A peaceful battle: Starker vs. Bylsma vs. Fournier

Yes, folks... Yo-Yo Ma is a fantastic musician and his Bach's Cello Suites, like Rostropowitsch's and Pablo Casals', ALL are superb and beautiful and lively...

... but the above three versions are so different from each other they're a perfect threesome for my purpouses: same score in different hands gives a different final result... new, uh;-))) - really strong, seldom heard stuff, don't you?!?!

Seriously, pals... I'm not a musicologist and feel me quite inadequate to describe the different interpretation praxis the three stellar soloists applied to their Bach's Cello Suites...

My feelings, as a passionate music lovers, that's it, plainly, humbly said... as we all know and appreciate this masterpiece, I'll mostly talk about sonics and overall enjoyment; sure good for matchbox boxes, more than an essay;-)

... but, anyway...

Starker's Philips/Mercury's sounds so powerful, round and containing a lot of room information, also if it wasn't recorded in typical three microphones Cozart/Fine's technique... it's a very nice, easy record, where music easily flows.

Bylsma and Fournier are both using two centuries-old (Mattio Goffriller from Venice) cellos - a 1699 for Anner Bylsma and a 1722 for Pierre Fournier... the two instruments are similar in tone, BUT in Bylsma's hands the older sampler is harsh, gut-stringed and VERY "nervous" sounding, while in Fournier's the sound is superbly rich and never harsh, deeper in tone and frequencies and the old 1961 Archiv's recording has the right amount of room information, less than RCA Seon's Bylsma and Philips' Starker... but the sound, better, the instrument is more "in the room", better dimensioned and presence is never exagerated, natural.

Simply right and beautiful as it can be.

So, again - as in Starker/Sebok vs. Rostropowitsch/Richter's - a possible winner can be the easier, both to the ear and the soul, as well... Fournier, like Starker, owns that magic, that great, rare skill to give easiness also to the most tremendous scores... the technique must be learned, digested and forgotten...

The greatest musician is the one who'll let you listen to the more Bach it's humanly possible... less Bylsma, Rostropowitsch, Casals, Yo-Yo Ma, and the like - and more J.S. Bach... not everyone's task.



Fournier simply disappears for the sake - and in the name - of those esoteric math-like masterpieces written by a German genius, father of many sons and... of Western music.

A peaceful battle: Starker/Sebok vs. Rostropowitsch/Richter

The Integral piano sonatas for cello and piano are among the very plinths in Western music, period.

I humbly split my love, fondness and awe between the above mentioned renditions: an elusive marvellous edition recorded in early '60s for Erato, then re-appeared on Philips, than on Mercury and MHS in the USA... I own a Japanese pressing on Erato which I found and cherish as one of my desert island discs and a seldom listened-to MHS'...

Right now I'm listening to Philips' french vintage edition box-set by Rostropowitsch/Richter... I'm almost in tears, yet the musicians are playing in perfect pitch (the cellist...) and dynamics (the piano)...

... changed to the Erato's, the singing quality the Starker/Sebok I'm NOW listening to seems to allow to better "forget" the technique which stands behind the music... the melody and "compassion" are so different from the previous.

Same score, different feeling... how many times happened and will happens.

Starker's cello is more "human", like it is the great, marvellous, humble and fiery Sebok's piano accompaniement, while Rostropowitsch is a little lacking "soul" with a tad much "guts", also when soul would come first...

We're talking about the VERY best, but here is my ignorant soul speaking, not a musicologist I'm not;-), but the Beethoven lover.

The Starker/Sebok is an absolute masterpiece of Old World's art and music... when you finish a side, you hurry up to listen to the second and the third and fourth, as an uninterrupted stream, a (musical) waterfall...

The Philips' Rostrpowitsch/Richter is a little tiring, beside the great class involved: Starker's cello is so voice-like also on most tremendous, boisterous movement and moments, while Rostropowitsch's is - someway - harsher also on pianissimos.

The two recordings sure are sonic beauties, but, I love Starker/Sebok's more and more, as only Straker makes me to hum and sing unison with his playing...

