Much comment has been written regarding the re-editing of the film footage and the modified selection of performances. As one would expect, the picture quality, color balance and sound are superior to the vhs versions. The producers attempted to enlarge the 'space' of the performances with wider-angle footage (the vhs film is mostly tight-focus on individuals on-stage). It is puzzling, however, that they chose not to employ the wide-screen 'letterbox' format (especially in light of the fact that the 1997 documentary film, "Blue Note: A Story Of Modern Jazz", uses the wide-screen format and has wide-screen film clips from this concert). Nonetheless, the dvd is a great visual show.

As a hard-bop enthusiast, I am pleased for the most part with the revised selection of performances. Inclusion of Joe Henderson's "Recorda-me", Jackie MacLean's "Appointment In Ghana", and Stanley Turrentine's "Scratch My Back" are welcome additions. Of the two Stanley Jordan performances on the vhs tapes, the dvd includes the more entertaining "Jumpin'Jack". Likewise, of the three Charles Lloyd numbers from the vhs, the dvd retains the best of the three, "Tone Poem". On the negative side, McCoy Tyner's performance of "Passion Dance" was excluded. Regardless, the three major highlights of the concert, Herbie Hancock's "Cantaloupe Island", Art Blakey's "Moanin'", and Cecil Taylor's solo "Pontos Cantados", are here in all their splendor and are worth the price of admission alone.

Nice menu options for Blue Note fans are the fine galleries of Francis Wolff's photography and Reid Miles' album cover designs. My one criticism of these features is that the graphic design for the galleries distracts somewhat from the power and presence of the images.