The "CTI Supreme Collection" comes out today

The "CTI Supreme Collection," a new batch of CTI reissues, is being released today, December 11th, in Asia. These are the first CTI albums distributed by King Records on Blu-spec CD format (CTI's previous Japanese series came out in 2009 on SHM-CDs remastered by Rudy Van Gelder under the supervision of Creed Taylor himself), except for two Seawind albums reissued on that format also in 2009 by Sony.

Blu-spec CD is the next generation Compact Disc that employs the Phase Transition Mastering, the technology developed for mastering of Blu-ray discs, to further perfect the acclaimed characteristics of Blu-spec CD.

Fully compatible with standard CD players, Blu-spec CDs completely alters the experience of music. It applies the manufacturing technologies optimized for the specifications demanded for Blu-ray discs. During the manufacturing of the disc, laser beam is pinpointed to encode data on the microscopic tracks molded on the polycarbonate plastic constituting the surface of the disc.

Compared to the conventional laser beam used for the manufacturing of standard CD, the blue laser beam used for the Blu-spec CDs has a shorter wavelength, allowing more accurate encoding of the data. Furthermore, polycarbonate plastic optimized for Blu-ray is used to ensure accurate reading of the data.

These are the 40 titles released today with suggested retail price in Japan of  ¥1,000, including albums also from CTI's subsidiary labels Kudu and Salvation, most of them engineered by Van Gelder, with gorgeous pics by Pete Turner and Alen MacWeeney, and cover art by Bob Ciano:

1. Joe Farrell: "Penny Arcade" (Herbie Hancock, Herb Bushler, Steve Gadd, Joe Beck, Don Alias)

2. Joe Farrell: "Outback" (Chick Corea, Buster Williams, Elvin Jones, Airto)

3. Eumir Deodato: "Prelude" (John Tropea, Jay Berliner, Ron Carter, Stanley Clarke, Billy Cobham, Ray Barretto, Airto, Marvin Stamm, Hubert Laws, John Frosk, Wayne Andre, Garnett Brown, Bill Watrous)

4. Eumir Deodato: "Deodato 2" (John Tropea, Stanley Clarke, Billy Cobham, John Giulino, Rick Marotta, Rubens Bassini, Gilmore Degap, Hubert Laws, George Marge, Romeo Penque, Jon Faddis, Joe Temperley)

5. Ron Carter: "Spanish Blue" (Roland Hanna, Leon Pendarvis, Jay Berliner, Billy Cobham, Ralph MacDonald)

6. Milt Jackson: "Sunflower" (Don Sebesky, Freddie Hubbard, Herbie Hancock, Ron Carter, Billy Cobham, Jay Berliner, Ralph MacDonald, Phil Bodner, George Marge, Romeo Penque)

7. Eric Gale: "Forecast" (Bob James, Gordon Edwards, Bill Salter, Idris Muhammad, Rick Marotta, Hubert Laws, Pepper Adams, Joe Farrell, Jerry Dodgion, Arthur Jenkins, Ralph MacDonald, Randy Brecker)

8. Johnny Hammond: "Gambler's Life" (Larry Mizell, Fonce Mizell, Jerry Peters, Tony Dumas, Henry Franklin, Harvey Mason, Fritz Wise, King Errisson, Mel Bolton, Melvin Ragin, John Rowin)

9. Hubert Laws: "Chicago Theme" (George Benson, Eric Gale, Bob James, Don Grolnick, Stanley Clarke, Steve Gadd, Joe Beck, David Sanborn, Brecker Brothers)

10. Ray Barretto: "La Cuna" (Tito Puente, Charlie Palmieri, Steve Gadd, John Tropea, Joe Farrell, Carlos Franzzetti)

11. George Benson: "White Rabbit" (Don Sebesky, Ron Carter, Billy Cobham, Airto, Jay Berliner, Earl Klugh, Phil Kraus, Gloria Agostini, John Frosk, Hubert Laws, Phil Bodner, Romeo Penque)

12. George Benson: "Good King Bad" (David Matthews, Gary King, Don Grolnick, Roland Hanna, Bobby Lyle, Ronnie Foster, Steve Gadd, Andy Newmark, Dennis Davis, Joe Farrell, Eric Gale, Dave Friedman, Fred Wesley, Ronnie Cuber, Michael Brecker, Romeo Penque, David Tofani)

13. Hank Crawford: "I Hear A Symphony" (Richard Tee, Leon Pendarvis, Steve Gadd, Bernard Purdie, Gary King, Eric Gale, David Matthews, Ralph MacDonald, Idris Muhammad, Patti Austin, Frank Floyd)

14. Kenny Burrell: "God Bless The Child" (Freddie Hubbard, Hubert Laws, Hugh Lawson, Richard Wyands, Ron Carter, Billy Cobham, Airto, Ray Barretto, Don Sebesky)

15. Art Farmer & Jim Hall: "Big Blues" (Steve Gadd, Mike Mainieri, David Matthews, Michael Moore)

16. Stanley Turrentine: "Sugar" (George Benson, Freddie Hubbard, Ron Carter, Billy Kaye, Butch Cornell, Lonnie Liston Smith, Richard Pablo Landrum)

17. Stanley Turrentine & Milt Jackson: "Cherry" (Cornell Dupree, Ron Carter, Billy Cobham, Bob James, Weldon Irvine)

18. Phil Upchurch & Tennyson Stephens: "Upchurch/Tennyson" (Bob James, Steve Gadd, Andrew Smith, Hubert Laws, Dud Bascomb, David Sanborn, Eric Gale, Ralph MacDonald)

