Recording history and tape provenance
Every set played that night was recorded, 43 tracks in all, from which Jamal chose eight. Malcolm Chisholm engineered, a credit that appears on the original release.
Sources disagree on the producer. Discogs credits Dave Usher. MusicBrainz credits Phil Chess of Chess Records, Argo's parent label. Both were plausibly involved, and neither is asserted here.
A stereo edition also appeared in 1958, cut from a multi-channel tape rather than reprocessed. Argo issued it as LPS-628.
A detailed Discogs owner account reports that the original master tapes were later lost in a fire. If that is right, Chess-era repressings made while the tapes existed are closer to the source than anything cut afterwards. Any modern claim of mastering from the original tapes needs scrutiny.
"Poinciana," the closing track, became Jamal's signature piece. Miles Davis cited Jamal's rhythmic and spatial approach as an influence on his own. A second volume, At the Pershing, Vol. 2 (Argo LP-667), followed in 1961 from the same engagement.
Mono, real stereo and reprocessed stereo
At least one stereo-labelled pressing is credited on its own sleeve as electronically reprocessed for stereo, by named engineers Dick Allen and Ron Mallow. That is a different record from the 1958 multi-channel stereo release.
Kenny's Audiophile Record Reviews compared the reprocessed stereo against the mono directly. The reviewer describes the reprocessed pressing as a diffuse ambiance rather than real imaging. It cannot place piano, bass and drums at distinct points, and he reports listening fatigue.
The same reviewer describes the mono as sitting in the front row at the club. He calls it a fabulous mono recording and recommends it over the reprocessed stereo.
The practical rule is to check what a "stereo" copy actually is. The 1958 LPS-628 is a real stereo tape. Later reprocessed copies say so on the sleeve.
Original Argo pressings (1958)
Argo LP-628 on black labels with a deep groove is the first pressing. Discogs documentation separates two mono label variants. Black label copies are earliest, identified partly by an offset trip-changer spiral in the dead wax. Grey label copies are a second pressing and the most common.
The genuine stereo LPS-628 has a dark blue label. It should not be confused with the reprocessed pressings.
This is a working-club live tape from 1958, not a studio session. No pressing of it, original or reissue, is an audiophile showcase.
Analogue Productions 200g (2020)
Retailer copy for this reissue states it was mastered at Sterling Sound from the original tapes. The record's own runouts do not support that.
Its Discogs entry reports pre-existing metalwork from a lacquer cut by Trutone Mastering Labs in December 1983. The cut is credited to Carl Rowatti, with "CR 12/83" inscribed in the runout. A separate owner raised the same doubt from the other direction, finding no engineer initials matching any known Sterling Sound engineer.
Given the reported fire, 1983 metalwork may be the only route to a real connection with the source. That makes the marketing claim more misleading, not less.
None of this means the record sounds bad. Owner reviews describe it as flat and quiet, a legitimate pressing of a modest source. It is plated and pressed at Quality Record Pressings in a Stoughton tip-on jacket, catalogue APJ128.
Buyer's guide by budget
$$: A Chess/Sugar Hill reissue from 1984, catalogue CH-91081, on blue and silver Chess labels.
$$$: The Analogue Productions 200g, solid production values, with the Sterling Sound claim treated with scepticism.
$$$$: A clean Argo LP-628 mono original on black labels.
Pressing tier summary
| Tier ⇅ | Pressing | Cat# | Year ⇅ | Format | Source / Mastering | Notes | Market ⇅ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A | Argo original, black labels | LP-628 | 1958 | Mono, 33⅓ | Argo lacquer. Recorded by Malcolm Chisholm | First pressing. Deep groove, offset trip-changer spiral | $66VG+ $86NM $96M |
| A | Analogue Productions 200g | APJ128 / B0030666-01 | 2020 | Mono, 33⅓, 200g | Marketed as Sterling Sound. Runouts show 1983 Trutone metalwork, cut by Carl Rowatti | Pressed at QRP. Stoughton tip-on jacket | $60VG+ $78NM $87M |
| B | Chess/Sugar Hill reissue | CH-91081 | 1984 | Stereo, 33⅓ | Not credited | Blue and silver Chess labels | – |
| – | Argo original, stereo | LPS-628 | 1958 | Stereo, 33⅓ | Multi-channel tape, not reprocessed | Not rated. Dark blue label | – |
| – | Argo mono, grey labels | LP-628 | 1958 | Mono, 33⅓ | Argo lacquer | Not rated. Second pressing, the most common variant | – |
| D | Electronically reprocessed stereo | LP-628 / LPS-628 | – | Reprocessed stereo, 33⅓ | Reprocessed by Dick Allen and Ron Mallow | Diffuse imaging and listening fatigue in a direct comparison | – |
References
- Discogs (master, all versions): https://www.discogs.com/master/59857
- Wikipedia, "At the Pershing: But Not for Me": https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/At_the_Pershing:_But_Not_for_Me
- Kenny's Audiophile Record Reviews, "Ahmad Jamal Trio at the Pershing stereo vs mono vinyl record albums": https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=38l7hV2EW8o