Jazz vinyl- go for originals or new reissues?


I'm doing a major upgrade to my analog front end and have recently been buying a lot of jazz (think late 50's - early 60's classic stuff)
I have a quite a bit of jazz on cd from these artists/labels

I've hit the local vinyl shops in N.O.
things range from reasonable to very pricey
and quite a bit of noisy scratched up stuff that's still $$

I have a Loricraft at home to clean out the grooves
and a ZYX Universe which has a smaller stylus and tracks lower in the grooves - great on a good pressing
but I still get a lot of surface noise on some older things

I'm in it for the sound dynamics not ultra collectibility

the big question here - which labels originals are a must
due to master tape fade over time
and which labels reissues show very little difference in the remastering - recommending getting the reissues

todays local score went on the pricey side
thought I'd try out some originals
5 discs $225 two looked a little beat up and were
A HOrace SIlver 6 pieces of silver deep groove blue not
the thing is scratched lightly - plays popping massively throughout - going back
Coltrane Jazz original - pops on two songs some quiet sections - going back
Mingus Ah Um - 59 original 6 eye and plays great!
MIles Davis - SOmeday my prince will come 6 eye mint (yet to play)
Art Pepper Smack Up orig on Contemporary mint y(yet to play)
2 out of 5 isn't bad

I've also been playing the ebay game quite a bit (to the tune of over 70 purchases in 3 weeks, thirft shops (an occasional 6 eye)and Acoustic Sounds on some reissues and new stuff

before I get too deep into this
I'd like some advice on various classic jazz labels
as in originals versus reissues (ojc or 180 gram treatment)

BLue Note - I've been going after second issues not the $$$$ first releases
ie W63rd instead of Lexington, NY instead of W63rd
Liberty instead of NY
I also like the King Japanese reissues
I was able to buy 15 90's Columbia re-releases 180 gram from Wendell on audio asylum (they sound great)thanks
I like Silver, Mobley, Morgan, JM, Blakley, etc

are the new reissues worthy (45rm and 180 gram) or keep hunting down the old stuff? that Silver deep groove has great dynamics on two cuts where the pops from scratches are less

Riverside - I have some Monk and Bill Evans on the way
these are not as pricey on ebay usually
I did get a good deal on the Monk COmplete Riverside 90's reissue and jumped on it
wondering if I should really hunt down the originals
Evans' Lafaro?Motian trio era is some of my fav

Columbia MIles
I've already secured Kind of Blue, Prince will Come, Miles Smiles, Miles Ahead and few others six eye, or later on two eye originals
Considering the Mosaic 60's Quintet and 50's Coltrane
although the damn boxsets put the alt takes in instead of album sequence then extras

Mingus - I've bought a few originals, a few ojc, waiting for more word. COlumbia and Atlantic?? original or reissue

Coltrane - the Atlantic box looks tempting
have a few originals and some ojc (yet to put on)
the Atlantic Box reissue is tempting

I also enjoy anything with Paul CHambers on it, Peterson with NHOPederson,etc

be interested to hear others comments who've bought both originals and reissues

ebay and stores is very hit or miss
I find a few buyers with good stuff and try to get it on the cheap $50 or less (it's easy to get in bid wars)

thanks
Tom
128x128audiotomb
Tom,

I guess its all a matter of money. As you have already found out, if you start buying good clean original pressing records on desirable labels, you are going to get into spending some serious money really quickly.

If you are not a collector of records and simply want great sound, then the reissues may be the way to go. However if you're talking about the "audiophile" reissues that Acoustic Sounds and Music Direct sells, those can get pretty high in price as well. For example I bought a Bill Evans "How My Heart Sing" on Riverside recently. This was an original stereo pressing in NM condition with a VG++ cover. I paid $35.00 for it on ebay. The reissue at Acoustic Sounds sells for $49.99. The sonics on the reissue can't be any better than this original pressing. The vinyl may be a little quieter however, but this is a prime example where a reissue may cost more than an original.

I often pick up riverside stuff for good prices. However, this is not the case for Blue Notes and yellow Prestige stuff. These almost always go for big bucks. In addition I think the opinion of sellers of what is truly NM has taken a shift in the last few years as truly NM material has become more scarce. NM means its opened but looks new. 96% perfect. Maybe a slight sleeve scuff that can only be seen in bright light. Well some of the big buck Blue Notes I bought from so called repuatable "Jazz Specialists" over the last few years have been anything but NM. They were all advertised as NM, but when I got them, there were too many defects to be truly NM, They were VG+ in my opinion. So the point is you take a risk paying big $$$ for original collectable jazz, when you have to trust the subjective condition opinion of the person selling the record. The condition always looks better to the seller than the buyer usually.

