Rush,
I don't own a copy of the original Merc pressing, but have heard one in good condition a few times. I will say that the reissue is pretty faithful to the original in sound, maybe a tad brighter, with the double basses sounding a little more recessed. What can I say about Janis' reading of this piece? He is a brilliant performer, and all his emotive playing comes to the fore here. From the trills, to running the keyboard. An excellent outing from what I hope will be many more reissues from the Living Presence series.