The King 👑

 

              Robert Fripp turns 78 years old, today 🥂🥂🥂💫💫💫💎💎💎

Happy birthday, Maestro 🥂

Johanna Martzy’s 100th anniversary edition 💎💫💎

 

These 100% made in Switzerland 🇨🇭 masterpieces are a true musical statement, a labor of love of my friend Jürg Schopper whose good taste and unique tape library are world renowned.

He was able in decades of collecting and - literally - rescuing thousands of master tapes from being trashed by recording studios, defunct labels and radios, private collections, festivals and state-owned collections.

Now these gems are kept in a temperature and humidity controlled archive and the process of evaluating ALL these recordings is a lifetime effort… many long forgotten gems are found and the best are painstakingly made available to music lovers worldwide.

Many great recordings were already issued, in a typically uncompromising Swiss fashion: ultra-limited edition 1:1 reel to reel masterdubs or extremely limited edition vinyl-discs, all with comprehensive musical and technical liner-notes, beautiful pictures and high quality Swiss-made pressings.

A Tibor Varga’s Saint-Saëns/Albinoni is a personal fave and a gem every music lover should own 💎

The volcanic Herr Schopper and his Triston label - after the awesome Yello’s reissue on tape masterdub presented at last Munchen HiEnd 2024 and almost sold-out - did it again and published - up to-date - three of four AWESOME Radio Zurich Johanna Martzy’s recordings  and they are of highest quality, a true must-have.

These the track-lists… the discs are amazing in every aspect: almost nobody (but the enthusiast and not-compromising lunatic 😏) produces records the old way, from analog master-tapes to mastering, plating and pressing… no digital gimmick!

The violin is captured at its best and Mrs. Martzy’s playing is first-rate and a truly well-kept secret among music connoisseurs, a violinist’s violinist, indeed.

I suggest everybody interested in stellar quality music and golden-ears around to believe yours truly and grab these triptych before the very limited edition goes sold-out.

Unfortunately, I had to play these amazing discs on a lesser home audio system as my Gotorama (as I extensively described) is dismantled and in storage… but I can assure these beauties will be among the first I’ll spin on my Garrardzilla, hopefully soon.

A Love Supreme 💫

 

Rare as it can be 💫

Sooooooo saaaaad news 😥😥😥 John Mayall passed away 😥😥😥

 

I swear: I’m right now listening to beloved “Bare Wires” and yesterday I enjoyed “USA Union” and “Blues from Laurel Canyon”… and I just read the news.

John Mayall has been a constant musical presence for me since early ‘70s when I discovered his “The Turning Point” and  “Jazz Blues Fusion”, and then all his amazing recordings, a true goldmine and a smooth soundtrack of my whole life.

I’m really, really sad… he was 90 years old, but what the heck! you don’t think Mount Everest will never die!

Here is an obituary (cut&paste) from JM official site.

“ It is with heavy hearts that we bear the news that John Mayall passed away peacefully in his California home yesterday, July 22, 2024, surrounded by loving family. Health issues that forced John to end his epic touring career have finally led to peace for one of this world’s greatest road warriors. John Mayall gave us ninety years of tireless efforts to educate, inspire and entertain.

In a 2014 interview with The Guardian, John reflected, “[blues] is about – and it’s always been about – that raw honesty with which [it expresses] our experiences in life, something which all comes together in this music, in the words as well. Something that is connected to us, common to our experiences.” That raw honesty, connection, community and playing of his will continue to affect the music and culture we experience today, and for generations to come.”
RIP, dear John 💫💎💫 you made myself and countless others happy with your burnished nice voice and music 💫🥇🔝🙏🙏🙏💫

Wolfgang Dauner - Output (ECM 1006 - 1970)

 

This was my first (of hundreds to come) ECMs’… this disc and music sure changed my life!

I vaguely remember I was - of course - attracted by the cover; the shop owner in Padua never listened to it neither he knew nothing about label and artist.

A young daredevil me felt confident to spend the hideous 3000 lire price-tag and rushing at home to listen to this newly found 💎.

The disc sounded quite stodgy to my young, virgin ears… nonetheless, a piece - i.e. “Mudations” - first track of side one, captured my senses and I remember I listened to it repeatedly, while my mom sometimes opened my room door and stared at me, with worried eyes… this music was “this” strange and alien.

I kept my nerves and absorbed this completely new nectar…

 

Then - some months after this epiphany - I bought my second ECM’s Ralph Towner’s “Trios/Solos”… and I was hooked for the life.

Strange or not, this first ECM’s also opened my doors of perception toward (now so-called) Krautrock: Tangerine Dreams, Popol Vuh, Klaus Schulze, Ash Ra Temple.

