John Marks, Author at Positive Feedback

"Christmas Jazz Vespers" Jazz-Quintet Track "What Child Is This?" Recorded by John Marks: Free Download!

John Marks — Sat, 23 Dec 2023 23:59:38 +0000

EXCLUSIVE! FREE HI-RES DOWNLOAD! 24-bit/88.2kHz Christmas Jazz Vespers jazz-quintet track "What Child Is This?" recorded location-live by John Marks. From the Editor: Our good friend John Marks got in touch about a "Christmas Jazz Vespers" concert he had recently recorded location-live in the spacious Third Meeting House (1775) of the First Baptist Church in America (gathered... Read More »

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Catching Up with Steinway's (Classical and Jazz) No-Cost Streaming Service

John Marks — Tue, 25 Jul 2023 20:52:43 +0000

When it comes to supporting their Steinway Artists (by which Steinway & Sons actually means pianists; when Steinway says "artists," they don't mean those guys and girls wearing smocks and berets who wield paint brushes while squeezing oil paint out of tubes), Steinway really puts its money where its Public Relations interests lie. Steinway is... Read More »

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A Rumination Upon Audio Research, VW's Phæton, and Subaru vs. SAAB

John Marks — Tue, 23 May 2023 20:07:19 +0000

I must confess that I love Alternate History books, the more plausible the better. But I will fall for the occasional "Time Machine from the Future" yarn. In addition to writing about audio, I also was an automotive journalist. I was accredited to Mercedes-Benz USA by the U.S. Mercedes Club. I also wrote for Robert... Read More »

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The Grace Design m900: Vilfredo Pareto's Favorite "Budget" USB DAC

John Marks — Fri, 05 May 2023 22:59:24 +0000

The Grace m900 USB DAC Vilfredo Pareto (1848-1923) was an Italian civil engineer, sociologist, and economist. Pareto was primarily responsible for shifting the focus of economics from theories of "moral philosophy" to being a data-driven social science. Pareto was the first to use the term "elite" in economic and social analysis and criticism. Vilfredo Pareto... Read More »

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A Slave Galley Upon the River Styx: What is the Worst Pop Song Ever to Chart?

John Marks — Fri, 10 Mar 2023 01:10:58 +0000

Music manuscript, Northern Italy, circa A.D. 1350. (Courtesy of John Marks) "Best" and "Worst" are often creatures of Pure Subjectivity—especially when it comes to literature, art, and music. Golf and baseball, in contrast, have objective metrics. I know that I have a list of "The Songs I Love to Hate." After you read mine, please... Read More »

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Solen Monitor 9A: A Standout Bargain Among Professional Monitors

John Marks — Fri, 03 Mar 2023 00:12:52 +0000

Every now and then—but really, not all that frequently—a product appears that really "shakes the chessboard" in terms of performance, value for money, or both. The Monitor 9 from Solen Electronique is one such product. Solen is a Montreal-based Canadian company with manufacturing facilities in Canada and France. Its overall performance is top-tier, and its... Read More »

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Remembering David Hancock

John Marks — Mon, 07 Nov 2022 22:28:46 +0000

The "journal of record" of the violin world (and other bowed string instruments such as violas and cellos) is a UK publication more than 100 years old, called The Strad. Therefore, it filled me with joy to see David Hancock's musicianship praised in the pages of The Strad. (Tully Potter's review of David Nadien's and... Read More »

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A Positive Feedback EXCLUSIVE: My Dinner with [André] MFSL's Herb Belkin

John Marks — Fri, 30 Sep 2022 02:04:09 +0000

My Dinner with André MFSL’s Herb Belkin Herb Belkin (second from left), with members of the band Genesis circa 1974. Atlantic Records/ATCO Author's Note: The following autobiographical sketch is for the purpose of setting the stage (or giving the backstory) about how a total "Mr. Nobody from Nowhere" (i.e., John Marks) managed to get his... Read More »

