Hi
I’m kind of late to the party but did anyone here get this?
I have a lot of the individual CD’s already.
What is the sound quality like compared to the material already out there?
1 Like
Usually Mosaic from pure sound quality are ranking clearly below the remasterings of Kevin Gray or his collaboration with Steve Hoffman. Kevin Gray also did a few Mosaic remasterings, but afaik only later ones after the Blue Note boxes.
This one was done by “Ron McMaster” who is not known as one producing really top sound. Other Moasic boxes were also done by other engineers.
I have that box, but would yet have to compare it to other digital reissues (van Gelder reissues etc.) Maybe @lonson can help.
I’d say if you want the whole material it’s still the best release, if you compare with single other remasterings of individual albums, it’s not necessarily.
This one has transfers that are uncredited (my guess is that they are using transfers Bernie Grundman did for the Japanese releases of the last half decade) and mastering by Malcolm Addey.
I’m not as big a fan of Gray/Hoffman Blue Note material as jazz nut is. . . I often have preferred Japanese reissues to those by a hair. Anyway I had the most recent cd Japanese reissues of much of this material as well as domestic reissues . . . and boy does this set sound good in comparison. Some of the albums sound eerily close to the Japanese which is why I suspect the transfers were first done for those. Anyway I truly enjoy the sound and I truly enjoy having each album with the same transfers and mastering. And of course the music. . . wonderful stuff.
There is ONE alternate in the set never before released, so not a lot of new music. But some great photos in the booklet and a very enjoyable 8 discs of listening.
1 Like
Lonson, RonMcMaster is indeed mentioned as mastering engineer in the booklet.
1 Like
Interesting, I’ll have to double check. I know McMaster did the FIRST Mosaic box set of 'fifties Mobley sessions, but Addey did this second one of the later material. I can’t get at the booklet at the moment, but will verify later.
@jazznut I just double-checked the booklet, and the mastering on the set the OP is asking about is by Malcolm Addey. Ron McMaster did master the earlier set from the last century, but there’s no mention of his work on this new set.
Thanks guys for chiming in.
I like Malcolm Addey remasters. I was always surprised at how good Hutch’s “Total Eclipse” sounded on the Malcolm Addey mastering of the old Collector’s Choice disc. I like his work on some of the Verve Mosaic’s too.
The versions I have are all over the place - from Collector’s Choice to TOCJ’s and Conn’s.
Not all McMaster’s are bad - I was just spinning Dex’s Complete Blue Note 60’s Sessions and that sounds pretty good.
I’ll spring for the set but I looked and it is backordered now - apparently the company that manufactures the discs went under. So Mosaic will probably take a while to regularise production of the set again.
Sorry, my fault…I spoke of the 50s session set.
1 Like
Five Analogue Productions Hank Mobley SACDs are currently 1/2 price ($15@) at AcousticSounds.com.
Peckin’ Time, Workout, A Caddy For Daddy, Mobley’s Message & Mobley’s 2nd Message.
hi there;
i have this cds:
Mastered By using 20-bit Super Bit Mapping by Ron McMaster
the sound is ok feels like cd digital sound but great music of course it was the same release in lps also;
limited edition number (7500 albums produced)
ps. great jazz music
Right. “A Caddy for Daddy” is the only one of these in the Complete Hank Mobley Blue Note Sessions 1963-1970" from Mosaic. I have all these SACDs except the “Message” volumes that I have on OJC cds.