Record of the Decade - Angel Song - Wheeler/Koonitz/Frisell/Holland on ECM

... yes, of the decade...it's my strong opinion such a disk appears every ten years or so, indeed!

Issued in 1997 on ECM, produced as always by Manfred Eicher himself and recorded in NYC, the four are playing ALL Kenny Wheelers' compositions.

What attract me more while fondly listening to this record is the sense of communion, the skill and intimate presence of musicians also during solos.

The flugelhorn is amazing in dynamics and lyricism, it's a beautiful voice - mr. Wheeler's true voice - and it is among the most easily recognizable ever, like Miles, Chet and Jon Hassel and (very) few others: a note is enough to understand who's behind the horn...

The music is pleasant, poetic, sometimes angular, modal, sometimes classic in reprising a theme, hide and seeking with length and speed, ever changing.

Sonically it's also a winner and of highest ranking: the soundstage presents, from left to right Bill Frisell, Lee Koonitz, Kenny Wheeler and Dave Holland... clap, clap, clap...;-)

As I told you, when someone is not playing, the noises of tipically standing, still musician are well "here", breathing, snorting, clicking instruments keys, the guitar amp humming... another feature I simply love is the nature of mr. Wheeler breathing through his instrument... you can "see" through hearing how the mouth is opened before a phrase, the air column sounds always different, as every breath to fill his chest is different... an AMAZING sense of trueness!

This disc really doesn't deserve this vivisection, as music is soo deep and beautiful, timeless... it's a record I own and enjoy like the first day since 1997 and I hinted it to countless friends who hinted themselves, etc. etc.

Maybe a well kept secret, also if the chain me and - I guess - several others appreciating this very disk began, someway broadened its diffusion;-)))

Who wouldn't know it... please buy it, period!

Easter and Variations on Easter

Easter by Leo Kottke

and

Variations on Easter by Robbie Basho

;-)

April's Fool

"Scoop of the Day: William Shakespeare is French born..." (BBC's April's Fool 2010)

... my own - audio tinted/related - are:

"I can hear 20khz!"

or

"I hear 16hz flat +/- 0db in my 20 square-meters room"


... always loved April's Fool;-)

Musique Concrete

An highly blessed reissue program, as the original discs are fetching highest price-tags.

Thanks to Ivan.

Muore Nicola Arigliano... non solo "Il signore del Digestivo Antonetto"!

E' morto nella notte Nicola Arigliano. Il cantante, 86 anni, abitava da quattro anni a Calimera, in provincia di Lecce, nell'istituto Gino Cucurachi, un centro per anziani. Era originario di Squinzano, sempre in provincia di Lecce, dove era nato il 6 dicembre 1923.
Secondo quanto riferito dalla famiglia, il musicista non aveva malattie: ieri pomeriggio ha avuto una crisi respiratoria e poi prima della mezzanotte è morto per un infarto.


Nicola Arigliano ha sperimentato molte forme artistiche nella sua vita: musica, tv, cinema e anche la pubblicità. Per anni è stato, infatti, il testimonial del Digestivo Antonetto in caroselli e spot. Moderno fino all'ultimo, nel 2007, insieme ad un suo staff di collaboratori, aveva inaugurato la sua pagina su Myspace.


La sua passione era il Jazz, ed ha il merito di averlo reso noto, se non popolare, al grande pubblico televisivo. Suonava il piano, il sax, la batteria e il contrabbasso e la sua carriera inizia da ragazzino. Dopo le prime esibizioni a carattere locale e una lunga gavetta nei locali del Nord Italia, viene notato da un produttore televisivo che lo fa debuttare in scenette e numeri musicali in alcuni programmi di varietà.
Nel 1956 presenta i suoi primi di dischi a 78 giri. Tra essi A tazza 'e caffé, Zitto zitto zitto, Spatella 'argento, Scetate. Con il passaggio al 45 giri Arigliano ottiene un grandissimo successo con Simpatica brano di Garinei, Giovannini e Kramer.
Partecipa all'edizione 1958-59 di Canzonissima, al Cantatutto, a Sentimentale, programma condotto da Lelio Luttazzi (ospite fisso con Mina; la sigla del programma, intitolata Sentimentale diventa un grande successo inciso da entrambi cantanti in due versioni differenti) e a vari festival jazz, mettendosi in luce con il suo stile da crooner.


