I wouldn’t worry about it.
Being enthusiastic about good things is a good thing.
What kind of sense? I think he put it out as an attempt to convey what his life on the road was like at the time. Some of the songs could be taken as filler, using taped sessions in motel rooms, etc., but he did get two solid hits off the album. And he may have had a contractual need to put out an entire album, so he used some handy material and built it into a story to meet a deadline. Just my guess, I wasn’t there.
Hi! Thanks for asking.
For me, my issues are not about the concept of the album, more about it being considered to be a live album.
Has been a while since I listened to it, but if I remember correctly, he had the audience stay quiet and hold applause, no?
I guess I can accept going for that “live sound”. But without crowd noise? Not a traditional live album. Can record the same in the studio, if you ask me.
I do love the two hits, Running On Empty and The Load Out/Stay.
Thanks for the additional info, Rushton. Yeah, after dropping some bucks on the HDTT for the Ben Webster, I found the Montmartre Jazzhus recordings on Apple and Qobuz, with many more tracks. I’ll maybe do a one-to-one comparison to see if the HDTT are better quality.
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So last night I listened to Ben and Beethoven. The Webster recording is indeed a great capturing of a live jazz concert, with the right amount of presence and ambience to really help you feel you’re there. But as I’ve said in other messages around here, to truly give the impression of being live, there has to be some emphasis, some unrealistic closeness, to compensate for not actually being there. It’s tricky, but they really pulled it off well. I was reminded of the Jazz at the Pawnshop recordings, which are equally as “right there”, but I have never felt they were “blow me away” jazz performances - Webster is much better from a musical perspective.
Now the Beethoven - that one is AMAZING to me. Back in my recording engineering days - don’t worry, I wasn’t THAT good - I had more experience with classical than jazz - although I’ve listened to more live jazz overall. Studio, live, or not, this recording by the Vienna Octet is one of the best classical recordings I’ve ever heard. What really makes it so real is the true soundstage - that in a real concert, the soundstage isn’t nearly as wide as we might think, and this is incredibly realistic. I see that the recording was made in 1959 (my birth year), so I figured it would probably be mono, but either it was recorded stereo or someone did some kind of enhancing to give it a stereo “spread”. I don’t think so - the placing of the instruments on the stage is just too good for simulated stereo. But it’s not so stereo as to be unrealistic, if that makes sense. And the quality of capture is as good as anything I’d hear today. What a great recording! No wonder you rave about it.
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The “Members of the Vienna Octet” certainly made one of the great chamber music recordings when they recording this Beethoven Septet for Decca in 1959. Yes, it was true stereo recording, released by Decca in 1960. What makes this release from HDTT so exceptional is that they managed to get access to a 15ips 2-track tape in excellent condition. The Pure DSD256 transfer from that tape is an utter delight, as all have commented.
(Images courtesy of Discogs)
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Thanks so much for the info. I don’t do DSD at this point in my life, but I can get from 96/24 what I need I think. In so many ways I think this was recorded and produced by someone who really understood what stereo SHOULD be doing. So many stereo recordings from the late 1950s to even late 60s seemed to consider stereo almost a novelty rather than using it to create a true soundstage. What I hear in this recording is someone saying, "our job is to stay centered (literally) on what it’s like to be there, not to create anything beyond that.
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Hmmm… there was certainly a fair amount of that. But, when you listen to the classical recordings from RCA, Decca, Mercury and Westminster’s Laboratory Series from that era, there was true magic happening with accurate soundstage reproduction. Here’s one for you, from 1956: Ars Nova performing Stravinsky’s L’histoire Du Soldat, In this Pure DSD256 transfer from the 2-track tape, it is one of the most “reach out and touch it” realistic recordings in my music library.
Some others of this late 1950s period are discussed here:
As for DSD, step forward my friend. If you are interested in the best possible audio fidelity, you need to hear some of these albums actually played in Pure DSD256 resolution. DXD (352.8kHz PCM) comes close, but not as utterly realistic.
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I looked and looked but couldn’t find the Ben Webster discussed above. But then I remembered that I never liked Ben Webster’s sound so I allowed myself to get distracted by something shiny.
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But where did you look?
Ben Webster Live at Montmartre 1965 on Black Lion. I assume HDTT renamed the set and provided and alternate images for copyright reasons. On the lay=tter I am being generous.
https://www.discogs.com/master/316666-Ben-Webster-Saturday-Night-At-The-Montmartre
https://www.discogs.com/release/27797334-Ben-Webster-The-immortal-Ben-Webster
https://www.discogs.com/master/934659-Ben-Webster-Midnight-At-The-Montmartre
Or CD Format:
https://www.discogs.com/release/14968604-Ben-Webster-Black-Lion-Presents-Ben-Webster
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I’ve had all the Black Lion material with Ben Webster backed by Kenny Drew in both LP and cd format. . . and the startlingly best sounding available I’ve found to be the Muzak 2 cd edition from Japan in 2020:
The legendary Ben Webster, whose whispery tenor tones captivated jazz fans, has left his legendary sessions in Copenhagen to be reissued in its entirety!
| Catalog No. | MZCB-1406 |
|---|---|
| JAN/ISBN | 4524505344491 |
| Product Type | CD |
| Number of Discs | 2 |
Muzak put out the Griffin, Kessel, Konitz, Roy 'n Jackie, Teddy King et al material from Black Lion in 2020 in 2 cd complete sets and man they never sounded better.
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FYI: Digital DL From HDTT:
Price is not 10.00 for the highest resolution - should be 26.00 USD.
As for DSD, step forward my friend. <<
I know, I know. But when the rest of my system, not to mention my 64 year-old ears, wouldn’t pull from the DSD that extra level of sound, it’s just not worth it to me. Maybe when I actually retire and save some $$, I can do some further experimenting - better speakers, better cables, better DAC… I might need a better wife, too, but that one might be the most expensive.
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Better sound system… ?
Better wife… ?
There is a joke in the somewhere. 
It’s no joke when you seek improvements in both categories.
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Looking for a good woman who likes to cook and has a great stereo. Please send pictures of stereo.
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If you want the most live and real sounding Ben Webster album, This is the one you have to hear, the 45rpm “Ben Webster At The Renaissance”. But you need a good turntable system.
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Ben Webster sounds very, very, very nice on CLX speakers driven by a Gryphon Diablo 300.
@paul172
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LP playback, CD or HDTT 256k download?
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