Quincy Jones & The Distorsion of Sound

... and if he's worried, believe me, we all should be... have a look here.

Thanking Stevan...

Robin Williams - 1951-2014

I talked about him just yesterday, with some friends... his tits on fire in Mrs. Doubtfire... laughing...


Today, he's no more... I'm really, really sad, folks... from Mork & Mindy to Popeye, from Will Hunting to Insomnia... his characters were always very natural and well rooted, true to life and intriguing...

World is a sad and lesser place, today. 

R.I.P. dear Robin...

Stanley Laurel & Oliver Hardy in 1956

... a rare shot of Stan & Ollie... to do not forget all the joy they gave to the world... one year later, it was 1957, Oliver Hardy died...

I love them...

Missing Chicco...

Two years, one month and five days after he passed away, I'm missing my beloved pup dearly...

Cannot stop looking and looking at the beauty of his eye browses and at the complete relaxed way he fully trusted in me and my wife...

With him we were a family... now (with my wife) we're only a couple.

You're in my heart, dear Chicco.

Forever.

DS Audio DS-W1 Optical Cartridge from Japan

Many audiophiles recall Optical cartridges introduced by several companions many years ago. Its sound was shockingly sensational. Comment at the time was, "Pure like mountain dew, yet strong like a water fall."  

However, contrary to the market response, those cartridges quickly disappeared from the market. 

It was Precision mechanism and sophisticated optics that were too difficult to come over at the time. Furthermore, the audio market begun to shift into Digital Sound Era (CD music).


People still talk about Optical cartridge as analogous to Hi-fidelity. So, Optical Cartridge became a legendary product among audiophiles. 


Unlike MM/MC cartridges, which based on Electromagnetic induction, Optical cartridge detects stylus vibration by a beam of light. This innovative design made it possible to eliminate Electromagnetic frictional force intrinsically exists in any MM/MC cartridges.  


DS-Audio proudly announce that DS-W1 is Renaissance of Legendary Optical Cartridge.

VTF is 6,5 grams, sensitivity is 500mV... 

... mmmhh...

CSNY 1974 - a must buy!

Don't play the fool, like I was doing myself... yawn, after ALL these years - forty, actually - more of this ol' crap... hey, I'm older and an intellectual and I listen to avant-garde, and... blah, blah...

... but when you listen to Crosby's Almost Cut my Hairs... ho, ho?!?!

Than Mojo magazine arrives and you find a dozen pages review and a complimentary disk from the 3CDs/1DVD box set and... you hit your chin... ouch!

I'm listening to This INCREDIBLE disks on Gotorama's glory and it's brand new, fresh, timeless music... a joy for the ears and the soul, Willie Nash and Joel Roberts did an AMAZING job from the archive master tapes... the sound is AWESOME, like the music... the booklet says it all... the Alembic 12 strings electric Crosby played... when a Martin D 45 or D 18 or D 28 is played... who plays what...

Neil was playing on a couple sets a D'Angelico New Yorker jazz guitar (sic...) and well, I now know why Americans and we all love CSN&Y... listen to Stills on D 45 "Word Games"... it's muscular and rock, also if acoustic... so... everyone is much welcome: the Redneck, the Freak, the Psych, the West Coast fan, Southern Rock... acoustic, electric...

Well, the pixies alone are worth the ticket on this box set...

Mojo interviews and review says also the Men were in coked-mode and dope circulated in every moment in backstage, bus, rehearsing... but those were the days.

The quartet survived lung transplants, booze, deaths, fights, bankruptcy and more... they are still here, reminding their music is in our generation DNA.

Making it simple? Buy the box, Blue Ray, DL or... hey, you Deep Pockets in the corner... one of those GORGEOUS 6 vinyls in maple box etc. etc... pressed in 1,000 copies for the advanced vinyl junkie, it also contains - among other goodies - pubic hairs samplers of the four artists... so, rush on CSN&Y site, where the USD 499 (plus shipping) superb vinyl box is only available... the first 100 copies also contains Joni Mitchell's pubic gadget from the hey days.

Hoax;-)))

Those were the days, folks... buy this AMAZING musical treasure box.

Seriously: it's a GREAT disk... a document... a statement, and a recording to die for!


