Jackie McLean – Demon's Dance

Music is solid late 60s McLean the entire band is smoking thru out the entire session. Sound is very good, my only comparison is the 1990s cd release from Blue Note and this Tone Poet blows that away. That being said this is not one of the better TP releases SQ wise ( keep in mind that TP has set a high bar so it sounds great relative to a typical jazz album ) but the session more than makes up for it so don’t let that keep you from buying this spectacular session

The performances on this album are great, and the material is also quite strong. From that standpoint, this is an easy album to recommend to a wide range of jazz fans. One of a string of great albums by Mclean in the mid-sixties, and one of the more accessible ones as well.

I agree with most reviewers below who find that this is not one best-sounding Tone Poets. The issues probably are inherent to the initial recording. The piano seemed quite distant, which is a common flaw in Van Gelder's recordings (great though they may otherwise be). The bass is also distant, and rather murky. Pity, because Holt and especially Johnson seem to be having particularly good outings.

The horns and drums sound as good you would expect from RVG and Tone Poet, so overall, a good but not exceptional sounding pressing. Nevertheless, this album is well worth having for the performances alone.

Where the hell is the bass? This is likely to sound like an ice pick to the ears if you have a lean and bright sounding system. Even in my tubed system this sounds really bright and somewhat thin. I can't fault Kevin Gray's mastering. I'm sure he was just going with what's on the master tape. The important thing here, though, is that the performances are first rate. But, man, where the hell is the bass?! Maybe the freaky bearded creature with 9 breasts on the cover knows. That artist was doing some serious military grade LSD when he painted that.

An absolute dream. I generally try and get as old as I can with the Blue Note stuff but got this one a little bit cheaper. Sounds amazing, even on my budget set up. Vinyl flat, no surface noice. Jackie McClean!

My copy is a little warped, the record is very quiet but the mix is thin on bass. It seems as if they wanted to avoid any muddiness and keep the instruments well separated and detailed, the soundstage is excellent indeed. Exciting performance anyway.

This thing is HOT as can be, as is the nature of the recording. Trumpets get so close to distorting multiple times, to the point where I was adjusting my setup throughout the album. Still an awesome listen. Band is cooking on this one.

Highly likeable. Music bordering interestingly between post bop and freer jazz. Clearly one of the improved stereo recordings of the late 60s. Without knowing earlier reissues or even the original, the sound of KGs remastering work is very good, except for the thinner bass presentation. Therefore, 5 stars to the music and 4 for the sound.
Again, acc. to my experience the pressing quality anomalies in the recent TP releases continue. Significant warpage. Labels off center. Tired to ask for exchanges or invest into record flattening. Mediocre pressing quality = 3 stars.
In total, just 4 stars.

Unbelievable sound. One of my favorite Tone Poets for sure.

Sounds really good. My copy is very flat and quiet. Great album, too.

Sounds fabulous and plays very well. Love the album, but it's dished. Just opened the last 3 Tone Poet releases and they were all dished. QC is going out the door as they seek to release more albums and capitalize on the vinyl craze. Slow down and release quality products and the money will come.