Mobile Fidelity - UDSACD 2113 - SACD Hybrid Stereo

Numbered Limited  Edition - Plays On All CD Players 

Half Speed Mastered by Shawn R Britton from the Mastertape at MFSL

Mastered on the Mobile Fidelity GAIN 2M astering Technology for Ultradisc Hybrid SACD

Incredible Sound: Mastered from the Original Master Tapes, Reissue Improves Upon Renowned Dynamics, Presence, Crispness, and Balances

Sounds fabulous with the same great sonics of the Sinatra original  Sound 10/10 -  Dennis Davis HIFI +

Long Out-of-Print, Seminal Classic is Perfect Complement to Sinatra at the Sands

Count Basie and Frank Sinatra had the perfect arrangement at the Sands. Before the Chairman hit the stage in Vegas, Count Basie and his big band warmed up the already enthusiastic crowd with a brief set of their own. A dynamite entertainer, the legendary leader causes hearts to race, hips to shake, and fingers to snap with high-energy readings of his trademark swing music, taken to feverish heights by both his first-rate orchestra and the incredibly swank setting. Fortunately, the finest of Basie and Co.’s introductory performances from the historic 1966 dates have been preserved here and serve as a seminal complement to Frank's iconic Sinatra at the Sands.

Mastered from the original master tapes f Live at the Sands (Before Frank) gives you a dead-center, eighth-row seat at the famed Sin City club. You’ll just need to supply your own table and cocktail. Renowned for its sonic clarity, transparency, crispness, and punch, the record is now tremendously enhanced, with improved tonality, a deeper soundstage, correct balances, and life-like presence. Each horn occupies its own space, and Basie’s transfixing piano — a focal point throughout — resonates with gorgeous detail and impeccable pacing. The collective’s energy almost demands to be measured with an SPL meter.

Captured in late January and early February 1966, Live at the Sands (Before Frank) contains most of Basie’s signature pieces delivered with an enthusiasm, style, and brassiness that exceed that gracing nearly any of the Count’s studio efforts. His band is stacked to the nines, with tenor saxophonist Eddie “Lockjaw” Davis, saxophonist/flautist Eric Dixon, and drummer “Sonny” Payne among the prized cast. The Sands dates marked the first time in years that these players, as well as trombonist Al Grey, gathered onstage together.

Encouraged by Basie, the instrumentalists engage in a series of call-and-response passages and standout solos, not the least of which is Davis’ turn on a white-hot “Jumpin’ at the Woodside” and he and Dixon’s exchanges on “This Could Be the Start of Something Big.” No slouch, Basie approaches “Makin’ Whoopee” with graceful playfulness, and oversees the assortment of up-tempo swing numbers and mellow ballads with astute melodicism. A sublime version of the Don Gibson country standard “I Can’t Stop Loving You,” arranged by Quincy Jones, can almost be considered a bonus

Musicians:
Count Basie, piano
Eddie “Lockjaw” Davis, tenor saxophone
Eric Dixon, saxophone, flute
“Sonny” Payne, drums
Al Grey, trombone

Selections:
1. Introduction
2. Splanky
3. I Can’t Stop Loving You
4. I Needs to Be Bee’d With
5. Flight of the Foo Birds
6. Satin Doll
7. Makin’ Whoopee!
8. Corner Pocket
9. One O’Clock Jump
10. Hello Little Girl
11. Whirly Bird
12. Blues for Ilene
13. This Could Be the Start of Something Big
14. Jumpin’ at the Woodside

Mobile Fidelity believes that mastering systems should be neutral and transparent. The essential idea is to unveil all the detailed musical information on the original master recording without adding deterioration, coloration or other sonic artifacts. 

It is worth noting that Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab stands out as one of few record labels that independently invests in research and development of audio technology. With proprietary innovations such as GAIN 2™, general music enthusiasts and audiophiles alike have reaped the benefit of a higher consumer audio standard without investing in costly new hardware. Mobile Fidelity is pleased to work with a variety of engineering legends and companies including Tim de Paravicini, Ed Meitner, Pass Labs, Theta Digital and Sony Electronics. 

Our joint efforts to seek out the ultimate audio experience, has resulted in significant advances for the technology of music reproduction. 

GAIN 2™ Mastering Technology for Ultradisc UHR™ Hybrid SACD and Ultradisc II™ 24kt Gold CDs 

For over twenty years, Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab has continually searched for the ultimate audio experience. During this search MFSL engineers and associates created The GAIN™ System, a proprietary mastering technology which brought warmth and ambience to the compact disc format. A few years ago - with higher resolution formats on the horizon - the vision of GAIN 2™ began. As it stands today, GAIN 2™ is one of the greatest technical advancements in analogue and digital technology in the last ten years. It consists of a series of critical modifications and new components to Mobile Fidelity's proprietary mastering chain. 

We feel that GAIN 2™ has come extremely close to meeting this goal. The key accomplishments of GAIN 2™ System are 1) the ability to extract all the musical information as possible through the Ultra High bandwidth analogue tape playback system with proprietary custom tape playback heads, reproducer electronics and 2) transparently capturing and storing that information with the Direct Stream Digital recording system.