Nella prima metà degli '60 spopola per i suoi brani in 'italese' come I love forestiera, Amorevole, Tre volte baciami, My wonderful bambina ma anche con le sue particolari interpretazioni di My Funny Valentine e Arrivederci (di Umberto Bindi) entrate a far parte dei classici da night e piano bar.


Torna sorprendentemente in televisione nel 1977 in alcune puntate di Non stop, una trasmissione di Enzo Trapani dedicata al cabaret: è il pistolero vestito di nero che "uccide" gli artisti a rivoltellate, pronunciando la battuta: «Non voglio noie nel mio locale!».


Nel 1996 vince il Premio Tenco, per il suo album I sing ancora e recita al fianco di Enrico Montesano e Mietta nella serie TV L'ispettore Giusti (1999).


Nel 2005, con i suoi ottantuno anni di età, è stato il cantante più anziano a partecipare ad un Festival di Sanremo: nell'occasione ha presentato il brano Colpevole, vincitore del Premio della Critica.


La sua ultima esibizione risale all'8 settembre 2007, in occasione del premio alla carriera che gli ha voluto tributare la sua Squinzano (LE).


Saltuariamente si è anche cimentato nel mondo del cinema (La grande guerra, Ultimo tango a Zagarolo, ecc.).


I funerali di Nicola Arigliano si terranno domani, giovedì 1 aprile, alle ore 16 presso la Chiesa SS. Maria Annunziata di Squinzano, in provincia di Lecce, dove l'artista era nato.

WJAAS - Being a "Stereo Kichigai"

"Sono audiophile wa kichigai da yo!" - (transl. - That audiophile is crazy!).

Time of balance and meditation about the future, folks: I read about "Stereo Kichigai" in an old 1982 "Nouvelle Revue du Son" magazine, where Jean Hiraga was reviewing a normally wealthy Japanese music and audio lover, Kobayashi-san, who - during twenty years of his life and submitting himself and his family to great economic sacrifices - built a five ways ALL horns system which used active multiamping, one of the ten best sounding and most impressive systems of whole Japan!

It's my opinion it's a much more worthwhile (Japanese) tale than others which arrived to our Western ears;-) - i.e the one concerning the cute, brave and loyal Akira dog who waited for his master and owner - who passed away afar from home - outside the JR station for years...

I imagine - more than Richard Gere acting in the role, like in a.m. Akira movie - a Bill Murray or the like in that audio-lover shoes... maybe quoting him as I remember his "Lost in translation"...

Seriously: the elusiveness of the matter makes me wonder "what" really makes me happy during my home music listening and "if" and "when" will happen a definite "stop" to improvements...

I'm - as some Stereo Kichigai from Japan (or elsewhere), and after several years of joyful audio interest and shopping - for the first time feeling the weight of the sums I spent and which I'll spend in the future for music related stuffs... it's not something you do for others, it's a very personal and inner path and trip; nonetheless, as I wrote in previous post about "Audio & Black Holes", yet some strength is needed at some point to keep the best temper and direction.

These days I'm re-considering my bass-enlcosures after GREAT improvements and remodelling of my whole system which I (almost) completed during last months and I'm hearing and reading almost every day every kind of "audio sirens" singing the merits of "this" and "that", in a turbillon of prices and finishes and designs and approaches, from the most flawed to the most technically successful, uncompromised and well built... feel me someway like a sea-captain and his vessel in the deep sea: the most beautiful of places at sundown with calm sea, BUT the worst place on the planet during a storm... and these sirens screams and calls doesn't help...

Sure feel "Stereo Kichigai" enough to go ahead, despite I'll go, carefully, step-by-step to avoid cul-de-sacs and expensive errors...

