WJAAS - Audio Tekne on NHK japanese television

Still organizing and filtering, as too much "just happened" stuff, my own pixes and liner notes from my recent japanese trip, thanks to Hisashi Seo-san and his kindness, here is for me and everyone loving well made things, a 2003 footage - twenty+ minutes!!!!!! - of Imai-san, his son and wife - the Audio Tekne family talking about their superb products and showing the workshop were I was, too, only few days ago, the hand soldering, etc.

It's old time workmanship, very human skill and care for details and final results... well, as everyone who knows Audio Tekne's price-list is aware of, ALL this costs!

A very, VERY nice experience it was...

In the meantime, let's enjoy Seo-san's link
and Audio Tekne's extremely well-made site

Thanks again and again to Seo and Hasegawa-san(s).

Western Electric 416-B and C "Golden Triodes" and Daniele Ansaloni's "ANSA High Tension" site

In by perusal for the tube to be used in my one-of-a-kind LCR-RIAA phono, while browsing the WEB, I found Daniele's site and Forum... it was about 2 years ago, when I read somewhere Jeffrey Jackson and Dave Slagle quoted - in my experience - WE 416's for the very first time ever...

The WE 437A - which I later choose as "the" tube to be used in my project was still discussed and weighted on my part, while also the WE 416B or C was among the (very) few among to be chosen... then the several chatting with Thomas Mayer, in Berlin and Munchen, in the last two year or so...

... entered Daniele Ansaloni's site.

If you Google for Western Electric 416-B, you'll find several inputs... mostly "what do you think about..." or the like... THE VERY ONLY site where these sought-after triodes, superbly crafted with painstacking care in WE's plants between early '50s and '84 and used in places and situations where extreme quality was needed (atomic clocks, telephone stations, TV transmission stations, etc.) was and still is Daniele Ansaloni's.

Daniele did a SUPERB work: searched and surfed the whole Web and wrote and took pixes of these exotic "golden triodes" - i.e. his definition suggested by the colour of the metal body of WE 416's itself, but also from their building quality and superb data-sheet -and, after reading the load of technical essays he wrote, well informed, in-deep speculations, not easy but still readable like an industrial tale, down to risking his health in inhaling berillyum-oxide powder during the dismantling of such a tube (20 times more poisonous than arsenic!!!) makes me proud to be italian;-)))

It appears to be, as a corpus, something which filtered the Sears, Thoersten, Miller's essays on the matter, creating maybe THE DEFINITIVE user's guide to this weird tube... a worldwide achievment, plainly said!

Have a look to his site... you'll be blincking your eyes in disbelief, swearing about the quality (some pages are also translated into a great english prose...) in content, pixes and informations squeezed in his essays.

A true, sincere sensei-san.

Daniele's site and forum

P.S. - a WE 416-C/Tango EQ-600 LCR-RIAA based phono-preamp will be the next task for Thomas Mayer and myself, as well, in the very next future... as only the dead remains still!

;-)))

An extraterrestrial landed near Bodensee shores... or the proceedings of Thomas Mayer's assemblying my new preamp

I received this strange pix a couple of days ago - apparently a Tetsuo-like inspired stuff ("The Iron Man" b/w movie - Japan 1988 - look at a film frame... heavy stuff, indeed)... it's the WE 437A module - one of four - ready to be mounted in top plate of phono-preamp Thomas is assemblying, smoking his beloved cuban cigars, seated in his lovely Lindau am See's house garden, soldering and twisting cables and fiddling around my bespoke gears.

What a gap with the often psychothic way (seems appropriate Tetsuo's picture vs. Vitruvian, Leonardo da Vinci's, man...) of considering audio: computer designing, computer soldering, 0,00001 distorsion figures... not the case: it's like he's infusing in "our" preamps a peaceful, human soul and quietness, something coming from the sunny weather and the breeze from the lake in this end of summer and, most of all, from the trusty baldness due to having done his homeworks - i.e. designing and building a preamp never is an easy task and errors are costly and painful and dexterity with solder-iron must be supported by solid technical background... sure Thomas' strenght... the results are always no-frills, industrial design with a madcap wizardry coming from Meccano playing;-) in Thomas' youth... the love and admiration for this UK-made "toy" sure remained in Thomas' brain-cells.

