Anne Briggs and Watersons - a rare '65 B/W footage

Anne:

have a look... hope you'll enjoy as I did...

... watching at Anne moving and chatting and playing with the kid... yes, I also appreciated Mike and Lal singing, BUT... Anne is REALLY special.

Indeed...

DPOLS or Dead Points of Live Sound - Thanking Romy the Cat and his GoodSoundClub

The “Dead Points of Live Sound”



This, from my prospective a superbly truthful article, was written by a Russian guy A. Polakov. I do not know who he is but the accuracy of Mr. Polakov’s experience regarding the subject and very similar Mr. Polakov’s and my observations of the issues made me to make his article available in English. Approximately 5 years ago I have written something similar and posted at AA but now that post is long gone (courtesy to the idiot who moderate the High Efficiency Speakers Forum). I have no longer that deleted form the AA original post but this subject is so important and so grossly overlooked and misunderstood by audio people that I found that it would worth to touch it again.

The text below is not a literal translation but a “very liberal translation” where I will slightly accent and stress some points, subdue and retouch some others. In some cases I did some rectifications and corrections where I filed it would be necessary. I some cases I even the Mr. Polakov’s position. However, the core idea of the article is very much the same as Mr. Polakov’s had. In other words it would be a very free and very liberal translation….

About the “dead points of live sound”.
Romy's translation-interpretation on the motives of A. Polakov.

It is know that there are many ingredients responsible for “quality” of audio inhalation. Unquestionably one of the most important is the listening room’s reaction to the installed loudspeakers. There are countless solutions how to work with listening rooms and the cost of this “working” in many cases might exceed the cost of the playback components.

Yes, the performance of loudspeakers might be very dramatically changed by the rooms and most of those improvements would be centered to find a correct positioning for the acoustic system in a listening room. Everyone knows that the positioning loudspeakers have an impact on Sound. However, with the REAL depth and imperativeness of this impact very few are familiar. It is pointless to perform any actions targeted to improve performance of playback, including the change of the component of the playback chain or the room acoustic treatment, unit the correct positioning of the loudspeakers in a given room would be found. There are no formulas, programs of any methodology that would simplify this process and the only “tool” that might be use is subjective perception of the audible result. The rules, circulations, abstraction, approximations and the entire practice of position of loudspeakers according to minimization of stay-waves are a juts very rudimental and primitive approach. After the optimum stay-waves location was found it might be considered only a very beginning.

An optimum location of loudspeakers might be called an “optimum zone” beyond which the subjective characteristics of the loudspeaker’s performance degrade very rapidly and very aggressively. For a typical “box” loudspeaker and within an average 400-700 sq feet room the dimension of the “optimum zone” usually within .5-1 inch and the deviation form the towing-in usually within 2-3 degree. Some audio people (approximately 15% of them) were able to determine the correct “optimum zone”. Whoever did not do it was not able to utilize a full potential capacity of thier playback systems. However, practically no one, even among those lucky 15%, knows anything about the “dead points of live sound”. When an acoustic system is placed into those “dead points” than all improvements that comes with placing the loudspeakers into the “optimum zone” really jump over the roof. The “performance yield”, when loudspeakers hit the “dead points”, is much higher then when the loudspeakers are juts placed inside the “optimum zone”. To describe what the “dead points of live sound” I would say that inside of the “optimum zone” there is one smaller zone. The dimensions of this smaller zone are within the scale of 1/16” –1/32” and therefore this zone might be called - a single point in space, or the “dead point of live sound” (or the DPoLS further on)

This effect was found purely accidental within context of one installation. Then the DPoLS was found within others installations, which suggests that this effect is a typical. In all occasions the gain of sound’s quality took place very aggressively and the gain of quality disappeared when the loudspeakers were removed out from the DPoLS. This suggests that the DPoLS might be discovered if one is intentionally searching for it. The probability that the DPoLS will be hit accidentally is practically equal to nothing. There are no publications or methodologies on the subject. Therefore, below are listed some subjective characteristics that an acoustic system do when the loudspeakers are placed into the DPoLS:

1) When the loudspeakers are placed into the DPoLS then all characteristics of sound improving very strongly: imaging, space localization, transient, dynamic range, space presentation, tonal contrast and many other. Even the tonal imperfections of reproduction become way less notable and less prominent. What is characteristic that the improving takes abruptly, very expeditiously and swiftly.

