Sinatra/Jobim complete

[Harry]

Amazon is listing a COMPLETE SINATRA/JOBIM package coming on May 4, 2010

Track listing from Nancy Sinatra at the Sinatra Family Forum:



1. The Girl from Ipanema
2. Dindi
3. Change Partners
4. Quiet Nights of Quiet Stars
5. Meditation
6. If You Never Come to Me
7. How Insensitive
8. I Concentrate on You
9. Baubles, Bangles and Beads
10. Once I Loved
11. The Song of the Sabia
12. Drinking Water
13. Someone to Light Up My Life
14. Triste
15. This Happy Madness
16. One Note Samba
17. Don’t Ever Go Away
18. Wave
19. Defafinado (Off Key)
20. Bonita

Harry

 

[Harry]

(Early appraisal): It's out today and sounds good. A nice remastering without a lot of fake reverb.

Harry

 

[Harry]

I've had a complete change of heart regarding the new Concord release of SINATRA/JOBIM: THE COMPLETE REPRISE RECORDINGS.

While the disc represents a long sought-after joining of all of the recordings Frank Sinatra did with Antonio Carlos Jobim, the problem for me is in the remixing of the tracks.

First off, there are sections of the original final recordings, as released on LP and earlier CDs, where edits were done to polish things up. This new remix misses those edit points, allowing the "clams" as Mr. Sinatra called them to shine through.

The best example of this phenomenon occurs at 1:11 into "The Girl From Ipanema". In the originally released version, Frank sings the line flawlessly, but in the remixed version, you can hear him hit an off-note on "day" in the line "...each day when she walks to the sea..."

There are a few more examples of bad bass notes and substituted-for flute solos throughout the proceedings. None of these are enough that a newbie to the recordings would notice something wrong, but purists are shaking their collective heads in disbelief, just *knowing* that Frank would never have approved.

More egregious for me is the treatment done to both the stereo soundstage and Tom Jobim's vocals. Antonio Carlos Jobim is the co-artist on these recordings, and his being shoved to the background kind of irks me.

Listen to what they did to him in "Agua de Beber". In the original recording, we can hear Mr. Jobim over in the left channel - purely in the left channel. His scat vocals of "bee-bee-doh" are out in front and a vital part of the recording. In the new version he's been squished into the busy middle of the soundstage, reduced in volume to compete with both Frank and the orchestra's levels, and the whole thing is maximized and compressed to squish it all into a no-dynamic-range mess.

It was easy to miss these details listening only in the car as I did when I posted that early appraisal above. The fact is, as a disc for the car, this does pretty well. As something playing in the background, again, it's probably fine.

But if you're looking for the best archival version of these recordings the way they were originally conceived, you'll have to look elsewhere to older releases, and perhaps combine them to make your own disc. That's what I did.

The new version also now presents the three rare tracks for easy accessibility. Prior to this, you had to find them on the now out-of-print Sinatra "suitcase" box set, or on some obscure Brazilian LPs.

So - bottom line: the music here is as wonderful as ever, with a few "clams" where they shouldn't be. The sonics are disappointing to a purist, but might sound fine on today's iPod generation of headphone-wearers.

Purists should seek out the original FRANCIS ALBERT SINATRA/ANTONIO CARLOS JOBIM album on CD or LP. Add in seven more tracks from SINATRA AND COMPANY if you can find an older pressing, and add the three rare tracks from either the old "suitcase" set if possible, or accept the new disc to source those three.

Harry

 

[Rudy]

This is the second time* I've heard of a recent Concord release, where the recordings originated on another label, and the end result was a remix. It makes me wonder if it is some sort of contractual arrangement between Concord and the original labels, or if it's just some idea that these recordings needed to be "modernized" somehow. Those original mixes "nailed it" IMHO.

This is the track lineup Reprise should have released 20 years ago on CD. I suspect they didn't want to do this, as it would have killed sales for 'Sinatra & Co.' and the Reprise box set.

(* The other is a Return To Forever compilation, 'Anthology,' released in 2008...they combined releases from both Polydor and Columbia, but remixed all of them.)

 

[Mr Bill]

Not to veer off the Sinatra/Jobim topic, but Concord's increased embracing of reissues as well as new recordings has gotten me wondering...

Since
1 - Herb and Lani are now "Concord artists" and
2 - Shout!Factory is now 5 years into a 7 year (IIRC) re-isssue license and
3 - S!F has been silent on any Alpert activity (they used to at least mention he was working on the AG project and planning to tour with Lani)...

Will Concord begin re-releasing classic Alpert recordings once S!F's license expires (around 2012)? And if so, will we see (at long last) the rest of the catalog see the light of day? Will we get better liner notes than those annoying Josh Kun blatherings? Sessioin details? Bonus tracks?