Thomas knows it... the recipe is easy, anyway: buy and use the best components you can afford and have it mounted in a carefully designed layout. Easy like breathing, don't you?!?

Delivery is scheduled in few weeks, now... Vielen danke, herr Mayer.

Konnichiwa!

First time posting from abroad, pals... currently in Kyoto, enjoying Japan immensely, indeed...

Tourist-wise.... well, nothing new to say: great shrines and museums and gardens and temples and... how, HOW to forget the Tsukiji Fish Market in Tokyo and - ohhh, so prosaically - the great anal-cocooning (oooops!) experienced in good hotels rest-rooms;-)))!!!

... yet many better than myself did in the past and will do in the future.... BUT, audio & music-wise, well... things change;-)

Went to visit Shindo's workshop and Honda-san's Eltus workshop, both in Tokyo... Imai-san of Audio Tekne fame (mo' later...) and Susumu Sakuma-san in Tateyama-shi, Chiba, without forgetting to pay a visit to Gokudo-san in Yokosuka-shi, south of Tokyo, to enjoy - maybe - the greatest collection of both vintage and high-end audio in the world.

Will have more visits in the next days... hopefully will meet Shiniki Tanaka-san of Goto fame in Hino-shi, Endo-san of ALE in Yokohama-shi and Miyajima-san of Otono-Edison in Fukuoka-shi.

Also hoping to have the time (and the strength... Japan and Shinkansen trains are for strong people, indeed...) to meet the always great, helpful, friendly Koji of EIFL, also visiting GIP Laboratory, both in Fukushima-ken.

... was forgetting: after being in Hiroshima, later this afternoon.... BTW: a great, yet sad way to commemorate today's 9/11 in the place where stopping EVERY current and future war should have been a GREAT lesson for ALL humankind - will reach Matsue village for some relax after this tour-de-force (it is...) and then heading to my friend Seo Hisashi-san in Yonago-shi, where, hopefully, I'll finally meet in person Hasegawa-san, a true, yet young "audio & music monk";-), as Seo described him...

Will report soon with LOTS of pixes and great - I hope - liner notes and impressions to what I experienced in these two one-of-a-kind weeks... without forgetting Tokyo's Hard Rock Cafe's T-shirts for my nephews... they would kill me in the case I'd forget'em;-)

In the meantime... doomo arigato gozaimasu for reading yours humbly me.

Is Robert Wyatt a whore?!?

... maybe, but being in the name and for the sake of music, like a '40s romantic whore who loves and loves and teaches love art to younger and then loves again, in the name of love... well you got the idea: Robert Wyatt, the romantic, great, immense musical whore, but - better - acting like a musical King Midas, spreads his diamonds and rubis (his voice and timeless compositions) everytime and everywhere he pleases, from Anja Garbarek to the following disk.

Now spinning in the Studer, a double disk "Around Robert Wyatt" by Orchestre National de Jazz - masterfully arranged by Vincent Artaud under artistic direction of Daniel Yvinec (BEE 030)... also Rokia Traorè and others gives their voices in the name of the sonic and musical landscapes the musical genius of RW created in decades.

Rokia Traorè's "Alifib" looses in weird, suspended beauty of the original from Rock Bottom, keeping a Malian, ancient flavour in free form, but the peak is reached in Disk # 2, where a super cover of "Rangers in the Night" and the following "Just as you are 5" - also if paying a tribute and owing something to Tom Waits' "Swordfishtrombone" or Bill Frisell's several disks, both with their lunatic, laid back, atmospheric banjo - are really beautiful and unheard.

All the disk gives new perspective to Robert's masterpieces - sometimes loosing the haiku-like simpleness, someothers cooking old beloved songs in a new, spicey orchestral sauce.

