QuadroSurround Swing Music - Frank Valdor 'Swingtime' DVD-A

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The Quadfather

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Looks like we have more coming from the guys at Quadro Surround. Frank Valor, "Swingtime" playing the music of Glenn Miller and Ray Coniff. I gathered from the letter that it is a double length album. I look forward to it.

The Quadfather
 
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I received my review copy today. I did a quick scan so you guys can see what's on it. I'll report back when I give it a few spins.

Valdor Swingtown Front Quadro.jpg
Valdor Swingtown Back Quadro.jpg
 
Unfortunately it is not a double DVD-Audio. But it may be the quadraphonic mix of the oldest multi track recordings from the early 60's.
 
Unfortunately it is not a double DVD-Audio. But it may be the quadraphonic mix of the oldest multi track recordings from the early 60's.

O.K., No double album. That's what I get for assuming. But, I got my copy yesterday, and I will give it a spin this weekend. Which means, you won't hear from me until I've heard it again next week. So, we'll see how it goes.

The Quadfather
 
Been listening to this one and it's fantastic!! As a kid, one of my mothers favorite movies was "The Glenn Miller Story" with Jimmy Stewart, and everytime it would appear on TV we had to watch it (One TV in the house, you know. It was the '60s!) That's how I was introduced to the music, and to this day I still enjoy it. This DVD-A does a great job with the Miller tunes, and the surround is what you would expect from Quadro-Surround. EXCELLENT!! There's no worries about the mix being tame, or being "Faithful to the stereo", because it's QUAD. And it's great quad.

It's very much like an Enoch Light approach, only the surround spread is a tad better, and the musicians are a bit less polished, but that makes it gritty. :)
It love it!!

The Ray Conniff stuff is less my forte. I have to admit I was never big on Ray Conniff. When I was in radio, we used to call this stuff "Chicken Rock". I don't know it that term still exists, but to me Ray Conniff is for elevators, not home audio. However, I can say that the surround quad is again perfection, and if this is your type of music, this section will make you very happy.

The DVD-A has some cool graphics of Frank in the studio, and shots of multitrack tape machines and stuff. They look great as well.

So, to me, this is a great DVD-A, with the emphasis on the Glenn Miller stuff. You guys should really give Quadro-Surround your support, as Dietrich has been working hard to release REAL quad music and sometimes I think he gets overlooked.

You may not like every style of music they put out there, but there is some really good stuff that is worthy of your consideration.
 
Hello Jon, thank you for your very well review about our newest quadraphonic production. I think "Swingtime" is also a rarity, because it is the quadraphonic mix oft the oldest recordings. That was done in 1964, when a first 8 channel recorder was buil tfrom AmpeX for Les Paul an his mixing studio. A further special is ,that we could mix "Glenn Miller" in a more musical and orchestral manner as Enoch light has done with too much monophonic for some instruments and the 4 channels - which is impressiv by first listening. By Ray Conniff we could now create the original sound of this orchestra in the 60's, when the singer have been a part of the instruments - not singing words as by the later quadraphonic recordings of th orchestra. Also a specific feature. And it is true - we like producing quadraphonic mixes of different musical styles, not only rock - sometimes too. Now let's read, which review will come from the Quadfather.
 
OK, I have done two listen sessions with the Frank Valdor "Swingtime". There are no lyrics to discuss with this one, the Glenn Miller section is purely instrumental. The Ray Conniff has vocals but not a single word is uttered. It's the kind of da da dum kind of sing along. Throughout the whole recording the sound quality is good, very good. I love the sounds of well recorded lightly played cymbals, and this recording has plenty of that. But the whole audio spectrum is well represented with rich bass and one song has what sounds to me like a barking saxophone. There are plenty of horns, and the quadraphonic mix is good as it usually is with Quadro-surround brand recordings. These are mostly Swing standards, what you would expect if the album was entitled "The Best of Swing". I am less familiar with the Ray Conniff songs, except "Somewhere Over The Rainbow", which is known by most through the movie "The Wizard of Oz". This is a good instrumental version. If I want to hear a version with vocals, then Olivia Newton John's live album is the way to go. I have heard "Peg O' My Heart" as a child, but didn't remember it well. I have to agree with Jon that the Glenn Miller section is better musically, but the difference isn't that great. Both are played well, I just prefer the Glenn Miller. The tracks are:

For the Glenn Miller Section:
1. Little Brown Jug
2. A String of Pearls
3. Moonlight Serenade
4. Stardust
5. Tuxedo Junction
6. In the Mood
For the Ray Conniff section:
7. Peg O" My Heart
8. Marie
9. Ain't Misbehavin'
10. There's a Small Hotel
11. Somewhere Over the Rainbow
12. My Blue Heaven

So, if you're interested in swing music, this recording will definitely tickle your ears, and if you're not, it might win you over. It's definitely a welcome addition to my quad collection.

The Quadfather
 
Where does one find this and other QuadroSurround titles for sale? I could not find any on Amazon, Acoustic Sounds or eBay.

The only Ray Conniff albums we ever owned were the two Christmas records...still classics.
 
Where does one find this and other QuadroSurround titles for sale? I could not find any on Amazon, Acoustic Sounds or eBay.

The only Ray Conniff albums we ever owned were the two Christmas records...still classics.

LINK

Just figure out what you want, then email Dietrich with the title you want and he will respond. That is the only way to do it. If I recall, Paypal is the only way to get him paid.
 
You will find all about us by our web-site www.quadro-surround.de, which includes also an English version. Also music examples and my e-mail address. We offer DVD-A's by the German Ebay. To offer this in the US Ebay is not possible without living in the USA. Sometimes we have done an offer also by Amazon. But the first addressees are the fans which I know here and in the USA and by other places worldwide. And we do it also for our own fun.

Dietrich
 
If you're not familiar with Dietrich's work, you might want to look around the website. He records different genres if swing is not your thing. It's all done well.


LINK

Just figure out what you want, then email Dietrich with the title you want and he will respond. That is the only way to do it. If I recall, Paypal is the only way to get him paid.
 
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