Reissue roundup: five fantasy jazz reissues on SACD from Analogue Productions. (The Music).

Chet Baker: Chet, CAPJ 1135SA

Miles Davis: Cookin' With the Miles Davis Quintet, CAPJ 7094SA

Bill Evans Trio: Waltz for Debby, CAPJ 9399SA

Sonny Rollins: Saxophone Colossus, CAPJ 7079SA

Sonny Rollins: Way Out West, CAPJ 7530SA

One of this year's many music industry announcements of interest to Super Audio CD (SACD) enthusiasts was that Analogue Productions of Salina, Kansas, had licensed a number of titles from Fantasy, one of the finest jazz labels, for release in the new format. The news first hit the Internet in the early part of 2002. Five recordings were to be released initially in the new format, and seven more would follow a few months later (see below). Those first five are no strangers to jazz lovers everywhere, two of them ranking among the most acclaimed albums in the history of the genre. All are hybrid discs--meaning that they will play in both SACD and conventional CD players.

According to the liner notes, Doug Sax remastered all of these recordings at The Mastering Lab using their proprietary tube components. He also used the latest analog-to-DSD converters from Ed Meitner's EMM Labs to transfer the music to the SACD layer. The CD layer was transferred directly to the Sony PCM 1630 system through a modified George Massenburg A/D converter. Analogue Productions and Doug Sax are to be commended for taking the time to do this right. They could have chosen simply to convert their DSD master to the PCM format, and thus possibly introducing a degradation of the PCM layer. Although Sony recently announced tools that improve the quality of such conversions, the jury is still out on their own merit. The discs that result provide for the best possible sound for both digital formats, PCM and DSD.

By and large, these five reissues more than adequately demonstrate that Mr. Sax was successful in giving the listener digital recordings that are as close to the sound of the original analog masters as is imaginable. They also demonstrate the improvement in certain aspects of sound quality that the Direct Stream Digital process provides when compared to Pulse Code Modulation. There are varying degrees of differences to be heard in comparisons with Fantasy's own K2 extended range PCM CDs. There is a clarity and smoothness to the highest frequencies on the SACDs that's all too often missing from CDs, and I might add that the extension of the highest frequencies is there for all to hear. There was no effort made to create multi-channel mixes for the surround sound advocates out there. While there are many who feel this is necessary for modern home entertainment systems, I don't believe there is any more advantage to concocting such a mix than there was to electronically re-channeling mono recordings into fake stereo, as was common practice in the late fifties. Multi-channel audio might best be served in the modern era with recordings designed specifically for that purpose.

Some detractors to the new format might claim that the CD layer on these discs was deliberately engineered to sound inferior, but in fact I found the sound of the PCM layers surpassed the quality of Fantasy's own K2 audiophile CDs in nearly every comparison, and often in all aspects of those comparisons. Where available to me, I also checked the sound of the new SACDs against a copy of the vinyl LP.

For Waltz for Debby I compared the new SACD to both the K2 CD and the standard OJC LP reissue. Although the SACD is much clearer than either the CD or LP, I think it would have been slightly more enjoyable if Mr. Sax had softened the higher frequencies just a tad so that the bits of distortion caused by the microphone over-modulation on Evans' piano were not so prominent. In this regard I find the LP to be the most satisfying. Although this LP seems to convey less information from the master tape to the listener, I find that it has more overall musical appeal.

The new AP disc surpasses the K2 in stage width and depth, and that's in listening to both its CD and SACD layers. The K2 is just slightly more forward and analytical than the AP CD layer. In this regard, the SACD betters both the K2 and its own CD layer: it is more detailed yet smoother than either--more musical, as they say. Both layers of the AP release offer a superior sound stage to the K2. Audience noise is least noticeable on the AP CD layer, and most prominent on the SACD. From this viewpoint, the DSD transfer offers a greater sense of being there.

Where the SACD really outshines either CD version or the LP, though, is in the shimmer of the cymbals, and at certain times when Scott LaFaro takes his bass solos. Here the bass offers a vivid sense of ease and air that is only hinted at on the other formats. I think the major differences in the two CD layers can be attributed to the fact that Doug Sax used tube equipment, but the Fantasy engineer probably did not. Since much of this high-end harshness appears in the 5-10 kHz range, it is apparent that the engineer who mastered the K2 CD for Fantasy felt as I do and used his equalizer judiciously to prune away just enough of it to soften the noise without affecting most of the music. The LP, likewise, did not seem so strident or irritating in the areas I mentioned, and surpassed the K2 CD in depth and timbre.

There are instances of low frequency problems in this recording that were never quite so noticeable to me before. I am not certain whether these anomalies are the result of the master tape having deteriorated from use, or they happened at the time of the recording session. In either case, there are subtle anomalies in a few tracks that are evident on the AP disc that aren't heard as well on the LP or K2 CD. Inasmuch as neither the K2 CD nor the LP has as much low frequency information (possibly another indication that the Fantasy remastering engineer had a hand in reducing this), I find them just a trifle easier on the ear when these problems arise. Depending on your own opinions about how analog to digital transfers should be made, you may find this new SACD right up your alley, especially if you want the most accurate transfer possible. This would definitely be it, as the master tape is here, warts and all.