A must, folks... a must-add to everyone discotheque.

Thanks to Mojo Magazine for reviewing this.

Room acoustics - a book to better understand...

Alton Everest's book table of content

I ordered my copy...

Toumani Diabate - The Mandè Variations

I recently quoted the kora while talking about Dave Evans, in a previous post... by chance, in the enclosed disk coming with "MOJO" music magazine - September 2009 issue, devoted to african music and musicians, among Ali Farka Toure, his son Vieux Toure, Tinariwen, the rebels rock group from Sahara, there is an instrumental tune coming from the always interesting World Circuit label... it's powerful great, GREAT music and it's masterfully played on kora, a XIII Century dinosaur harp-like instrument, by Toumani Diabate.

The tune, titled "Cantelowes", is so haunting, so beautiful you simply get hooked without escape... taken from his 2008 issued "The Mandè Variations", it shines of a melancholic brightness seldom heard.

After spinning several times that very track, I ordered the full disk... as a plus, the recording is truly TOP quality, serving music with dignity.

Stanley Kubrick's A Clockwork Orange - a music and audio-centric movie

As an old obsession of mine, Stanley Kubrick's "A Clockwork Orange" movie represents a sort-of mistery... I guess saw this very film more than 5 and less than 10 times in my life, yet this evening, while enjoying lazily this film again, I discovered a world in hidden messages and details I never noticed before.

Audio-sake, I'm not talking about the miniature Deutsche Gramophone cassettes in Alex' hands or the superb "Transcriptors Ltd" turntable in Alex' room... no... nor I'm talking about the embarassing, almost ill matching of music and images, mostly violence-hinting, linked to L.v. Beethoven's 9th Symphony...

... but when Alex walks, sooo cool and dandy-sh in his purple coat, with club in his hands... it's there that Maestro Kubrick gives some hints...

The records shop where Alex goes for checking a record he ordered is a masterpiece in itself: new, space age with old time technology, Vertigo "swirl" logo on counter ceiling and vinyl records everywhere... and for a long moment, in record shelves you can notice a Kubrick's own "2001 Space Odyssey" OST's disc and... at its right side... John Fahey's green cover of "The Transfiguration of Blind Joe Death", his seminal 1969 record, possibly on cool, sought-after Transatlantic pressing - arguing this, as the movie was shot in Pinewood Studios, UK in '70/'71...

Why, I wonder... WHY?!?! on earth the people involved in scene dressing showed, among the zillions records existing... WHY?!?! they showed THIS very record: chance, handy choice, will... whatever?!?! Sure, as they choose 2001's O.S.T., they also choose John Fahey's! But why?

This very movie, like many other S. Kubrick's movie, contains - like best books - more you're able to appreciate and absorb at first look!

They're often multi-level masterpieces, containing several director "divertissement", where these hints are both serious and foolish... misteriously, deeply foolish.

Also the matching of Hitler/nazi/violence with music is opinable and possibly biased... but, at some (low) artistic level, understandable for narration purpouses...

What surprised me, during, or better, after Kubrick's Malcolm McDowell masterpiece acting, is the definite feeling he truly neared the ideal replying to the question: "How can music be showed in a movie?"

Like a video clip... maybe! Using rock or classical music it's only a matter of personal tastes, who knows...

How... HOW I'd wish to know who and why choose THAT John Fahey's record; something possibly hinted by some "Milk Plus" drinking on and out of the set, as well?!?

A joke? A message?

.................................

(written at a later date...)
I received, when in Tokyo;-), a message from Mr. Michael Gammon, son of the late founder and designer of Transcriptor's turntable I quoted above... I'm VERY pleased to announce that these gorgeous turntables are still proudly produced and maintained... pls find more infos here or contact mr. Michael Gammon, Managing Director at: Transcriptors Limited, 45b Broadfields, Calverton, Nottinghamshire, NG14 6JP, UK, Telephone : +44 (0)7787 225 656
Thanks, Michael.