--Mr Bill

 

[Rudy]

I was going to say that Concord isn't into reissues...but I realized I'm saying this in a thread for a set of reissued tracks. Albeit, remixed. The two Concord remix re-releases I've mentioned here (this one, and Return To Forever) are a lot more high-profile. The Sinatra/Jobim CD here is....well, it's SINATRA! The RTF compilation coincided with their reunion tour in 2008. I don't see them tacking straight reissues like Shout!Factory would...that appeals to a different market and collector mindset, IMHO. In fact, I am still rather surprised that this is a Sinatra recording that has NOT been released on Capitol, Reprise or Columbia...

 

[Mr Bill]

....I am still rather surprised that this is a Sinatra recording that has NOT been released on Capitol, Reprise or Columbia...

I think that was probably the emphasis I was trying to put on my post. It's becoming more and more apparent as the music biz changes (largely in reaction to the digital revolution -- MP3s, CDs, file sharing, burning, etc) the major labels are more interested in finding the next Britney, Eminem or Lady Gaga and growing less interested in mining their catalog for the gold and gems... the value of which they clearly "don't understand."

With the success of stalwart reissue labels like Rhino and S!F and the more mail order based labels like Collector's Choice and Hip-O Select doing well, it only makes sense for a specialty niche label like Concord to also start to embrace the re-issue market, as they've apparently done with RTF and Sinatra/Jobim. We can speculate and wish all we want. Time will tell!

--Mr Bill

 

[Rudy]

Concord has the entire Fantasy jazz catalog to reissue; instead, they did what all bigger labels do--they throw 90% of the catalog out of print, and toss the CDs into cutout bins (or have them shredded). Now we'll just get lame compilations, with the obligatory unreleased track to entice us to buy it.

Sure isn't Carl Jefferson's Concord Records! Those days are long gone!

 

[Mr Bill]

Sure isn't Carl Jefferson's Concord Records! Those days are long gone!

I was unaware of the jazz roots of the label, probably because of my preference for "melodic" or "produced" jazz (like CTi or artists like Spyrogyra) over the improvisational rambling that jazz purists prefer...

What I found surprising are some historical aspects of the label which I erroneously assumed was a recent label created to take advantage of Starbucks tie-ins and providing a niche for artists no longer considered "mainstream (like Alpert or Mendes, etc):

1999 Concord Records purchased by Hal Gaba and TV icon Norman Lear 2002 Offices moved from Concord to Beverly Hills.
2004 Acquires Fantasy Records (incl. labels Prestige, Stax, and others) 2005 Changed name to Concord Music Group.
2005 Purchased Telarc Records (incl. Heads Up label)
2008 Signed Kenny G
2009 Signed Herb Alpert and Dave Koz
2010 Negotiated acquiring Paul McCartney catalog and signing McCartney for future projects.

The biggest negatives for me are:
1 - Concord is distributed by Uni
2 - Concord has Kenny G

--Mr Bill

 

[Harry]

Let's not forget:

2005 Signed Sergio Mendes

Harry

 

[Harry]

Should we become "Concord Corner?"

Harry

 

[Mr Bill]

Should we become "Concord Corner?"

Only if Concord acquires the entire pre-Uni (or at least pre-Polygram) A&M Catalog!!!

--Mr Bill
PS: Nice "Concord Corner" logo, Harry!

 

[Rudy]

Concord has been around since 1972, which Carl Jefferson founded as an offshoot to the Concord Jazz Festival.

Cal Tjader's final albums were recorded for the Concord Picante label. Concord Picante also featured albums by Pancho Sanchez and Tito Puente, among many others. "Pink Panther" saxophonist Plas Johnson also recorded one or two for the Concord Jazz imprint in the 70s, one of his few recordings as a leader.

The Universal distribution makes sense--that's why they were easily able to assemble most of the Polydor tracks of Return To Forever into that compilation, then only had to license the one album (Romantic Warrior) from Columbia...

 

[seashorepiano]

Nice to see some discussion about Concord Records. I like Cal Tjader's "La Onda Va Bien" from that label. Killer cut of "Speak Low." Cal got some really good pianists to work with him then. Mark Levine is on Fender Rhodes; does a great job.

 

[rickster]

The great tenor saxophonist Scott Hamilton has probably been Concord's most enduring artist. He has recorded for them exclusively since around 1977. His output for the label has been as consistently excellent as any artist in the jazz field. Check out his "Live in London" or "Jazz Signatures" for the label as prime examples of his art.

 

[JMK]

Nice to see some discussion about Concord Records. I like Cal Tjader's "La Onda Va Bien" from that label. Killer cut of "Speak Low." Cal got some really good pianists to work with him then. Mark Levine is on Fender Rhodes; does a great job.

Agree completely--wonderful segue from 6/8 to 4/4 and back. I "borrowed" Cal's version for my group, LOL. In the weird synchronicity department, I got an email a few weeks later from a guy supposedly writing the first authorized biography of Cal. Did you know Cal was a kid player in movies back in the 1930's? I am relatively well known in classic film circles for my research debunking "myths" about Frances Farmer, and Cal was in Frances' first film! The biographer had never seen it and wanted a copy of it from me. Strange but true.