Enjoy!





  

Stoned

LOL!

Zero Freitas or the Man who cannot Stop Buying vinyl discs

"For the truly compulsive hobbyist, there comes a time when a collection gathers weight — metaphysical, existential weight."

So true!

Read the full story here... impressive and... oh, oh...?!?!

Thanking New York Times' Monte Reel for the great article.


I'm jealous, Zero...

Stefan Grossman's interviewed...

Stefan has been an huge inspiration and a mentor to me and my guitar playing like for zillions other acoustic guitarists on the Planet Earth and I still plays some of his nice tunes from his books and tabs and records...

Here and here are two superb interviews by Work & Worry...

Thanks for the great job and for sharing, folks.

A goldmine.

Bonobo's flying

Animals?

Who taught, who learned?

ALLNIC Puritas Boron and AUT 2000 MC transformers step-up or the Combo Power

When I met my pal David Beetles and Kang Su Park, last May at München MOC 2014, while chatting and greeting and laughing, they misteriously told me: "In a few weeks, you'll get, see and listen to "something" truly special... you do deserve this experience!".

Few days ago...  wow...  I understood the Munchen's promise;-)

I recently got a brand new, improved and gorgeous ALLNIC's Puritas Boron cartridge and an AUT-2000 MC transformer.

Both David and Kang Su strongly wished having yours truly to listen to their flagship top-of-the-line cartridge properly matched with a Permalloy core transformer simply conceived and made for this very cartridge.

I used my previous Puritas Boron mounted on Archè VTA/SRA headshell matching with my best SUTs - i.e. Peerless 20/20 4685, WE 618B and Peerless 4611 with superb results  in the very merit-order as per a.m. listing...

I someway boldly felt I already got the soul and understood everything the Puritas Boron is able to extract from the most inner vinyl groove, so... well, I headed myself to taste the full ALLNIC's combo lightly hearted, waiting for no blasts or  sonic fireworks, but some nice, correct, sound.

I mounted the Puritas on Archè headshell and used my The Peak 12" arm and Garrardzilla 301... something I deeply know, as I'm able to hear also smallest combo variation.

I took away the 4685, actually in use, and swapped for AUT 2000, as well. 

The first disc was a double bass duet album of Bottesini music on Italia label...

The soundstage immediately and further opened like my little, humble studio got some meters more in size on every wall... consider that the papers accompanying the transformer says it was brewed in South Korea on last June, so barely tested and tasted by Kang Su Park, himself, as per his signature on papers... sure a non broken-in unit.

Impressive... a very, very impressive performance... but so good I guessed - shame on me - thanking the disc,  so great in performance and sonics to magnify the ALLNIC's stuff...

I turned my ears to "Verite du Clavecin" on Sarastro at 45 rpm, a 1755 Hemsch harpsichord masterfully recorded by Georges Kisselhoff.

... and I almost fell from my chair, folks...

The disc quality is awesome, must say... Harry Pearson's TAS told us all decades ago... nonetheless, what Puritas and AUT 2000 does to this disc and music is simply the very best I ever listened to, period.

Puritas, Arche and Schick arm (an old pix)

THIS extraordinaire cohesiveness is the combo - SUT and cart, cart & SUT - merit, no doubts... Kang Su is possibly using alien technology or simply - and likely:-) - he knows how to properly wind his irons and every trick concerned!

The Gotorama shines and truly disappears... only a granitic sound bubble is perceived, where the harpsichord is in front of you, the musician is breathing and everything sounds so natural and quick and dynamic and airy... yet sound is so well rooted to the recording venue and my room, so phisically here!

I'm going to say something dangerous, something I very seldom say or even think... but... well, HOW could I enjoy more my system and any music played on it?

How could I change anything on my system without risking to loose this?

I'm now very worried and afraid of loosing the magic, like never before!

Did this bliss change when weather getting colder, on next winter?

... or with humidity increasing?

OMG... I'm in tears, as I hate the above questions: I'll sure have nightmares on the matter... I'll bet it!

... maybe this it the cost for audio bliss, who knows? 

Thanking Kang Su and David for such a stellar adding to my humble audio system.

Musings?