Friends from Austria: The Audio Eagle great site - Norbert's audio and musical vision and David Haigner's speakers"

My friend Norbert's site, also devoted to music and audio is really a worthy reading, full of interesting tips and hints and great pixes to look for...

Norbert's site


Also worth some careful reading & browsing, David Haigner's site


David's outstanding speakers

A book for better listening to Music

Perfecting Sound extracts

Editorial Reviews
From Publishers Weekly
Recording gadgets evolve with dizzying speed, but debates over their effects on music never change, according to this fascinating study of technology and aesthetics. Journalist Milner (coauthor, Metallica: This Monster Lives) surveys developments in recording, from Thomas Edison's complaints about those new-fangled Victrolas to the contemporary controversy between CD and vinyl. With every advance of hardware, he notes, comes accompanying shifts in the sound of music: the sense of physical space implied by stereo sound; the advent of rock 'n' roll reverb; the big obnoxious ambient drum sound that defined the '80s under the Phil Collins dictatorship; the unsettling robotic tone imparted to vocals by today's Auto-Tune pitch-correction software; the arms race toward ear-grabbing, distortion-heavy loudness that leaves us surrounded by music that does nothing but shout. Perennial arguments about the fidelity of new technologies, he contends, miss the point: now that every record is digitally spliced together out of multiple tracks and far-flung samples, there is no authentic musical performance for the sound engineer—contemporary music's true auteur—to record. Milner combines a lucid exposition of acoustics and technology with a critic's keen discernment of the pop-music soundscape. The result is a real ear-opener that will captivate fans and techies alike. (June 16)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Review

“Perfecting Sound Forever is an exhaustively researched, extraordinarily inquisitive book that dissects the central question within all music criticism: When we say that something sounds good, what are we really saying? And perhaps more important, what are we really hearing?” —CHUCK KLOSTERMAN, author of DOWNTOWN OWL

“Milner tells the story of recorded music with novelistic verve, ferocious attention to detail, and a soulful ambivalence about our quest for sonic perfection. He shows how great recordings come about not through advances in technology but through a love of the art, and that same love is the motor of his prose.” —ALEX ROSS, author of THE REST IS NOISE

“Milner’s history begins with the Big Bang and never quiets down, unpacking recordings by everyone from Bing Crosby to the Red Hot Chili Peppers in a voice that’s equal parts lay scientist and used-record-store guru. It’s ear candy of the highest order.” —WILL HERMES, coeditor of SPIN: 20 YEARS OF ALTERNATIVE MUSIC

“A brilliant history of sonic dreams, full of provocative questions for any music lover: When you fall in love with a sound, what are you hearing? Does a recording capture a moment or create one? Milner makes these questions more fascinating—and more unsettling—than ever.” —ROB SHEFFIELD, author of LOVE IS A MIX TAPE

“[Milner] delves so deeply into the hows and whys of recorded sound that you may never listen to Lady Gaga the same way again. … a gifted storyteller with an ear for absurdity … Milner never loses his grasp on the humanity behind the music; what fascinates him more than decibels and ‘dead rooms’ is mankind’s innate desire to document and preserve itself. You might not think a book about reverb could thrill. Milner’s does.”—Mikael Wood, Time Out: New York

“Exhaustive, technically precise and fascinating.”—Marc Weingarten, Los Angeles Times

“Broad in scope and steeped in detail… Milner provides insightful commentary and possesses a solid grasp of pacing and a light touch with the technical aspects. … Milner especially excels at revealing the human side of each story.”—Kirkus

“A personal yet informative interpretation of recorded music that will appeal to students and professionals in the music industry as well as general music-loving readers.”—Bradford Lee Eden, Library Journal

“Recording gadgets evolve with dizzying speed, but debates over their effects on music never change, according to this fascinating study of technology and aesthetics. … Milner combines a lucid exposition of acoustics and technology with a critic’s keen discernment of the pop-music soundscape. The result is a real ear-opener that will captivate fans and techies alike.”—Publishers Weekly