How I'd like entering a shop asking for what I want and have it delivered after a month or so, instead of having to deal with overseas dealers, countless e-mails, pro-liar-artisans, custom-duties and bank-transfers... and stressful, months-long waits.

This consciousness about being - yes - a Music and Audio Kichigai, gives to me a sense of brotherhood with the above, Hiraga-mentioned Japanese Stereo Kichigai(s): we seems to own a different "sense of money" and its value... a moving piece of music, a sought-after disc, a pleasant listening session are, for us Kichigais;-) more rewarding than a Seychelles' vacation.

There is no rose without stings: a vacation is some days long, Music is a love for life.

Feel me wise... getting older, a little tired (see above), wiser and... Kichigai!

Proudly so, as the noblest of warriors from Edo times, against CWT, the enemy - i.e. - Curious Wives Troops;-)

Audio: the Most Beautiful Hobby on Earth or a Black Hole?

As you know, I'm a music lover and consequently an audio fond user and scholar since my teens... sometimes - like in these days - I do a resume of last purchases and deals: records, audio gears, also instruments, to a broader music-related extent...

The grand total (only considering last year...) is something resembling the purchase of a brand-new mid-sized car... this shortened my savings, leaving me with a feeling of being, someway, "unbalanced" vs. other life priorities: not a reality, BUT a definite feeling... nonetheless, a someway bitter feeling...

When I entered my music room, yesterday evening, I sort-of had the shivering sensation that music-system wasn't only a mess of cables, gears, parts and materials, BUT a living/mechanical creature in "OFF" mode, sleeping, yet alive... and hungry, VERY hungry!

An hungry beast, asking every day passing for "more" everything: discs, tapes, disks, tubes, cables, speakers, cartridges, arms, care and attentions... almost a diet for a (Japanese film-maker) Tetsuo-like creature.

A mechanical Lion always hungry of Steel Steaks...

I still fondly remember when I peacefully lived with an all Quad combo: 33/303/FM3/ESL... for thirteen long years I pressed an "ON" button and put a record on turntable platter (a Linn Sondek with Syrinx PU-3 and Accuphase AC-2) and enjoyed music. Period.

... then one day, I began to hear the difference among audio gears and cables, and cartridges and tubes... TUBES!!!

I hate TUBES!!!!!;-)

I spent real-estate amounts for tubes and related...

... as I hate vinyl... I HATE IT!!!!

I spent BIG bucks on those stupid sleeves and black plastic discs... when you buy a rare, sought-after record, you pay a lot... due to scarceness and elusiveness... when you die, ALL those discs are - often - sold as a lot and at weight-value. Very unfair market-laws, at least!

... maybe audio isn't an hobby... it's a Black Hole...




... maybe;-)

Horns: an interesting, useful link from Germany

Horns

Dr. Tomas Gallia, SONART and the art of itinerant recording

"Dr. Tomas Gallia - (born in Budapest in 1921, died in Switzerland in 1997) Hungarian sound-engineer, born to a prominent musical family his career began at the Hungarian Radio in 1947 and in 1951 he became chief engineer for MHV, the predecessor of HUNGAROTON. In 1961 he moved to Milan where, along with Paul Déry, he established SONART, an independent recording company that operated out of the studios of the Angelicum concert hall."

... about Dr.Gallia and more informations and pictures

This - more or less - what's available on the WEB about Tomas Gallia... TOOOOOO BAAAD!

Last evening I was listening to an Astree disc from the magnificient "AS Series" (Orlando Gibbons' music performed by Jordi Savall and Christophe Coin) which was engineered by the above mentioned...

... and like from the mist, I remembered ALL...

It was about 1992 or 1993...

I've been an ancient music lover since while a fetus and Astree AS represented an illumination for yours truly, more than Telefunken's and RCA Seon and L'Oiseau Lyre's discs: those weird, yet SO tasty and classy coloured covers, the beauty of performances and recordings... also my first turntable and cartridge combo (Thorens TD-160 and Shure M-75ED) was able to unveil and recognize the quality of these discs...

