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That's one small step for MoFi, one giant leap for mankind. Yes, Fragile. Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab, Atlantic – UD1S 2-012, Limited Edition, SuperVinyl, Box Set (2019, Dec.), # 4164 of 7500. Originally released on Atlantic, 2401019 (1971, Nov.) Ratings Global Appreciation: 9.7 Music: A+ (9.9) Recording: 9.5 Remastering + Lacquer Cutting: 9.6 Pressing: 9.9 Packaging: Deluxe... Read More »

Arlester "Dyke" Christian—along with James Brown—was almost singularly responsible for the infusion of Sixties funk and soul into rap music in the late 1980s. Yet ask the average man on the street about Dyke & the Blazers, and you'll generally be greeted with a blank stare in response. One of Dyke's biggest hits, "Let a... Read More »

Bach Sonatas and Partitas, Augustin Hadelich, violin. Warner Classics, 0190295048747. 2 CDs. A musician alone with his violin. No audience in sight. Or in mind. Some will consider these performances self-indulgent, a young maverick who hasn't earned the right to take this music to himself. Not me. I have enjoyed Hadelich's Ligetti (live), Adès, Sibelius,... Read More »

Paris, Hilary Hahn (violin); Radio France Philharmonic/Mikko Franck. DG 00289 483 9847 (CD).  TT: 52.51. CHAUSSON: Poème. PROKOFIEV: Violin Concerto No. 1 in D. RAUTAVAARA: Deux sérénades. The chief interest here lies in Einojuhari Rautavaara's Deux sérénades, adapted for Hilary Hahn from his opera The House of the Sun; when the composer died in mid-project, his onetime student... Read More »

Record Store Day 2021 has two summer dates this year, June 12 and July 17, and Craft Recordings has no fewer than twelve RSD exclusive releases to offer this go around. Last year's RSD was the craziest ever, what with the pandemic and everything, but 2021 seems to be bringing new hope for some kind... Read More »

With a light and delicate touch, Noelia Rodiles carries us on a rollicking joy filled ride with Schumann, Rueda, Mendelssohn, and del Puerta, then lands us gently with Schubert and Magrane. If some of these names are unfamiliar, I encourage you to join me and explore this lovely recording. Another transparent recording by Gonzalo Noqué... Read More »

Violent Femmes: Add It Up (1981-1993). Two 120 gram, black vinyl LPs: $29.99 MSRP. Also available as two 120 gram, blister-marbled red vinyl LPs: $32.99 MSRP. Available from Craft Recordings. My first experience with the Violent Femmes came not too long after their eponymous debut album had been released in 1983. I'd just gone to... Read More »

Sarah Jarosz: Build Me Up From Bones. 120 gram, black vinyl LP: $21.99 MSRP. Also available as a 120 gram, opaque red vinyl LP; no website or pricing information was available at the time of the review. Available from Craft Recordings. Sarah Jarosz is a multi-instrumentalist and singer / songwriter who grew up in Wimberley, Texas, a... Read More »

IBIS, Self-Titled. Polydor Records 3581980. 1975 Locanda Delle Fate, Forse Le Lucciole Non Si Amano Piu. Polydor Records 3529073. 1977 Sensations' Fix, Finest Finger. Polydor Records 3559352. 1976 For the uninitiated, Italian Progressive Rock of the 1970s can be differentiated from its German and British peers by its heavier emphasis on the Hammond B-3 organ as opposed... Read More »

Chamber music of Brahms and Schumann, how does it get any better? Well, you mix it with music of Hindemith and Enescu, add excellent musicians who perform all deliciously on viola and piano, and then capture the magic in a sterling recording. And thus you have a this exceptional release. I love music for the... Read More »

As lovely a piano recording as we are ever likely to hear. Javier Laso gives us superb performances of two great works of the piano literature. And Gonzalo Noqué, producer and chief recording engineer for Eudora Records, gives us a recording that captures of the sound of a grand piano as well or better than... Read More »

Sarah Shafer (s), Tessa; Raquel Winnica Young (ms), Pi; Dan Kempson (b). Arts Crossing Chamber Orchestra/Efraín Amaya. Albany TROY 1846. TT: 78.30 About a year ago—when it became apparent that the pandemic shutdowns would be dragging on for a while—the noted singer-actor Stephen Pasquale was interviewed by Classic Stage Company's Artistic Director, John Doyle (on Zoom,... Read More »

Anna Marie Wooldridge was born on August 6, 1930, in Chicago, Illinois, although she was raised from childhood in Michigan. Alternating between her desires to be an actress and a singer, she started performing while still in high school, and soon relocated to the west coast in the early Fifties, where she performed mostly in... Read More »

Two more titles from the "Polish Jazz" series in the new releases of Warner Music Poland: Young Power, Young Power. Polish Jazz vol. 72 Jaroslaw Smietana Sounds & Colours. Polish Jazz vol. 73 The "Polish Jazz" series is one of the national treasure of Polish culture—and I say it with full conviction. As part of it, selected,... Read More »

Citizen Cope, The Pull of Niagara Falls  Music has become so overproduced that even the most natural of things, the sound of a human voice, is often so auto tuned away from the real thing that it ends up sounding like a futuristic robotic-like facsimile of itself, and since it's digitally rendered—it sounds like a... Read More »

Anyone who's followed my love of great recordings and exceptional productions knows that I value the work of Cookie Marenco and company very highly. Cookie is a real professional who has worked in the industry for decades now, and the artists associated with Blue Coast Records are first-rank, all. Recently I downloaded the DSD256 version... Read More »

Ambient music, like all other genres, has no rules. There may be, however, at least one tenant that many ambient artists collectively follow, or at least strive for, and that's the avoidance of sounding monotonous. This sounds obvious, but painting musically wide-open earthy and outer spacey landscapes is far from simple, even when they seem... Read More »

Complete Peter Serkin. Sony 19439713872. 30 CD's. If Serkin is one of your very favorite pianists, as he is one of  mine, then this is a treasure trove for you. Thirty CDs for under $100. Includes both solo recordings and work with TASHI. Steal of the year. \ Joseph Haydn, String Quartets, Op. 76, 4-6. Chiaroscuro... Read More »

Schubert's Winterreise, one of the greatest song cycles written, is most often heard with piano and voice. The Ragazze Quartet treats us to a performance arranged for string quartet—and it works marvelously! The Ragazze and baritone Martijn Cornet give us a performance filled with nuance, emotional impact, and synergistic musicianship. Jared Sacks has outdone himself... Read More »