“Superbly researched. … Milner’s is by no means a nerd’s-eye view: this is fundamentally a human story. … The fact that the Red Hot Chili Peppers get a pasting is just one pleasure to be drawn from a book that is less about the music we like than what we may have sacrificed in pursuing it.”—Metro.co.uk

“Greg Milner’s Perfecting Sound Forever unravels the why and how with all the juicy technological details in place. … As deep as Perfecting Sound Forever takes us into sound, it never devalues the allure of the chimera that is the perfect recording. Milner is plenty aware of his sphinxlike subject.”—John Dugan, Time Out: Chicago

Thanks to Jamie Miller for hinting this.

I just ordered my copy.

Sophia Electric "Globe Mesh Plate" 300B

Yesterday evening, after few days wait, I received and promptly installed a matched pair of Sophia Electric's 300B Mesh Plate/Globe 300B.

I purchesed them, following my Chip'n'Dale (of Disney's fame) syndrome, because I someway felt my Western Electric's triodes plethora: '74 and '83 Western Electric original 300B's pairs, and a recent, 2008 batch, in luxury wooden-boxed current production, matched pair WE's 300B, all were too precious to be played every day for several hours in my Partridge's transformers based, Franz-handmade monoblock-amps.

Anyway, I spent the little bucks involved in these spare tubes and... folks: I wasn't prepared to HOW GOOD these 300-B are, period!

They're - straight out of the box - truly AMAZINGLY good: dynamic, micro-detail, soundstage... they're quite different from original WE's... less romantic, BUT absolutely not too modern or hi-fish... they sure are more extended at top-end and also the low and mid-low end are quite different (in better!) from WE's: they seem to be more various and modulating, a shade less dull and boring.

My advice is to give a serious try to Sophia Electric Balloon/Globe Mesh Plates 300B with open mind and cost-no-object mode: I purchased the cheapest black plastic base (not the more expensive white ceramic base/golden pins), with, again, the cheapest 30-days guarantee-option. A true bargain.

I consider this buy among my VERY best audio purchases ever!

... and as a plus, the naked , see-through filament is a beauty to look at... soooo sexy;-) ... also if the typical blue shining of WE 300B is less... shining.

A great tube! Thanks to Sue of Sophia Electric Inc.

Master Wilburn Burchette's lost treasures

I purchased these four records from Franco Zanetti, a famous italian vinyl pusher, now living between Atlanta, GA and Italy and guessed I paid them a lot, years ago... BUT - how wrong I was - they are among the rarer of the crop I own and, to my knowledge, among the most sought after waxes of whole 60/70s Americana/Prog/Psych panorama. They are truly seldom seen items.

Acoustic and electric guitars, drones... someone hinted Robert Fripp himself was inspired by Burchette's experiments (No Pussyfooting w/Brian Eno and the following "Frippertronics-based" productions...); IMO, this music is reminding some John Fahey and Glen Jones' Cul de Sac disks or also John Fahey tape manipulations, in early '70s.

If you feel adventurous enough, try at least a download... it's unfiltered, untamed, self-produced acid/psych, BUT intriguing like every unique (musical) voice...

Download

Water Lily Acoustics

Kavi Alexander's dream label

I met Kavi back in 1992 while in Santa Barbara, California - spent with him a great day... he taught to me a lot: in humanity and humbleness, in proudness and love for traditions (Jelauddin Rumi and much more), in recording techniques, in approaching a recording as a whole, self-producing and following EVERY step of production of a disc - from mike placement, to packaging - and in considering music as an uninterrupted fluid, from Vietnam to India, to South America, to Syria to USA to Europe, where the musicians travels and the WEB and discs gave to music a universal, borders-free status.

Kavi well knows this... his great liner notes where he compares Incredible String Band to Taj Mahal to Ali Akhbar Khan to Hamza el Din to griots from Mali and troubadors in the past, as buskers these days... well, are illuminating.

I own ALL his vinyls and, after he quitted vinyl format (shame on you, Kavi;-))), all his CDs.

