Mapleshade Recording? Great! Mapleshade Artistic Content? Not so great! I admire Mapleshade for their recording techniques and daring recordings, but of the 4 Mapleshade CD's I have auditioned I only like one of them. Kendra Shank's "Afterglow" is a pleasant female vocals CD that is quite good for checking speaker placement. "Live at Ethel's" is a neat live jazz CD that has a great live sound, but the jazz is sub-par IMHO. "Makin Whoopee" is a decent disk for Nat Cole fans except for one spoken word track that will drive you insane. Michal Carvin's "Drum Concerto at Dawn" is so terrible that even a professional drummer friend of mine can't bear it. I don't mean to bash Mapleshade. They cannot possibly have premier artists record for them on their budget. They do warrant a listen though. Their prices, accessories, and recording processes are qualities that other recording companies should take to heart.
Mapleshade Recordings..GREAT or what?
I HAPPEN TO THINK MAPLESHADE CD'S ARE THE GRETEST RECORDINGS AROUND. I HAVE ALMOST WHOLE OF THE CATALOGUE. PRODUCTION QUALITY CAN BE MISS AT TIMES BUT HEAR THAT LIFE LIKE MUSIC AND YOU ARE DRAWN IN TO NO MATTER WHAT. AND YOU GET THE BEST PRICE TOO. THEM AND THE REFERENCE RECORDINGS ARE FEW OF MY FAVOURITES. I HAVE BOUGHT LOT OF OTHER COMMERCIAL JAZZ/CLASSICAL STUFF BUT NOTHING COMES THIS CLOSE. EVEN THE FAVOURABLY REVIEWED ONES. HOW MANY OF YOU AGREES WITH ME. MAY BE THIS POST WILL SPREAD THE WORD AND BUY SOME OF THEIR CD'S.