2) The strongest improvement takes place in the subjective domain, reflecting the emotion and spiritual content of recording. The DPoLS highlights the energy of performance; boosts the ethical load of the musical content, highlight the intonations and the timbre connections of the musical phrases. Starting with a certain level of capacity of the rest reproduction chain it is possible to talk about not “reproduction” but about the reinstating and resurrection of the “original energy of live”.

3) A conversion from a regula-audio sound to the “alive sound” takes place very rapidly when the speakers enter the DPoLS. This conversion is greatly catalyzed by an ability of a playback to handle LF.

4) DPoLS exist for mono and stereo installations. In case of stereo the DPoLS is a correlation of both DPoLS for each channel. The DPoLS spots for the individual left and right channel might not have the same location when the system operates in stereo mode.

5) The relation between the towing-in and excursion the loudspeaker into the room, when the loudspeaker is located in DPoLS, is very high. In DPoLS this relation is way higher when in a satiation when the loudspeakers are juts positioned on the “optimum zone” of a given listening room.

6) The correction of “quietly of Sound” by moving loudspeaker within DPoLS is imposable. Any deviation from the DPoLS is worsening sound. Since the loudspeaker is in the DPoLS then the room/system operate in its absolute maximum capacity.

7) When the loudspeakers are in the DPoLS then the “sweat spot” increase very dramatically and in many cases it might spread across the entire room. If the output from one loudspeaker would be even blocked then it be less significantly impact sound compare to the impact if the loudspeaker were not in the DPoLS.

8) The sensitively of loudspeakers from the minute arrangements made in playback system become very high. The loudspeakers begin to act as a very strong magnifying glass that highlights everything. However, this emphasize, if it emphasizes the negative properties do not necessary have a negative impact to the listening experience. I would say that that if you system slightly off the mark after the “highlight” then the subjective affect of this emphasize would be very different then if the loudspeakers would be not in the DPoLS.

9) When the loudspeakers are installed into the DPoLS (disregarding the cost and typology of the loudspeakers) then listener is far sooner get “hypnotized” by sound. The playback become to sound “significant”, “important”, demonstrating the “playback pomposity” and some pretentious. The process of listening perceived by a listener at the very different level and it is practically imposable to do the “casual listening”. The carelessness and the inattentiveness of listening become practically imposable. Sound become not juts a “Sound in the room” but an absolute dominating and demanding force in the room

10) The sensitively of the loudspeakers installed into the DPoLS to the effect of Absolute Phase become incredibly strong. Flipping the Absolute Phase in the DPoLS does not just change the structure of bass removes the fog from the lower midrange and settle down the HF but kind of turn the entire room upside down. To discover the DPoLS is imposable if the system is not set in the correct acoustical and electrical Absolute Phase.

Upon the said it is possible to make following conclusion: a major obstacle in building a high performing playback installation is unawareness of audio people about the DPoLS. The audio and listening benefits that might be received from placing the acoustic systems in the DPoLS are huge, order of magnitude exceeding any changes of loudspeakers of components. A lack of any structured methodologies and guideness that would enable the audio people to discover the DPoLS is a very severe impediment in order the knowledge about the “dead points of live sound” became a common practice among the audiophiles.



Thanks to Romy for this translation (and for his FANTASTIC "GoodSoundClub" Forum and site, always full of hints and inspiration...not a brand new theory, BUT so important to point it out, from time to time.

Platone e la Musica

... no, non si tratta di un giradischi esoterico prodotto in tre esemplari con un enorme piatto in carbon-block (un platone, appunto...), ma proprio di Platone (400 a.C.) dai "Dialoghi":

"La Musica è una legge morale: essa da un'Anima all'Universo, le ali al Pensiero, uno slancio all'immaginazione, un fascino alla Tristezza, un impulso alla gaiezza e la Vita a tutte le cose.
Essa è l'essenza dell'Ordine ed eleva ciò che è buono, giusto e bello, di cui essa è la forma invisibile, ma tuttavia splendente, appassionata ed eterna." ... così si scrive...