My (humble) hint is the following: browse Water Lily Acoustics catalogue and... buy, buy, buy!

WJAAS - Western Japanese Audio Appreciation Society - the cartridges survey - Part 6 - Oosawa-san's cartridge and dedicated (active) phono step-up

I received few days ago a small packet from Japan, sent by UPS from my friend Seo... as promised, he sent to me on Oosawa-san's behalf himself, the new active, dedicated phono MC step-up, hand-built with care and passion in a little unassuming, humble aluminium case.

This little box, whose circuitry I already examined and appreciated (also in my limited electronic knowledge...) for the seldom seen solutions, remained - untouched/unused - for a couple days...

When I took my time to link it to my Schick's 12 inchers arm and Ikeda headshell mounting the Oosawa-san's cartridge, I finally understood "why" the japanese artisan strongly hinted me to try the full combo - i.e. cart and step-up!

The balance of the cartrdige was completely, say COMPETELY different from the several other MC-transformers I used: WE 618-B, Verion/Cotter, Peerless 4611, 4685 and 4722.

The inner details and music and weight of the notes had a new relationship... the "blackboard" where the notes were moving was clearer, less "black"... also the hiss in the (very) background of music was more akin to the hiss of my Neumann's mikes on an open-reel recording. Amazing.

Very, VERY quick!

The music was absolutely liquid, ONLY less "fat" than when using also top trannies... not lean or bleached, just a little "slim" vs. trannies sound.

I slightly retuned the mid-low horns and drivers in my autoformers passive 4-ways crossovers and was able to keep the extraordinaire quickness AND to improve the trueness with, say a trio harpsichord, violin and viola da gamba.

While before is sounded a little hifi-sh, after slightly fattening the low-end... a masterpiece!

I guess Oosawa-san uses chamber music and strings for tuning his gears... it's otherwise unbelivable to think he obtained such a refinement.

Not a combo for every kind of music... but with small jazz and ethnic and chamber music, the reality and beauty of the result is simply said, not coming from this planet, period!

Will further investigate in a couple of weeks, when in Japan and having the opportunity to meet my audio/music pals.

Thanks, Oosawa-san: you made something! Music is nearer, now...

Fernanda Pivano passed away yesterday, August 18th

A great, little woman... I met her once, many years ago, at a concert in Milan.
She brought Gregory Corso, Lawrence Ferlinghetti, Jack Kerouak and Spoon River by Edgar Lee Masters in Italy, back in the early '60s

She has been a true catalyst of culture and peace.

I'll miss her a lot...

An interesting, well made list of Super-Discs by Arthur Salvatore

Super Discs: gasoline for your Audio System

I found Arthur's list to be a very tasty, classy mix of (some) TAS' fame HP's listed items, PLUS (a strong point in favour of Arthur's choices) a lot of Harmonia Mundi, Alienor, Telefunken, ECM, Pierre Verany, EMI Reflexe, (my friend Kavi Alexander's) Water Lily Acoustics, etc. down... down... down... to this: BACH-GOLDBERG VARIATIONS-MICHEL KIENER-CERCLE KALLISTOS CK 1004 a Y.B. Andre of YBA - France fame produced and recorded 2-records set of harpsichord solo... I guessed I was the only one to know and cherish this very elusive, limited-edition disc (my copy is 2XX/1000). It's an absolute masterpiece, both musically AND sonically!

A true winner... Arthur knows it and, bravo!, he shares it!

Furthermore, he also quotes some true, semi-unknown masterpieces - i.e. Dom Um Romao-Saudades on Water Lily Acoustics, Collin Walcott's Grazing Dream and CODONA - 2 on ECM... BTW: Hey, Arthur: CODONA - 1 is still better than the 2;-)

Another (little) hint: please buy "The Gil Evans Orchestra plays the music of Jimi Hendrix" on RCA CPL1-0667... dynamics 2die4 and the immortal art of Gil and Jimi: a masterpiece.

