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Glazunov, Symphony No. 6 in C minor, Op. 58; La mer, Op. 28; Introduction and Dance from Salome, Op. 90. Royal Scottish National Orchestra/José Serebrier. Warner Classics 2564-69627-0. TT: 66.48 Downloads: amazon.com (mp3); prestomusic.com (320 kbps mp3, FLAC); qobuz.com ("16-Bit CD quality," 44.1 kHz). Streaming: app.idagio.com; spotify.com Coming to the classics, as I did, by way of... Read More »

This is an ongoing project by Claude Lemaire of Soundevaluations 176. Blood, Sweat & Tears, Blood, Sweat & Tears. Columbia – CS 9720 (1968), MoFi ‎– UD1S 2-016 Box (2021), (2x45 rpm), #004348 of 6000. Genre: rock- jazz, jazz passages, jazz rock fusion, groovy soul rock, art rock, psychedelic flirtings, blues, ballad, fanfare, classical. Quick. What is... Read More »

Per Norgaard, Paul Ruders. Works for Solo Cello. Wilhelmina Smith. Ondine ODE 1381-2 With much contemporary music composed in the high modernist idiom, we pretty much have to follow the composers to see where they go. Guidelines are hard to find. Is it an interesting place? Does the music speak to us? Can we infer... Read More »

Rossini: Orchestral Music. Budapest Festival Orchestra/Iván Fischer. Channel Classics CCS SA 27708. TT: 65.00 La scala di seta: Overture. Serenata per piccolo compresso. String Sonata in G Major. Le rendez-vous de chasse. Variazioni a più instrumenti obbligati. Andante, e Tema con Variazioni per quattro strumenti a fiato. Semiramide: Overture. Downloads: amazon.com (.mp3); channelclassics.com ("stereo and multichannel");... Read More »

Krakow Sonic Society is an informal group of music lovers, audiophiles and friends who meet to learn something new about audio products, records, music, etc. The idea for the Society was conceived in 2005. This is already its 130th meeting. It took both Impex Records and High Fidelity a while… And it started as usual:... Read More »

Colored vinyl, or a few words about the phenomenon of colored vinyl with the Komeda Quintet's Astigmatic in the version released on the artists 90th birthday as an example. Colored vinyl LPs are flooding shops and the Internet. What's the point in that? Do consumers really get more or is it just a way to... Read More »

Roger Kynard "Roky" Erickson was, if nothing else, a Texas original. As founder of Austin's Thirteenth Floor Elevators, he was on the cutting edge of the first wave of psychedelia when the band's most noteworthy song, "You're Gonna Miss Me" ascended from a regional hit to crack the national charts in early 1966. One month... Read More »

I wasn't raised from birth to be a jazz-hound; that came about as a happy accident of Reaganomics, where I suddenly found myself out of a job, and ended up working again in 1990 in the commercial print industry. Where I spent the next seven years in a 1940's era bunker of a building that... Read More »

Harry Nilsson, Nilsson Schmilsson. Mobile Fidelity Originally released on RCA in 1971, this is a title that deserved an audiophile reissue long ago. Considered by many as the "American Beatle" (an opinion also shared by the Beatles), Nilsson was an innovative if not highly charged song writer and singer in the midst of many talented... Read More »

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 »

I know, I know…I promised y'all I was gonna present Part III of the Grant Green story to you from last issue. But there's something I just gotta tell you about, and it can't wait. Reason is, it's a timely issue—one of the legends is hanging up his spurs, and this is my tribute to... Read More »

Part 2: RECORDINGS In the 1990s, the music industry moved from reel-to-reel recorders, both analog and digital, to DAW recording systems, i.e. computer workstations. The Alesis Electronics ADAT digital multi-track tape recorders represent a turning point in this history. DIGITAL SOUND RECORDING  – an audio preservation method in which the audio signals are converted into... 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 »

This is an ongoing project by Claude Lemaire of Soundevaluations 171. Pink Floyd, Meddle. Harvest – SHVL 795, IE 064 o 04917 (UK) (1971), MoFi – MFSL 1-190 (1984), 33 1/3 rpm. Genre: psychedelic, progressive, experimental rock, heavy rock, art rock, folk rock, acoustic rock, roots rock, space rock, ambient. Meddle may be considered the bridge between... 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 »