Once a month when still a student, more and more as time passed, it was a true feast when I visited Gabbia records shop in Padua, where - hand-picked, one by one - I Chip'n'dale-like, shopped for one, three, ten, thirty and more Astree's AS... 'twas my (secret) vinyl fix... my friends were into Progressive and rock, while myself was deeply into Hopkinson Smith, Jordi Savall, Blandine Verlet et al.

That's the main reason I'm soooo poor;-) as I had to fill an HUGE gap in modern and rock and folk music, 'til these days... paying a lot discs I simply missed when they were published, because I was so busy and swinging in... ancient music and Astree's.

Many years later those early days... whooosh... and the Time Machine brings us to early '90s... no WEB, MUCH more sex and happiness with lesser means;-) I felt the strong, sincere need to "know" who was behind the records I so much adored...

In a couple of days of search, I obtained SONART telephone number in Milan... still remember that afternoon, after the job... my vintage couch was white and freshly restored, I didn't had a wireless telephone and was still unmarried... lot of spare time;-)))

Almost shaking and shivering, I dialed the round phone wheel and, after few rings, a gentleman said "Pronto?"

That was the beginning of a too short, yet so deep meeting with one of my heroes, one of those unknown heroes - my father - a singer in his spare-time all his life, my mother - a self-taught music lover and enthusiast - and J.F. Pontefract (met in Paris), Kenneth Wilkinson and Kavichandran Alexander (met in Santa Barbara), all recordists extraordinaire - who, someway, leaded me toward recording and a deeper, more lively, conscious approach to Music, true food for my Soul.

As my mother told me several times, when still in my early teens: "Better one more disc, and - if the case - missing a steak, Stefano!"... this while preparing a summer tomato salad with a joyful smile, while music was flooding our house...

... ohhhh, how I agree, Mom;-))) it's all so beautifully carved in my DNA...

... so, the gentleman answered the phone... 'twas Dr. Tomas Gallia.

I introduced myself and... after more than one hour of conversation, someone possibly asked for him and the phone call was kindly interrupted with the promise to talk again, soon.

A couple of days later, I called again... and again the magic happened... this Master of Life, Music and World Facts poured knowledge, technical information, anedoctes, memories from his beloved Hungary, of his partner, mr. Paul Dery, of Sonart, of better fiscal/taxes related "habits" in Montpellier, France, than in Milan, Italy (...), of musicians and travels, always warm and friendly as an older brother...

I can still remember the sound of his voice, quiet, yet fiery and passionate... a flood which left me almost breatheless...

Imagine: happy and no one to share with my joy and honour and satisfaction in knowing - first-hand - of recordings in country churches with hideously priced and sought-after tape recorders and microphones. A dream for a younger me...

... what can I say... I flooded myself, as well, like I opened a deeply stored, cherished memory.

... as always, an humble, probably stupid consideration: are them really only black plastic round discs or, more misteriously, it's where at least some of my (our?) personal history lays?

Vinyl: an analog hard-disc for memories?

Don't know... sure was... IS, an honour and immense pleasure having met Dr. Tomas Gallia.

Quality from Austria - Elodis Subwoofers

Impressive... a worthwhile reading... and maybe, the best way to use Panzerholz!

Franz's 700 stainless-steel screws/440 kg (!!!) masterpieces
and related literature...

Bravo!

WJAAS (related) - Kengiro Azuma-san, 無 (Mu) and 物の哀れ (Mono no Aware)

Kengiro Azuma-san was, when 19 years old, a kamikaze... few hours prior his first, and possibly, last (death) mission, Emperor Hirohito signed end of war with Americans and... he became an artist.

Re-born - like, he finished his studies in a kneed, battered Japan, and following his father (from a family of bell foundry artisans for generations) steps, he fell in love with Rodin and Marini's art and sculpture and bronze working and came to Italy in his thirties (early '60s) to make a living as an artist.

His art was hinting to Nature and caos and chance... the poetry which came from his bronze "rain drops" is... awesome, as his fruit wooden-crates plaster-prints are nothing short of awesome, as well.

