Disc of the Year - Ancient Turkish Music in Europe - Kecskes Ensemble, with Renè Clemencic/Esmail Vasseghi - Dir. by Andras Kecskes (Hungaroton SLPX 12560)

This was the VERY last disc missing in my HUGE Clemencic's collection... I knew of this very disc thanking my friend Frank, who found it by chance in Austria for cheap.

I paid more but thanking the always useful DISCOGS' I was able to find a mint copy... in Lithuania;-)


This is - as a Japanese pal told me "one of the VERY best in whole Hungaroton catalog"... and I SURE agree: it's an absolute masterpiece, both sonically AND musically.


Percussions of every size and shimmering cymbals are top quality: oud, saz, flutes and a female voice are all well here... and I mean here in my room.


The cymbals are of truly seldom heard beauty: freely resonating, not harsh but naturally ringing with harmonics a-plenty.


As a plus, this disc, as many, many others by Renè Clemencic, represents a freedom and brotherhood dream made true - i.e. people of different religions, nationalities, languages playing together, in peace, in the name of the one and only, truest of arts: Music.


Please browse the web to grab your copy, folks...


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Vocal cords in action

Impressive!

Alien we are!

My way...

... to don't forget... 

Recording is  a w e s o m e... but... does it really matter?

Languages

... would you imagine?

It's Tibetan music notation!

Rullit's art

Cannot explain why but Oleg's masterpieces just hit my very strings in a seldom experienced way.

Will I end up with a Rullit's speakers combo?

Cowboy Junkies' The Trinity Sessions

Expanded version of the Cowboy Junkies' masterpiece in red double vinyl-set for this (very) limited reissue-edition of 1000.

A nice disc.

... it only lasts a zeptosecond...

... the new, smallest time measurement unit is the zeptosecond.


It will be so easy to adapt to our day life: hey, having sex with him... blahhh! naaaa!!! he lasts a zeptosecond;-)

... but also: I recognized this as the best sound I ever experienced in a zeptosecond.




Nice way to split time...

ECM by Lego

Great news from Lego... yes, Lego the plastic bricks we all built things and stuffs when kids...

JAZZ STUDIO SESSION (ECM RECORDS)

Producing a quality product - be it a house, a jacket, a computer, a delicious meal, an abstract painting or a Lego set - requires dedication, knowledge and skill. Jazz and contemporary music label ECM Recordshas embodied these qualities since its inception in 1969. The same can be said of jazz-guitarist Pat Metheny, winner of 20 Grammy awards. The Jazz Studio Session Lego-set features Metheny and his collaborators at an ECM recording facility.

About the Protagonists

ECM Records was founded by Manfred Eicher (b.1943) in Munich, Germany, which still serves as the label's home city. From the start, the company aimed to produce quality music albums. While first concentrating on jazz, ECM later widened its reach to include classical music (both old and modern) as well as world music. Eicher continues to be the label's main producer to this day. He is often praised for his acute ear and artistic sensibility. ECM Records is also notable for its independent status. It is no exaggeration to state that ECM has deeply influenced our modern music landscape - or soundscape to be more precise.

Guitarist Pat Metheny (b. 1954) is one of the most popular jazz-artists, drawing in an audience that goes beyond musical categories. He is known for his ever-curious attitude and dedication. This is reflected in his multi-faceted discography, which ranges from more traditional jazz to avant-garde stylings and from pop to world-music tinged tunes and movie soundtracks. Metheny recorded 11 albums for ECM, including 1981's As Falls Wichita, So Falls Wichita Falls, whose recording session is depicted in this Lego-set.

About the Lego-Set

The Jazz Studio Session-set can work both as a display-set and a play-set, albeit for older children. The main structure can easily function as a recording studio platform for imaginary music artists or other user-built real-life musicians and bands. The set includes various pieces of equipment that can be re-arranged to the user's liking. The set's parts-count and size are moderate, which should help in being able to offer this set at a reasonable price.

