Berlin Audio Nights 2008 - The (short) Story

... Berlin's siren-song worked again... its people, its energy, the sun, the trees, the bikes... the girls & the bikes;-)... the beer... all worked SO well I'm still, after some hours back home, deeply moved... I'm missing U-Bahn U2 and the great Kraftwerk's soundtrack to this great city... that "Vitamine" from Tour de France me and my friends so often played in our pilgrimage in audio and music lovers homes, 'til few hours ago.

The idea of these "audio nights" was quite simple: people opening their homes for friends coming from Switzerland, UK, USA, Belgium, The Netherlands, Italy and Germany... chatting, enjoying dinner and brunches all together, listening to music, swapping ideas, hints, experiences, witty comments on what we grooved into for two well packed days of music and audio.

... as I wrote, this is a short story or, better yet... more a "Thanks" which can't be delayed from myself as an humble part of this crazy bunch... thanks to anyone for the warm welcome I received and for the SO interesting, nice chatting we had during these days, for learning a lot from everyone... thanks to Thomas Schick, Birgit, little Aaron and his Orangina - for friendship, hosting, brunch and Klangfilm sound, to Doug Eisemann and his kindness and knowledge - a true pleasure meeting you, Doug! - to Thomas Mayer and Hildegard - hoping to keep in touch and seeing soon, to Marc, Ralf and Bernd - my pilgrimage partners, to Michael Ulbrich for his good taste in music and kindness, to Peter for the nice beer pit-stop near his music-missing place, to Christoph for the superb music, good taste and great sound, to Frank "Dr. Sardonicus" Schroeder for witty approach, knowledge, truly superb sound and nice music - thanks for "Song for Drella", Frank... to Heiner Martion for great, GREAT sound, to Uwe and Zsolt and Ivan for being the beautiful personas they are... to Jonathan's witty, interesting Trans-Siberian's adventure et al.

... the above being not intended as an highlights list... only some sincere, random flashes... but, as Ivan told me at 2 A.M. after Nam Ngo's "Tube King Restaurant" dinner, while returning to our places in Prenzlauer Berg... "I enjoyed immensely"

... me too, Ivan...

(to be continued...)

Stephan Micus

WOW... Stephan Micus, a true, well kept secret in contemporary music played last evening in superb Teatro Donizzetti... a rare, rare concert, indeed.

I knew about this very event few hours before it, thanks to my friend Donatella and her mobile-phone message... and thanking the kindness and support of Francesco Alleva and Alessandro Bettonagli (respectively the organization team and artistic directors behind the concert) I've been able to enjoy ALL the musical nuances, the weird and exotic sounds which came from the classy, elegant, yet minimalist stage.

Dimmed lights, wooden rear baffles... only the (necessary) mikes and booms only slightly worked against the Stephan Micus' ascethic persona, shy, yet strong appearance on stage.

His concerts - never more than 10 - 15 per year worldwide, are completely different than his several records on ECM... he, as a consummate and expert traveller and globetrotter, always travels lightly packed... no guitars, rebab, dilruba, ki u ki, stone percussions and the like; his companion is only what can be stored in an old hobo-like grey, battered suitcase: a zither from Germany, two shakuhachi from Japan, two duduk from Afghanistan, a suling from Bali, two kalimba from Gambia, two tin-whistle from Ireland... that's it.
A world in a suitcase... and his Mount Athos' trained voice... or, again, a superb, SUPERB encore on some obscure, poetic archaic Arabic lullaby where he get three different voices... shivers, tears, deep true emotion...

The so shy Stephan Micus considers the concert as a window where worlds collide... his out of the crowd, meditative, calm, quiet, poetic, beautiful world and our world... he stated that he'll never issue a live recording and, after yesterevening, I know he's sincere!

When I briefly chatted with him, after the concert, I learned many interesting aspects and observed him... his eyes are so quiet, but a little wild, spirited... maybe the long travelling made him so shy, word-shy, too... also when bowing at the audience handclappings, he too quickly disappeared in backstage, in his butter-white indian suit... he smiled a lot, when chatting together... a little sad, yet sincere smile... he appreciated I showed to him some of my vinyl records... ..."ah, vinyl records... they're much better than CDs..." and he carefully, lovingly handled the discs and the cover paper and autographed them...
Again, using italian to introduce his pieces gave to him a cute and friendly looking, but this was clearly a little tiring for him... this effort clearly showed his sincere respect for people in the hall, and his willing to be properly, fully understood...

