P-VINE Reissuing Clifford Jordan's Mapleshade Albums on CD and Vinyl

first time on vinyl and first time in Japan on any format

P-VINE Records recently announced it is re-issuing Clifford Jordan’s four Mapleshade albums on CD and vinyl. This is the first time any of these recordings have been released in Japan or have ever been available on vinyl. Older readers will most likely be familiar with both Mapleshade and these recordings, produced and engineered by the late Pierre Sprey.

Please hit that hyperlink because I suspect many who knew about these records and Pierre, had no idea about his background! Not to mention the Kanye West sample....

Here's P-Vine's release schedule (subject to change).

Clifford Jordan Quartet: Live At Ethel's

CD: February 19th

45rpm 2xLP: April 16th

Clifford Jordan Big Band : Play What You Feel

CD: March 19th

45rpm 2xLP: May 21st

Clifford Jordan & Ran Blake : Masters From Different Worlds

CD: April 16th

45rpm 2xLP: June 18th

Clifford Jordan & Friends : The Mellow Side Of Clifford Jordan

CD: May 21st

45rpm 2xLP: July 16th

All involved are being honest brokers about how these reissues have been produced:

"Because of the condition of the original master tapes, these reissues are produced from original Mapleshade CDs manufactured by JVC using K2 processing and treated with Mikrosmooth, Optrix and Ionoclast before they were ripped. These recordings were originally transferred at 1411 Kbps, digitally edited and mastered without using any EQ, compression, overdubs, filtering, or other studio cosmetics. We found that CDs manufactured by JVC using K2 processing consistently sounded better than the original CDR submitted for production, they are the best-sounding version of the original digital master available.

(The original CD of Clifford Jordan Quartet Live at Ethel's is among the very finest sounding CDs I have ever heard (and of course the music is superb_Michael Fremer)

All P-Vine's Clifford Jordan re-issues will be available directly from Mapleshade

(Note: the $48 versions are the double LP vinyl versions. The website doesn't identify them as such).

Comments

2025-04-24 02:05:59 PM

Tim wrote:

My guess is that this "K2 processing" comes as the last restoration step (before cutting/ mastering) not the first; the other steps appear to be simply cd surface polishing..

K2 appears to try and up-res 44k16bit to restore truncated frequencies and dynamic range .
2025-04-24 02:39:01 PM

Heidi E. wrote:

My public library used to have the Live at Ethels CD. Good stuff. I used to get the Mapleshade catalogs. I remember that every one of his tweaks was going to add an octave of low end. I'm not sure a good pair of tweeters and a handful of Mapleshade products would yield a full range system, but what do I know? I know he made some great sounding CDs. My late 90s era JVC CD player (still being used as a transport) has K2 processing. It's been too long for me to remember what the K2 did, but Harry Pearson thought very highly of it.
2025-04-24 06:34:23 PM

Come on wrote:

Although - as nowadays most vinyl is digitally sourced - I understand that a site like this has to treat this as usual and praise it similarly to AAA recordings (not in this feature but many others), but it will still take a while until I get enthusiastic about the announcement of a CD quality sourced LP (K2 or not). But I’m aware that there are a few digital recordings which - aside of some beneficial distortion - really sound much better on vinyl than on a very good digital rig (mainly when better mixed or mastered is my experience).

But then there are experiences like this: I recently asked Fred from SAM Records which of his gorgeous LP releases (which I all appreciate very much) are AAA (if any) and not digitally sourced. I named two examples which to my ears sound so good and so much better than the others, that I would be very surprised and excited if also digitally sourced. It turned out that exactly those two are the only ones in his catalog which were AAA so far due to masters available in France. Nearly all others are also sourced from the original first masters, just with a hires digitization process inbetween. For my ears, compared to the best all analog releases, nearly no digitally sourced LP could get a 10 or 11 rating in sound quality (but many do meanwhile, that’s where I notice times are changing and differentiations become blurred. The 1-11 scale would enable more differentiation).