Browse in his list(s)... a true goldmine covering all and every musical tastes.

Thanks to Arthur Salvatore for his great job.

WEIRDO Award - i.e. The weirdest guitar I ever saw!

More than Shakti/Wechter John McLaughlin's axe, more than Pat Metheny's Picasso Linda Manzer built masterpiece, more than Vishwa Mohan Bhatt's mohan-vina slide guitar...

The WEIRDO Award 2009 goes to Arul's "Combined Percussive Nylon/Steel Strings guitar" from India!

Stop all those silly, random bumping and slapping on our acoustic guitars... now you can precisely choose dumbek or tabla, while strumming sympathetic strings, sitar-like, again choosing nylon OR steel strings.

I'm impressed, fearsome, but sincerely, truly impressed, folks!

Arul's site

Double Bass forever!

Beside being a guitar player since my boyhood (but who inherited an early '900 double bass in early 2000;-)), I've been an hardcore lover and an avid collector of double-bass jazz and classical music for most of my life.

I don't remember EXACTLY when I first heard this mind-boggling sound... maybe, if memory do not fool me, 'twas Charles Mingus' - a 3-records set recorded live...

Later, it was Oregon's "Trios/Solos" on ECM - my first ECM, with the great Glen Moore and his Klotz double-bass which moved me to tears; later, Dave Holland "Emerald Tears" ECM's solo, still in early '70s... and I still remember I listened to this record for 2 times... the third time was having me trying to duet with my first Yamaha 12 strings acoustic, like Ralph Towner with Moore... all the above during the same summer afternoon, of course;-)

At a later date, maybe 15 years ago, I discovered, as it often happens - by chance - a Telefunken disc by Ludwig Streicher playing some Dragonetti and Bottesini duos, with piano accompaniment... and this possibly, blew my mind!

The impressive agility of maestro Streicher, the beauty of overtones and glissandos, the subterrean subbasses sounds coming from this recording opened to a world of unbelivable beauty and deepness.

I soon began collecting double-bass recordings on a sistematic base: record-fairs, first and Robin Wu's ClassiCo from Los Angeles, California, Irvington Music from Portland, Oregon with their paper catalogs proved to be, in pre-WEB times, a source for cheap, great, then sought-after recordings... then came GEMM and Ebay.

Some years later, say in early 2000, I re-counted what I purchased in the years, and to my surprise, I was truly surprised I found more than 60 different recordings.

Now, 2009, owning more than 100+ vinyl-only double bass discs I feel I created something, much more than a cold collection: Rabath, Streicher, Koussevitzky, Karr for classical music and Dave Holland, Gary Peacock, Charlie Haden, Scott La Faro and Barre Philips for jazz are the most famous double-bassists who come to mind, but there are many, MANY great, unknown musicians who recorded very obscure compositions by even more obscure composers... and HERE is the merit of record collecting: not a mere accumulating rare waxes, per se, but learning about music written to the limits of an instrument, music not made for selling... so the most pure of music.

Like Bert Jansch, not a double-bassist, of course, but a GREAT musician, said: "If you sell your music, you sell your soul; if you give your music, you buy your freedom!".

Applicable or not to double bass, it's utterly true.

"..............." (Will fill here a personal double bass music discography soon).

In the meantime, please have a look to my double bass shop of choice:

Double bass 2die4

Harp-guitar world

Harp guitars world

A truly informative, great site, 120 percent devoted to this behemoth of an instrument... from Pasquale Taraffo early virtuosity to Michael Hedges, Beppe Gambetta, Stephen Bennett and Muriel Anderson's... browse among the several plies of this superb site.

A must!

Paul Kinny's Stereo Acoustic Guitar... from Downunder (N.S.W. - Australia)

... directly from Mars (look at the weird busking Kinny's axe...), these instruments which reminds a Dyer '20s harp guitar, are based on acoustics and the choice to please the player first and the microphone(s) in the studio...

Stereo acoustic guitar video

Kinny Guitars site

Maybe just a tad bright-sounding, but intriguing!