David Munrow

David Munrow 1942-1976 - "English do it better" -
... dicevamo "English do it better"... perchè? Perchè sono seri, non cialtroni, si preparano, pianificano ordinatamente... anche il + scalcinato gruppo punk inglese è assai disciplinato - una disciplina nel raggiungimento di un risultato dato, senza improvvisazioni.
Vien da dire, ma fortunatamente scherzo, che in Italia "va di cu*o"
Ciò che forse manca è qualcuno in grado di riconoscere i veri talenti, che non facciano la fine dei laureati che vengono esportati all'estero... i musicisti non mancano, forse non viene instillato loro quel "desiderio feroce" teorizzato da Keith Jarrett al raggiungimento di vette elevate: spesso si accontentano di insegnare alle scuole medie!!!
... e la burocrazia, queste pastoie che tarpano le ali delicate... se non c'è il "pezzo di carta" non si esiste... diplomi, certificati, lauree... tutto ciò che sto per raccontare non sarebbe potuto succedere nello Stivale
E' uno sporco lavoro, ma qualcuno deve pur farlo: quest'anno cade il 30° anniversario della morte di David Munrow, morto in circostanze misteriose, vale a dire un suicidio circondato dal riserbo affettuoso di chi l'ha amato, nel 1976 all'età di soli 34 anni.
Chi era e cosa ha rappresentato David Munrow per la musica antica e per la sua prassi esecutiva?
Moltissimo: le intavolature ed i codici necessitavano di una sensibilità fuori del comune per dare loro un'interpretazione (di questo comunque si tratta) non ampollosa, cortigiana, ma anche popolare, non bigotta, pazza, ma ordinata, impeccabile, ma leggera e non cattedratica... facile, no?!?
Nato nella provincia industriale inglese durante la WWII, ricevette in giovane età alcune benedette lezioni di pianoforte e... fagotto... là, il seme era a dimora!
A 17 anni già padroneggiava uno strumento desueto, umile in questo suo XX secolo, ma nobilissimo nelle origine e nella storia: il flauto dolce (recorder, in idioma d'Albione )
A 18 anni fece un'esperienza che indirizzò ulteriormente gli anni futuri di David: sotto gli auspici di un progetto di volontariato istituito dal governo di Sua Maestà britannica, passò un anno intero in sud America; per 9 mesi insegno inglese e letteratura in un liceo di Lima, Perù, e per i restanti 3 mesi chiese ed ottenne di girare in lungo ed in largo il continente, dando il via ad una ponderosa collezione di strumenti da ogni parte del mondo, usati con maestria negli anni a venire... flauti, percussioni, strumenti a corda arcaici da ogni dove...
Al suo ritorno, fu lettore di storia Medievale e Rinascimentale a Cambridge (19 anni) dove approfondì ulteriormente il suo interesse per queste misteriose umane stagioni.
Era fagotto in un gruppo teatrale e musicale shakespeariano.
Nel 1967, in pieno Flower Power, gli fu offerta la cattedra di Recorder e Musica Antica al prestigioso Royal College of Music di Londra, divenne Professore di Storia Medievale alla Leicester University e fondò quello che sarebbe rimasto in SUO gruppo fino alla fine: l'Early Music Consort of London, vero gruppo fluttuante: Hogwood, Tyler, la moglie Gillian Reid, Brooks, Nesbitt, Skeaping e molti, molti altri a seconda del programma da eseguire...
A malincuore fu costretto a lasciare il gruppo teatrale!
La EMI, quella dei Beatles, mise Munrow - questo piccolo, grandissimo giovane dai modi gentili pervaso da un sacro fuoco - ed il suo gruppo sotto contratto. Ma lo stesso fece anche la DECCA (Argo) e la Deutsche Gramophone (Arckiv): pazzesco come se i Beatles avessero registrato per la DECCA e la EMI... un miracolo?
Fermiamoci un attimo per alcune considerazioni: Munrow era completamente autodidatta e la + prestigiosa istituzione inglese gli offrì una cattedra, a 19 anni... Capito?!?
Ma David era anche un giovane, non un omino curvo e melanconico: le sue ricerche si svolgevano in una Swinging London dove parallelamente ai Beatles ed ai Rolling Stones viveva ancora lo skiffle di Lonnie Donegan ed il folk della Cecil Sharp House e dei pubs di Soho... non solo legnose biblioteche a Cambridge e Oxford, ma anche modernità all'inglese, nel rispetto della tradizione... un giovane, imberbe Paul Simon pendeva dalle labbra di Martin Carthy, al quale letteralmente rubò l'arrangiamento dell'hit planetario al suo ritorno negli USA, con Art Garfunkel: quel Scarborough Fair, bellissimo pezzo era già nel 63-64 nel repertorio di Carthy... e Sir Carthy non beccò una ghinea per quello che probabilmente rese possibile l'acquisto di un'appartamento con vista su Central Park ai due fringuelli ammeregani... gente senza storia