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Load Factor and Agility Factor: Proposed Additions to the Thiele-Small "Canon"

John Marks — Thu, 01 Sep 2022 19:03:32 +0000

A special Positive Feedback guest editorial from John Marks, J.D. and James Tuomy, AES John Marks has been a longtime audio friend of mine, and a respected member of audiophile recording and loudspeaker design community. He recently approached me to publish a technical paper that he and James Tuomy had written regarding proposed modifications to the... Read More »

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Graham Audio Chartwell LS6 Loudspeaker

John Marks — Mon, 15 Feb 2021 19:03:46 +0000

We are blessed once again by some fine reflections from our good friend and brother, John Marks, he of The Tannhauser Gate fame. This time around we read his thoughts on the Graham Audio Chartwell LS6 Monitor Loudspeaker. I always fine John's commentary to be excellent reading, a blend of audio experience, music, deep insight, and... Read More »

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Noam Sivan: Improvisations upon the Goldberg Variations, BWV 988

John Marks — Mon, 01 Feb 2021 19:20:08 +0000

I am indebted to David P. Goldman‘s wonderful Tablet magazine article on the place of classical music in Israeli society for introducing me to the young pianist Noam Sivan, who is recovering the lost art of classical-piano improvisation. Born in 1978, Sivan has taught at the Curtis Institute and the Juilliard School. Currently he is Professor of Piano Improvisation at the... Read More »

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Moonriver Audio Model 404 Stereo Integrated Amplifier

John Marks — Mon, 09 Nov 2020 18:59:53 +0000

Once again, our great friend and music lover, John Marks, Editor of The Tannhauser Gate, has favored us with his reflections...this time on the Moonriver Audio Model 404. As usual, John writes with great knowledge and discernment on the audio virtues of this integrated amplifier. Read, and learn! Dr. David W. Robinson, Ye Olde Editor... Read More »

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Cantor Meir Finklestein, Grant Geissman: Kathleen Mavourneen

John Marks — Tue, 01 Sep 2020 15:56:10 +0000

Our good friend and fellow scrivener John Marks, he of The Tannhäuser Gate, has shared with us another of his musical reflections from that estimable blog site. Once again, he stirs the mind by telling us about music that we likely do not know...much to our benefit! I always learn when I read one John's... Read More »

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Cai Thomas and the Bourne Ensemble: "Lascia ch'io pianga" (Handel)

John Marks — Tue, 02 Jun 2020 18:14:48 +0000

Herein the latest from our goodly colleague, John Marks, editor of The Tannhauser Gate, his worthy and informative blog site. He points us to a male soprano whose voice would delight the angels. O! Can he sing! Dr. David W. Robinson, Ye Olde Editor "Well, the Welsh do sing, do they not?" I murmured to myself, upon... Read More »

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Ella Fitzgerald: Always True to You (In My Fashion) (Cole Porter)

John Marks — Sun, 03 May 2020 20:36:03 +0000

Personally, I consider this to be one of the more memorable musico-poetic explorations that John Marks has done. He of The Tannhauser Gate ambushes us with not one, but two allusions, both of which left me bemused. May they do you as well as they did me! Dr. David W. Robinson, Ye Olde Editor An... Read More »

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Rosen, Stevenson, and Delmoni: "Londonderry Air" (arr. Fritz Kreisler)

John Marks — Sat, 21 Mar 2020 20:40:36 +0000

Photo by John Marks The above photo was not taken in Ireland, but it perhaps could pass; and in any event, it will have to do. For St. Patrick's Day, here are Nathaniel Rosen (cellist), Doris Stevenson (pianist), and Arturo Delmoni (guest violinist) playing Fritz Kreisler's trio arrangement of "Londonderry Air," also known as "Danny... Read More »

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Kirill Petrenko, Berlin Philharmonic: Gustav Mahler, Symphony 6

