RCA Original Masters

Glenn Miller

Released on 06/06/1989 by RCA Records Label
Main artists: Glenn Miller
Genre: Jazz

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This triple-CD set from Sony BMG has few surprises, except perhaps that John Snyder and not Barry Feldman, who had been doing a lot of BMG's big-band remasters, is the producer. Otherwise, it's not clear, either in the listening or the notes, as to whether any of these transfers (apparently all from metal parts) are newer or different from the spate of recent BMG reissues of Glenn Miller's legacy. What is clear, at least on the earliest sides, is that Miller's legacy, like the work of Arturo Toscanini for the same label and a lot of other 1930s material, is running up against a technological brick wall -- the resolution of modern analog-to-digital transfers may have gone as far with a lot of the oldest and most heavily used masters that it can, in terms of useful music material; from here on, all you're getting is higher-resolution ticks and crackle and other defects. "Moonlight Serenade" and the other early cuts here are still eminently listenable, to be sure, and the crispness is great in terms of bringing out nuance and subtle shading to the playing -- as an example, along with a little bit of distracting crackle in "In the Mood" (a recording that has surely seen a lot of wear and tear, and that millions know by heart), one can hear the softest tapping of the cowbell on the quietest part of the break, and the drums get a workout in what seems almost like real space -- but the surface noises are starting to get distracting in ways that they weren't a decade or two ago. That caveat stated, the collection is, indeed, wonderful, though no more so in any significant way than any of the double- or triple-CD sets issued on Miller since the 1980s, and especially those dating from the late '90s and beyond, when high-resolution transfers became standard. The 60 songs contain everything one would expect, and the three hours of listening time will be well spent here. Beyond that, this set, in its declaration on the front of the quality that BMG can deliver, reflects the reality that this music is out of copyright and unprotected (and, as a consequence, widely pirated) in parts of the world other than the United States. And the actual title is a little puzzling -- the cover art says "RCA Original Masters," which is how it is listed officially, but it also says (as do the CDs themselves) "The Best of Glenn Miller," while the spine reads "In the Mood: The Best of Glenn Miller." At least the music and the talent behind it speak in a clear, precise voice, and the annotation by Arthur Levy is highly informative. There are no recording dates listed, but at least some of the definitive remasterings are referred to in the data readout off the CD, as each track comes up.

© Bruce Eder /TiVo

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RCA Original Masters

Glenn Miller

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Moonlight Serenade (Remastered 1994)

Glenn Miller & His Orchestra