The Gil Evans Orchestra* – Out Of The Cool

True audiophile pressing. Didn’t hear the distortion on A2, suggesting it’s the gear, not the record.

This is really a stunning album and a great pressing.
Up to now probably the best album I have in my collection.

This will not be a huge seller like A Love Supreme, but at some point it will go OOP and you will bite yourself for not having bought this reissue, so don't waste time and money: get it now or cry later. Even if you don't listen to it, keep it in your collection, at some point you will graduate from Kind of Blue and Blue Train and get into this record guaranteed.

Ryan Smith deserves some recognition for his able mastering of this album. With so many instruments the mastering is not as easy as it is for trios and quintets and the like. Of course Rudy Van Gelder is equally deserving for his original recording. I love the map of the players and the mics he used. It is a masterpiece musically and sonically.

Easy to get wrapped up in listening to this album. It just pulls you in. One of the best records I own.

The Vital Vinyl pressing of this record is terribly noisy. Out of the shrink wrap and a cleaning, all I heard was pops, hisses and clicking. It doesn’t overwhelm the music, but this variant isn’t quiet. Gave it another thorough cleaning and after a second spin on my Marantz turntable, Magnepan Speakers and PrimaLuna tube amp, the noise is still there! Avoid this variant!!!

Essential orchestral jazz album from 20.Century. Evans accession to the jazz was both in geniality of composition and arrangements. The reason he selected Russell´s Stratusphunk was in term of perfect theme and space to bring invention. Yes the inventions is the third attribute of Evans greatness. How we would react if he were a peer of Ravel or Debussy? The jazz helps him to show tension and atmosphere behind beatiful melodies (La Nevada) like Ravel´s Bolero. The atmosphere is to me the main message of this album. Just fine theme to build great song based on improvisation, hard to realize in music centuries ago. The album shows also great musicianship of artists and their ability to transfer the ideas into the music. The sound of instruments has fidelity and clarity. I recommend not to watch too long the picture with orchestra layout, because only the last Sunken Treasure reflects it. In that era was recording session influenced more by home outfit than studio equipment. Some classical studio orchestra from 60´s records sounds similiar. Result of this VVV reissues is very solid, despite digital transfer. Pre-cutting studio mastering at GZ, which the team regulary offers, saved the dynamic options of vinyl, without distortion. Instruments have colour and resolution in louder parts along textured, dry bass so rare from DMM cutting. It´s worse with pressing. I was lucky to get quiet silent copy. Yes there are better pressings for audiophiles, but at this price it´s highly recommended for hifi and jazz enthusiasts.

For almost 50 years I wondered who played and composed this piece ["La Nevada"]. In the 70s, this was a break music on West German school television (WDR 3). And now I finally know what that is.

I am stunned by how good this sounds. My pressing is flat and very quiet. This is a real gem.

Brilliant pressing of a fantastic album. My copy is flat, quiet and very dynamic. It was indeed a bit on the dirty side but after a wash it sounds absolutely phenomenal, the sound stage is so huge. I really really like the high quality gatefold as well.