Just In Time: Judy Garland's Last Concert Coming In 2018 In High-Definition Audio
October 9, 2017 By Joe Marchese 3 Comments
The High Definition Tape Transfers label is turning its attention to the legendary Judy Garland for a release scheduled for 2018. Garland's final concert, from Copenhagen, Denmark's Falkoner Centret on March 25, 1969 (less than three months before her untimely death on June 22, 1969) will be released in a number of digital formats as well as on physical DVD-Audio discs. See below for the complete press release announcing this landmark title, which features the first-time commercial release of a pair of the concert's duets with the late, great Johnnie Ray!
SADDLE BROOK, NJ – High Definition Tape Transfers, which specializes in high-definition releases of classical, jazz and pop classics and whose extensive catalogue goes from Duke Ellington to Gustav Mahler, is proud to announce the high-definition release in 2018 of Judy Garland's very last concert, recorded at Falkoner Centret in Copenhagen, Denmark on March 25, 1969. Available formats will include DSD (including 64 through 256), PCM (24/96, 24/192, 24/352.8 plus PCM DXD), and physical discs at 24/192 audio.
The 15ips 1/4″ 2.0 channel stereo analog reel-to-reel master tape comes from the collection of award-winning Garland scholar Lawrence Schulman, and will be complemented by the first-time commercial release of two duets with Johnnie Ray, "Till the Clouds Roll By" and "Am I Blue?," also recorded at the concert, that were recently discovered by the distinguished audio restorer John H. Haley, who owns the tape of the duets. The Schulman tape is the broadcast on Danmarks Radio of the concert, whereas the Haley tape was recorded by the concert hall.
The moving concert is testimony to the fact that the legendary 46-year-old American singer still had "it," even at the very end (she died on June 22, 1969). The master tape has been transferred using CCIR equalization at DSD256, the highest commercial resolution available at this time, and restored and remastered by HDTT mastering engineer Robert Witrak, whose knowledge of high-definition is second to none.
The liner notes will be signed by Schulman, who has produced and written the liner notes for numerous Garland sets in the last quarter century on a variety of labels, and has written extensively about her for the ARSC Journal and other publications. The cover photo will also be from the Schulman collection. The new release is the first time a Garland concert has been issued in high definition. The track list is as follows:
Get Happy (Ted Koehler-Harold Arlen)
Just in Time (Betty Comden-Adolph Green-Jule Styne)
The Man That Got Away (Ira Gershwin-Harold Arlen)
I'd Like to Hate Myself in the Morning (John Meyer)
For Once in My Life (Ronald Miller-Orlando Murden)
Rock-a-Bye Your Baby with a Dixie Melody (Sam M. Lewis-Joe Young-Jean Schwartz)
Chicago (Fred Fisher)
Till the Clouds Roll By (P.G. Wodehouse-Jerome Kern) – duet with Johnnie Ray
Am I Blue? (Grant Clarke-Harry Akst) – duet with Johnnie Ray
San Francisco (Gus Kahn-Bronislaw Kaper-Walter Jurmann)
Over the Rainbow (E.Y. Harburg-Harold Arlen)
For more information, contact High Definition Tape Transfers at: bobw@highdeftapetransfers.com . Upon release, the recording can be purchased at the HDTT website at: https://www.highdeftapetransfers.com.
Categories: News Formats: Digital Download, DVD-Audio Genre: Popular Standards/Vocal Tags: Johnnie Ray, Judy Garland
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Lawrence Schulman says
Thanks for the mention, Joe. I have heard a bit of Robert Witrak's high-definition transfer, and the quality of the audio is amazing. I am sure once he is done restoring and remastering it, it will sound even better. Thanks for mentioning that the high-definition recording will be available on physical disc as well as through download. Like many people here, I like a physical entity, even if I have done a download. Capitol released Garland's MISS SHOW BUSINESS a couple of years ago as a download, and I put it on USB, which now sits in my collection. I wonder what will become of it, being it is so small. I wonder if it will survive like discs and CDs. Time will tell. In any case, thanks for everything.
Looking forward to listening to this very worthwhile project, Lawrence!
Did this ever happen?