Because of its subject-matter, the Jazz Studio Session -set has a slightly similar feel of "culture" as the Lego Architecture -sets, while still appealing to more play-oriented consumers as well because of the set's use of Lego minifigures. Fans of ECM Records, Pat Metheny and jazz music in general should naturally enjoy this set, even if they're not usually into Lego. Furthermore, lovers of music at large should find this set appealing - not least for the ability to use the main build and equipment towards their own custom-tweaks with ease. This aspect could be emphasized by including additional instruments in the set (such as a bass or a saxophone etc).

The Jazz Studio Session -set helps to raise popular awareness of lesser-known musical styles. This is not to diminish the value of more popular music genres, but to simply show that a whole host of great sounds and experiences await the open-minded explorer. In addition, the Jazz Studio Session -set's wider message is that in order to become good at something, hard work is usually required. This, in turn, is not the opposite of having fun. On the contrary: skillful and playful activity in any area of life is enjoyable in and of itself. Through its subject-matter, the set promotes the wholesome values of dedicated craftmanship and creativity.
 

The Set Includes

MAIN BUILD:
- Recording studio with a control room and a performance room

SECONDARY BUILD:
- ECM Records logo

EQUIPMENT:
- Acoustic guitar
- Grand piano
- Prophet 5 synthesizer
- Oberheim 4-voice synthesizer
- 3 microphones
- Microphone cables & stands
- Maracas
- Music sheet
- Headphones
- Recording and mixing console
- Speakers

MINIFIGURES:
- Manfred Eicher (producer)
- Jan Erik Kongshaug (engineer)
- Pat Metheny (guitar)
- Lyle Mays (keys)
- Nana Vasconcelos (percussion and vocals)

Now, Lego for young adults into the famous, superb german label headed by Manfred Eicher.

Lovely.

Site of the Day - AAA aka Alan's Album Archives

A goldmine!

Cool!

L'Enceinte Bleue

A cool, elegant, no-frills speakers built in granite (the beautiful Blue du Hainaut's granite!!!), from a young company from France.

The speakers used is a full-range single speaker from EMS - i.e. the EMS LB12, available in both versions: dynamic and field-coil (with PSU) (look for the red nose;-))


Here some details:


.- Type : single full range driver, granite bass reflex load
- Driver : 12″ Electro Magnet Speaker LB12, paper cone
- Frequency response : 55 Hz to 15 kHz at +/- 3 dB
- Sensitivity : 97dB/W/m
- Impedance : 16 ohms
- Handling power : 50W RMS
- Dimensions : 410 x 540 x 310 mm (WxHxD)
- Net weight : 84 kg

Prices are between EUR 8,000.00 and 11,500.00 plus the plexiglas or steel stands.


Available mid-2017.


P.S. - EMS isn't a new company: they come from the (noble) ashes of Fertin, the great French specialist of full-range speakers.

Nick Drake's River Man

... what a song, folks... and here you'll appreciate some seldom seen pictures from the original covers shots sessions...

... and... well, look at the pixies: he plays classical guitar and he smiles;-)

Alway loved and will love his music... forever.

Enjoy!

ECM master-tapes warehouse

ECM's porn, folks... a treasure cave full of music... no dusty place, but a laboratory-grade warehouse for these gems.

Bravo to Manfred Eicher and his staff, more and more.

Super Discs Dept. - Jean-Claude Malgoire's Le Quattro Stagioni by Vivaldi

I recently made it up with Vivaldi!

His ubiquitous Le Quattro Stagioni has been a true love&hate affaire for most of my life... 'til yesterday, as I got a pre-owned, pristine conditions CBS Masterworks' disc performed by Jean-Claude Malgoire and his La Grande Ecurie & la Chambre du Roy, engineered by Georges Kisselhoff and recorded as usual in his trusty recording "studio" - i.e. Notre Dame de Liban church in Paris.

