Bennie Maupin - Lugano 2007 - MP2 (lossless)

Here's a show I got from dime recently but thought I'd share it beyond the dime community since it's a fine one!

Bennie Maupin first came to my attention as sideman on Miles "Bitches Brew", then on Herbie Hancock's great "Headhunters"... as I got deeper into jazz, I heard him with Lee Morgan (the great Lighthouse set on Blue Note!), Freddie Hubbard (one of those Left Bank Jams put out by Joel Dorn on several of his outputs - Label M, Hyena, whatever) and elsewhere. To me it seems, Maupin was born or hit the scene a mere few years too late for making it big... about the time he got into the spotlight, the jazz scene died away... anyway, he stayed in there an in 2004 or 2005 he played a stellar trio performance (himself on tenor, soprano, bass clarinet and piano) at the Austrian Inntöne Festival, including his own great version of that tenor parade piece, "Body and Soul". He could still do it, and to me, that was great news, so I tried not to miss anything recent of his that was up on dime (not much, alas), and here's the most recent recording for you!

The rar-files were created directly from the original files I got from dime. This is from digital radio, hence it's in MP2. To play on your computer, use WinAmp or any other good player, to burn, follow the instructions below (again, original dime info...)

**********************************************************

Bennie Maupin
Lugano (CH), Studio 2, RSI
May 8, 2007

Bennie Maupin - tenor & soprano sax, flute, bass clarinet, piano
Darek Oles - bass
Michael Stephans - drums
Munyungo Jackson - percussion

CD1/49:41
1. Neophilia (11:16)
2. Trope On A Rope (7:12)
3. Vapors (12:21)
4. Penumbra (13:45)
5. Bass Is The Base (5:07)

CD2/49:04
1. Walter Bishop Jr. (15:56)
2. One For Eric Dolphy (10:24)
3. See The Positive (13:21)
4. Message To Prez (9:23)

TT: 98:45

Sound: A-
Source: RSI 2 "Concerto Jazz" / 2007-07
Lineage: DVB-S (192 kbps/ 48 khz)> Nokia Mediamaster 9500 (d-box 1) >harddisk.
Edits were made with the mp3DirectCut software.

Please do not use the dbpoweramp software to transcode the mp2 files to .wav. The transcoding process leads to a noticeable decrease of the sound quality!
For transcoding the .mp2 file I recommend the freeware BeSweet/ BeLight (if you use a Windows PC Ihave to add) : http://www.free-codecs.com/download/BeLight.htm
Both are .zip-files; unzip BeSweet first into a folder. Then you should unzip BeLight into the same folder. This done, you can start the software by clicking on the BeLight symbol in the folder. The software is easy to work with, I think; choose the register card "WAV/ PCM". Do not check any of the boxes on the left except the one for "Output Sampling Rate" (this should be 44100hz), and on the right please choose "wav" (under "Output Format") and "16 bits stereo wav" under "Output Channels".
Put the mp2 file into the window on top and click on the "Start Processing" below. The transcoding process will start immediately.

If BeLight does not work with your computer you should try a software named Switch. It is available for free at http://www.nch.com.au/switch/plus.html
There are versions for Windows and Mac.

Another freeware that offers good results is Apple’s iTunes which is available for Windows and Macintosh platforms. To transcode an .mp2 file please follow these instructions:
First, you have to import the file to iTunes: "File" -> "Import" -> select the folder where the .mp2 file is stored.
Select the imported .mp2 file in the iTunes main window using the mouse with a single left-click.
Go to "Edit" -> "Preferences" and select the register card "advanced". Then choose the register "Importing".
In the dialogue box "Import Using" you have to select "WAV encoder" (or "AIFF encoder" if you are using a Mac platform). Below, you will find another dalogue box named "setting". Please choose "custom"; then "sample rate: 44.100 hz", "sample size: 16 bit", and "channels: stereo". Close the dialogue boxes by clicking on the "OK" button.
Right-click on the selected .mp2 file in the iTunes main window and choose "convert selection to wav" (or "convert selection to AIFF" if you have selected that file format in the previous step). Then the transcoding process starts.