So for Blue Notes grab a Jap pressing or even the later DMM metal pressings that were pressed in the 80's. You can usually pick those up for less than $10.00. For old Prestige on the cheap, you can't do any better than the OJC pressings. "Original Jazz Classics". These were pressed by Fantasy in the 80's and early 90's when they took over the Prestige catalog. These pressings sound exceptional, and they can usually be had for less than $7.00.

If having the nostalgia of the original Blue Note or Prestige label spinning on your platter means nothing to you, then go for the 80's pressings. They sound pretty darn good and don't cost a lot.

Mark
japanese jazz reissues are great. OJC reissues are cheap and quite good. the classic/Impulse/Blue Note reissues are great and well-priced.

forget original Blue Notes - too 'collectible'!
original Prestige are usually VERY noisy! (go for the OJCs)
original Impulse tend to be noisy too...

columbia 6 eyes are enormously variable - you just have to listen...

Mosaic is great but $$$ (they do hold their value though due to their limited release)

in general, as you're finding out, jazz vinyl can be an expensive habit. if sound quality is your main criterion, you will find plenty to enjoy; just forget about those pricey originals.
the original vinyl, the new vinyl,and all the incarnations of compact disc, are different in every case. only go for minty originals if you go there at all.you will also find the quality of all new media...vinyl or cd....is all over the place.
Tom,

I feel like I've been in the same boat as you. I recently upgraded equipment and I'm getting back into vinyl purchasing mode. A few years ago I went through most of the issues you're going through. I never made it up to paying for pristine original blue notes or others, but I have a few decent early pressings so I have a good idea of what I'm missing. I have several with surface noise on my ZYX Airy, which is very iritating. FWIW, here are some comments:

These suggestions assume you like the 1950s-60s Blue Note music the best, along with other good stuff from labels such as New Jazz, Prestige, Vee Jay, etc...

1. These comments assume your budget is no more than $50 per LP (and preferrable much cheaper), so if I say something sounds good, it is relative to what is generally available in that price range (either used or new reissue). If price were no object, I would go for near mint first pressings. I haven't compared near mint first pressings to the reissues or later pressings, so I don't know whether they are worth the extra money. Maybe someone else can chime in on this point.

2. By far the best value are the OJC's. They were analog recordings and the vinyl is very quiet on almost all the ones I own. When you can find them, they are cheap used ($5-$10) and many are still available new. For more money, the Analogue Productions 45RPM's are available for many recordings (I have a few and they sound great, and for what they are, they are a great value) and Analogue Productions 180g versions of the same OJC recordings also sound very good.

3. For Blue Notes, as you noted, the Japanese King and Liberty pressings are a good deal if you can find clean copies for good prices. I have some of the new series of Classic Records reissues, and I think they sound good compared to the King or Liberty, especially when you factor in the potential for surface noise on less than mint King or Liberty copies. Before Classic came out with its new series, I focused primarily on Mosaic sets, since it was the easiest way to acquire quiet Blue Notes. The vinyl is quiet and the recordings are good. You have the alternative takes, which you may not like, but the Mosaics are comprehensive and often include tracks from very rare or otherwise unattainable LP's. I also have some of the Mosaic CD sets, which are uniformly excellent. The nice thing about Mosaic vinyl sets is that every used set I've purchased (even an ex-library box) has had pretty much zero surface noise.

4. Now, here's something else that you may have figured out. There are going to be several must have LP's that you really want, such as the great Paul Chambers stuff, but you're going to have a hard time finding any acceptable versions in vinyl for the $50 per LP budget. This is where I shifted to CD's. Generally, the Japanese mini-LP sleeve versions of the Blue Note recordings are much nicer than the RVG US CD's. If you look around, you can get them directly from Japan for about $25 per CD.

5. If you're into Paul Chambers, I recommend the Mosaic Complete Vee Jay Paul Chambers-Wynton Kelly Sessions CD Box Set. The Mosaic Select Paul Chambers CD Box (still available new) is a good value if you don't have the Paul Chambers Japanese mini-LP CD's.

6. If you don't have a copy, order Doug Watkins - Watkins At Large (Classic). I have the King pressing, which sounds great, and I've ordered a copy of the Classic reissue to compare, since it is one of my favorite jazz LP's.

7. Although Speakers Corner doesn't have much Jazz, if you like any of the jazz in their catalog, the reissues are excellent. If you don't have it, I'd highly recommend Mingus, Mingus, Mingus from Speakers Corner. There are others that are excellent, but that is the first record that comes to mind.

Hope you find this helpful.

Mark
thanks guys for all the insights

other experience sure helps when you are taking the plunge