So: thanks Manfred Eicher and Wolfgang Dauner 💫💫💫

Toumani Diabate passed away ❤️‍🩹

 

A big tree has fallen…

From Derek Gripper, his long time friend and collaborator:

“ Doc. You were the greatest of inspirations to me. I have played two composer’s music without stopping for twenty years, yours and Bach’s. They have always been two sides of the same coin for me. I’m pleased to say I got to meet you. An honour to have met and spent musical time with one of Africa’s greatest composers. Peace be upon you. A great musician has passed. Toumani Diabaté. #kaira #kora #toumanidiabate @toumanidiabatemusic.  Doc. Vous avez été ma plus grande source d’inspiration. J’ai joué la musique de deux compositeurs sans arrêt pendant vingt ans, la vôtre et celle de Bach. Pour moi, ils ont toujours été les deux faces d’une même pièce. Je suis heureux de dire que j’ai eu la chance de vous rencontrer. C’est un honneur d’avoir rencontré et passé du temps musical avec l’un des plus grands compositeurs d’Afrique. Que la paix soit avec vous. Un grand musicien nous a quittés. Toumani Diabaté.”

I’ll play his majestic “The Mandè Variations”, today… a musical genius.

He was 58 years old 😥

💫💫💫

✅

 

A Dadaist act…

 

This is not a ReVox… 

… it’s a banana 😏😉😏

(Actually a friend laser-proofing)

💫

Why not?

 

There is a “world day” for everything, so: why not for beloved lute?

💫

Life Instructions for dummies ✅

 

My Studietto at Goto’s Hall of Fame in Japan

 

At Tomohiro-san’s workshop in Osaka, Japan.

Thanks to my pal Liam Porr for sharing.

💫

Schopper’s bronze platter for Thorens TD-124

 

A gorgeous Swiss-made product (with a bit of Italian’s artisan artistry to restore it to brand-new shiny appearance 😉😏😉) which pushes the classic turntable even higher… it sounds soooo right and detailed 💫🥇💫

Thanks to my pal Jürg 🙏

Just an old door 💫

 

The old door of The Troubadour Folk Club.

It was at 265 Old Bromton Rd, London.

Probably must be London's oldest continously 

running Folk-club, since 1956.

Martin Winsor and Redd Sullivan were the owner

for many years, it was a simple Coffee-House.

They had an incredible archive of old photos,

a list of people who sung at the Troubadour:

Bob Dylan, Joni Mitchell, Paul Simon,

Stefan Grossman, Nigel Denver, Sandy Denny, Bert Jansch... 

The list is infinite...

Someone has told me that Nick Drake was there

a couple of times, playing the piano that was

at the basement. Maybe just a legend… but a nice one 💫

Accordeongly 😉

 

The Happy Audiophiles

 

Our happiness gets smaller as we get older. As children, our joys are simple and abundant: a sunny day, a favorite toy, a loving hug. Our smiles are wide, our laughter contagious.

But as we grow older, our happiness becomes more elusive. We chase bigger dreams, only to find that they don't fulfill us as deeply as we thought. We accumulate more possessions, but they don't bring us the joy we once found in simple pleasures.

Marco

We become more cautious, more jaded, more critical. Our smiles fade, our laughter becomes less frequent. We start to believe that happiness is a luxury we can no longer afford.

But what if we're looking at happiness through the wrong lens? What if we're chasing the wrong things? What if happiness is not something we find, but something we create?

In a few days I visited my pal Marco’s place in Bologna twice, introducing him to four new friends: Misho and Yanislav & Altin and Franco.

What I learned from my (humble) Charon’s role is that - yes - happiness exists and it’s elusive as the scent of fresh haystacks or rain, but when you experience you’ll never forget.

Happiness is in the eyes of friends deeply enjoying each other’s company, sharing music and chatting, never tired of late night driving back home.

It’s a blinking, wet eye in the dimmed light during an heavenly Haendel or Bach’s piece…

It’s a palpable feeling I so much love, which is exponentially enhanced “knowing” friends are feeling the very same.

Priceless 💫

I love this picture 💫

For many, owning expensive and sought-after audio gears is a form of onanistic autoeroticism, a power affirmation of sort… something not practiced among us.

I apologize with my audio-obsessed friends for not entering into audio details; that’s not important affirming Goto SG-1880 sounds absolutely gorgeously or a Neumann DST62 cartridge mounted on a Thorens TD-124 is insanely good…

Remember? 

We’re after happiness, we’re (music-induced) serotonin and dopamine addicted  😂😵‍💫😉😂 and eargasms-seekers… our audio adult-toys aren’t made to impress fellows but functional to above search… we’re hungry for happiness.

Something which becomes sublime nectar if sipped in good company with best friends.

Let's rediscover the joy of the little things. Let's embrace the beauty of simplicity. Let's find happiness in the present moment - hic et nunc - not in some distant future.

Happiness is not a destination, but a journey.

💫

P.S. - it’s not necessary to spend zillions in audio ancillaries to be happy 😏😉😏 as who finds a friend finds a treasure 💎