Membranophonist’s Ramblings

My father gifted me with the latest release of Ellington’s “Far East Suite” today. Irony #1 is that I believe it was he who gave me the very same album about five years ago for my birthday. Considering the difference in packaging, the time elapsed since I was first given it, and Ellington’s massive discography, I can understand him picking it out again.

The second irony is that I specifically cited this album as an example of jazz labels milking as much money out of their customers as possible by releasing “updated” versions of albums every 4-5 years.

Apparently, the following are worth $17.99 (before tax) at Tower:

1. The original album art
2. 24-bit/96KHz remastering from original sources
3. Previously unreleased tracks and alternate takes
4. Original and newly commissioned liner notes

Point by point thoughts:

1. Wahoo. Why wasn’t this included with all of the releases? Ellington approved the art at some point, so it is probably what he wanted on the cover. The cavalier attitude record companies take toward accurately reproducing an album’s original packaging bothers me.
2. Given that the recording was made on analog tapes in 1966, this isn’t going to make much of a difference. The “Special Mix” already eliminated the hiss that is common on many old recordings.
3. Only three of the tracks are truly “previously unreleased” - the others were not on the original CD album release, but they were on a previous Bluebird “Special Mix” version (which I already possessed).
4. The original liner notes were included with the “Special Mix” as well as new ones by Stanley Dance and Orrin Keepnews. Do I really need to read more liner notes?

No one forces people to buy the re-releases of classic recordings, but they are marketed as whole new products worth again paying full price for. Rather than charging those who already own a recording full price, we should be able to exchange the owned version outright or pay a minimal fee to upgrade.

Because I am interested in hearing the three truly newly released tracks, I will probably buy them through the iTunes Music Store and exchange the album for another.