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This is music one can listen to anytime. Moanin' is a tune I can listen to repeatedly. Great album for the jazz heads. The Jazz Messengers were a seminal Jazz mentoring group. Art Blakey developed many great musicians through the Messengers.
The glare is generally missing after "99, but the other issues are still present.Another flaw in this series is that many of the titles are in mono when excellent stereo masters exist. These sound dramatically better and give you a sense of stage depth and air around the instruments. They sound bottled up, exhibit no air or ambiance, and they possess a hard glare. No mono masters exist for these sessions, so these CD's are simply the stereo master folded down into one channel. This album is a 5 star jazz legend, but unfortunately, extremely poor mastering significantly detracts from the enjoyment it can bring.
They don't generally misrepresent the condition, and they'll usually get it to you within 4 business days.This can be a tough neighborhood, and I fully expect to get a pant-load of negative votes and comments since I have dared to say that all is not well with this series, but if it guides those who care about sound quality to the version that makes them happiest, it'll be worth it. To avoid problems, I recommend only dealing with sellers who have a positive rating of 98% or better. What's the purpose of that.Relief is Available: Most of the RVG Edition titles are available in an earlier US version and as a Japanese import here on Amazon. I've purchased many of these for under $10 in "Like New" condition. While some will rightfully argue that the mono master sounds best in some instances, the RVG series has many titles in it that were recorded after Oct. The imports are very pricey so you might want to get the older US versions through the Amazon Marketplace. He only recorded in both formats during the time spanning those two dates. Everything I've purchased that was released before 1999 in the US has been good, and all of the Japanese versions have been good.
Except for the two Monk titles, the RVG Edition series is a seriously flawed collection of historic jazz, especially the first batch that came out in '99, and this is one of those. They are also stereo when possible, and appropriate, and they lack the glare of the RVG Edition. I wish someone had done that for me before I had spent considerable money, only to be unhappy, and then finally discovering what I was looking for in the first place. Rudy Van Gelder recorded exclusively in mono prior to March '57, and stereo exclusively after October 30 1958. 30 1958 that are mono.
But now I'm saved, what a fabulous album, this is truly an essential cd for any music lover, and don't make the same mistake as I made, buy it now rather than wait. Every year I look to extend what I listen to within the world of jazz and much to my shame I have overlooked this wonderful album for too long.
Highly recommended. "Moanin" was released by Blue Note Records in 1958 and features one of the best Jazz Messengers line-up jazz has ever witnessed: Benny Golson on tenor saxophone, Lee Morgan on trumpet, and Jymie Merritt on bass. Benny Golson, who later would be replaced by a young Wayne Shorter, pinned two tunes on this recording: "Are You Real." "The Drum Thunder Suite," "Blues March," and "Along Came Betty." Bobby Timmons, who later wrote "Dat Dere" for the 1960 album "The Big Beat," wrote the title track.This is an outstanding album full of virtuosity, swing, pure emotion, and some of the best jazz drumming you ever heard.
Sound is great too. This is simply a fantastic CD. Can't lose with this one. All the tracks are just amazing - the playing is simply sublime. One of the hard bop classics. Pure soul.
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