His Zen sense of chance is something which - after breaking a sculpture - maked him to appreciate the wounds and bruises the hard fall left to his handicraft: no angryness, but admiration for the fate hand.

... but what makes me wonder and think about Azuma-san's corpus and opus is his Mu approach, considering the Emptyness as richness, the shape of objects and their true soul... the old Alan Watts' kind-of "Zen trick" which so much impressed whole Western materialist world and culture, back in the '68... i.e. - the (truest) glass is in its emptyness, not in the glass itself.

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

... audio-wise... horns and their shape is music and ears friendly as they allow to (someway) tame, organize "air", which becomes music.

Like a cattle-fence makes one thousand cows an herd... the Zen of Things and Stuffs;-) gives an order, a sense to caos and chance, trasforming a "big trumpet" into Beauty of Creation.

... and - by Zen chance;-) - such an ugly, home unfriendly behemoth, (a horn)... transforms the someway neutral, still environment in something else, ever changing in Time and Space... and gives Music.



My love for those "organic", man-made and shaped musical object - yes, horns - and their related perception in space is, like for art, something difficult to be fully explained... but, like only basic stuffs of our lives do... it is.

Record of the Week: Mark Charig's "Pipedream"

Last evening I (re)opened a someway obscure and dusty section of my discotheque: the European avantgarde shelf... Incus, Ogun, FMP, Hans Reichel, Luis Moholo, Lol Coxhill, Keith Tippett, Marc Charig, Evan Parker, John Surman, Elton Dean... and I put on the platter a seldom quoted masterpiece: "Pipedream" by Mark Charig with Keith Tippett and Ann Winter - trumpet/flugelhorn, piano percussions and organ - more later - and voice, respectively, on Ogun label.

The recording - mostly improvised - was recorded in the chilly winter English countryside, in a small unheated church - in Feb. 1977... 33 years ago... the percussions played by Keith Tippett are... the church bells (!!!) and the organ is the old church organ... the dynamics are CRAZY!!!

The flugelhorn and piano percussions, strings strummings, the BELLS... well, since last listening, I had to keep playback volume lower to avoid some mistracking and "system crisis".

... with my actual "Gotorama" heavenly beauty, ALL the GLORY and FULL sound seems to effortlessly flood in my listening room... BELLS are really awesome in dimensions and nuances and trueness...

Now I can clearly hear the outer recording-venue noises, as well... mostly cars, but also whispering voices (Recordist? Friends? Pedestrians?;-))) previously almost inaudible... also the wooden-floor resonating under steps... while K. Tippet reaches the organ... CRAZY!

Lysergic and invigorating... and highly recommended!

Ivan's Choice - Serge Gainsbourg

· Part poet, part provocateur, Serge Gainsbourg was known outside France primarily for the heavy-breathing masterpiece J'taime moi non plus (the only French song ever to top the British charts) but to those at home he stood one of the more potent cultural figures of post-war France. His poetry was compared to Rimbaud and Baudelaire, his morality to the Marquis de Sade. He was surely the only man ever to have written hit songs about the joys of incest, sodomy, motorcycles and cigarettes and to still be awarded the Chevalier Des Arts et Lettres, his country¹s highest artistic honour.
· Poet and Provocateur comprises rare live and studio recordings by Serge, Juliette Greco's exquisite ep of Gainsbourg songs that did so much to establish his name, interpretations of some of his finest early songs by contemporaries such s Pia Colombo and Hugues Aufray, Gainsbourg's score for Jacques Doniol-Valcroze's film L'Eau a la Bouche (A Game for Six Lovers) and the soundtrack of Michel Boisrond's Voulez-vous danser avec moi? (Come Dance with Me) which saw Gainsbourg make his screen debut in a film which starred Brigitte Bardot, the biggest star in France, with whom he would soon so controversially collaborate.

