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For the second time in seven years, David Gilmour's iconic black Fender Stratocaster has been sold for a record-breaking sum.

The 'Black Strat' was Gilmour's favorite instrument on stage and in the studio through the majority of his Pink Floyd career. The guitar can be heard on classic albums like 'Dark Side of the Moon' (1973), 'Wish You Were Here' (1975), 'Animals' (1977) and 'The Wall' (1979).

On Thursday, the guitar sold in New York for a staggering $14.55 million at Christie's auction as the headlining item from 'The Jim Irsay Collection.' 

Irsay, the late-owner of the Indianapolis Colts, was an avid music fan and collector, who exhibited his collection of music artifacts at museums around the world. A portion of the proceeds of sales from the Irsay Collection will be donated to philanthropic causes, according to the Christie's listing.

Irsay purchased the guitar from a Christie's auction in 2019. That year Gilmour sold a total of 120 instruments at auction to raise funds to help fight climate change. 

The entire collection brought in $21.5 million, with the Black Strat selling for $3,975,000 on its own.

The Black Strat's sales record was eclipsed the following year when Kurt Cobain's rare Martin D-18E sold for $6 million. 

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Chris Spedding’s amp 💫

 

 This is Chris Spedding’s Deluxe Reverb, which he's owned from new since 1970.

 It's been well used and well travelled obviously. It sounds fantastic.

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Jerry’s Tiger auctioned at Christie’s

 

One of the most iconic instruments in rock history changed hands Thursday night as Jerry Garcia’s legendary “Tiger” guitar achieved a price realized of $11.56 million at a Christie’s auction in New York—shattering its pre-auction estimate of $1–2 million and placing the instrument among the most valuable guitars ever sold.

While Tiger is most closely associated with Garcia’s performances throughout the 1980s with the Grateful Dead, the guitar has occasionally returned to the stage in tribute performances since Garcia’s passing. During the touring Jerry Garcia Symphonic Celebration, guitarist Warren Haynes performed on the legendary instrument — including a memorable appearance at Red Rocks Amphitheatre, where Garcia’s tone echoed once again across the Colorado sandstone.

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War for dummies 🫣

 

Thanking Bonvi 

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Il Bagno Turco/Hamam OST

 

This thrift-shop find is - maybe - one of the very, VERY best sounding disks I own!

The cute original sticker states the price when new, an hefty L. 25.000 (€ 13 nowadays, but worth more, back in the days!)

The Ferzan Özpetek’s movie is a nice, early production of the director (his best one?) and the soundtrack well serves the screenplay… sound- and music-wise, this CD is awesome, very much in Dead Can Dance’s vein, but not a copycat… it sounds so right and beautiful and the recording is simply A W E S O M E.

I strongly suggest you go and dig Discogs for your copy: you won’t regret!

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Fado and its secrets 💫

 

Preston Tuners on a Portuguese guitar

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Preston tuners or machines (also known as peacock, fan, or watchkey tuners) is a type of machine head tuning system for string instruments, named for English cittern (English guitar) maker John Preston and developed in the 18th century. Preston claimed to be the inventor of this design, though scholars note the originator could be the luthier John Frederick Hintz, who advertised such a mechanism as early as 1766. The tuning mechanism was also used on the German cittern known as the waldzither, and is associated with the early 20th century instruments built by C. H. Böhm.

This type of tuner is almost obsolete, but is still used for the Portuguese guitar, itself historically closely related to the English guitar. The 18th century incarnation of the design in England arranged the tuning bolts and hooks parallel with each other. 19th century Portuguese luthiers developed the current fan arrangement to accommodate the extra 2 strings with the octave doubling of the lower courses and narrower fingerboard width; the English instrument had two single strings instead and a slightly wider fingerboard.

The Portuguese guitar or Portuguese guitarra (Portuguese: guitarra portuguesa, pronounced: [ɡiˈtaʁɐ puɾtuˈɣezɐ]) is a plucked string instrument with twelve steel strings, strung in six courses comprising two strings each. It is one of the few musical instruments that still uses Preston tuners. It is most notably associated with fado.

Amazing women 💫

 

An amazing grouping of British folk / blues women!

Jo Ann Kelly, English blues musician who played the Memphis Blues Festival (and sister of Dave Kelly); 

Jacque Mcshee, superlative vocalist for folk/jazz ensemble Pentangle with Bert Jansch, John Renbourn, Danny Thompson, and Terry Cox;

and Carol Grimes who was in the band Delivery prior to a solo career where she recorded an album with Area Code 615 (Kings of Nashville sessions musicians); and a younger lady who, while unknown to me, must have turned out just as amazing...

Thanks to Jacque Mcshee for posting this one!

Bjork as the goddess of the woods 💫

 

Vassar’s fiddle 💫

 

This is the fancy fiddle that graced the hands of one Vassar Clements! 

It is believed it was crafted in the 1500s by a renowned German luthier, but is most likely a quality copy.

The fiddle features an ornately head carved scroll and a painting on the back. 

It is believed to have been owned previously by a distinguished Russian violinist, and by renowned bluegrass fiddler John Hartford, who gifted this fiddle to Vassar in the 1970s. 

Pretty cool! 

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A Seiji Ozawa monument 💫

 

A 238 disks (😳) box set brings together recordings across

multiple labels: Deutsche Grammophon, Decca/ Philips, Hyperion, ECM New Series and Telarc under Universal Music Group, plus licensed titles from Sony Music, Warner Music, and Victor Entertainment. The set also features concert recordings released for the first time.

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Mirrophonic 💫

 

Thanks to John Piro for sharing this relic from a long-gone (better?) world 

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… if you don’t know… ☺️😉😎☺️

 

… you’d better fill the gap 🤭

Last disc for today, and cannot think a better way to end a late, foggy afternoon.

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Bill Evans Trio ‘65 💫

 

Chad strikes again: this stellar quality disc, originally and masterfully engineered by Rudy Van Gelder, produced by Creed Taylor and Val Valentin as recording director, a dream-team of so many Verves’, has been reissued by Acoustic Sounds and it sounds better than ever: Larry Bunker and Chuck Israel accompanied Bill Evans with deep respect and amazing interplay, with just a shy, little tear remembering Paul Motian and Scott LaFaro… 

Recording is simply amazing… like the playing and music: a timeless classic.

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Virtuoso!

 

Spinning now this amazing tour de force by Joe Pass recorded in 1973.

The complex playing isn’t guitar-gym like for many top guitarists, but speed and dexterity are at the service of Music which flows smoothly and enjoyable.

That’s something only a virtuoso is able to reach!

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Give me an “F”… give me a “U”… give me a “C”…

 

RIP for the one and only Country Joe McDonald 

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Guilty!

 

Understated, for sure!

A gorgeous four disks boxset and cool booklet.

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75th 🥂

 

Well, it was an anniversary, back then 🥂

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A great compilation, indeed.

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A Love Letter ❤️

 

During the 1960's and 1970's letter tape were popular to send to family, friends, and to others in the post as another form of correspondence - recording on reel tape!  

The box of reel tape states the playing time is 7 1/2 minutes and the reel tape is Long Play Tape at 150ft or 45m.   

Would be a cool love letter ❤️

The Voice 💫

 

Spinning now this luscious disc, with Nelson Riddle’s honey-like orchestra and a recording to die for.

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Masters of War, fuck off!