Chet Baker's album is amazingly clear and lifelike on both the CD and SACD layers. Comparing the AP remaster to the K2 CD is almost like hearing the album for the first time. The qualities that really stand out on this one are a vivid sense of transparency and liquidity that is commonly referred to when discussing the virtues of a tube amp or preamp compared to solid state. The K2 recording sounds a little thin and lifeless, and not nearly as dynamic. I didn't have access to a vinyl copy for comparisons. Since this stereo recording was made in 1958, it has that wide separation with the hole in the middle. Never mind, though, you'll quickly grow accustomed to this and make mental adjustments for it. Of the five SACDs discussed here, Chet is the hands down winner for the most natural sound quality.

I came to similar conclusions about the remaining three. In each case [ found that both the SACD and CD layers of the Analogue Productions releases were more satisfying than the corresponding Fantasy K2, but often in different ways. The most startling of these three is Saxophone Colossus. This mono recording shows a good bit more depth and timbre on the new release than the K2 does. I was hard pressed to decide whether or not my DCC vinyl copy had any qualities that the DSD conversion couldn't rival. Another surprise on both of the Rollins recordings was an increase in subtle detail, particularly where transients were concerned. One example of this is in the drums and cymbals in the opening tune, "St. Thomas." On the SACD layer the initial striking of the drumsticks was at once more detailed and perfuse. The shimmer seemed to linger just a while longer as if to suggest a more natural acoustic. The overtones of the saxophone imbibe this natural acoustic as if to suggest the arrival at an oasis compared to the K2's relatively parched, Saharan sound.

Of all of the Fantasy CDs being compared to the new SACDs here, the one that sounds the grungiest is Way Out West. What makes this title a less startling revelation compared to Colossus, though, is that our good friend, Roy DuNann, made the original recording. This extraordinary engineer was among the first to record jazz albums in stereo. He was himself something of an innovator, and this album is certainly one of many fine testimonies to his abilities. It is rumored that DuNann often placed his microphones and musicians very widely and this recording amply demonstrates that. Prior to hearing this new SACD, I had been of the opinion that Way Out West just was not up to par with his efforts on such other Contemporary albums as the various Poll Winners collaborations, or the Hawes and Pepper albums he had done--and don't forget that brilliant Teddy Edwards album--but I digress. Now, I must wonder just how much better those albums might sound in this new medium.

This was Sonny's first stereo album, recorded just nine months after the mono Saxophone Colossus and one would expect it to be preferable to audiophiles if for no other reason than it is stereo. What's astonishing about this is that on the new SACD, I sense Rollins' swaying and other small movements more clearly than on the K2. There are times when it sounds as if he is walking while he is playing, as the sound of the sax appears to be moving in several directions. Tonally, the percussive sounds heard at the beginning of "I'm An Old Cowhand" have a more rounded sound, and the drums appear to have a richer, darker sound that is common throughout the entire album. All of this is representative of the improvements to the Miles Davis album as well, so there's no need to belabor the point.

My overall conclusion is that these reissues offer the best sound available compared to any other digital version I've had a chance to hear, even on the slightly less impressive PCM layers. At their suggested retail prices, they are slightly lower cost than the JVC XRCD versions that aren't as readily available, and about $10 higher than the K2 versions. If an SACD player is not in your plans yet, you will still be getting the better sounding PCM recordings you can hear on your conventional CD or DVD player. When you finally get a chance to hear the DSD layer, you will know what SACD fans are raving about. If you want to try only one of these five, I would recommend either of the Rollins albums or the Chet Baker.

As I noted in the opening paragraph, there are seven more Fantasy titles that Analogue productions has scheduled for release in the SACD format this summer. Artists include Cannonball Adderley, two more Bill Evans titles, Art Pepper (originally recorded by Roy DuNann), Thelonious Monk, Vince Guaraldi, and John Coltrane. Universal Music Group will also be releasing four jazz SACD albums in mid-summer. Their initial releases will be the Getz/Gilberto album, John Coltrane's A Love Supreme, one Diane Krall reissue and the very famous Louis Armstrong/Ella Fitzgerald recording. Universal will be releasing some of its recordings in multi-channel hybrid discs, and others in single layer stereo.

If you're not interested in jazz, but want to know what's headed your way in pop/rock music in SACD, Analogue Productions will be releasing two of the Creedence Clearwater Revival albums soon, and abkco will be releasing all 22 of its Rolling Stones titles at one time on hybrid stereo SACDs in early August. At the beginning of the summer, BMG announced that it too would be releasing some of its RCA titles in the SACD format. The company had released several SACDs through its Hong Kong division earlier. There was no mention of any existing titles or genres in the announcement. As always, I welcome your comments and questions by email at [e-mail].

--SGB