Ravi Shankar/Andre Previn's Concert for Sitar & Orchestra - EMI vinyl vs. open-reel master-dub tape

I love this very recording: it's, better it would have possibly be in lesser hands, a sort-of "pastiche", à la "East meets West", but Pandit Shankar's skill and musicality with the baton of maesto Previn allowed the mighty London Symphony Orchestra to play blissfully with melismas more akin of an Indian ensemble... a miracle of balance and beauty... very enjoyable music, both light and ancient and deep like a Raga can be.

... but the reason I'm hinting to this recording isn't only related to its beauty...

I purchased many years ago at Irvington Music from Portland, OR, some great second generation, open-reel, master-dubs...

Not cheap, BUT, thinking about the quality of these tapes and their, often, mythical histories and paths, fragile items changing hands several times in the years, the price-tag sounded (someway) appropriate...

I purchased "Sketches of Spain" and "Kind of Blue" by Miles, the best ever, a couple of radio gigs by Monk, some obscure brass music... and Shankar/Previn's EMI on old Scotch 202 tape with 1K Hz Zero-VU-meter pilot-tone at the beginning of tape...

So, back to the topic: also if spinning at 7-1/2 i.p.s. I had to re-listen carefully to both formats, vinyl disc and tape, to fully "understand" what was going on!

Amazingly and always MUCH worth underlining and pointing it out, the RIAA treatment seems to have more flaws than merits to the ear... this is more apparent than in other recordings I'm aware of - i.e. the EMI's technicians and recordists made a very lively, beautiful recording, and the tape is - absolutely - a winner over vinyl... seems to listen to a completely different recording... the sitar is well centered and "low" in its soundstage positioning - i.e Pandit Shankar was floor/carpet seated, left of Previn's podium - and Alla Rakha's tablas interwoving with orchestra tympanis are simply breathtaking!

Also large parts for... solo triangle;-))) - are so enjoyable, true, TRUE-to-life... it's really something to be heard, folks.

Micro and macro dynamics are very "here", untiring, natural. Music isn't bleached, BUT owns a very high specific weight and room-filling capabilities...

... and it's a mid-speed master-dub, not a first generation 15 i.p.s. master-tape!!!

The vinyl disc which I owned and appreciated for decades is - plainly, yet fondly said - more "normal", with large portions of recording venue halo missing and never sounding so... sooo... "surprising" as the tape is during all the 40 minutes of its length.

The Tim de Parravicini-zed old, well kept and trusty Revox G-36 is truly a superb machine, also if its strongest merits are as a recording, NOT a playback, tape-machine.

Nonetheless, I enjoyed yesterday evening listening a lot... with some sadness when turning OFF my music system...

Everytime a format, tape, disc, disk reaches its Zenith, the VERY peak... KAPOOOW!

Industry goes for always lesser stuffs and media-formats, cheapest to produce and - often - more expensive to purchase for we all, poor users... gimmicks vs. quality!

In photography like in audio, it's the naked, sad truth... felt like a Druid, yesterday evening, at a shrine while loading the tape from a spool to another... the mass involved listening to the glorious TAS - i.e. Truest Analog Sound;-)

I like to think I'm not alone and several "music priests";-) are still well alive and kickin' with their tape-dinosaurs...

WJAAS & Haru no Kaze, waiting for Hanami

Spring wind or "Haru no kaze" is something which, hopefully, every year blows winter away, grass is green again and sakura blossoming (hanami) begins in Japan, from Okinawa to Sapporo as in our hillsides, like a pink tide... again and again, every year life renews Herself, ancient, yet brand new and forceful...

Vinyl to Digital - a possible, satisfying way to go?

High Resolution vinyl to digital

Something to be carefully investigated...

Thanks to Roman and his Romy the Cat site for hinting the above...

The quest for the perfect turntable/record clamp

... I spent half of my audio-life hating them, and now I can't do without;-)))

Built during last five months: Shindo-like solid bronze, with hammertone grey finish (600 grams), solid aluminium, red anodized (320 grams) and... soft suede leather and 1mm lead shots (350 grams)...

A free... aehm: an almost free clamp to the first who'll get the (sonic) winner;-)

March's Snow - Zen field and parking-lot