Most of this is not related to this article here, I just got triggered by the CD(K2 source discussion.
- 2025-04-25 07:39:42 AM
  
  Malachi Lui wrote:
  
  us reviewers have no obligation whatsoever to praise digitally sourced vinyl, or anything for that matter, really. if it's good, it's good! and if it sucks, we'll say that too. i've heard records poorly cut from CD masters that sound terrible. i've also heard LPs of CD-resolution digital recordings that sound utterly fantastic. of course we all prefer to see and hear reissues of analog recordings cut from tapes. but sometimes, that's not possible or absurdly impractical to a point of diminishing returns. sure, CDs aren't exactly the ideal digital resolution in many cases, but a well-mastered CD skillfully cut to lacquer or copper should sound good. the problem is that most CD-sourced LPs were done that way out of laziness. based on P-vine's transparency in their press release, i doubt there's any laziness here. i'd be optimistic.
  
  also, i've heard a few LPs of digital recordings (higher than CD-resolution) that rank among the best sounding records i've ever heard. and in those cases, the LPs cut from the files sound significantly better than the CDs or hi-res streams/downloads. (of course, i've also heard many digital recordings haphazardly cut to disc and sonically degraded.)
  - 2025-04-25 10:26:06 AM
    
    Come on wrote:
    
    I’m certainly aware you as reviewers have no obligation as mentioned (I just notice you rank too many too high imo) and I’m with you for the most part, but I think (independent of how it compares to the digital release) the number of extremely good sounding digitally sourced vinyl (on very good sounding AAA level) is very small. I also have a few examples, very few DSD sourced ones and some especially mixed/mastered ones. IMO there’s definitely no Jerome Sabbagh, Rufus Reid or any of those among them (sorry Jerome, I love them and they sound good but not that good). If those releases get a 10 or 11 in sound quality, then you have to extend the scale to 13 for the best AAA. Just my opinion as always, but that’s what I mean when I say differentiations get blurred.
    - 2025-04-25 10:49:30 AM
      
      Come on wrote:
      
      Sorry, I mixed it up, Jerome’s LP’s are AAA, I know, but are an example for me where the initial recording quality is good but isn’t on the 3D/openness top level for me where AAA really shines. Digitally sourced releases like the Rufus Reid, the Chris Potter, the Wadada Leo Smith, the Kahlil el'Zabar, the Charles Lloyd just to name a few, were not on upmost 10-11 level imo (although sounding good to very good).
  - 2025-04-25 11:36:28 PM
    
    T. Parker wrote:
    
    "We reviewers", not "us reviewers".
- 2025-04-26 02:07:58 AM
  
  MrRom92 wrote:
  
  Out of curiosity, what are those 2 SAM records AAA titles? I would be highly interested. I’ve mostly avoided their releases due to less than honest marketing regarding their sourcing.
  - 2025-04-26 04:50:19 PM
    
    Come on wrote:
    
    It’s the Miles/Chaffold and the Wilen/…dans la ville. The first always was the best sounding even among other AAA releases of it, the latter is exemplary for mono 3D experience.
    
    From my perspective, I experienced no dishonest marketing, even if the fact, that the releases are usually cut with a digital step is not marketed either. But Fred spoke very open about it, and he made clear, that for him it’s no cost decision, but usually necessary due to the condition of the tapes or because tape masters are not given away by the labels. It’s allowed to question this, but I see him as a perfectionist and enthusiast, who tries to release in the best way possible for him. Also, his digital step releases are usually the best sounding reissues anyway, simply because he chooses releases, no one else chooses, and where the original mostly costs several thousand $. So his choices make his releases definitely meaningful, I just recently bought the two Sun Ra ones. I think the fact, that quite everything is sold out after some time (although with some exceptions not produced extremely limited), also speaks for the value.
    
    I’m not an absolute AAA fetishist, not every recording quality has the potential to make the meaningful differences between AAA and a digital step audible. The recording and mic’ing skill and equipment rule. A Stockfisch or Chesky CD sounds more 3D than a large percentage of all analog LP’s.
    - 2025-04-27 04:34:40 PM
      
      MrRom92 wrote:
      
      I appreciate the update and info on those 2 titles. While I’m sure what they are putting out is great in its own right, my issue with Sam is that they have been less than transparent about their sourcing, and I can not even count how many times I have seen their records referred to as “AAA” all over the web, when as far as I could tell practically nothing they put out (save for these two releases) were actually AAA. This has been repeated so many times as truth that it’s become “fact” and yet the record was never actually corrected. I’m sure they would have many people still interested in buying their records if they simply just stated that a hi-res transfer was used, or anything like that. IMO the whole thing is reminiscent of the MoFi debacle and people who care ultimately just want to know what they’re buying.
      - 2025-04-27 06:24:55 PM
        
        Come on wrote:
        
        My impression is, Fred is perfectionist on the graphics part, on getting interesting recordings, on getting what he’s told are the master tapes and on contracting a great cutting engineer.
        
