Steve Reich’s Music for 18 Musicians 💫

 

Here is one of the master-tapes of the iconic work.

Notice it’s a 7 1/2 IPS 2 tracks tape.

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Psycho 🫣

 

The score of Bernard Hermann’s masterpieces: bernardherrmannarchive Bernard Herrmann's "Prelude" from PSYCHO, dated Jan. 12 - Feb. 12, 1960. This is R1/1, the very first page - Allegro (Molto Agitato) - in Herrmann's own hand.

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The Grand Wazoo

 

Frank Zappa & The Grand Wazoo Orchestra outside the Hollywood Bowl where the debut of their album 'The Grand Wazoo' took place in September 10, 1972

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Carol Kaye 🥇

 

Who is the greatest bass player of all time?

Bass players always hate it when I point out that the greatest bass player of all time was a middle aged housewife named Carol Kaye!

She played in thousands records… it’s virtually impossible any music lover doesn’t own at least a disc where she’s not present.

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David Byrne on ECM 😳

 

Not a recent record and a cut-off one which sure didn’t reach Billboard’s peak, but a weirdly interesting spoken-word with horns accompanying disc, where an avant-garde/rock musician and intellectual produces such a “thing”: a bit vaudeville, a tad Art Ensemble of Chicago or Lol Coxhill’s big band.

Will need further explorations to fully be understood, yet promising and worth a listen.

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David Sylvian’s Weatherbox 💫

 

I admit this quite elusive box, issued in very limited numbers years ago, is for DS’s completists and die-hard collectors, BUT… it’s such a nice overall boxset, with high quality booklet, superb silk-screen jewel-boxes and an overall sense of care for details (paper quality, etc.) that I simply couldn’t resist to bring it at home.

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A guitar duo on ECM 💫

 

This is 1982 disc I recently found, a quite pricey NM copy, which attracted me for… being completely unknown to me!

As a guitarist myself, I’m quite proficient in ECM catalog and its 6 and 12 strings rooster… but I felt a shiver handling this mysterious record at the shop.

I’m listening to it right now and it’s a very fine wintertime-suggesting music, without the Schubert’s eponymous masterpiece and its death implications… nonetheless, it’s sadness-tinted, impressionistic and deeply meditative.

Both classical nylon strings and steel strings acoustic guitars (and some sparse flutes) are used and they merge into a misty, suggestive soundscape.

A very nice one and one of quietest vinyl surfaces I experienced in recent years!

P.S. - no CD version was issued of this title.

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Johanna Martzy 💫

 

A well-kept secret, an artist whom I was introduced by my pal Jürg Schopper and a fave since…

I’m fortunate to own several of her amazing recordings issued in limited editions by Triston label from Switzerland: they’re both amazing music- and sound-wise.

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Jefferson Airplane’s Japanese pressing 💫

 

A very seldom seen Japanese pressing of the classic JA’s record.

Very psych and trippy artwork, indeed.

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Brutalist

 

Designed in 1978 by Kazuo Shinohara—and home to poet and filmmaker Shiroyasu Suzuki for decades—the "House on a Curved Street" is now on the market. 

It stands as a domestic manifesto by an architect who saw a new form of beauty in disorder.

Tinnitus, anyone?

 

A groundbreaking treatment pairing auditory tones with mild electrical shocks rewires the brain to quiet chronic tinnitus.

Chronic tinnitus, the agonizing perception of ringing in the ears without an external sound source, affects millions worldwide and has long eluded effective medical intervention.

However, innovative research in neuroscience shows that bimodal neuromodulation—a technique combining audio tones with gentle electrical stimulation delivered directly to the tongue—can effectively quiet these phantom sounds.

By stimulating touch receptors on the tongue while simultaneously playing targeted acoustic signals through headphones, the treatment leverages the brain's natural neuroplasticity. This dual-sensory approach encourages the central nervous system to reframe its sensory processing, essentially retraining the brain to ignore hyperactive auditory signals.

In a landmark clinical study involving over 300 adults suffering from chronic subjective tinnitus, more than 86% of compliant participants experienced a significant reduction in symptom severity following 12 weeks of daily treatment.

Remarkably, these therapeutic benefits persisted for up to 12 months post-treatment, representing a major leap forward in long-term tinnitus care. Described by patients as feeling like a mild fizzing sensation on the tongue, this non-invasive therapy offers a promising and safe alternative to traditional management strategies, bringing renewed hope to millions seeking lasting relief.

Sources: Conlon, B., Langguth, B., Hamilton, C., Hughes, S., Meade, E., Connor, C. O., Schecklmann, M., Hall, D. A., Toal, P.D., & Lim, H. H.. Bimodal neuromodulation combining sound and tongue stimulation reduces tinnitus symptoms in a large randomized clinical study. Science Translational Medicine,

Robert Wyatt’s Sea Song

 

It was first love song for Alfie 🌸

Here is the original lyrics, handwritten by RW himself.

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Donal Lunny passed away 🌸

 

I’m so, so sorry to hear that Donal Lunny left us today.

🖤 

Donal left his body aged 79, and left a huge mark on the Celtic Music world ♾️

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A Love Supreme

 

What else?

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John Abercrombie - Characters (ECM)

 

When you think you intimately know one of your most beloved labels, ever, and you own hundreds and hundreds titles… something happens and you discover a gem you simply missed and passed over while browsing in second-hand shops and record-fairs for years.

This record is really wonderful and am so happy I discovered it: John’s playing is so inspired and unique.

Better late than never!

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Never, ever!

 

Thanks to Robert Crumb 🙏

Mark Rothko

 

Was lucky enough to see… better: experience some of these masterpieces in museums around the world.

I love MR, his mystical and mysterious vision, the vibe and shivers he’s able to give so magically and naturally.

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Jon Hassell or the smooth operator 💫

 

This record is a journey!

The smoothest horn on the planet, after Chet Baker.

Here are the master-tapes of this amazing disc.

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Healing Time 💫

 

This humble disk on Telarc is - truly is! - pure fresh air and an ear-pleasure!

Music, musicians and recording are all awesome… it’s not Muzak, or easy-listening, MoR or… it’s good, honest music.

… as a plus, it’s a first rate audio system demo-quality disk.

Sometimes an Hammond organ and an electric guitar masterfully played is all you need.

Enjoy… life is good.

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New Stephan Micus album on ECM

 

The new album by Stephan Micus, “Traces in the Sand” will be released on next November 13th.

You can listen to the first track off the album, “The First Light”, and pre-order the CD here: https://ecm.lnk.to/TracesInTheSand 

Stephan Micus is an extraordinary musical traveller, collecting instruments around the world and then making his unique musical compositions from them. 

This album features a dozen instruments from Borneo, Japan, India, Armenia, Ethiopia, Tanzania, Mozambique, Botswana, Morocco, Ireland, Switzerland and Bavaria. 

Celebrating the richness of the sea, it’s his 27th solo album for ECM. 

Micus has always been influenced by the natural world and his music has been inspired by deserts, forests, thunder and more. Traces in the Sand doesn’t attempt to depict the sea, but reflects on the feelings its continually changing state evokes.

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