The Gil Evans Orchestra - Out Of The Cool

 

Acoustic Sounds Series reissues from Verve/Universal Music Enterprises!

Monthly releases highlighting the world's most historic and best jazz records!

Mastered by Ryan K. Smith at Sterling Sound from the original analog tapes

180-gram LPs pressed at Quality Record Pressings!

Stoughton Printing gatefold old-style tip-on jackets

Series supervised by Chad Kassem CEO of Acoustic Sounds

Click to see the Acoustic Sounds Series

"Out Of The Cool is nearly as striking an album now as it must have been when it hit the bins in 1961. Not only is it Gil Evans' masterpiece and his best album that didn't front Miles Davis as a soloist; it's a peculiar masterpiece, stretching modal jazz to minimalist extremes yet soaking with swing. ... This Acoustic Sounds QRP pressing comes very close to the sound of the Impulse! original. Piano, percussion, guitar, bass, and horns all waft through what seems to be a vast space (perhaps the result of subtly mixed echo) with tonal colors, crisp transients, and bloom intact. Trombones lack some of the oomph heard on the original pressing, and in a few spots where horns play loud in unison, there's some distortion — a problem with the original as well. Otherwise, no complaints at all." — Performance = 5/5; Sonics = 4.5/5 - Fred Kaplan, Stereophile, August 2021. Read the entire review here.

"The album is worth getting for the 15 minutes of 'La Nevada' alone but the rest is equally great including the cinematic side closer 'Where Flamingoes Fly.' ... The sonics here with a cut from the master tape by Ryan K. Smith (yes, the master tape- I have a current photo that for some reason I can't share with you) are incredibly transparent, spacious and flat-out thrilling ... and somewhat brighter and less mid-band rich than the long out of print Alto-Analogue edition Bernie Grundman cut in 1997. Both are worth having for different sonic reasons and if you have a clean original Rudy Van Gelder cut (A-4) you may think you are set, but that cut is less spacious, somewhat dynamically compressed, has the RVG lower bass roll-off and is definitely less transparent — not that it's bad and some people do like the more 'in your face' excitement. This one's here now though! Do not miss it!" — Music = 10/11; Sound = 10/11 - Michael Fremer, AnalogPlanet.com. To read Fremer's full review, click here.

"And in keeping with past releases from these folks — and the Blue Note Tone Poet releases for that matter — the results are exemplary. The pressing quality is excellent, delivering pretty much everything you could want and expect from a reissue like this: 180-gram, dark black, dead quiet and perfectly centered vinyl. Kudos again to Quality Record Pressing (QRP) for that attention to important details." — Mark Smotroff, Audiophile Review, May 18, 2021. Read the entire review here.

A groundbreaking jazz recording by the longtime Miles Davis collaborator Gil Evans highlights the latter's supreme and influential skills as a jazz orchestrator.

This album is a brilliant example of Evans' ability to make a large orchestra sound like a smaller jazz combo using orchestrations that infuse the larger unit with the immediacy and spontaneity of the smaller. Out Of The Cool features some of Evan's finest compositions, including the famous "La Nevada" as well as a magnificent performance of George Russell's "Sratosphunk." Soloists include Budd Johnson (tenor), Johnny Coles (trumpet), Ray Crawford (guitar), Elvin Jones (drums), Ron Carter (bass) and Jimmy Knepper (trombone). The ensemble is superbly recorded by the legendary Rudy Van Gelder. A must-have for all lovers of jazz.

Side A

1. La Nevada

2. Where Flamingos Fly

Side B

1. Bilbao Song

2. Stratusphunk

3. Sunken Treasure

Customer Reviews (5.00 Stars) 13 person(s) rated this product.

5 star posted on 09/06/2022 5 Stars First time listening to this record but what amazing music! The separation of the instruments is amazing. I now know what it feels like to be a conductor!

Fabulous posted on 04/22/2022 5 Stars Reviewer: TheLP12 A fabulous pressing of a fabulous recording of a fabulous performance of fabulous compositions. This is a desert island disc for a jazz fan.

Awesome!! posted on 12/20/2021 5 Stars Reviewer: Brian I had never listened to this LP before. New music to me! Excellent! Highly recommended.

Great stuff posted on 08/02/2021 5 Stars Reviewer: DCBRN Wow oh wow what a record. If you love jazz, here is a winner. Great pressing, great sound eq mix, great music. Get this record. If you are new to jazz, this music may challenge you, but will also reward you...

Rare case of bettering the 45RPM! posted on 07/14/2021 5 Stars Have owned the 45 RPM version for years and this new mastering is outrageously good...not often you see a 33 beat a 45, but it's true for this one. Great job.

WOW!! posted on 07/12/2021 5 Stars Reviewer: Many Moons Audio This has to be one of the very best sounding records with some of the most genius music created, I have ever heard. Artists are so tangibly real and in the room it is spooky! Get this, very generous gift from AP!

Top Quality QRP Plating and Pressing posted on 05/20/2021 5 Stars Reviewer: BOA I've currently got about a half dozen from this Acoustic Sounds Series. To my mind, this is the pick of the litter. I was dumbfounded at how good this is. Highly recommended.

Very Nice posted on 05/17/2021 5 Stars Reviewer: Brian VanPelt The vinyl is pretty quiet, although not the quietest, but not far from it: Maybe about 20 light clicks, a light pop, and about 1 second of light static-like sound on the whole album (some of it is my fault). For example, the beginning of Where Flamingos Fly requires a silent record because the music is so quiet for a little bit. I'm happy to report that this record passed that test to my satisfaction as I heard only 1 light click during that time. This record plays loud enough that most every click is covered by the music. The grooves must be cut deep because this record has higher than average dynamic range. All of the instruments sound natural and detailed, and they are presented at precise locations in space. Most of the action takes place in the left and right channels, but sometimes the piano appears in the middle. La Nevada is an aural assault where Evans throws in everything and the kitchen sink - I just lay there weathering the magnificent attack with a smile

Smokes! posted on 05/17/2021 5 Stars Reviewer: Korben I said goddamn... This is just beautifully done! If you love this album, pull the trigger. The cover is just stellar and the music, well...it SMOKES!

Highly Recommended posted on 05/14/2021 5 Stars Reviewer: Scotty Ryan knocked this out of the park! I have 10 titles from this series now and this might be the best sounding one yet. The soundstage is sweet as can be allowing your ears to wrap around all of the instruments as they shine through. Just takes the listening experience to another level, they should be very proud of this release.

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