Shakti - a short summer tale

Time for balance... I recently spent some hours playing on my acoustic guitars some John Renbourn, Bert Jansch, Alex De Grassi, Robbie Basho, Dave Evans and Davey Graham's tunes, plus some of my own compositions and, to my surprise, I don't need any reproduced music from my audio systems, which remains in OFF-mode.

It's both a surprising and unsurprising feeling: the pleasure of fingers dancing on the fretboard, the easy complexness of harmonics, tones & overtones and decay of a nice Lowden or Harmony or Martin vintage acoustic guitar really gave to my always music-thirsty soul and ear a long-lasting... ambrosia, I would call it. 

So, a question: what's music if not a tangible nectar, an ambrosia so necessary to human life as much as air?

I'm writing about and referring to such a lapalissianism, because something else happened, folks...

Beside being an acoustic guitar player, I always loved voice - male and female - and singing, BUT, being someway shy, I felt confortable singing only with selected, close friends or alone, while rehearsing by my own, but... in front of a dozen people audience... pure, painful stagefright!

Few days ago I went to a spa, while my wife was having some shopping... we were having some days short vacation.

In the spa I already knew there is a room, carved in the rock with a super-heavy sliding door and a stone plate with a writing... "Room of Sound" - i.e. a large, high dome-shaped ceiling place with water pouring from a spring-like hole and some cool gently changing colours hidden lamps, a timeless place, silent and relaxing as it can be.

Being a scholar and amateur of harmonic singing in the David Hykes' tradition, to my surprise, shortly aftyer being in the above mentioned room, I began singing lower and lower looooong notes, modulating with my tongue higher pitched note pairing with the main lower note.

I was wearing a swimming suit and I wasn't using my old, trusty tibetan large bowl and wooden/leather mallet like I use to do, at home.

Nonetheless, the sensation of hic et nunc  - i.e. doing the right thing was, really was, so strong!

No wrist-watches or clocks around... I was chanting deep and deeper "oooooohhh", modulating with the room reverberation and interplaying.... with nothing in mind, but singing "ooooooooooooohhhh"...

... eyes remained closed for loooong time and breathing was such a joy...

When I opened my eyes, at some point... I found seated in the round stone room a couple... I invited with quick, light, whispered words to join-in and enjoy some unison singing...

The lady was more reactive and emphatic while her partner was shy, yet we enjoyed some interwoving loooong notes, all together.

... at a new eyes opening, I felt the bond among us was going over and they left the room while another couple entered and quietly seated in the room.

The lady was blonde, tall and wearing a swimming suit, as well... she seated and only some eyes greetings each other and I was again into my deep harmonic singing; her voice, following by own deeper, was coming to me from a distance... getting firmer and stronger as time passed by...

I never experienced nothing like that... when I  had  to open my eyes, I noticed she was seated like myself, crossed legs, elegant and straight like a (female) Buddha, eyes closed and singing with me, touching her head (third eye area?) and belly, alternatively.

I felt such a joy... cannot explain... I closed again my eyes and continued my chanting, deeply enjoying when I was aware of the lady voice coming and going, going and coming like a wave, a peaceful tide...

After an immesurable lapse of time, I noticed the "oooohhh" was suddently becoming an "ooooommm" and the room was so nicely supporting our voices...

The stone walls and ceiling were sustaining like an instrument sound-chamber and resonating and giving a looooong decay to the chanting and a vibe which was embedding my whole body. felt like a resonating essence.

The lady and myself continued to "oooommm" in decreasing intensity mode for such a looong time, folks.

When I opened again my eyes, the lady was soooo beautiful, full of light, I was in love, bodyless and deeply in love... only a whisper between me and her... a light "....mmmm..." going on.

... lighter and lighter... "...mmmm..."... an hinting.

Then I felt and heard the sparkling, light water sound, again...

Opened my eyes, the lady's companion was lazily laying nearby... he never interacted with her or myself, simply stayed with his closed eyes, listening... or simply sleeping.

The lady opened her eyes and blinked full of empathy and light to me... soooo deep her eyes and quiet... while water was sounding, gentle in the background.

I felt like a child... naked and quiet... sooo quiet and still, inside.

