Over the years I have fallen prey to many recordings that deliver less than inspiring music with stellar sonics. I agree with others that this happens most frequently with the Jazz and pop offerings from audiophile record companies. This supports the notion that putting together a great recording involves more than mere technical proficiency at either the performance or production levels. It seems to involve a variety of aesthetic decisions during performance and recording that are most effective at presenting the soul of the music. To make an analogy, I would rather behold a tarnished piece of silver than a highly polished buffalo chip.
My dirty half dozen would be:
1. Reference Recordings: Blazing Redheads
2. Sheffield Recordings: Growing Up in Hollwood Town
3. Crystal Clear: San Francisco Ltd.
4. Proprius: Jazz at the Pawnshop
5. Chesky: New York Reunion
6. Mapleshade: Sunny
None of these recordings is terrible, just way less than the sum of their parts.
