The digital age has greatly raised the bar on our demands for audio and video quality. We argue about the difference between file formats, looking for distinct differences in sound quality. We are able to carry hundreds of CDs in our pocket through MP3 players or move music wirelessly move music around our houses. Yet we still spend hundreds, and sometimes thousands of dollars on high quality players and speaker. We see the difference between digital movie theaters and old film houses. Our DVD collections are quickly being replaced with the much more defined blu-ray discs, just as our VHS tapes left the house years earlier. We construct a “home theater” experience for our movies, complete with 5.0 surround sound. This may be a bit of an exaggeration - most people don’t really go to these extremes - but we all hold the standard a little higher for audio and video quality.

Before the digital age changed the world forever, we were generally a forgiving listening audience in terms of sound and visual quality. Records held unimaginable warmth and cassette tapes captured the charm of music sharing; still both formats lacked clarity. VHS tapes degenerated after too many repeated viewings and sometimes even warped through sun exposure. We simply didn’t have a whole lot of choices at that point though, so we prioritized the content over the quality.

I remember hours of listening to third generation cassette tape recordings of unique albums that inspired me even though they were filled with hisses. I used to videotape a music program from a public access channel that barely was received at my house - once they featured an artist that I liked though, I’d watch the rough recording many times. In those days, the opportunity to get a little closer to our favorite artists more than compensated for the poor sound or video quality.

Revisiting older Latin Jazz artists often requires us to move past our high quality demands and learn what we can from less than perfect recordings. Past generations didn’t have the access to the affordable and high quality recording equipment that exists today - in most cases; they captured their music by any means necessary. Some artists may have recorded in the best studios of the day, but technology from twenty years ago recorded music into a format that fades over years. Artists that didn’t have the luxury of a studio will have even rougher recordings. Most of these recordings seem like low quality torture and may be difficult for our modern senses to handle. It seems like we’re stepping backwards, but the information gained from older and often low quality recordings will bring us closer to past generations.

The following four videos feature Emiliano Salvador y su Cuarteto de Jazz Cubano, featuring Miguel Valdes on congas. The recording seems to be captured on video from a 1993 Cuban television show. The quality leaves much to be desired but the performance can’t be beat! After spending a good amount of time listening to Salvador before writing about the two Emiliano Salvador re-releases, I had to hear more. I’ve never run across much Emiliano Salvador on video - if anyone knows of full concerts on video or DVD, please let me know! For now, enjoy these short looks at Salvador & his group!

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