The music is so important, but more important was looking at this humble, complex Man who saw the whole world, met people in five continents and learned from everyone he encountered on his path... music is already well served by his recordings... what a concert is for is allowing the passionate listener to understand and appreciate the blend of technique, soul, suffering, joy, skill and chance, the nervous and peaceful moods which are behind music, looking at the wrinkles on his face, tasting... yes, tasting the body smell after the concert when caring for these instruments coming from far countries... this is a concert. Living music... and a 360° life experience... a music which, suddenly, simply, changes your heartbeat and makes two hours a blissfull instant.

Om mani Padme Hum.

http://www.ecmrecords.com/Catalogue/Artists/micus_stephan.php

http://www.allaboutjazz.com/php/article.php?id=16055

http://italia.allaboutjazz.com/php/article.php?id=1532

Fire at Berlin Philarmonia Hall

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,356755,00.html



... what a mess, pals... I've no words on this... I'm very sad.

Nick Drake...

... and movies... this is "Black Eyed Dog", one of the very last songs he recorded before his too early death...
... really, I've not words enough to say what Nick's music represented to me since early '70s when I first heard it, beginning from "Pink Moon" album... his music changed my life!
Sadly his was so... so...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vDnDxvVjBic&feature=related

This little "divertissement" isn't bad... the New Deal mood with this very music... I find this YouTube's effort timeless and lovingly conceived...

The most mysterious disc ever?

The music and records collector life is quite various, so full of tales, mysteries, sought-after and elusive items: a slight difference in a cover and the very same disc is worth big bucks: come to mind first mono Bob Dylan's, the first Jefferson Airplane's, the "big face" 1st Neil Young, with Last trip to Tulsa, which unpleased a fussy Neil and was re-recorded and disc re-issued on Reprise label... the few copies which circulated (I own one...) are worth... well, you got it... , the Velvet's "torso" cover, where a guy involved in Warhol's Factory appeared, naked torso... after the first Velvet Undergound's sales, he asked for money... and the disc, to avoid legal hassles, was retired and re-issued with torso-less cover... voilà... no more money owed!

... the above are, of course, only some hints, the iceberg tip in the hard collector's jungle!

... but, here I'd wish to talk about another lesser known, obscure, niche disc... Tir Na Nog first record on Chrysalis green label.

It's worth - in the "right" (or wrong, depending on which side you're...) hands - fair amount of money, but listen...

Tir Na Nog was a duo of male singer, guitar players, a by-product of some Notting Hill life-style, back in late '60s... Sonny Condell and Leo O'Kelly's voices are angel-like and the cheapy Harmony Sovereign are so cleverly recorded by the magic ears and hands of sound engineer Nic Kinsey at his Livingston Studios in High Barnet, Northern London... it's a superdisc, a lion in sheep skin!

The production is by the giant of English folk music, Bill Leader, a man who, using a tube Revox recorder and a tube AKG C-12 pair made the history of music: Anne Briggs, John Renbourn, Bert Jansch... Transatlantic used in early '60s... Bill's dining-room or bedroom as a studio!!!

The record catalog number is typically Island of the Golden Years... ILPS 9153, Nic Kinsey and Bill Leader were typically Transatlantic chaps as is the sound, superb, I repeat... the Sovereigns' are captured smooth, natural... better, FAR better than expensive Martin's in lesser hands, studio ambient and voices sibilants, all is flawlessly "here" in this very disc!

How I'd wish to know "why" this collaboration happened... it's like if Rolling Stones would have recorded Paint it Black for EMI, with George Martin's producing, back in early '60s!!!

The songs are quite well done, still nice after almost 40 years, sounding not so dated, they aged pretty well.
... so what? Buy it, grab it if you find at some site or record market... I own two copies... like with Lumiere's cartridges... can't REALLY think me without this record!

Speaking about Island made me to go upstairs, looking for more... now listening to Traffic's "The low spark of long heeled boys"... Hidden Treasures, the first track, is really what I think about "my" music... hidden treasures among endless, infinite vinyl grooves... a world, a better universe!

Thanks Stevie... the tenor sax and hand-clapping on the titlesong are "so here"... you can't stop handclapping unison, too!!!

Yeahhhhhhhhh...

Q: What's time?

A: a sandclock!

A simple, ancient way to "see" the time... Anthony Braxton, the great musician used it as an improvisation tool... i.e. - improvising on the sax is sooo various, complex and endless... I'll need a path, a rule... someone who or something which will say "Stop!" and what's more democratic, free and gentle as the Time...

How can I see it, as it's invisible? A wristwatch? naaa... much better a romantic, classy looking one-hour lasting sandclock!

People at the concert, last year, was like ipnotized by sand flowing and flowing... at the last sand-grain, mr. Braxton, suddenly, as he began playing, he stopped with a smile, like an apology.

