R.I.P. Dept. - Hans Reichel passed away on Nov. 22nd 2011...

... in Wuppertal, his hometown... he was 62.

I fondly remember I briefly told him at the phone - yes, musicians definitely are on phone directory, sometimes - maybe ten years ago, how much I loved his music... he remained silent and only after a loong minute replied some shy words... I felt happy I told him.

I cherish almost all his discs and disks in my music library... and I'm really sad to think such a brilliant mind and individual only exists in his opus and fonts and maps and cartoons and... my mind.

Pure spirit in Daxoland...

Amen.

La Maison de l'Audiophile/Kaneda 50W Class A stereo amp

... sure a prototype, here shown with missing large black top cage, built in VERY small figures by William Walther, back in late '80s/early '90s... a 35 kilos monster, not a beauty with its nude look HUGE 1KW transformer and blue Sifco caps... but...



... superbly sounding and now in Arnaldo's proud and satisfied hands.


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N.O.S. - NEW OLD STOCK DEPT. - Robbie Basho's Twilight Peaks reissue

I still cherish my original home-made cassette I had through Maurizio Angeletti, back in early '80s... this fine, FINE last recording by Robbie Basho.

Glenn Jones recently cared for the reissue on a fine Indie record label - Smeraldina Rima - from Belgium... thanks, Levi:-)

Grab it in any format, vinyl, disk, MP3, before it vanishes again, like a Phoenix... to resurrect later, in other Space & Time.

WJAAS (related) - beautiful German Hanami

Schwetzinger Blüte 2012, thanking my friend Johannes...

Ana Vidovic

It would be far too easy saying it's too handsome to be so clever...

Enjoy her flawless expressive playing on this Pierre Bensusan's fine morceau... beautifully and wisely recorded using a Neumann USM 69 stereo mike in a reverberating small church.

Nice!

WJAAS (related) - my wife and Ikebana Sogetsu

Since yesterday morning me and my wife talk like a middle-aged Japanese couple:-)))

Kenzan, Shushi (not sushi!;-))), Shin, Soe, Hikae...

First lesson, first results... the small humble blue glass and lone flower is Italian Ikebana:-)... the bigger, as per Ikebana Sogetsu school.

Love both!

Klaus Kinski, Fitzcarraldo and horn

Always loved this movie, character, director, actor and picture... and music, of course.

Goldring Lenco G88 in slate plinth and Kimura Labs. RS1A rotary-arm

Space-age and retro, vintage, at same time... mounted on RS1A arm the superb Shure V15II moving magnet cartridge and... the slate plinth in classic white is about 30 kilos and... don't be fooled by plywood layers-like inner plinth... it's a single slab slate:-)

Sound? Later, as I heard a little noise when turned ON the G88... ooops... I also forgot to loosen motor transit screws!!!

What a shame...:-)

David Hykes' Harmonic World

Since The Absolute Sound mag suggestion, many, many years (eons?) ago... Hykes and his Harmonic Choir and "Hearing Solar Winds" on Ocora vinyl accompanied yours truly for the last 27 years, now... in the meantime, I (badly) learned harmonic throaty double overtones singing and bought some more Hykes' discs and disks, 'til these present days

Only one hour ago I had an after dinner listening at my studietto... some Nigel Kennedy violin solo by Bela Bartok's and Hykes' "Harmonic Meeting". on Celestial Harmonies label...

Great, timeless, both easy and deep, deeeep music... Brotherhood and Hallelujah tracks remind me to something I only can imagine... as liner notes suggest, a time where Christianity was a Judaism sect and religion wasn't "church", that sort-of secret multi/national society which rules the world.

Mysticism is and should be a very personal activity, ABSOLUTELY money and (ANY) power unrelated, and Buddhism is masterful and GREATLY inspiring about this... and this music is as personal and mystic as it can be.

It's a ladder to a purer life and a richer relationship with our very self, the truest, crystal clear essence.

If you never listened to him... well, your very self will sure appreciate his music...

"David Hykes has opened a new dimension in music, bringing us the music of the spheres.
It is the music of overtones which hold sway throughout the universe...
As music, these wondrous sounds retain an extraordinary mystery, for they
make every listener feel humble and yet part of the great Whole."
--the renowned violinist, conductor and yogi, Lord Yehudi Menuhin

... I humbly agree.

My actual desk-top

Seth Casteel's Ruff Water

Cool pixes of our beloved pups... in Alien-mode while ball-catching in a L.A.'s swimming pool;-)!

Geriatric Rock Dept. - Ian Anderson's (what about Jethro Tull?!?!) "Thick as a Brick" # 2... do we really need the sequel?

I still fondly remember a younger me having some sexual perturbations while looking at Little Milton's sister lovely panties blinking under the skirt, on cover picture at extreme right, lower corner;-)... this would be GREATLY embarassing if replicating the cover with same characters - namely the sister - now, in 2012;-)))!



BTW - What about the other Tulls... or Jethros;-)?

MV + EE... howdy!

Just got my copy of limited edition (I got # 57;-)) of 8 disks "Suub Duub Tour Box" weirdo... your chance: dig by yourself with no regrets;-)

Like Matt says, it's ALSO an investment;-)

... 'c-mon, let's support Erika and Matt to keep their lawn "green";-)

WJAAS (related) - Taiko (太鼓)

Last Saturday I had my very first (not the last, I feel...) lesson of Japanese style drums playing, those Taiko BIG drums which - through "Dafos" on Reference Recordings label and the famous "Kodo" drummers literally shocked the audiophile community... earthquake-like rumbles and blasting, explosive forceful group drumming with great patterns, both physical and meditative as a discipline.

Masai-san of Masaitaiko drumming ensemble from Japan visited for the second, consecutive year my hometown during the still going on "Haru no Kaze" festival, a Japanese/Italian springtime happening involving ikebana, tea ceremony and, yes, traditional drumming.

I enrolled myself and left my guitar player attitude home, wearing those weird yukata-like dressing and being a drummer for two hours!

Two extremely enriching and pleasant hours, indeed... Masai-san explained rhythms patterns, and beautiful sound making on those BIG drums and myself and a group of "pupils", a total of ten people, we banged and screamed and moved following sensei-san instructions...

The beautiful dance-like movements while playing were the most difficult part for me, while after some so-so drumming, I obtained a deeep, round, strong sound from my 1 m tall and 70 cm diam. drum.

The sound coming from a group of ten drums in a 150 sq.m room with high ceiling was awesome... beautiful, ground-shaking, earthquake-like... I was both part of it in the "noise" making and enjoying the sound-waves decay, the organized "drums battles" and the patterns, at same time.

I left after chatting with the group members from Japan deeply moved and relaxed and... maybe I'm NOT a guitar player... I'm a Taiko drummer!

;-)

Buddha's Hand

Linda Eastman McCartney's vision...

Great vintage shots... the ones you'll (eventually) not recognize are: (beloved) Grateful Dead, Twiggy, (Jefferson Airplane's) Grace Slick and Spencer Dreyden and a young Johnny Depp with Kate Moss... plus the horse, of course;-)

... the others are history;-)

... almost forgettin'... the painted nails feet are Paul's;-)))