Mark Smotroff

Review Explosion
Review Explosion Short Cuts Edition, Vol. 7: Rare 1977 Pharoah Sanders Spiritual Jazz Album Pharoah Gets New 2LP Luaka Bop Box Set With Live Material Added, Plus a Look at the Fine 180g 1LP Third Man-Pressed Verve by Request Reissue of 1972’s Black Unity
Mark Smotroff  |  Sep 29, 2023  |  First Published: Sep 29, 2023  |  3 comments

Our seventh Short Cuts installment of Review Explosion is all about Pharoah Sanders — namely, the rare 1977 spiritual jazz album Pharoah that’s now a part of a new 2LP Luaka Bop box set that also includes a separate Harvest Time Live 1977 LP, plus a look at the fine 180g 1LP Third Man-Pressed Verve by Request reissue of 1972’s Black Unity. Read on to get Mark Smotroff’s take on both of these quite worthwhile reissues. . .

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Album Reviews
New All-Analog Small Batch One-Step RTI-Pressed 180g 1LP of Thelonious Monk’s Breakthrough 1957 Album Brilliant Corners Is a Clear Winner, as It Sounds More Realistic, Full-Bodied, Natural, and Richer
Mark Smotroff  |  Sep 21, 2023  |  7 comments

How great is it that jazz pianist Thelonious Monk’s April 1957 breakthrough album Brilliant Corners is the latest entry in Craft Recordings’ notable Small Batch series of limited-edition, definitive, all-analog, audiophile-grade releases? Read Mark Smotroff’s review to see if the Small Batch 180g 1LP edition of Brilliant Corners is the right Monk fit for you. . .

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Album Reviews
The Doors’ Live at The Matrix, 1967: The Original Masters Finally Inhabits Comprehensive 5LP+7In Deluxe Edition Box Set Mastered by Bruce Botnick and Bernie Grundman
Mark Smotroff  |  Sep 15, 2023  |  5 comments

The new Live at The Matrix, 1967: The Original Masters super deluxe box set that features early live recordings by The Doors as captured on the cusp of their impending, immense fame is a wonderful historic document on vinyl — and a crucial crossroads moment. Issued for the first time in as complete form as possible — and from better sources than what’s been previously available — these semi-professional recordings give us a glimpse of this legendary L.A. band just before they broke out as international music sensations. Read Mark Smotroff’s in-depth review to see if Live at The Matrix, 1967 deserves a place in your collection. . .

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Album Reviews
Latest R.E.M. 180g 1LP Reissues From Craft Recordings Focus on Two Somewhat Underappreciated But Quite Spin-Worthy 21st Century Albums, 2001’s Classic-Tinged Reveal and 2008’s Punk-Leaning Accelerate
Mark Smotroff  |  Sep 08, 2023  |  9 comments

Craft Recordings just served up the next pair of 180g 1LP offerings in their ongoing R.E.M. reissue series — namely, 180g 1LP editions of May 2001’s classic-sounding Reveal and March 2008’s power-pop punk slammer, Accelerate. Read Mark Smotroff’s combo review of Reveal and Accelerate to see if either or both LPs are worthy additions to your vinyl collection. . .

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Review Explosion
Review Explosion Short Cuts Edition, Vol. 6: A Trio of New and Quite Worthy Verve by Request Series 180g 1LP Reissues From Archie Shepp, Yusef Lateef, and The Ahmad Jamal Trio, All Manufactured at Third Man Pressing
Mark Smotroff  |  Sep 01, 2023  |  First Published: Sep 01, 2023  |  2 comments

With so many pressing plants being fairly maxed out these days in terms of their production capacity, it’s been nice to see how Detroit’s Third Man Pressing has stepped up to the plate to deliver respectable, audiophile-grade vinyl pressings at fairly reasonable SRPs. Read Mark Smotroff’s combo review of three new Verve by Request 180g 1LP reissues from jazz greats Archie Shepp, Yusef Lateef, and The Ahmad Jamal Trio — all of which have been recently pressed at Third Man — to see if they make the grade. . .