Imitating the greats is called "learning"... I just found a one-hour sandclock... I guess I'll call my next improvisation "Humbly: Time".

... 'til the very last sand-grain.

Berlin Triode Nights 2008

http://www.thomas-schick.com/dlnds.htm





A music and tube happening in Berlin, hosted and nicely appointed by Thomas Schick and selected friends... nice people, fine food, tubes, music at friends homes & nice music-systems tasting and lotta chatting on the matter... and Berlin still is a vinyl records heaven http://www.33rpm.de/ et al.... a dream.
... for (necessary) weather forecast: http://www.weathercity.com/de/berlin/

Will report soon... just stay tuned.

Laurie Anderson

... a mistery: She looked like she was 2 meters tall, while flawlessly performing, black dressed, braveheart icy eyes, on stage... yesterday evening at MaxLive in Costabissara, Vicenza, Italy.


When I briefly chatted with Her after the amazing, awesome, soooo beautiful show... hey, She was so cute, minute, almost fragile... BUT the light She brings in and with her Music, she's also among the most important performing artists I'm aware of... a true Giantess of arts.

I asked her about the trip to Tibet, Lake Mansarovar and Holy Mount Kailash back in early '90s... she honestly admitted than, more than deep mystic experience, she was very sick due to altitude... but still remembered the yaks smelling;-)

... politics... well: crude, heavy, like an iron hand in fur gloves... she also quoted, among others sad crazyness concerning U.S. of A.'s international politic behaviours she so effortlessly and sincerely blames, the Dal Molin/Vicenza hassle and pain in the ass for many, many people around... a very appreciated and sincere word from a sincere and very sensitive woman and artist.

... and, possibly, for yours truly, maybe among the five very best concerts ever... and I'm a pretty avid concert-goer, believe me...

Her music, formerly a newly composed project titled "Homeland" - whose disk will be available in early 2009 - has been able to "stop the clock": the text and atmospheric music and texture, her electric violin, voice and sampling, the superb, Zen-like viola on the right-stage, THE MIGHTY vintage bass-guitar... I never saw such a long-scale instrument... going subterrean low-bass, con gusto... WOWOWOW!



A rare, rare happening and personally feeling fortunate enough having been in the bunch enjoying this very concert and a joy meeting such a truly warm human being, a very sincere artist and a musical lighthouse to me since my first exposure to her music.

ohhhh, Suuuuupermaaaannn...;-)

http://www.laurieanderson.com/

http://www.mansarovar-kailash.com/

The little, mighty SHELBY 4W LAMP - an industrial tale!

A SHELBY 4W bulb is endlessly, humbly shining since 1901!!!

This little, tender, humble glass globe with a filament is a sort of industrial miracle... the story: in Livermore-Pleasanton Fire Guard Station # 6 this bulb never broke, nor stopped to shine in 107 years!

Its light saw several wars, Edison, Roosvelt, the Great '29 Depression, the New Deal, JFK and Nixon, Reagan and Bush, and it became a cult... people, the brave Fireguard caressed its warm glass bulb before a mission, pregnant women searched in its warm round belly and long life an happy ending and good health in their pregnancy fruits.

It's a tale, a modern one, with some Fritz Lang's Metropolis flavour, but still a tale... let's remember the average bulb life is in the few thousand hours realm... this gizmo shone for more than a million hours... here is, still alive and kickin'...

http://www.centennialbulb.org/cam.htm

Tibet & Tibbetts

I love Steve Tibbetts and Tibet... if a pix tells more than 100 words, a song is worth a book!

http://it.youtube.com/watch?v=3Ky6O6VoXV0

&

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VJGQAXG162I&NR=1

Have a listen to this nice music... it's full of compassion and love for Tibet and Its People... and Now, when the newspapers are almost silent on the matter... NOW it's the very moment to wish to Dalai Lama and His People to live in peace in their ancient Holy Land.

Namastè! Om Mani Padme Hum! Amen!

"Buddhism is the only religion that doesn't promise anything. Only suggests we work with ourselves fundamentally."

--Chögyam Trungpa, Rinpoche

Slate and audio

Few days ago I went to Liguria for shopping... no, no pesto, trofie and the like... BUT, slate!

This wonderful, natural, almost sexy material has some vibes taming properties which, I must admit with regret, I wasn't aware of...

I had a 60 x 60 x 8 cm slab custom made at a slate workshop and placed, with some troubles due to the 90 kilos weight, under the Garrard 301/Shindo with my bronze arm-base, Schick 12 inches arm and Lumiere DST cartridge.

