I bought this a few years ago but only played it for the first time today as I heard the music wasn't that great despite it being an audiophile's reference. It is actually pretty good. My question is this: Do other Agoners think the recording is quite bass-heavy?
Not bass heavy at all. Nothing like Swedes cutting loose on Dixieland jazz.
Agreed. I have this in almost every LP version ever done. I still really enjoy listening to it. Thanks for the reminder. I'm going to listen to it this evening.
Had this LP for longer than I can remember. Not exactly the most involving, but it's really quite good and the recording is excellent. I'd give it a B+ overall. It does get knocked as a great recording of crap material. Not so at all, IMO.
The FIM K2HD CD is quite good. No bass heaviness playing on my system right now. I use it as a periodic test of how well my system handles mid-bass harmonics and lower-bass tautness/tunefulness. Big macro-dynamics in the acoustic bass and kick drum, but tight and powerful.
My only gripe is that the xylophone solo on track 2 is over 6 feet wide...
Hmmm, I find the bass very full on the copy I have (180gram). Other records played before and after this one indicated there was nothing untoward going on with the rig. Dave, yes very wide xylophone and warm and shimmery!
I listened to Jazz at the Pawnshop once and that was all it deserved - one listen and then forever on the shelf. Nothing special about this recording or the musicianship at all. If you want a truly great jazz recording then get Homage to Duke by David Grusin. Dave gathered a who’s who of great musicians for this tribute to Duke Ellington - including Tom Scott, Clark Terry and Harvey Mason. And the sound quality on Homage to Duke is stellar - best I have heard in traditional style jazz for all instruments and even the vocals will raise hairs on the back of your neck - awesome scat singing by Clark.
If you're looking for the Best Live Jazz That's Ever Been Played, then Pawnshop is not for you.
Pawnshop is a remarkable document of the best players in Sweden on a given night at a given club. If you can start from that premise and imagine yourself a tourist who happened to wander into the pub on that winter night, you would feel pretty lucky to have caught it. The value of Pawnshop is that it puts you inside that pub.
Regarding the bass on this recording, if you pay attention you can hear solid-state distortion. It's because the bassist had a very small combo amp on stage so that he could be better heard, and the poor little thing was working a bit too hard.
I have the original issue. No bass heaviness there.
I find the sound quality to be really good. It puts you into the recording venue. However, to my ears, it sounds like a bunch of okay musicians trying to emulate some great American jazz players like Paul Desmond and Lionel Hampton. They don't pull it off. Fun record though.
I've always thought of Jazz at the Pawnshop as a very good recording... Maybe not the best, but this recording does some things very well... in the same vain as this recording... I prefer: For Duke..... Duke Ellington All-Stars.
I agree with what most have said here. It's a pretty neat recording. Over the years, I've bought at least four copies....original CD release, SACD box set, 88.2kHz HDtracks download, and 352.8kHz Naxos 2xHD download. I don't recall any of them being bass heavy...if anything, perhaps a tiny bit lean.
I have an original pressing from 1976 and find it to be excellent in every way. The "extra bass" you are hearing is not extra, it is just right. It is that most other recordings lack it! +FD
Nice recording indeed, but lacks bass for my taste. Tried it on several systems and always lacked the bass. Many other so-called audiophile records are better balanced.
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