Willi Studer

 

This portrait painting was a gift of Studer’s employees in 1977 for Herr Studer’s 65th birthday.

Thanks to Walter Stutz for sharing!

The King Crimson

 

Still cool in CV19/lockdown times...

本当にユニークなレコーダー！🥇

 

Revox G36HS - the masterpiece

 

Poor man Studer C37...

Covid19 and art...

 

Philips EL6471

Steampunk amp from Philips...

Keith Jarrett’s illness

 Sad news:

“I don’t know what my future is supposed to be,” he told the New York Times. “I don’t feel right now like I’m a pianist. That’s all I can say about that.”

That’s it... everything goes... art remains, the man isn’t immortal, the art - KJ’s music - is.

Best wishes to Mr. Jarrett for the best possible recovery to allow him to enjoy life, again.

Gotorama- a different point of view

 

Thanking my host, Moreno, who took and shared these pixies...

Busy system, apparently... but it’s embarrassingly simple, almost minimalist.

😄

Da Man and Da System!

 

Rullit’s Aero 8 Field-coil drivers in large Tractrix horns... last Saturday I had an epiphany listening to this system... sound is so right, folks!

I enjoyed this superb system despite it’s still a work-in-progress... 

Bravo to Moreno - the skinny, elegant gentleman and landlord/owner shown on above picture - and to Fabio, the builder of these amazing horns, whose system using larger Rullits’ in bespoke hand made and tuned resonant open-back enclosures will be objectively covered by a full review... I’m still digesting and metabolizing thee listening session.

Awesome.

The Gizmo

This is the definitive version of bespoke AEG core, 60 mm diameter, to reduce overall size of reel-pancake tape, often difficult when playing with different reel-to-reel - pro and semi-pro/home - machines.

A gizmo!

At John Coltrane’s funeral

 

The funeral of John Coltrane at St Paul’s Lutheran Church, New York, July 21st, 1967.

The Green Thing

The famous "Green Board," a vintage Wally Heider custom UA 610 tube recording console used to record Duke Ellington, Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash (Live at Folsom Prison), Cream, Jimi Hendrix, Neil Young, Otis Redding, The Beach Boys, and so many more.  

Originally fabricated by the legendary Frank DeMedio for Wally Heider’s Remote Recording Service in the early '60s  using Bill Putnam designed Universal Audio 610 modules.

Now owned by Neil Young, if you want to hear how great this baby sounds, listen to HARVEST.

Strauss - Also Sprach Zarathustra - Fritz Reiner (ECS-1 “in-line” tape)

 

In-line pre-recorded tapes are as rare as they can be, these days!

New old stock, unplayed...

This 2 tracks 7 1/2” RCA tape was part of a premium collection, always cherished by previous owner and - would you bet it? - it sounds A W E S O M E!!!

A great find.

😱

YL, Goto, Onken, ALE - a saga

 

In the beginning were YL ( Yoshimura Laboratory ), and they became very famous. YL started with the 555, and tried to go beyond. Even today, if not produced anymore for many years, YL drivers are very common in Japan, and many used ones are available. YL let a important mark. All contemporary high efficiency speaker designers in Japan had their beginning at YL. Goto was founded 1965 by Seya Goto. Goto san was employee at YL Acoustic, which president and founder was Yoshimura San. In a short time, Goto got responsible for development and construction of compression drivers for home use ( hi-fi). Beside Goto, Endo San , founder of ALE acoustic, and Koizumi San ( founder of Onken ) were also former employees of YL Acoustic. 1965, after some important developments of drivers for domestic usage, YL ( which was not a small company, but rather making products at industrial scale ) decided to work with other products, more compact and easier to produce, directioning to finished speakers with folded horns. Seya Goto however, went the opposite route, developing more complex drivers and systems, with higher performance , without care of cost. In a few words, he wanted to produce new products , wanted to find new limits, go beyond the limits achieved at that time being. YL was not interested to go in this direction, so Goto left, and let Endo San and Koizumi with the development of YL.

Goto had in mind to make products, much more superior to the ones, YL had made in the past, products in fact, that would be the avant-garde of audio products for home use. So he started his independent research , and came to the conclusion, that the horns hat to be spherical, round, and straight. He came to this conclusion through mathematical / theoretic research, and as well through long listening sessions.

Soon after starting his venture, he met Takajo San, a famous guy amongst audiophiles in japan, and expert in master recording. Takajo San was also a passionate of hi-fi, and so, right after they met, he asked Goto to develop better drivers, with the ability to have higher dynamics and better detail . At that time, Takajo had a not very common opinion and philosophy, which today might make us smile : a audio system must be able to reproduce sound in a way, that it is indistinguishable to original sound. Takajo made a vast number of recordings, and compared them with his audio system, improving the results more and more. This influenced Goto remarkably. Takayo registered many times the noise of insects, because they represented to him very specific and particular sound, like a violin. The noise of insects is particular, repetitive, and rispid transients, very difficult to reproduce well. Takajo understood the importance of the transients , more than other parameters commonly used. So, the support of Takajo San was enormous, and permitted Goto to improve the horn profiles, to change the magnets, the diaphragms etc.