John Marks — Wed, 18 Mar 2020 01:27:10 +0000

The Berlin Philharmonic has just made a really classy move: in view of the coronavirus pandemic, they have removed the paywall on their archived content. To put it another way, you can now binge-watch exceptional classical music performances for free. While hunkering down under the electric blanket and waiting for the wine-store delivery person to... Read More »

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Joanne Polk: Louise Farrenc Etudes & Variations for Solo Piano

John Marks — Sat, 15 Feb 2020 17:28:10 +0000

Our good audio brother John Marks, he who shepherds his site, The Tannhauser Gate, sends along another smoke signal about a fine recording of a nowadays-obscure composer, Louise Farrenc. I have not yet found a single recommendation of John's that wasn't very worthwhile. To borrow and adapt John's phrasing, "pause and listen." Amen! Dr. David... Read More »

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An Interview with Karen Gomyo

John Marks — Mon, 27 Jan 2020 17:27:02 +0000

Karen Gomyo was born in Tokyo, but grew up in Montréal. That is, up to the point when, at age 10, she moved to New York City, in order to study at the Juilliard School, at the invitation of Dorothy DeLay. Miss DeLay taught, among many others, my friends Arturo Delmoni and David Kim. Indeed, it's the... Read More »

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Karen Gomyo and Ismo Eskelinen: Carnival (music for violin and guitar) (SACD)

John Marks — Wed, 22 Jan 2020 20:49:42 +0000

Here's the latest from our good audio friend and brother who writes and edits at The Tannhauser Gate, John Marks. He draws our attention to a very promising stereo/multichannel SACD from BIS. I have found John's recommendations to be trustworthy always, and have thus already ordered mine from Amazon. You can do the same! David... Read More »

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Jakub Józef Orliński: "Vedro con mio diletto" from Il Giustino (Antonio Vivaldi)

John Marks — Fri, 17 Jan 2020 18:39:39 +0000

Here's the latest from our good friend and fellow audio voyager, John Marks, he of The Tannhauser Gate. As always, John's sensibilities are exceptional, and his commentary is always both educational and a delight to read. Enjoy! Dr. David W. Robinson, Ye Olde Editor There are times when I think that a music-business story is... Read More »

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How China Made the Piano Its Own

John Marks — Tue, 07 Jan 2020 03:51:30 +0000

Yuja Wang, courtesy of Medici TV This is a first—I can't ever remember reading an article in The Economist that brought tears to my eyes… . The article in question is, to use academic terminology, a "reception history" of the piano in Chinese culture from the mid-19th century to the present. Here's the vignette from China's 1966-1976 "Cultural Revolution" that... Read More »

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"The Song of Names" (film)

John Marks — Wed, 11 Dec 2019 23:48:36 +0000

Herein, the latest from the Master of The Tannhauser Gate, John Marks, with a musical movie recommendation to make to us.... Dr. David W. Robinson, Ye Olde Editor Center: Dovidl (played by Luke Doyle). © Sabrina Lantos. Courtesy Sony Pictures Classics. Classical-music fans, especially fans of the violin and its literature, will want to know... Read More »

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Tenebrae Choir: "Miserere mei, Deus" (Allegri)

John Marks — Fri, 06 Dec 2019 01:50:56 +0000

In which John Marks shares his latest musical reflections from his very fine blog site, The Tannhauser Gate. As usual, his comments are edifying and instructive. Enjoy! Dr. David W. Robinson, Ye Olde Editor Gregorio Allegri’s "Miserere" (Have mercy on me, Lord) is one of the most famous pieces of Late-Renaissance polyphonic a cappella choral... Read More »

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Cole Porter on a Steinway, Vol. 1

John Marks — Fri, 29 Nov 2019 21:16:23 +0000

From John Marks' blog site The Tannhauser Gate comes this recommended recording: the "American Songbook" as performed by solo artists on Steinway pianos. No words...just the music itself. A tough challenge. But John says that the results are excellent, therefore one should pay attention.... Dr. David W. Robinson, Ye Olde Editor Various: Cole Porter on a Steinway,... Read More »

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