The recording - as always when GK's concerned -  is a masterpiece, period!

This sure supports my positive feeling and falling in love for this recording, but the playing is so liquid and harmonically rich, the melodies are well here, never mechanic and cold as in virtually all the bunch of Vivaldi's work renditions I previously "enjoyed" with an annoying mixed-feeling.

Jean-Claude Malgoire, John Halloway's inspired solo violin and whole ensemble playing original instruments did the miracle.

A lovely, LOVELY disc and a sure must-have.

Recording - I gladly repeat and underline - is 2die4, as - I can now affirm - the music is;-)

Lenco Revamped!

I almost broke my back, but I took away and put on a shelf the mighty... ahem: bulky EMT 930st and its seismic base.

I swapped it for my beloved Lenco/Goldring G88 in slate plinth, with Micro CU-180 mat... in the next days, will install the matching slate/bronze arm pod with James Grant's Siggwan Cocobolo wood 12" unipivot arm from New Zealand and... you'd bet it?... a Lumiere DST freshly and masterfully serviced by Leonid Sinitsin.

This beauty remained far too much on a shelf... sadly, like keeping a Lotus Elan locked and unused in a garage.

Ha!

Living music

... I'm playing every day as I didn't in eons... my Lanaro flamenco classical guitar, 700 grams of maple and red Paneveggio spruce, (pre-ban) ivory and ebony tuners built by my luthier after my beloved 1973 Oskar Teller, a nice guitar I had when I was younger.

My fingers are completely relaxed and I enjoy playing a lot... nuances are awesome, vibrato a joy.

Steel strings, well... are steel strings... nylon is like a voice.

Steel strings : solid state = nylon strings : tubes!

DRÖNA by Ikea

Yes!

Ikea loves music collectors and audiophiles... by chance or not, their Dröna foldable records box, is an elegant (I got the above charcoal grey color), humble, cheap (at € 3,50/each) genius stroke to contain my beloved waxes... waiting for having new discs enough for a new Kallax;-)

... and it will happen;-)

Martin Brenner's Vinylista from Germany

Martin's Vinylista is a safe harbour for your 301, 401 and 124's...

Worth linking to this German manufacturer and his suspended plinth designs...

  

An useful recording tool

Cool!

Interactive tool.

Super Disc Dept. - Hermann Prey's Mozart Lieder on Deutsche Gramophone (Japanese pressing)

Please fogive me for the awful quality pix (due to relaxing low, dimmed light in my studietto), inversely proportional to disc sonic and musical qualities!

Will sure try to take a better focused and hi rez pix in the next hours... only wished to share the SUPERB quality of this disc, pronto!

A masterpiece... singer, piano and (occasional) mandolin are HERE in my room, folks!

Embroidered Zoetrope

Vinyl-art at its VERY best!

... spinning round and round and round...

ECM... from a bygone era!

... a disk?

No!

Shazam-free guaranteed!

... you'd bet it?

... interesting disk, from Hungary.

Winston Ma's system

An hommage to an hardcore audiophile, a musical bliss seeker, who passed away last year...

Thanking my friend Reinhard and Positive Feedback.

R.I.P.

Per aspera ad astra...

Ecstasy

Thanking Glenn Gould and Harvey "Gizmo" Rosenberg

Audio Lover

… the above definition sounds appropriate, in my opinion.

Yesterday evening I visited my pal Franco at his place, a spacious room packed with a nice audio system and literally dozens of acoustic and electric guitars, open reels and stage/studio electronic gears and effects for guitar.

An heaven.

Audio lover… you know translating into my native language it becomes not only “appassionato audio” but also “audio amante” o “amante audio”, as you prefer.

Do you wonder what I mean?

I mean: like with a lover, un’amante, meeting with audio/music friends represents one of the highlights of our passion; when I get a visit at my studietto, the best seat, the Eames’ lounge chair and ottoman are my host’s, I seat off-axis, happy if my pal enjoys.