        From what I read and from interviews, I got, that he relies on one sound engineer and probably his thinking about what’s necessary during remastering. My impression is,, they don’t necessarily always differentiate that much between the real master and copies and seem to think a digital fixing step is necessary mostly and doesn’t harm. I think they don’t know better on several topics and therefore absolutely don’t cheat like Mofi did (who claimed something that wasn’t true).
        
        Reviewing folks on the other hand often ask too little or too superficial, assume too much and often don’t care deep enough. As you say there even were reviews on analogplanet, claiming releases were AAA, which due to Fred are not.
        
        The perceived intransparency in case of SAM Records in my opinion is mainly a matter of superficial and incompetent reviewers and interviewers (excluded MF certainly), not a matter of Fred not answering when asked specifically.
    - 2025-05-09 10:41:22 AM
      
      Michael Fremer wrote:
      
      I'm a bit confused here. All of the Sam Records titles of material originally recorded in France were described as being cut from tape AAA. Now you are saying only two in the Sam Records catalog are AAA?
  - 2025-05-09 10:39:36 AM
    
    Michael Fremer wrote:
    
    Sam Records sell many other titles than their own releases. All of the Sam Records releases are to the best of my knowledge cut from tape because they were originally French releases and Sam Records could get the tapes. I should have disputed what Come on wrote above so I will now.
2025-04-25 02:27:08 PM

Fred Morris wrote:

I had the good fortune to interview Pierre Sprey and his Pentagon colleague when I was a summer intern at the Rand Corporation doing a paper on the lightweight fighter program. He was gracious but crusty. Interesting that so many prominent audiophiles have a defense background — e.g. Anthony Cordesman, Fred Kaplan.
2025-04-26 11:25:22 AM

MrRom92 wrote:

What a silly reissue campaign. Exactly what is “the condition of the tapes” that is so problematic? IPI already issued Live at Ethell’s as a 15IPS 2 track tape, direct from the master tape, only just a few years ago. It was fine then. Presumably there are now many usable analog copies as well. I find it very hard to believe that the best available source was an old retail CD. And if that tape was fine, there’s no reason to believe the others weren’t.

The way they wax poetic about their CD ripping procedure leads me to believe they don’t even know how to do that properly either. Anyone with a knowledge of digital audio does not care what they sprayed and cleaned their source disc with, rather we would care what software was used and how it was configured.

They found a way to put CDs on wax of what otherwise should have been a tremendous all-analog audiophile recording, and make it sound like something you would want. Charlatans. This is all the info I need to know that I should never buy anything from P-Vine records, ever.
- 2025-04-26 04:17:49 PM
  
  Come on wrote:
  
  Cutting from digital is cheaper, period. And less people care. That’s why I hope, that at least the most serious review places for analog media question this and speak clearly about the matter instead of supporting it being seen as more and more normal.
- 2025-04-28 02:50:20 AM
  
  Malachi Lui wrote:
  
  "many usable analog copies"
  
  there can't be "many." this isn't 'dark side of the moon' or a beatles record where tons and tons of tape copies were made and sent all over the world. a niche release like this which was only ever originally released on CD probably only has those few IPI tape copies stuck in private collections. who knows how to track those down, or how they sound, or what condition the original master tape is in. for all we know, it could be a case of P-vine trying to get the tape then being told by the rights owner that it's 'unusable' regardless of fact. we've seen it happen (and almost happen) before.
  
  as i've said earlier, the sound quality of this series will speak for itself, on its own merits. as it should.
  
  and don't dismiss P-vine entirely because they do indeed reissue titles where getting original pressings can be unrealistic
  - 2025-04-28 04:53:55 AM
    
    MrRom92 wrote:
    
    “Many” is not such an explicitly quantified term, but we do know that more than a handful of tape copies were made for that commercial duplication project. The “Live At Ethell’s” tape has a total of 15 copies (across 2 different editions) claimed to be in collections on Discogs. Yes, going by Discogs ownership data is imperfect, but I would also point out that Discogs is not exactly the domain of most tape collectors. I think it is safe to conclude that more than a few copies of those tapes were made. IPI worked directly with Pierre Sprey to put out those tape copies, and I’m sure they have documentation of how many copies were produced/to whom they were sold, as well as any remaining copies still in the possession of IPI. They would not at all be hard to track down.
    