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Album Reviews
Talking Heads’ Complete Stop Making Sense Concert Film Soundtrack Finally Sees the Expanded Release It Richly Deserves, Via Stunning New 40th Anniversary 2LP Edition From Rhino
Mike Mettler,  |  Aug 25, 2023  |  32 comments

For the very first time, Rhino has released the entirely of Talking Heads’ soundtrack to their seminal September 1984 concert film, Stop Making Sense, in a remastered 2LP set. In this all-new combo-style tag-team review, Mike Mettler and Mark Smotroff tell us exactly why this new 40th anniversary 2LP SMS set is the best-sounding edition of SMS to date. . .

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AAA VinylAlbum Reviews
Mal Waldron Sextet’s Mal/2, a Rare 1957 Prestige Records Supersession With John Coltrane and Others, Gets a Long Overdue and Well-Deserved AAA 180g 1LP Reissue From Craft Recordings
Mark Smotroff  |  Aug 17, 2023  |  8 comments

Mal Waldron Sextet’s Mal/2 — a new AAA OJC 180g 1LP reissue from Craft Recordings of what some might deem a “lost classic” of vintage, mid-century 1950s jazz — offers important and wonderful music for fans of not only titular pianist Mal Waldron, but also of saxophone legend John Coltrane in particular. Read Mark Smotroff’s review to see why he considers the new OJC Mal/2 LP is essential listening, and why it’s well worth adding to your collection. . .

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Album Reviews
Steely Dan’s Pretzel Logic Serves Up a Different Listening Experience in Its New, Precision-Pressed 180g 1LP Edition From Geffen/UMe
Mark Smotroff  |  Aug 11, 2023  |  6 comments

Steely Dan and UMe have thrown fans of the band’s music some interesting choices when it comes to their current vinyl reissue series. We all know about the pricier, concurrent AAA UHQR editions from Analogue Productions that all have an admittedly steeper entry fee, but the hard reality is many of us can only afford the standard 180g 1LP editions being released under the Geffen/UMe label banner. What’s a budget-minded, audiophile-leaning Steely Dan fan to do? Read Mark Smotroff’s review of the new Geffen/UMe version of Pretzel Logic to see if it’s the right edition for you. . .

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Review Explosion
Review Explosion, Short Cuts Edition Vol. 5: Stan Getz, Charlie Byrd, Wynton Kelly, and Wes Montgomery All Shine on New 180g 1LP Verve Acoustic Sounds Series Reissues, While a 3LP Sun Ra Deluxe Edition Delivers Cosmically Inspired Sonic Bliss All Its Own
Mark Smotroff  |  Aug 04, 2023  |  First Published: Aug 04, 2023  |  5 comments

We got that jazz-jones thing already going again, so we’re back with another jazz-centric triple-play review. Read Mark Smotroff’s Short Cuts combo take on a trio of jazz classics — both old and newly discovered alike — from Stan Getz & Charlie Byrd, Wynton Kelly Trio & Wes Montgomery, and Sun Ra. . .

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Review Explosion
Review Explosion, Short Cuts Edition Vol. 4: A Trio of Eclectic 180g 1LP Reissue Jazz Offerings From Alice Coltrane, Dorothy Ashby, and Gabor Szabo
Mark Smotroff  |  Aug 03, 2023  |  First Published: Aug 03, 2023  |  1 comments

Collecting original pressings of rare albums can be exciting, frustrating, and even debilitating at times. The good news is, there are a lot of really excellent reissues coming out these days that seem only to be getting better and better. Read Mark Smotroff’s triple Short Cuts review of new 180g 1LP reissues of classic titles from Alice Coltrane, Dorothy Ashby, and Gabor Szabo to see if any of them just might whet your eclectic jazz-listening whistle. . .

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