19. Don Sebesky: "Giant Box" (Paul Desmond, Milt Jackson, Joe Farrell, Freddie Hubbard, Hubert Laws, Ron Carter, Billy Cobham, Jack DeJohnette, Airto, Rubens Bassini, Phil Kraus, Ralph McDonald, George Benson, Jackie & Roy, Grover Washington, Jr)

20. Astrud Gilberto: "Gilberto with Turrentine" (Deodato, Ron Carter, Dom Um Romão, João Palma, Airto, Sivuca, Toots Thielemans, Bob Mann, Gene Bertoncini, Sam Brown, Russell George, Hubert Laws)

21. Fuse One: "Fuse" (Tony Williams, John McLaughlin, Larry Coryell, Ronnie Foster, Victor Feldman, Jeremy Wall, Paulinho da Costa, Joe Farrell, Ndugu, Lenny White)

22. Chet Baker: "She Was Too Good To Me" (Don Sebesky, Paul Desmond, Bob James, Ron Carter, Jack DeJohnette, Steve Gadd, David Friedman, George Marge, Romeo Peque)

23. Hubert Laws: "The Rite of Spring" (Gene Bertoncini, Bob James, Ron Carter, Jack DeJohnette, Airto, David Friedman, Wally Kane, Jane Taylor, Stu Scharf)

24. Gabor Szabo: "Macho" (Bob James, Louis Johnson, Harvey Mason, Eric Gale, Idris Muhammad, Ralph MacDonald, Ian Underwood, Jon Faddis, Tom Scott, George Bohanon)

25. Jim Hall: "Concierto" (Chet Baker, Paul Desmond, Roland Hanna, Ron Carter, Steve Gadd, Don Sebesky)

26. Lonnie Smith: "Mama Wailer" (Chuck Rainey, Ron Carter, Billy Cobham, Jimmy Ponder, George Davis, Robert Lowe, Airto, Dave Hubbard, Danny Moore, Marvin Cabell, Grover Washington, Jr.)

27. Nina Simone: "Baltimore" (David Matthews, Andy Newmark, Eric Gale, Will Lee, Gary King, Jimmy Madison, Al Schackman)

28. Lalo Schifrin: "Towering Toccata" (Urbie Green, Joe Farrell, Ronnie Cuber, Will Lee, Steve Gadd, John Tropea, Eric Gale, Jeremy Steig, John Blair, Clark Spangler)

29. Idris Muhammad: "Power of Soul" (Joe Beck, Randy Brecker, Bob James, Gary King, Ralph MacDonald, Grover Washington, Jr.)

30. Airto Moreira: "Fingers" (Hugo Fattoruso, David Amaro, Flora Purim, Ringo Thielmann, George Fattoruso)

31. Urbie Green: "The Fox" (Toots Thielemans, David Matthews, Anthony Jackson, Mike Abene, Jimmy Madison, Andy Newmark, Sue Evans, Joe Farrell, Jeremy Steig)

32. Patti Austin: "End Of A Rainbow" (Barry Miles, Mike Abene, Richard Tee, Jeff Berlin, Will Lee, Chuck Rainey, Steve Gadd, Andy Newmark, Ralph MacDonald, Michael Brecker, Eric Gale, Gloria Agostini)

33. Joe Beck: "Beck" (David Sanborn, Don Grolnick, Will Lee, Chris Parker, Ray Mantilla, Don Sebesky)

34. Paul Desmond: "Skylark" (Gabor Szabo, Gene Bertoncini, Bob James, Ron Carter, Jack DeJohnette, George Ricci, Ralph MacDonald)

35. Antonio Carlos Jobim: "Stone Flower" (Deodato, Ron Carter, João Palma, Airto, Everaldo Ferreira, Harry Lookofsky, Urbie Green, Hubert Laws, Joe Farrell)

36. Freddie Hubbard: "Red Clay" (Herbie Hancock, Ron Carter, Lenny White, Joe Henderson)

37. Jackie & Roy: "Time & Love" (Don Sebesky, Jay Berliner, Bob James, Pat Rebillot, Ron Carter, Billy Cobham, Airto, Phil Kraus, Hubert Laws, Marvin Stamm, Alan Rubin, John Frosk)

38. Bill Evans: "Montreux II" (Eddie Gomez, Marty Morell)

39. Esther Phillips: "From A Whisper To A Scream" (Pee Wee Ellis, Don Sebesky, Cornell Dupree, Eric Gale, Richard Tee, Gordon Edwards, Bernard Purdie, Airto, Hank Crawford, David Liebman, Frank Vicari)

40. Randy Weston: "Blue Moses" (Freddie Hubbard, Hubert Laws, Ron Carter, Billy Cobham, Airto, Don Sebesky, David Horowitz, Phil Kraus, Azzedin Weston, Grover Washington, Jr.)

(Creed Taylor & Arnaldo DeSouteiro working in NY, in the 90s)

Three items will come out as "bonus CDs": the three volumes of "CTI Summer Jazz at the Hollywood Bowl," recorded in 1972 by the CTI All-stars (Bob James, Deodato, Johnny Hammond, Ron Carter, Jack DeJohnette, Airto Moreira, Milt Jackson, George Benson, Hubert Laws, Freddie Hubbard, Joe Farrell, Stanley Turrentine, Grover Washington Jr., Hank Crawford, Esther Phillips) and released on vinyl in 1977. If you puchase 5 CDs from the "CTI Supreme Collection," you can order a free copy of one of the "CTI Summer Jazz" volumes. 10 CDs, 2 volumes. 15 CDs, all 3 volumes.