The lady slightly bowed with her joined hands on breast three times, which I replied in same way and she whispered a "thank you".

She and her companion left lightly like they came... I only touched her arm with my hand. 

Shortly after I also left the empty, stone round room of sound  I  enjoyed some relaxing warm, thermal water pool swimming... unstressed and peaceful... unable to think to the previous chanting experience and really not looking for my singing partner at all. 

I looked at the clock, instead... I realized I spent three hours in the Room of Sound...  an eyebrows blinking for yours truly.

Meeting again my wife, later in the afternoon, she asked if all was OK, as she found me so... so... different... I bet her: the shaman was in;-)

The day after I felt some pain at my plexus... like I got some heavy weights or played hardly at the gym...

When I guessed it possibly was the almost three hours long harmonic singing, the day before... I smiled, blissfully.

Such an holy aching... with a question: did I meet Shakti?

Animusic

Super... maybe the Pat Metheny's secret dream instrument?

Thanking Mauro for suggesting it...

Racon horn - the missing link?

Larger than WE 15A or Siemens' Klangfilm... and maybe more elusive? Who did listen to one of these behemoths, out there?

Thanking Iain...

The Voice of the Eagle - Kazakh music from the Western Mongolia's Altai mountains

Fondly remembering and suggesting (to) the late, deeply missed Robbie Basho and his vision of the country...

This music is truly the soul of wilderness and it's dynamic and borderless like Nature and Sky are.

About Mountains

Weather in the mountains can be brutal, shifting from tropical to Arctic in a matter of hours, and the higher you climb, the tougher it gets as the oxygen slowly disappears. But millions of people around the world still choose to live at altitude, depending on adaptations, technology and community spirit to help them survive on the roof of the world.

The Himalayan mountain range is home to a hundred of the world’s tallest, yet seventy million people live here, many at altitudes thought to pose a threat to the average human body. The villages of Laya and Lunana, for example, are in the Bhutanese Himalayas and are some of the highest and most remote human settlements on earth, with yak camps at altitudes of 6,000m. At these dizzying heights, resources are few, hardiness is essential, and possessions and land are precious. As a result, the Layap people keep their assets in the family by practicing polyandry.

Polyandry is one of the rarest forms of marriage in the world, one in which a woman is married to more than one man at the same time, sometimes even in the same house. This keeps land, yaks and money in the family, but not all mountain dwellers practice polyandry. The Karen hill tribe of Thailand, for instance, are largely monogamous.

The highlands clearly influence how humans adapt physically, but mountain-dwellers have also gone to great lengths to adapt their surroundings to suit their needs. One of the most impressive examples of this can still be found in the Banaue rice terraces of the Philippines. Here, 2000 years ago, indigenous people used hand tools to build stone walls around their mountains. Working together they carved 12,000 miles of rice terraces, terraces that are still being worked by their descendants to this very day.

In the ‘fairy mountains’ of Cappadocia, Turkey, people still in the caves that their ancestors carved out of volcanic rock. The only difference now is that many of them are finely furnished and rented out as accommodation to the tourists who want to reconnect with the spirit of their inner caveman.

The idea of spirits is something that many Andean people would also understand. The Andes are the longest mountain range in the world and the people who live here have great reverence and respect for the mountains in which they live. The Incas used to view the tall peaks as gods, and perhaps understandably so. After all, how else to explain the presence of a life-sustaining lake at 4000m, in the middle of the desert?

If the Incas were right and the gods do exist perhaps now would be a good time to flex their muscles. If mining companies get their way, the lake will be drained and the water will disappear. Not only will this disturb the fragile ecosystem here, it is bound to make life even more difficult for those struggling to survive in these punishing mountains.

Thanking Michael and Kyle... and Algan Badel for his awesome playing and music.

Pluviophilia

This summer fashion...

... or a necessity?

Record of the Day - Vincent Gallo's "The Brown Bunny" OST feat. John Frusciante

First time ever on 180 grams vinyl... ohh, yes a bootleg circulated, years ago... but with this the artist will get some money, as it should be...

A cool chance to listen to an acoustic John Frusciante...


Nice gatefold cover, Made in USA and limited edition of 1,000 pressings worldwide!


Grab it while supplies last.