There’s no way to predict the excellence of a particular LP, in terms of sound quality. There is always an element of serendipity. But for jazz, ECM, Pablo, Bethlehem, Riverside, Contemporary, then Columbia, are pretty reliable. Perhaps best ever were Reference Recordings. I don’t like Sheffield because the artists they recorded were in general second rate, with apologies to Harry James. Case in point for serendipity, last night I picked out an LP from one of my less used storage bins: Art Pepper, “Among Friends” on the Trio label. I played it because I love Art Pepper and was curious because it was recorded in 1978 in stereo, near his death. I can only say buy it if you can find it, dead silent surface with in your face reality. I could easily imagine myself in the room. But who knew?