Mapleshade Recordings


Have any of you heard the Mapleshade label's recordings? I purchased(mail ordered) their demo disk and was absolutely blown away. I purchased four more the next day. What's really great is that I enjoyed the music (blues, jazz, swing) as much as the astonishing recording.
bday0000
Mapleshade recordings are great. I prefer them over most of the XRCD recordings. They sound more natural, IMHO. The King/Bluiett Trio recording "Makin' Whoopie" is the best of the best. This tribute to the great Nat King Cole Trio is stunning. Track #5, "These Foolish Things" is worth the price of admission alone.
Almost as good as the JVC XRCD recordings. The only problem is that most of the musicians are unknown and the songs they play are not mainstream. The recordings are so closed miked that you can even hear the flys.
Gtreat label, great recordings, here's another www.fimpression.com.......audiophile grade all the way
Mapleshade has a website, www.min.net/~cdmaple. I have several, but feel the labels that use the XRCD process are better recorded. Reference Recordings' label is nice if you like classical, but I feel that their treble range is wrong (it's in the mikes and spectral electronics upstream of the recording medium, because their vinyl has the same problem...string tone and brass just have too much "bite"...dynamics are terrific, though.) Perhaps some of you might consider getting into vinyl...
I should have mentioned in my first posting that you can order direct from Mapleshade and save quite a bit of money. Mapleshade is currently offering their CD's for $9.60 each if you buy 4 or more in the same order. They do have a Web site as well: www.mapleshaderecords.com
I have a dozen of this label in my collection. Great sound recordings. I don't think Mapleshades has a website. I ordered mine by phone. But www.acousticsounds.com and also www.elusivedisc.com carry the Mapleshades labels.
I have a dozen of this label in my collection. Great sound recordings. I don't think Mapleshades has a website. I ordered mine by phone. But www.acousticsounds.com and also www.elusivedisc.com carry the Mapleshades labels.
I own about 15 of Mapleshade's recordings, including the reggae group (Midnite), several of the blues groups, the folk group led by singer Ben Andrews, and 8 or so jazz groups. As noted above, all are very well recorded and have good to excellent music. If there is any negative aspect to the Mapleshade recordings, it's the fact that most are miked VERY closely and have a pretty dry acoustic quality. Some folks really like this quality, others don't (my wife, for example, prefers a bit more distance and room acoustic, and thinks the Mapleshade recordings sound very one-dimensional). If your sound system has good resolution, however, you hear a lot of subtle details, such as where the drum kit is located and how it is miked, and how the miking is sometimes changed a bit as the recording sessions proceed. I think highly of Mapleshade's catalog, and hope they stay around a long time.
Check out the Kendra Shank recording from Mapleshade. Fantastic recordings and great prices. They are now selling cables and I wonder if anyone has tried them? Please let us know if you have.
I also purchased the demo disk and really like it. I am going to order more as well. Great recordings.