The Dizzy Gillespie Reunion Big Band 20th And 30th Anniversary Master Quality Reel To Reel Tape (2Reel)

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One of the pioneering figures of bebop, and a major innovator on his instrument, the extraverted trumpeter Dizzy Gillespie stood out as bop's greatest proselytizer. Dizzy called this "reunion" band "my best band since 1948", the year his big band first toured Europe. No wonder! It's stocked with Gillespie alumni, all major figures in the music - Saxophonists Cecil Payne, Sahib Shihab and James Moody, along with trombonists Ted Kelley and Curtis Fuller. Add a blistering trumpet section and Dizzy's quintet rhythm section, and you have one hell of a band! AllMusic's Scott Yanow calls this version of Gillespie's visionary 1946 composition Things To Come "the most exciting ever recorded", as it jumps off at a frenetic pace with Gillespie's blistering solo in the lead. Of course, "One Bass Hit" features bassist Paul West as well as an astounding Gillespie solo. "Frisco" projects an Afro-Latin feel laced with funk and features James Moody's sterling flute solo. Gillespie's Latin jazz standard "Con Alma" showcases alto saxophonist Chris Woods along with Dizzy. Past has become present in Dizzy's "The Things Are Here", the younger brother to the opening piece. Like its older sibling, it takes off at breakneck pace with Dizzy sharing the stage with the trumpet section. The saxes also get a taste, and there's a smoking chorus by trombonist Curtis Fuller. Gillespie closes out the album with a soulful solo on his blues-drenched "Birks' Works". AllMusic stated that, "Joined by a particularly strong big band, the trumpeter is heard at his best on this hard-to-find but essential LP." Shaw 'nuff!

DOES HORCH HOUSE DO ANY KIND OF REMASTERING DURING THE COPYING PROCESS?
Absolutely not! Why mess with the best? The whole point of what they do lies in capturing the magic of the original analogue master tape in its purest, most faithful form possible.

'Remastering' can be compared to using computer software to edit an original photograph. The benefits are that you can remove unwanted marks or noise, clean things up, remove distortion and boost clarity. The downside is that in doing so, you often lose the natural essence of the original and the result can seem rather synthetic, lacking in real life character.

The unfortunate fact is that tapes, like photographs, do tend to age over time, and most analogue masters are now between 30-80+ years old.

So Horch House undertake a painstaking 'soft refurbishing' process, which is key to recapturing the original quality of a master tape.

CAPTURING THE MAGIC OF MASTER TAPE
How exactly does Horch House translate an original analogue master tape into faithful copies on reel-to-reel tape and vinyl records?

They use a process that's been meticulously researched and developed by their expert team of sound engineers, with input from some of the world's leading specialists.

The first step is to carefully assess the sound quality of the original master tape, which their experts do in great detail. The unfortunate fact is that tapes do tend to age over time, and most analogue masters are now between 30-80+ years old. What they're looking to do, therefore, as an integral part of their copying process, is to restore the sound quality back to its original level. They want you to hear exactly what the first sound engineers heard (and indeed the musicians themselves), on the day that the original recording was made. This is in stark contrast to any kind of 'remastering', which they most definitely do not do! They're not looking to 'improve' the recording in any way, but rather to return it as closely as possible to its full original beauty.

They call this their 'soft refurbishing' process.

HOW CLOSE ARE HORCH HOUSE COPIES TO THE ORIGINAL MASTER TAPES?
Horch House believe that they're as close as it's possible to get - not simply to the master tape in its current condition, but to that master tape's original condition. Thanks to their detailed 'soft refurbishing' process, their master tape copies could, in a sense, now be considered as better than the current originals because they've been lovingly restored to deliver the same sound quality that the originals had on the day they were first recorded.

WHAT ABOUT COPYRIGHT? ARE MASTER TAPE COPIES LEGAL?
All Horch House master tape copies are fully authorized, licensed and approved by the relevant record label/music publisher.

** It is standard practice in all recording studios to keep the tape "tail out". This reduces "pre-echo" and it means that the tape should be placed on the right hand side of the recorder, re-wound and then played.