Where Have You Gone, AudioQuest Music?

May 11, 2007

I love used-CD stores. There's something about discovering recordings that others have discarded that gives me great satisfaction. Two recent used finds are Glen Moore, Larry Karush and Glen Velez's Mokave Vol.1 [AudioQuest AQ-CD1006] and Vol.2 [AudioQuest AQ-CD1007]. These are collections of serious jazz with African influences -- a mixture that I would normally avoid but works very well here. The sound is excellent -- spacious and rife with presence -- but it takes a backseat to the inventive original compositions and expert playing.

These two CDs made me to wonder about AudioQuest's catalog of recordings, most of which appeared in the 1990s. According to Joe Harley, who produced both Mokave CDs, AudioQuest Music was sold to music distributor Valley Entertainment in 2000, which keeps some of the titles current. What this implies, however, is that many AudioQuest titles are out of print. Indeed, the Mokave CDs are no longer available new from Amazon. However, Valley Entertainment has both listed for online purchase, and there are some Amazon resellers with used copies priced as low as $3.00 plus shipping, which is less than I paid. Other of the more recent AudioQuest Music releases, including some from Mighty Sam McClain and Terry Evans, are still in print, and there are also a handful of hybrid SACDs available new as well.