Nexus Ragtime Concert – Direct To Disc Vinyl Review

Nexus Ragtime Concert – 1977

Vinyl surface noise:  4  (not pops and clicks)

Dynamic Range: 4+

Stereo Imaging: 4+

Image depth/perspective: 4-

Overall frequency response: 4

Side One

1. Triplets
2. Cross Corners
3. The Whistler
4. Nola
5. Rainbow Ripples

Side Two

1. Xylophonia
2. Dill Pickles
3. Jovial Jasper
4. Ragtime Robin
5. Stop Time
6. Log Cabin Blues

The original jazz/ragtime recording was made in 1976 at Soundstage Recording Studios and Just Another Mastering Facility (JAMF), Toronto, Canada, being released that year as a numbered special limited edition. This version of the album was repressed in 1977 at Teldec Germany. Both versions were on the Umbrella Label, a division of Nimbus 9 Productions, Toronto, Canada.

Musicians:

• Bob Becker – Xylophone, Marimba
• Bill Cahn – Xylophone, Marimba, Toy Piano, Duck Call
• Michael Craden – Percussion
• Robin Engleman – Marimba, Toy Piano
• Russel Hartenberger – Marimba, Toy Piano
• John Wyre – Marimba, Toy Piano

Nexus is a Toronto-based percussion ensemble that performs standard percussion ensemble repertoire, ragtime music, world music, contemporary classical music and as a group, has performed as soloist with some of the top orchestras around the world.

I believe that this was the only direct to disc album made by Nexus. I have no idea why I purchased it other than back in the 70’s there weren’t many direct to disc recordings available and I tended to buy anything that became available on the UK market!

What was much more interesting, to me, was that when I came to review the album, it would not fit over my Thorens TD160S turntable spindle. That means that I have not listened to the record since I played it on my original turntable, the Sugden Connoisseur BD1, about 35 years ago! So the album, after its cleaning with my Nitty Gritty vacuum cleaner, was in pristine condition, as I probably only played it once or twice after I originally purchased it.

So as a  direct to disc, did it live up to my expectations?

Sheffield Lab set the gold standard for all other Direct To Disc recordings to be judged by.  Their cutting skills and custom design of analog hardware were second to none. So by comparison to them I have some concern over the technical expertise of the recording studio used to create this recording. Why? A high frequency tone can be heard on S1T3 as the track tails out. It is very low level, but such technical anomalies should never exists in this type of custom audiophile recording environment. I was not aware of the interference during any quiet passages or at the tail out of any other track. YMMV.

My copy is reasonably quiet with very few pops and clicks but had a notable ‘whosshing’ sound that was very evident during both lead ins and between and during quiet passages. No disc concentricity errors were apparent. Overall the recording was very open and clean with very solid and stable imaging. All instruments remaining firmly fixed  front to rear and side to side. Despite the number of tracks on each side there seemed to be no audible compression.

There was plenty of reverb that was clearly audible in many of the quieter sections and track tail outs. Whether this was studio acoustics or synthetic reverb is hard to say, but it provides a pleasant ambience to the performance. The bass drum on both sides packed a tight, flat, solid punch with side two having a more extended bottom end ring to it and more thud. This was particularly noticeable during the percussion solo during S2T1, and the last track on side two. Percussive instruments like the snare, tambourine, and cymbals were all well detailed and refined as were all the many percussive instruments. Bongos and other skinned instruments providing tight short decays. The percussive solo on S2T1 made for a nice and only break from the marimba and xylophone barrage, but it was the duck call solo in this track that grabbed my attention.

Throughout all tracks the mid range was punchy and dynamic without being hard, while the HF detail was clean and bright without being too forward.  The xylophones providing excellent broad pinpoint  images as the beaters roamed around the wooden blocks with marimbas providing a tonally solid backing. Little to no coloration was evident in these instruments and the xylophone in particular provided an almost ‘in room’ experience. Last but not least the toy pianos got their moment on several tracks providing their typical bright detailed metallic ‘tinkling’ sound.

Overall this is a good direct to disc recording with solid dynamics and presence but limited depth information. The real let down was the vinyl surface noise on my pressing that was apparent throughout all the quiet passages on both sides of the album.

I neither liked nor disliked this album. It is, what it is, a collection of xylophone and marimba tracks playing ragtime music, with not a ‘bum’ note to be heard. However, I now understand why I hadn’t listened to the album in over 35 years!

So while this recording doesn’t make my demo Hall of Fame, it is still a good example of D2D recording and compared to the ‘standard’ vinyl pressings of the day, it is still an excellent recording.

If you are not into jazz/ragtime xylophone music, this is probably not going to be your cup of tea, despite it being well recorded and performed.

Available on vinyl and CD from Discogs (1977) and Discogs (1976).

See my other vinyl reviews here.