Pure Pleasure / RCA - PPAN LPM 1443 - 180 Gram Virgin Vinyl 

Limited Edition - Mastered by Ray Staff at Air London - RCA Victor LPM-1443

AAA 100% Analogue - Pressed  at Pallas Germany - Mono

AAA 100% Analogue This LP was Remastered using Pure Analogue Components Only, from the Master Tapes through to the Cutting Head

As for the mastering quality? Don’t expect much at all. The 1947 live tracks are, by their very nature, no where near audiophile in quality. What you’re looking for here is a quality that’s ‘good enough’ which it is and a master that manages to transfer the energy of the band with the glow from the audience. Yep, check. The other tracks are mono studio affairs and are ‘reasonable’ in technical terms. Again though, these track are all about ‘feel’ and passion and there’s plenty to go around. Theaudiophileman

The first three tracks on each side of this LP have Louis Armstrong at something like this considerable very best. The Town Hall concert NYC of 1947 presented a band that really were stars.The combo are in commanding form on Rockin Chair where Louis and his top sidekick Jack Teagarden sing and play their way through, hamming it up on the vocals but playing incisive solos on trumpet and trombone respectively. Aint No Misbehavin benefits from a driving uptempo reading sparked by Big Sid, his spurs and accents spot on and the swing guaranteed. Back O Town Blues is equally impressive with Louis Singing and Bobby Hackett playing delightful fill-in lines behind him. Even so the final trumpet solo by Louis puts the piece to bed in style. 
On side two it is more of the same high quality traditional jazz with Armstrong showing his supreme trumpet mastery on Pennies followed by a sombre, well-crafted St James infirmary. Save it Pretty Mama wraps up these top selections from the NYC Town Hall in style -up-tempo, Louis soaring, Teagarden on top form and Big Sid driving hard as only he could. The extra six tracks are very good but the Town Hall six are some of Armstrong's finest recorded music. The rating is for those pieces because they alone are worth more than five. One gem on the other tracks is Long, Long Journey with Louis swapping choruses with the likes of Shavers, Hodges and Don Byas with Duke on piano. D.A Sterling stuff from Pure Pleasure Records - Jazz Journal

Re-mastering by: Ray Staff at Air Mastering, Lyndhurst Hall, London

This album is made of six numbers from the famous Town Hall concert of 1947, plus offerings from four others, which if not perhaps quite so famous are nevertheless all more than worthy of your attention. Armstrong's playing in these days was something to marvel at, and his presence a vitalising effect upon any musicians who teamed up with him. Teagarden never played or sung better than he did here (St. James Infirmary to note), but nor for that matter did Bigard. Vic Dickenson, Johnnv Hodges, or any of the other musicians who haunt these tracks. The standard throughout is very high, but no one, however well they play, can approach the brilliance of Louis as he soars into his first chorus on Misbehavin' with the control and majesty of a seagull on the wing.

Teagarden plays well enough on this track, but sandwiched between Louis' solo and a fantastic lead-in to his final chorus, he sounds almost dull by comparison. Save It, Pretty Mama is another tour de force, with Louis playing a solo that is supreme for tightness, and relaxation. The two tracks with Duke are full of interest. Hodges blows beautifully. Duke plays some pleasant piano on Journey, and Pops comes on with a blues vocal which is quite inimitable. Snafu, a boppish kind of tune, doesn't suit Louis quite so well, but as usual he can dig his way out of any situation with his horn. Little Girl and Mahogany Hall feature a much more basic beat and Louis plays in a style much nearer New Orleans than was usual in these days. Ory takes a splendid chorus on the second named tune, and the work of both drummers is exceptional.

But everything is good and Armstrong's work so consistently brilliant and vastly entertaining, that it is a set you must not miss on any account.      

Musicians:
Louis Armstrong
Jack Teagarden
Neal Hefti
Kid Ory
Johnny Hodges
Don Byas
Jimmy Hamilton
Johnny Guarnieri
Billy Strayhorn
Duke Ellington
Bud Scott
Red Callender
Sid Catlett
Cozy Cole
Sonny Greer

Selections:
Side A:
1. Rockin' Chair
2. Ain't Misbehavin'
3. Back o' Town Blues
4. Long Long Journey
5. I Want A Little Girl
6. Mahogany Hall Stomp
Side B:
1. Pennies From Heaven
2. St. James' Infirmary
3. Save It Pretty Mama
4. Someday You'll Be Sorry
5. Sugar
6. Snafu

 

 

Pure Pleasure Records
The Restoration of the Art of Sound
180g Vinyl Mastered From The Best Available Sources

At the beginning of the 90s, in the early days of audiophile vinyl re-releases, the situation was fairly straightforward. Companies such as DCC, Mobile Fidelity, Classic Records and, of course, Pure Pleasure all maintained a mutual, unwritten ethical code: we would only use analogue tapes to manufacture records. During the course of the present vinyl hype, many others have jumped on the bandwagon in the hope of securing a corner of the market. Very often they are not so ethical and use every imaginable source to master from: CDs, LPs, digital files, MP3s – or employed existent tools from the 80s and 90s for manufacturing.

A digital delay is gladly used when cutting a lacquer disc because tape machines with an analogue delay have become quite rare and are therefore expensive. When cutting the lacquer, the audio signal is delayed by one LP revolution against the signal, which controls the cutter head, and for this a digital delay is very often employed. Of course, the resultant sound signal is completely digital and thus only as good as this delay.

We should like to emphasize that Pure Pleasure Records on principle only uses the original master tape as the basis for the entirely analogue cutting of lacquer discs. In addition, the pressing tool is newly manufactured as a matter of principle. We only employ existing tools for manufacturing if an improved result is not forthcoming, e.g. the title Elvis Is Back, which was mastered by Steve Hoffman and Kevin Gray, or several titles from our Philips Classics series, which in any case Willem Makkee cut from the original masters at the Emil Berliner Studios in the 90s. It goes without saying that we only used the mother and that new tools were made for our production. To put it in a nutshell: we can ensure you that our releases are free from any kind of digital effects and that the lacquer discs are newly cut.

There really is nothing quite like it.  It’s the touch, the feel, you have to stop and stare, the cover,  the real thing, even the smell.

Its tangible, you can feel it, see it, study it,   muse/dream over it, it’s real, someone  has spent hours and hours over its construction and presentation. Pure Pleasure Records is just that, Pure Pleasure and that is what it has set out to be.  

The music and the physical record.  Something to keep, treasure, admire and above all enjoy.Of course with vinyl it’s not just a record, it’s the cover,  the sleeve notes, you are  holding a unique package, produced by craftsmen.

Pure Pleasure  Records bring you vinyl albums of quality Jazz - Blues - R+B - Soul - Funk, remastered by some of the best engineers in the world and pressed on 180 gram audiophile vinyl at what is probably the best pressing plant in Europe 

Pure Analogue Audiophile Mastering
 
Plated and Pressed at Pallas in Germany on 180 Gram Virgin Vnyl
 
Released in Limited Quantities

 

Audiophile Vinyl - Made in Germany  For over 60 years the family business in the third generation of the special personal service and quality "Made by Pallas" is known worldwide. Our custom PVC formulation produces consistently high pressing quality with the lowest surface noise in the industry. Our PVC complies with 2015 European environmental standards and does not contain toxic materials such as Lead, Cadmium or Toluene. Our vinyl is both audiophile and eco-grade!