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Muniini K. Mulera wrote on October 13, 2011
This excellent review is true in every detial given. I am a subscriber to the Music Matters (MM) Blue Note (BN) series and have enjoyed them immensely.
I have other Blue Notes (French, US, Japanese pressings) and so I am in position to compare. The MM re-issues are outstanding. Check out the Louis Smith and the Sam Rivers copies, just to name a couple, and compare them to the Japanese reissues. No contest. I can safely say the same of all those that I have subjected to comparative auditioning.
One thing I would add is that Mr. Rumbach's is a true labour of love that comes across when one speaks with him. Furthermore, the care and detail that is put into packaging and mailing the records every month is very impressive. Laura, in charge of sales, is a very courteous lady who understands the importance of her role in the project. She is the voice of Music Matters (when you call) and she really is an asset to the company.
Analogue Productions of Salina, Kansas is doing a similar project of releasing 45 RPM Blue Notes. It appears AP and MM may have some agreement NOT to duplicate each other's efforts. {I do not have official word of this.} So the completist will need to get the series from both. The AP series are on 2 LPs inside a single LP jacket. They are very well done too and I have not detected any obvious difference in quality, except that the MM covers are much better made and are double gatefold. The extra BW photos on the MM re-issues are a bonus.
One concern: Both MM and AP use rather thick, pink plastic inner sleeves. On some of my records, I have noted markings that look like abrasions. These are superficial and probably do not matter. However, I wish they used high quality rice-paper sleeves such as those made by VPI and MoFi. At $50 a piece, these records deserve the very best "clothing."
Thank you Music Matters for giving life to the outstanding work of the great masters, most of whom are no longer with us.
Muniini
