What is Your Best Recording - Either LP or CD

JCC · « **on:** 7 Feb 2009, 07:41 pm »

With many hours of listening I think that my best recordings are:

1. Vinyl - Sheffield Lab-5 - Dave Grusin - Discovered Again - The best piano that I have heard
2. CD - Stereophile - Rendezvous - Amazing cymbals and soundstage
3. Night and the City by Kenny Barron and Charlie Haden
4. SACD - Mark Levinson - Live Recordings at Red Rose Music - Great recordings with a wide variety of music

I am trying to decide which is the best between these three, and have not made up my mind.

What are your best recordings, regardless of format?

Wayner · « **Reply #1 on:** 7 Feb 2009, 08:18 pm »

On CD it's a toss-up. It's either Brian Setzer Orchestra on Hollywood Records #HR-61565-2, or Aaron Copland - The Music of America Tel-Arc #CD 80339.

On LP it's also a toss up between Friedman - Indian Summer on Narada N-63002 or Andreas Vollenweider on CBS records FM 39963.

Not only cause their recorded well, but I really like them.

Wayner aa

ecramer · « **Reply #2 on:** 7 Feb 2009, 08:44 pm »

Quote from: Wayner on 7 Feb 2009, 08:18 pm

On CD it's a toss-up. It's either Brian Setzer Orchestra on Hollywood Records #HR-61565-2, or Aaron Copland - The Music of America Tel-Arc #CD 80339.

On LP it's also a toss up between Friedman - Indian Summer on Narada N-63002 or Andreas Vollenweider on CBS records FM 39963.

Not only cause their recorded well, but I really like them.

Wayner aa

Friedman - Indian Summer on Narada N-63002

bought this a while ago on wayner recommendation It sounded very good on my project 3 tt but it is phenomenal on my vpi. If you dont own a copy do your self a favor and get one Not my mormal cup of tea but its really good.

Ed

orthobiz · « **Reply #3 on:** 8 Feb 2009, 11:45 am »

I need to dust off my Grusin and give it a spin again. I also have the Thelma Houston "I've Got The Music In Me" disk. That's one good thing about having every (almost) disk I've ever owned (where did that Butterfield "Better Days" go, not to mention Fleetwood Mac "Mystery To Me?")

Paul

TheChairGuy · « **Reply #4 on:** 8 Feb 2009, 02:53 pm »

CD - Blue Man Group 'Audio' (truly highlights the greater dynamic range of redbook)
The Ellis Marsalis Trio 'Twelves It'

Vinyl - Keith Jarrett 'Koln Concert' (sooo moving and eerily well recorded this one is)
UK 'Live' (feels like I was there)

I have about equal amounts of CD and vinyl today.....for reference sake, there are very few CD's that meet my criteria of excellence, whereas there are many more on vinyl that do.

John

JCC · « **Reply #5 on:** 8 Feb 2009, 06:20 pm »

Quote from: orthobiz on 8 Feb 2009, 11:45 am

I need to dust off my Grusin and give it a spin again. I also have the Thelma Houston "I've Got The Music In Me" disk. That's one good thing about having every (almost) disk I've ever owned (where did that Butterfield "Better Days" go, not to mention Fleetwood Mac "Mystery To Me?")

Paul

I also have Thelma Houston, Harry James and James Newton Howard from Sheffield. They are all very good, but I like Dave Grusin the best. I have heard criticism of these old D2D records (Sheffield and Nautilus), but to my ears they are outstanding. Also you can pick them up relatively cheap.

JCC · « **Reply #6 on:** 8 Feb 2009, 06:21 pm »

Quote from: TheChairGuy on 8 Feb 2009, 02:53 pm

CD - Blue Man Group 'Audio' (truly highlights the greater dynamic range of redbook)
The Ellis Marsalis Trio 'Twelves It'

Vinyl - Keith Jarrett 'Koln Concert' (sooo moving and eerily well recorded this one is)
UK 'Live' (feels like I was there)

I have about equal amounts of CD and vinyl today.....for reference sake, there are very few CD's that meet my criteria of excellence, whereas there are many more on vinyl that do.

John

Tell me more about the Koln Concert! There are many on Ebay with good prices.

TheChairGuy · « **Reply #7 on:** 8 Feb 2009, 07:58 pm »

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Koln_Concert

In general, the ECM label ( a European label) stuff on vinyl sounds really good (I have a lot of them...and a lot of Keith Jarret albums). The vinyl on Windham Hill is also pretty uniformly good.

I'm talking about the record itself (no warps, relatively quiet, clean mastering, etc)...the musical content is an individual thing, of course.

Keith Jarrett is a bit of a (known) rarity as he is an internationally famous musician AND audiophile...so his recordings are really clean in general. He used to endorse a brand of speakers (cannot remember) and wrote the forward to The Complete Guide to High-End Audio by Robert Harley, even.

John

adydula · « **Reply #8 on:** 8 Feb 2009, 09:03 pm »

This is a tuff one but for CD its:

James Newton Howard & Friends

For Vinyl its the Direct to Master " Thelma Houston - I've got the music in me / Pressure Cooker.

Alex

Sheffield has done a wonderful job with these..

JCC · « **Reply #9 on:** 8 Feb 2009, 11:12 pm »

Quote from: adydula on 8 Feb 2009, 09:03 pm

This is a tuff one but for CD its: James Newton Howard & Friends

For Vinyl its the Direct to Master " Thelma Houston - I've got the music in me / Pressure Cooker.

