R.I.P. for a Poet - Claudio Lolli passed away...

... yesterday: he was 68 years old.

Claudio was a sincere, straightforward artist and I loved his music in a strange way: it was the music which made me comfortably sad, owning a seldom heard sort-of confidence, a complicity between listener and artist, as he really, empathically felt me.

It was the music I listened to when I was feeling bluesy... as a teenager I was, sometimes... love pains, you know.

A Claudio Lolli's disc represented a safe harbour, a warm nest for the hurting soul of a younger me.

I cherished his discs for decades and listened to them sometimes, fondly remembering the feeling they gave to me and appreciating how his music was sounding timeless.

Timelsss like poetry is...

RIP for Claudio Lolli... a non-compromising artist and someone whose passing away makes me thinking about death...

Will give a spin to his records... cannot think a better way to remember him.

Andreas Kuhn's Studer C37 Heaven

Since I got my Studer C37, some months ago, I was in BIG troubles to find a reliable, knowledged and specialized-enough technician able to deal with all and every aspects and secrets of this 50+ years old behemoth, iconic tape-machine, someone able to bring the recorder up-to-specs, ready for third-millennium careful use.

A 4 hours traffic-jam at St. Gothard's tunnel... fortunately with 23,5 Centigrades temp...

The 75 kg kid in the trunk... 

 My hotel and Thun Castle

My C37 and two of the Zen-like original Studer's special tools for heads and tape-guides alignments... the screwdriver isn't only a screwdriver! 

My Studer C 37 on the workbench 

Andreas and yours truly with a sought-after 4-tracks Studer J-37  

... one of the issues, a lightened fuse-holder... unfortunately, not a blown fuse. 

 ... one of best Andreas' friends in the workshop: an hydraulic lifter, mandatory for moving around these beasts.

By chance, instinct, whatever... while searching for a tech-head, I found THE tech-head!

Andreas Kuhn - a Swiss gentleman - has an impressive curriculum whose details - I apologize - I'll keep for myself, and his personal story is a one-of-a-kind one... enough to say it's a family-story of deep passion for one of the most famous Swiss manufacturers: Studer.

A much welcome obsession!

I recently had the honour and pleasure to meet him at his workshop and spent some i n c r e d i b l e  hours with him: after chatting and sharing common experiences and assorted life facts, after a while he suddenly changed his mood - like he sort-of invisibly wore the elegant white coats as the Studer's technicians and employees, as seen on the classic Studer's leaflets from the '70s - he took a deep overlook to my C37, inspecting every mechanical alignment and issues, everything which needed some attention, mechanically and electrically.

Everything is clear in Andreas' mind: he knows all secrets of C37... he really heralds and represents the heritage of Willi Studer and famed "Swiss Precision".

We laughed a lot, talked of everything: I truly met a nice, nice chap.

... and my C37 is in the VERY best hands money can buy...


(to be continued)

Tim Buckley's Complete live at Troubadour recordings

"In early September 1969, Tim Buckley played four sets over two days at LA club The Troubadour, along with a rehearsal set, all of which were recorded. These shows featured Buckley at his improvisational best, each performance of every song being different from other performances of the same song. 

On these recordings, Buckley was accompanied by his guitarist Lee Underwood and congas player Carter C.C. Collins, along with John Balkin on bass and Frank Zappa/Captain Beefheart drummer Art Tripp. 

These recordings have been issued across three CD releases in 1994 and 2017, but this 6 LP box set is the first time that they have been gathered together in one release. Features extensive and explanatory annotation by compiler Pat Thomas, along with photos and ephemera."

Release date was July 13th, 2018... but already temporarily out of stock on Amazon.