Negli stessi anni, anche Bob Dylan era in quel di Soho e la melodia di Masters of War venne da queste serate con Carthy, Jansch, Wizz Jones, Davey Graham... chapeau!
Tra queste contaminazioni, David Munrow ebbe un ruolo oscuro, mai del tutto confermato... i suoi dischi presentavano un Saltarello e Renbourn registrava un Saltarello, La Rotta, idem... Douce Dame Jolie di Guillame de Machaut (sta andando ora mentre scrivo...) registrato dal John Renbourn Group nel 1980, ecc. ecc. ecc.
Tra l'esplicito interesse del Nostro per il Folk, avvenuto nel 1969 con la collaborazione nel classico "Anthems in Eden" di Shirley e Dolly Collins, poi ancora con gli Young Tradition ed ancora con The Roundtable, subito dopo e la comparsa che fece gridare al "miracolo" anni prima con il Folk Barocco, quello stile chitarristico ricco di florilegi e di preziosismi di stampo elisabettiano... un buco, un mistero.
No, non sono Carlo Lucarelli
Ma... ascoltate: nel classico "Sir John Alot..." di John Renbourn, in un pezzo di circa 7 minuti, "Morgana", un esempio, riuscito, di folk/progressive di matrice medievale... non un pastiche alla Rondò Veneziano... sincero nelle intenzioni, come nel risultato...
Un flauto dolce ed una viola da gamba e nessun nome tra i credits sul retro della cover del disco su Transatlantic!!?!
Chi erano questi musicisti "mascherati"?
Il mistero si diradò molti anni + tardi, negli anni 90, quando la Lost Lake Arts, branca della Windham Hill di William Ackermann, rieditò proprio "Sir John Alot..." e "Lady and the Unicorn", entrambi di Renbourn!
... e stavolta, il retro della cover riportava, finalmente i credits... che emozione
Viola da gamba Adam Skeaping
Recorder David Morrow
... oh, oh?!?!
Tranquilli... era proprio il Nostro... il refuso mi è stato chiarito un paio d'anni orsono durante una breve chiaccherata con il vecchio, sempre caro, spelacchiato, gioviale John Renbourn... era David Munrow, nel 1968... la voglia di suonare NON aveva confini, così, senza attendere il beneplacet della grifagna EMI... voilà!
Un sito canadese dedicato a Munrow riporta riporta la chicca di cui sopra... merito di...
Non musica antica = vecchia, ma Musica resuscitata agli antichi splendori, eseguita da giovani entusiasti, non vecchi babbioni, per altri giovani entusiasti.
Ricapitolando:
tra il 1967 ed il 1976, David ed il suo gruppo registrarono circa 40 LP!?!?!?!??? , girarono il mondo per concerti, DM insegnava alla Leicester University ed al Royal College of Music, compose le colonne sonore per Zardoz di Boorman con Sean Connery e per I Diavoli di Ken Russell, oltre che per uno sceneggiato TV, poi film, su Enrico VIII ed un film dedicato ad Eddie Merckx e l'ambiente delle corse ciclistiche (una premonizione?!?).
Dal 1971, la BBC commissionò a Munrow la conduzione e cura di una trasmissione intitolata "The Pied Pier" (Il pifferaio magico): 4 volte alla settimana, musica commentata, argomenti sempre diversi: Britten, Walton, la musica gamelan, gli orologi musicali, la tromba, ecc. ecc. ecc.
Munrow nel 1976 aveva trasmesso ben 655 volte
... e trovò, nelle sue pazzesche giornate di 35 o 36 ore, anche il tempo di scrivere un BELLISSIMO libro dedicato agli strumenti della sua musica, con bellissime foto in B/N e didascalie, testi, incredibile per cura e bellezza editoriale!
Molte, molte parole dopo, chi di voi non conosceva Munrow spero proverà come me e molti altri, un senso di vuoto!
... è vero: c'è Clemencic ed il suo approccio zingaresco, ci sono Koopman, Leonhardt, c'erano Deller e Kees Otten, c'è Hopkinson Smith, ma nessuno, sin'ora ha raggiunto, IMHO, la leggerezza esecutiva, la profondità, la bellezza delle esecuzioni di David Munrow.
Ho scritto, negli anni, alla EMI, visitato il Royal College of Music, dietro la Royal Albert Hall, sono in contatto con la vedova... più scavo e più amo quest'uomo gentile.
Che altro dire? Grazie David... mi hai aperto mondi di inenarrabile bellezza... sto ascoltando la Sua musica proprio ora, e non piango perchè sono un motociclista