Alex

Sheffield has done a wonderful job with these..

I have James Newton Howard on vinyl. Arthur Salvatore from High End Audio rated has it in his Divinity classification (best-of-the-best). It's an excellent record, but I find the music a little boring.

I also have Thelma Houston - Pressure Cooker, and agree that it is one of the best.

S Clark · « **Reply #10 on:** 9 Feb 2009, 01:51 am »

#1)Vinyl-Another vote for Thelma Houston and the Pressure Cooker. Mine is DBX encoded.

#1)CD- Jennifer Warnes "The Hunter"

JCC · « **Reply #11 on:** 9 Feb 2009, 02:30 am »

Quote from: TheChairGuy on 8 Feb 2009, 07:58 pm

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Koln_Concert

In general, the ECM label ( a European label) stuff on vinyl sounds really good (I have a lot of them...and a lot of Keith Jarret albums). The vinyl on Windham Hill is also pretty uniformly good.

I'm talking about the record itself (no warps, relatively quiet, clean mastering, etc)...the musical content is an individual thing, of course.

Keith Jarrett is a bit of a (known) rarity as he is an internationally famous musician AND audiophile...so his recordings are really clean in general. He used to endorse a brand of speakers (cannot remember) and wrote the forward to The Complete Guide to High-End Audio by Robert Harley, even.

John

I just won a copy of Keith Jarrett the Koln connection. I will tell you how it sounds when I get it. Thanks for the recommendation.

richidoo · « **Reply #12 on:** 9 Feb 2009, 02:46 am »

Sergei Prokofiev: Romeo and Juliet, San Francisco Symphony, Michael Tilson Thomas

lonewolfny42 · « **Reply #13 on:** 9 Feb 2009, 07:24 am »

John...

Quote

Keith Jarrett is a bit of a (known) rarity as he is an internationally famous musician AND audiophile...so his recordings are really clean in general. He used to endorse a brand of speakers (cannot remember) and wrote the forward to The Complete Guide to High-End Audio by Robert Harley, even.

He's a great player....I just wish he'd not "hum along" so loudly....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HPqK1JJOFxw

TheChairGuy · « **Reply #14 on:** 9 Feb 2009, 02:52 pm »

Great link, wolfyChris...love that YouTube.

I love the humming...he's a man possessed....and you feel it with him. Lights down (or on, no matter really) and a quality turntable that holds pitch definition (truly important with piano) and it's the epidomy of musical enjoyment for me.

I really do have to chase Keith Jarrett down one day and see him in concert...even the poor quality sound coming thru my laptop speakers was musical to me

Allright, so I gotsa' love jones for Keith Jarrett...there are worse things in life

John

doorman · « **Reply #15 on:** 9 Feb 2009, 04:05 pm »

Hands down,the "best"(read explosively dynamic,with a dead quiet background)is a Keith Johnson Reference Recordings "Nojima Plays Liszt" ,vinyl of course.
You are there!
Don

consttraveler · « **Reply #16 on:** 9 Feb 2009, 04:33 pm »

Probably the Goldberg Variations, Bach, Glen Gould. On vinyl, of course.

Dave

lazydays · « **Reply #17 on:** 9 Feb 2009, 05:32 pm »

Quote from: TheChairGuy on 8 Feb 2009, 07:58 pm

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Koln_Concert

In general, the ECM label ( a European label) stuff on vinyl sounds really good (I have a lot of them...and a lot of Keith Jarret albums). The vinyl on Windham Hill is also pretty uniformly good.

I'm talking about the record itself (no warps, relatively quiet, clean mastering, etc)...the musical content is an individual thing, of course.

Keith Jarrett is a bit of a (known) rarity as he is an internationally famous musician AND audiophile...so his recordings are really clean in general. He used to endorse a brand of speakers (cannot remember) and wrote the forward to The Complete Guide to High-End Audio by Robert Harley, even.

John

a few years ago I was in a store that had a large used vinyl rack in it. Just before I walked thru the door somebody brought in a stash of Kieth Jarret stuff (quite a lot of it was early stuff) with Gary Burton. I ended up with about twenty Jarret LP's and someothers in near mint condition. The total outlay ended up being $82, and then they knocked another 20% off that plus a onetime senior discount. Out of all of them I still think I liked "Standards In Norway" best. Guess I own over thirty Jarret LP's right now (maybe more I don't know for sure).
But with the above in mind my favorite LP is actually one half of a 45 rpm set. It's the Miles Davis "Flamingo Sketches." I liked it so well that I actually own five copies ( about ten if you count the 33 1/3 rpm versions and mono versions. Another good one I recently discovered in my ever growing stash is the Duke Ellington / Ray Brown disc on Pablo. Some of the best upright bass I've ever heard.
gary

chrismercurio · « **Reply #18 on:** 9 Feb 2009, 05:53 pm »

A test pressing of "Mingus" by Joni Mitchell. It doesn't seem to be compressed (at all). It's almost like tape.

The music is great too.

JCC · « **Reply #19 on:** 9 Feb 2009, 06:40 pm »

Quote from: chrismercurio on 9 Feb 2009, 05:53 pm

A test pressing of "Mingus" by Joni Mitchell. It doesn't seem to be compressed (at all). It's almost like tape.

The music is great too.

What is the label and product number? Others might want to buy this one!!!