Esquivel LPs with Maynard Ferguson
ESQUIVEL, EXPLORING NEW SOUNDS IN HI-FI (MONO) -- RCA Victor LPM-1978
Several months ago MF historian and discographer Ed Harkins mentioned to me that Maynard played on an Esquivel LP entitled Exploring New Sounds in Hi-Fi. I was very surprised to learn this. Indeed, a little internet research revealed that he had indeed played on this LP, which is often referred to as "space age bachelor pad music." It's an odd mix of big band jazz, Latin rhythms, and strange instruments such as the theremin, ondioline, harpsichord, glockenspiel, and jew's harp. You have to hear it to believe it. The trumpet section is incredibly "tight," and there are places where I'm sure I can hear MF clearly above the rest of the band. (Doc Severinsen played on this session, too.) The album was recorded at Webster Hall in New York on 11/24, 25, 28, 12/3, and 12/10/58, and was released in May, 1959. A MUST for every serious MF collection. They're fairly hard to find, and I've seen them sell for $50.00 or more.
COPY #1. The cover on this one looks quite nice from the front. There's just a little wear visible. To top and bottom seam do have come chipping losses, and on the back, someone wrote their name in blue ink. A nice looking cover, I'm going to give it an EX-. The disc labels are clean and nice, and the disc itself is pretty nice, with just a little scuffing and very fine surface scratching visible. I've played portions, and it sounds quite nice, with excellent fidelity, and just a little background noise in places. It's EX+. Overall, this one is EX. And I'll include a CD made from the vinyl as a backup copy for you. It's $14.00.
COPY #2. The cover on this one is really clean and nice. The front paper looks almost like new, the seams and spine are totally intact, and the back is clean and nice, with just a tiny bit of VERY light spotting in places. This cover is NMINT-. The vinyl is likewise very nice, with clean and nice labels, and clean and nice vinyl. I just played some of it, and it sounds fabulous. It's NMINT. Overall, this copy is NMINT- to NMINT. And I'll include a CD made from the vinyl as a backup copy for you. It's $23.00.
COPY #3. The cover on this copy is really clean and nice. The front paper looks almost like new, the seams and spine are totally intact, and the back is clean and nice, as well. This cover is NMINT-. The vinyl has a couple of very light surface scatches visible in places, but it plays nicely! It's EX++. Overall, this copy is NMINT-. And I'll include a CD made from the vinyl as a backup copy for you. It's $20.00.
COPY #4. The front cover on this one is really clean and nice. There are a couple of tiny chips on the top seam. The one significant issue is a tear of the surface paper on the back. It's about 1/4" wide and 2" long and is next to the left edge. The cover would be NMINT except for this problem on the back. As it is, it's only EX. The disc labels are clean and nice, and the disc was sold to me as MINT, although I only feel comfortable listing it as NMINT. It sounds truly great. Overall, this copy is EX+, with a flawed cover and near-flawless vinyl. And I'll include a CD made from the vinyl as a backup copy for you. It's $16.00.
ESQUIVEL, EXPLORING NEW SOUNDS IN STEREO (STEREO) -- RCA Victor LSP-1978
This is the STEREO version of the MONO LP above, issued at the same time as the MONO version. They must not have pressed as many of the STEREO records, as they are much harder to find, and the couple of nice copies I've seen were listed for about $75.00, with one in Europe described as NMINT and listed for $250.00. The album was recorded at Webster Hall in New York on 11/24, 25, 28, 12/3, and 12/10/58. A MUST for every serious MF collection.
COPY #1. The cover on this copy is pretty nice, but does show a little surface wear top and bottom. The seams and spine are intact except for a 4" seam split at upper right. One the back, there's likewise some wear visible, and a small, original price sticker ($2.35 from AFEX stores). I'd rate this cover as EX-. The vinyl has a lot of scuffs and scratches. On playback, there's quite a bit of surface noise in the softer passages, although you can't hear much background noise on the louder passages. However, to be conservative, I think the vinyl is VG-. Overall, this one is in the VG to VG+ range ... just an average, well-played copy. With this LP, I'll include a CD made from vinyl as a backup copy for you. It's just $10.00.
ESQUIVEL, EXPLORING NEW SOUNDS IN STEREO (GERMAN RELEASE) -- Speaker's Corner Records/RCA Victor LSP-1978
This is the 2004 STEREO re-issue of the 1959 STEREO version of this LP, pressed on 180 gram audiophile vinyl. The album was recorded at Webster Hall in New York on 11/24, 25, 28, 12/3, and 12/10/58. This German audiophile version of the LP is both rare and superbly pressed, on high-quality virgin vinyl. They're now out of print and very hard to find. A MUST for every serious MF collection.
COPY #1. The cover on this one is still in shrink wrap. It's NMINT+. The vinyl appears to be MINT, NEVER PLAYED. It's a superb copy. Due to its rarity, it's $25.00.
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