    And this does not even begin to question what may have happened to the originals or why Sprey would have had a complete and sudden change of policy in such recent history and no longer wish to allow access to the original tapes.
    
    We really don’t have to run D for a label when we know the things they are doing (and the way those actions are being presented) aren’t exactly up to snuff. Critique is what distinguishes a reviewer from an advertiser, and I think some critique is well warranted here. Otherwise it seems like we are just inexplicably glazing up this company for putting out the exact trash tier “CD on Wax” garbage we’ve been begging labels to stop putting out for the last 20+ years.
    - 2025-04-28 01:29:00 PM
      
      Come on wrote:
      
      Yes, that’s just the slight exaggeration that makes the message more clear.
      
      It also has to be said that this feature is not a review (where a critical debate only makes sense), but a more or less cited press release…but what we want to say I think is anyway not related to this feature specifically. There’s a slim borderline only (at least for one of the last and most professional bastions of those who know and appreciate the advantages of completely analogue productions) between staying constructive towards the industry and getting backer and relativizer of cost- and effort-minimizing production standards or those who think tapes need digital fixing in general or most of the time.
- 2025-05-09 10:53:04 AM
  
  Michael Fremer wrote:
  
  Using the word "Charlatans" is far too strong and not fair. At the time the title was licensed the IPI tape could not be located. Since then a 15IPS tape labeled "cassette" has been located but as I write this it's not yet been played. I do not believe IPI was sent the master tape, whatever they claimed they had. I believe it was a copy but because Pierre Sprey was a terrible record keeper (not as in vinyl records) all of this is still being sorted out. Meanwhile the new vinyl record happens to sound great...
2025-04-29 11:24:55 PM

Michael Fremer wrote:

I asked Bob Katz who originally mastered the CD if he’d made a tape copy of “Live At Ethel’s” and he said Pierre’s machine was so noisy a tape copy would be useless. I did not know anyone had issued this title on R2R tape but I’m skeptical!
2025-05-03 07:46:48 PM

Robert A. Ober wrote:

"Reviewing folks on the other hand often ask too little or too superficial, assume too much and often don’t care deep enough. As you say there even were reviews on analogplanet, claiming releases were AAA, which due to Fred are not."

Agree, I am really disappointed that Mr. Fremer and others have become so comfortable with digital sourced LPs. There are many AAA new and reissued recordings around.

Also, Mr. Fremer or someone on this site needs to review AAA tapes as does Dave Denyer. I have this one, https://ultraanaloguerecordings.com/new/shop/tapes/musician/yun-yang-lee/tatsuki-narita-saint-saens-danse-macabre-sarasate-zigeunerweisen-bloch-nigun-sarasate-introduction-tarantella-meditation/, on the way and it is supposedly spectacular. I've spoken with Ed Pong the man behind UltraAnalogue and he is quite easy with which to work with.

Y'all take care, Robert
- 2025-05-09 10:49:53 AM
  
  Michael Fremer wrote:
  
  My issue with tapes is this: by the time you get your copy for $400+ dollars, it's at best 3rd generation. Ask anyone familiar with tape copying and they'll tell you about "head bump", noise etc. Ying Tan once did a demo at a show comparing an original tape with a 45rpm record cut from the tape in a room with good equipment but where the tape machine was definitely better than the turntable and the differences? Yes, the tape was slightly better but not greatly better while the price differential between the record and tape was huge. I'd rather have the UHQR of "Kind of Blue" cut using the original 3 track master tape mixed to to "live" than a 4th generation tape (in that a case the 3 would have to be reduced to two and a copy made to use as a tape source to then be copied. I'd rather invest heavily in a turntable to play back a choice of a billion records than to buy 3rd gen tapes for $400+ apiece. I just don't get the enthusiasm. I have a nicely restored Revox A-700 and have played many tapes on it. Legitimate ones. Not DSOTM probably transferred from an SACD.