After this important and intense period, Goto presented his new products, with the promise of a sound, closer to the original sound, with the slogan :

Original, and reproduced sound, must be the same. Since then, Seya Goto never stopped, and improved his products, even at a short looking, it doesn’t appear evident, the big step forward he made in more than 40 Years. Goto had in the beginning only compression drivers in his program, and not woofers. In 1965 the diaphragms of the drivers were of aluminum, like the best American tradition, from which he started. Amongst the first products were the sg17 tweeter , and the sg555 midrange. One of the first improvement were the substitution of the tangential suspension with a FRP film ( probably mylar ) : the improvement was substantial. Afterwards Takajo was fundamental also for the development of the first Goto woofer. At the time, Takajo used woofers special for horn loading, and made for him, from a TAD engineer. When one of the TAD woofers stopped to work , he searched for the TAD engineer, but the men had died , and TAD was not able to repair the woofers. So Takajo asked Goto to repair it. Goto observed intensively that object and understood that the development and production of a good woofer was perfectly in his ability. Goto never repaired that woofer, but developed one with a enormous magnet . The weight was 40kg. It was this way that Goto also started to make woofers, completing this way his offers, to realize a horn system, only using Goto Unit drivers. So the SG38W was born. Goto did find out as well, that horns had to be short, to have low distortion and a correct sound. So , contrary to all others, he choose the hyperbolic profile. This profile has a important characteristic :

The impedance is constant almost from the cutoff Fc frequency, contrary to the exponential profile. This was the determinant factor of the choice of Goto, if however not the only one.

 Don’t let forget us the listening. The model SG370 , and SG16TT, have been produced without any change for 30 years, now. The SG38W is not the same today as in the past. The improvement of the Goto products went through various steps in the last 40 Years. Seya Goto founded his company with this goal in mind, to surpass always the limits, and this is what he does until today.

 Cost is not a important factor, he is driven by the passion of research, because, reproduced sound must sound the same as the original sound. Some improvement was to use stronger and bigger magnets, and the bettering of critical parts, with the introduction of very expensive but extremely well performing materials, like permendur, and last not least, with the introduction of diaphragms made of beryllium. Unfortunately, these drivers are also much more expensive

Tacet - forwards or backwards

 

A yin/yang disc...

Blue Note Re:imagined

 

Legendary labels Decca Records and Blue Note have joined forces for Blue Note Re:imagined; a brand new collection of classic Blue Note tracks brought together for the first time, reworked and newly recorded by a selection of the jazz scene’s most exciting young talents today.

Representing a bridge between the ground-breaking label’s past and future, the project will feature contributions from a rollcall of internationally acclaimed jazz, soul and R&B acts - Shabaka Hutchings, Ezra Collective, Nubya Garcia, Mr Jukes, Steam Down, Skinny Pelembe, Emma-Jean Thackray, Poppy Ajudha, Jordan Rakei, Fieh, Ishmael Ensemble, Blue Lab Beats, Melt Yourself Down, Yazmin Lacey, Alfa Mist, and Brit Award-winning Jorja Smith, whose version of St Germain’s Rose Rouge is released today.

The track, for which St Germain originally sampled Marlena Shaw’s Cookin With Blue Note At Montreaux album, takes its cues from classic soul, jazz and reggae and perfectly captures the enduringly relevant Blue Note aesthetic.

“Honoured to be involved on this Blue Note album to rework St Germain’s anthem ‘Rose Rouge’. And with such an array of wonderful musicians on the album, including my brothers Ezra Collective”. - Jorja Smith

“This project means so much to us in Ezra Collective. For us, Blue Note encapsulates everything that jazz is. Everchanging, evermoving with times and always swinging. From Herbie to Wayne, Glasper and Jose James. Across the decades it’s been a constant source of inspiration, so to contribute to that is a dream come true. Footprints was a song we learnt as teenagers, and a song we’ve haven’t left alone since. It felt the perfect opportunity to pay homage to a hero of ours, Wayne Shorter, as well as document the journey we’ve made as a band since then."  - Ezra Collective

1. Jorja Smith “Rose Rouge” – from St Germain Tourist (2000)
2. Ezra Collective “Footprints” – from Wayne Shorter Adam’s Apple (1966)
3. Poppy Ajudha “Watermelon Man (Under The Sun)” – from Herbie Hancock Takin’ Off (1962)
4. Jordan Rakei “Wind Parade” – from Donald Byrd Places and Spaces (1975)
5. Skinny Pelembe “Illusion (Silly Apparition)” – from Andrew Hill One for One (1969)
6. Alfa Mist “Galaxy” – from Eddie Henderson Sunburst (1975)
7. Ishmael Ensemble “Search for Peace” – from McCoy Tyner The Real McCoy (1967)
8. Nubya Garcia “A Shade of Jade” – from Joe Henderson Mode for Joe (1966)
9. Steam Down feat. Afronaut Zu “Etcetera” – from Wayne Shorter Etcetera (1965)
10. Blue Lab Beats “Montara” – from Bobby Hutcherson Montara (1975)
11. Yazmin Lacey “I’ll Never Stop Loving You” – from Dodo Greene My Hour of Need (1962)
12. Fieh “Armageddon” – from Wayne Shorter Night Dreamer (1964)
13. Mr Jukes “Maiden Voyage” – from Herbie Hancock Maiden Voyage (1965)
14. Shabaka Hutchings “Prints Tie” – from Bobby Hutcherson San Francisco (1970)
15. Melt Yourself Down “Caribbean Fire Dance” – from Joe Henderson Mode for Joe (1966)
16. Emma-Jean Thackray “Speak No Evil / Night Dreamer” – from Wayne Shorter Speak No Evil (1964) & Night Dreamer (1964)

RIP for Eddie

 

Disc of the day - Bill Frisell Trio - Valentine (Blue Note 2020)

 

Gorgeous disc, folks! Mr. Morgan’s double-bass is masterfully recorded, much better than on last duo ECM’s double-disc.

Great!

😱

 

Made in Western Germany

 

Nick Drake’s Pink Moon, Five Leaves Left & Bryter Layter master tapes

 

These humbly looking, battered, ugly boxes contains among the best music ever written and played!

I wished to share as I felt it to be enriching and worthwhile.