Jazz listening: Is it about the music? Or is it about the sound?


The thread title says it all. I can listen to jazz recordings for hours on end but can scarcely name a dozen tunes.  My jazz collection is small but still growing.  Most recordings sound great.  On the other hand, I have a substantial rock, pop and country collection and like most of us, have a near encyclopedic knowledge of it.  Yet sound quality is all over the map to the point that many titles have become nearly unlistenable on my best system.  Which leads me back to my question: Is it the sound or the music?  Maybe it’s both. You’ve just got to have one or the other!
jdmccall56

Showing 2 responses by scchengmus

Great to see us share a passion for quality Jazz pressings. I can also listen to Miles Davis, Keith Jarrett, Billy Taylor, Bill Evans, Chick Corea for hours. Acoustical instruments, especially the Piano, is difficult to sound perfect due to the complex physics behind the harmonics. Some of you have very customized systems to deal with that, based on what I’ve read over time. As of me, I’m still saving-and-trading in this journey of a hobby.