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Reviews: Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong: Autumn in New York

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Reviews: 2

Review by onenairb May 26, 2009 (7 of 8 found this review helpful)
Performance:   Sonics:
I purchased this from ebay quiet a few weeks ago so it has been well played.
It opens with probably the best version of 'Summer Time' I have heard. Superb orchestration with Louis trumpet sets the scene and then Ella's stunning vocals just blow you away. PLAY IT LOUD!. The sound is just fantastic.
There is a bit more than usual information about the technicals - The source 32bit/ 192Khz, the mastering equipment, even the cable and preamp. So TopMusic are obviously very proud of what and how they have acheived.
There are in total 16 tracks, seven of which also appear on the superb Verve mono JSACD Ella & Louis. So how do they compare? Verve wins. The voices are just that bit clearer as is the instrumentation hence the 4.5 stars.
But apart from that would I have bought it had I known? Yes. It is still a superb album. A must for Ella and Louis fans.
Now if only Verve Japan or TopMusic would obtain Ella's Song Book series and SACD them PLEASE, PRETTY PLEASE, WITH STRAWBERRIES ON TOP. You would have a massive hit on your hands.

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Review by AmirKessner June 15, 2009 (6 of 7 found this review helpful)
Performance:   Sonics:
I'm afraid my findings and taste are quite different from those of my learned friend onenairb :-(

Whatever information TopMusic adds about the power system and cables, it misses out on with recording dates, personnel and stereo/mono specification. All the documentation comprises Ella's and Louis's biographies.

Only the first track is stereo, with orchestral accompaniment. All other 15 tracks sound mono-ish to me, with voices well forward, a rather prominent, fat bass, a rather thin piano, and remote, not too clear/present percussion.

The sound is pretty dated throughout, nothing to be crazy about. Though sounding pretty clear, the recordings are incomparable to others from the same period or not much later, including Verve's own. This is no Living Stereo :-)

While there is no real competition to this level of performers, the sound is world apart from what 5 or 4.5 stars should stand for, especially when considering it's mainly not even stereo, not to mention multichannel. (While there are a few very good mono recordings and a few very awful multichannel recordings, I'm one of those who, arguably, believe that the best stereo quite betters the best mono, and the best multichannel betters or equals the best stereo.)

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