all the essential elements of a great sounding record, 4 sides of stellar music and is not hard to come by at an affordable price.

Coltrane’s …More Lasting Than Bronze

I just picked this Prestige reissue up a few days ago and I’m very glad I did. This twofer includes two Coltrane classics, Lush Life and Coltrane, remastered beautifully by Rudy Van Gelder and released in 1972 on the green label. I’m not sure Van Gelder nails every remaster he’s done of his own work, but generally I’m inclined to trust him at the helm more than other engineers, and certainly a WHOLE LOT more than anyone remastering jazz records these days.

I’ve had the OJC reissue of Lush Life for a number of years now and used to like it, but like many OJC reissues (company above excluded!) it sounds thin and the horns tend to sound squawky and annoying. The sound of both these titles on this reissue is the more full bodied, fleshed out sound that was no doubt on the master tape and is, frankly, just so much more enjoyable an engaging to listen to.

An IG follow of mine, #pamsrecordcollection recently posted an article on her blog called The Vinyl Revival and Status in the Age of Social Media in which she argues, and I’m paraphrasing here, that social media and the “conspicuous consumption” portrayed in it creates a social pressure on budding record collectors to spend their limited resources on what is, in this age, the most expensive way to consume music.

I’d like to pile on to that theme and say this impulse is amplified when looking at rare and expensive collectible records such as many jazz OG’s. It seems I can’t throw a hashtag on IG these days without hitting an OG Bluenote!

In any case, I think Pam’s dead on here, and when I think about the unattainability of some of these jazz records it makes me think that more collectors should know about records like this one where you get the listening experience of an OG, or, as is frequently the case, better, and you don’t have to skip any college loan payments to get one.

TIP! – AVOID THE HOLLAND PRESSING OF THIS RECORD (CAPTIAL “H” IN THE DEADWAX). I BOUGHT ONE OF THOSE AND DELIVERS NOWHERE NEAR THE MAGIC THIS REISSUE IS CAPABLE OF.

C. Adderley’s Somethin’Else

I didn’t want to wrap up an article on jazz reissues without recommending a Blue Note, and this one is of my personal favorites. Adderley and “sideman” Miles Daivis are joined here by drummer Art Blakey and Bassist Sam Jones and the quartet delivers some terrific interpretations of mostly standards.

Meanwhile, Rudy Van Gelder does some of his very best work on this album, delivering a STELLAR recording. Interestingly, RVG doesn’t appear to have been at the helm of the cutting lathe for this ’73 remaster as his name is nowhere to be found in the dead wax. Fortunately who ever did the remaster did a wonderful job of translating the sound of the master tape to vinyl on this stereo blue label reissue.

Don’t be fooled by the jacket, this record may not have the more iconic cover art of the original and most reissues, but it clearly has the same potential for master tape sound. Plastylite OG’s of Somethin’ Else in good playing condition will set you back at least a couple hundred bucks. This Columbia Terre Haute pressing cost me about $20 and it checks all the boxes for great sound on a jazz record.

Great sounding jazz records are those that bring the performances on them to life. When you hear a record that does that, that’s the sound you want and the sound you’ll look for on every jazz record you own. I can’t even begin to promise that every copy of every pressing above will deliver that, but if even just a few of them do I’ll consider this article a job well done.