I struck myself to choose the best, seldom heard discs… the most obscure discs, the sought after promo copy or original open reel pre-recorded tape or master-dub.

Same happened at Franco’s place: he digged his shelves and truly cool gems surfaced and got spinned and enjoyed.

Like with a “lover”, literally un’amante, when meeting, only the best is offered: charm, empathy, elegance, smart chatting, sweetness, good sex… that’s the joy of a pleasant, happy relationship.

No, not sex among audio lovers, yet only the best hosting and empathy, as choosing the right music makes an evening a special one or an average, so-so one.

… to some extent: what’s friendship if not sex-less love?

Let’s cherish our audio (lovers) pals;-) 

Fred Neil - Sessions (1967)

Something happened, yesterday…


... during a quiet, lovely listening session, mostly devoted to the “new” vinyl discs I recently purchased at a local flea market, after some Bach and assorted harpsichord music by Gustav Leonhard, I felt the need to listen to something different… I mean very different.

 

I browsed in a discs-box and Fred Neil’s “Sessions” on Capitol (1967) re-surfaced.

 

I immediately recognized it as an original promo pressing with a “free” punched on a cover corner.

 

I placed the wax on Garrardzilla platter, put the peripheral-ring and the clamp and hand-lowered the Lumiere DST’s diamond tip on the disc.

 

The vinyl surface wasn’t perfect – i.e. assorted tiny pops and some wear-noise, but… when Fred’s voice began singing and those acoustic guitars interwoving and the low, nicely recorded double-bass also blossomed, it became apparent the surface noises weren’t disturbing the music and listening experience, at all!

 

To my surprise, I paid more attention to the phenomenon: it was like the vinyl noises where embedded in the dark studio/listening room background, while the music, so rich of nuances and bits, was simply more important and unaffected and popping out above mentioned pressing/worn out defects.

 

Impressive.

 

P.S. – the disc is a true masterpiece: Fred was the model after the late Tim Buckley made himself as Tim Buckley… roaring voice, superb 12 strings strumming… Mr. Tambourine Man himself – aka Bruce Langhorne is also playing his acoustic guitar… very cool idea leaving – thus the Sessions title – some chatting after the takes.

Highly recommended.

Neumann U87

A cool insight about the making of iconic Neumann U87.

Interesting.

ReVox uber alles!

The book to have as a ReVox' fan!

High quality coffee-table book... maybe a little pricey, yet VERY interesting and worthwhile to own.

Record of the Day - Alain Kremski - Vibrations - Improvisation pour piano et "bols chantants" tibetains (Auvidis)

What a strange, one of a kind record, folks!


Georges Kisselhoff masterfully engineered it, recording at his beloved Notre Dame de Liban church, in Paris, near Pantheon.


The sound on this disc is simply unbelievable, like the music: a concert piano recorded in a nicely reverberant huge church, yet keeping all the details, pedals, felt, hands, breathing and the decay is so natural and beautifully blending with the (weird) tibetan bells ancient sound.

I love this seldom heard and seen record.


If you're into beautiful, meditative, lounging atmospheres, grab this disc.


You won't regret.

Arvo Pärt is the world’s most performed living composer sixth year running!

In September, Arvo Pärt celebrated his 81st birthday with a new album launch. Called “The Deer’s Cry”, the album features the composer’s vocal pieces performed by Estonian vocal ensemble Vox Clamantis and conducted by Jaan-Eik Tulve.

Bravo!

Austin Kleon's Steal like an artist

Yesterday, while travelling by train... ahem: before travelling by train, actually, I bought a booklet at a railway station bookshop.

I read it in one hour... than I read it again today... 

So what?

Share! is the message.


Share!


Share!!!

A worth reading... something to be cross-read, suggesting something.

Thanks to Mr. Kleon.

I agree.