Under the slab I placed my "RollingPods"... the 140 kilos total-weight monster is controlling sound and vibes... while granito or marble are "singing" materials, slate is self-dampening, giving to music a shiny, true-to-life patina... nonetheless, dynamics are GREATLY improved, the inter-notes silence is more "here", more important in music as it is at a concert...

Selfconsciousness in Sound

The Void (Sanskrit: Shunyata. Tibetan: Tong-pa-nyi.)- The Buddhist conception of the ultimate nature of reality. Refers specifically to the lack of an inherently existent self in all phenomena and beings.

... and that's what I got... as I meditate, I don't want... things happens, by chance... purer than pure, no will, no wishes... things - sometimes - find me.

Unsaid, mysterious worlds are all around... let's give our truest, inner very Self the possibility to blossom... only an empty, quiet mind is able to see and hear the Very Essence of World... call it God if you can't absolutely avoid it... but it's higher, no need for books, priests, monks, churches... be your Cathedral the Universe... be your Bishop and Pope...

Sound is your Holy Book... and the above "only" from a century old Tibetan singing bowl I (quite) recently found in an humble, small street market... Its double tone, soooo deep ringing has been sort-of a switch for me... "ON"... no, better: "OM"...

Chanting and meditating on these heavenly sounds is like I found a diamond in the mud, which shines and shines, endlessly...

Satori...

Some more practical infos:

http://www.bodhisattva.com/about.htm

RecordStoreDay

Il 19 aprile c'è il RecordStoreDay. "Nessun luogo può cambiare la tua anima più dei piccoli negozi di dischi". Forse ha proprio ragione lo scrittore inglese Nick Hornby, che li venera con la forza di un culto: tra quegli scaffali pieni di titoli entri chitarrista ed esci batterista, arrivi per chiedere l'ultimo successo in classifica ma c'è sempre qualcuno capace di farti cambiare idea, di farti scoprire un mondo, di darti una chance per crescere e per diventare migliore. "Cosa ascolti quando entri nel tuo negozio favorito per il download?" si chiede Nick Hornby. "Niente. E chi incontri? Nessuno. Chi ti consiglierà di smetterla di ascoltare questo e di cominciare ad ascoltare quest'altro? I negozi di dischi non possono salvarti la vita, ma possono dartene una migliore". Tanto entusiasmo viene condiviso anche da Don Was, musicista e per anni produttore di Bob Dylan e dei Rolling Stones: "In principio fu il negozio di dischi, un tempio moderno con i suoi sacerdoti e i suoi iniziati, santo ricettacolo dei ritmi e delle rime più sacre. In confronto" osserva il musicista di Detroit "Internet sembra un'asettica stanza d'ospedale". (LaRepubblica, 9 aprile).
Che cosa sarebbe stata la (mia) vita senza musica?

Rullit - an audio experimenter (again) from Germany

Warhol's Lumiere and RS-3 - An Hommage

Have a look here: http://community.webshots.com/user/highfilter
Rullit is an audio brave, fearless experimenter from Germany... his search is a tasty, tireless in respectfully modifying and revamping old classics from Saba, Telefunken, Siemens, Isophon speakers... RE-604 and AD-1 german triodes, EMT and Commonwealth classic broadcast idler-wheel turntables... practically a brother;-)))!

http://www.field-coil.com/#field_coil

Very, VERY interesting approach and stuffs...

Harps and harpists: pure bliss!

Yesterday evening a superb concert at my town Conservatory of Music: Maria Rosa Fogagnolo and Nazarena Recchia in a duo harp, so rare and magical concert... REALLY moving, exotic music from even more exotic instruments, rarely seen solo, imagine duo!?!... sometimes relegated to a sort of a noise, a colour for orchestra and a nuance in composers palette, like celesta or triangle... what a SHAME!!!!;-)
Haendel, Pachebel, Albeniz, Granados... all superbly played music... BUT the highlight has been Giannantonio Mutto's Five Jewish and Yiddish Songs!
Encore and encore and... audience wasn't never tired in listening to this ancient airs from the past coming from a contemporary composer who composed this haunting, beautiful piece for his harp students, as a joke... WOW!

The two so elegant, almost ethereal musicians were caressing strings and air together... when I had the opportunity, after the concert to strum an harp briefly... I understood how difficult is to tame the resonances, stopping the unused strings to freely vibrate... imagine a wild, untamed grand-piano, without pedals. Only hands, palms, fingers... a joy for the ears and for the eyes, as well, but a quite muscular instrument, indeed ... and, as a plus, now I know that the red strings are "C" and the black one are "F"... a well spent day;-)
Sound-wise... well, I've been impressed in hearing the BIG sound, lots of air moved... and again, as usually when I go to a concert, a good lesson to apply when back home in my listening room...