Cercate i Suoi dischi... solite fonti
Sono registrati benissimo (ricordate quando Bebo Moroni usava "la Musica delle Crociate" su Argo di Munrow? Bei tempi... Sandro Ruggieri dove sei??? Salvaci!
... ma, dicevo poco fa... la produzione è STERMINATA... direi di cercare l'ottimo triplo su EMI "The Art of David Munrow"... c'è tutto, booklet e note storiche e Musica eterna.
... ma un raro disco mi sta particolarmente a cuore: "The Medieval Sound" su Oryx... dove David commenta con la sua voce gentile e pacata i pezzi e gli strumenti usati... il vinile rende immortali?!?

http://www.davidmunrow.org/forum/index.php

http://www.a2a.org.uk/search/documentxsl.asp?com=1&i=0&nbKey=1&stylesheet=xsl\A2A_com.xsl&keyword=david%20munrow&properties=0601

Scusate la prolissità... ma era, è un "Complaint" dovuto...

Soon over Babaluma or the Power of Music: creating a New World?

This strange summer, lazy yet so busy, I'm grooving, deeply, lovingly & aurally grooving into so-called "Krautrock" more than ever... more these days than when in my teens wasn't only "cool" listening to this Cosmik Music from Germany, but "natural".

Popol Vuh, Amon Duul, Can, Faust, Tangerine Dream, Neu!, Cluster, Ash Ra Tempel, LA Dusseldorf, Moebius & Plank , Walter Wegmuller, Sergius Golowin, Witthuser & Westrupp... many of these I was listening about 35 years ago, some have been a recent discovery, thanks to Julian Cope and his Krautrock Sampler essay on Kosmische Musik... I'll be always in debt with Julian...

I'm right now listening to the Zappa-esque "Soon over Babaluma" by Can... the music is complex, yet easy... the wonderful technique the top musicians use is so music friendly you can't think they're playing virtuoso solos on their instruments... they build a mood, a new world like few others... like Capt. Beefheart and his Magick Band in Trouth Mask Replica, Lick my decals Off, Baby et al.

... they let you feel world isn't a place of tracks, but of layers, infinite layers where you could take a shower of red water looking at a green sky and you can whistle Penderecki and Cage's music, eat a blue steak in the morning and have a yellow cappucino for dinner, loving and hating with same intensity and trueness, where an hour is an eternity... and no dope involved.

First Incredible String Band's records where like this, like Tim Buckley's, or the recently found Patrick Kilroy alone or with his mate Susan Graubard's "New Age"... BUT people from Germany found the core for a direct link with pure spirit, the essence of ideas, new and old mixed to a completely new degree of consciousness in creativeness... no wannabes, covers, market laws, records selling...

I just listened to Witthuser & Westrupp "Trips & Traume"... in "Trippo Nova" and "Orienta" I heard young minds blending together shamelessly to create a picture of a magic moment, end '60, last century, when people wanted changes, better life, enjoying their lives, peace...

... how, HOW can I be an audiophile if I love this imperfect music so much?

Who care "imaging" if I get my daily fix in emotions & lively music from my audio "time-machine" system?

... and what's, anyway, an audio system, by the way, if not a Magick Machine which makes you enter in contact with all those dead geniuses and heroes... how in the world would you otherwise listen to Nick Drake, Jim Morrison, John Fahey, Sandy Denny, Frank Zappa, Miles Davis, John Coltrane, Bill Evans, Florian Fricke, Tim Buckley, Robbie Basho and many more?

... that's it... simple, yet complex... in the meantime, buy the titles I quoted, Julian Cope's book and buy Can's "Ege Bamyasi" and also the humble "Soon over Babaluma"... not Can's best, not Can's most famous... BUT such a great music, pals... I'm in tears... it's sincere, pure, various, imperfect like Man is... I feel at home, having my "Soundtrack for the Moment".

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/