Ear Candy: Most startling recordings.

- Vincent Cortois,Translucide (Enja 9380 2) Shockingly realistic cello attack, lots of subtle decay as well. The occasional guitar feedback and loop effects are gritty, but delicate and obviously very carefully put together. The trombone flatulence and tuba work provide some pretty arresting sonic contrasts w/ out ever getting real chaotic.

- Jackie King, Moon Magic (Indigo Moon FF7001 2) Takes a bunch of standards (all w/ the word moon in the title) and somehow manages to keep any of them from sounding cliched. Incredibly vibrant Tal Farlow like sound (all instrumental). Great bass playing too. Not macaroni and powdered cheese and even Kenny G's mom would probably like it.

- Some of you guys gotta check out Glen Moore, Nude Ascending Bass (Intuition 3192 2). The adrenaline jolts you'll get from some of the bowed bass work will make you fear for your speakers well being. It's musically great too some parts will definitely playback in your head and give you something to chew on when your not in front of your stereo.

A recording that I keep coming back to is the Charlie Watts Jim Keltner Project. A collection of out of hand percussion, along with acoustic and electronic instrumentation that combines jazz, techno, and African rhythms into a wild and thoroughly enjoyable body of music. Not every piece is great, but all are interesting and a few are simply outstanding.

LISTEN UP!!! Must try Sting "Soul Cages" track 1 and 7 and 9- actually they are all pretty darn good!! Recorded well...Q Sound also. This one is a little different from other Sting CD's...his Dad had just died and he was brooding a bit.
OK- Try this- make sure you have 20 minutes of NO interuptions....turn the lights low...asume the sweet spot position...a little more gain (volume) than usual...Start with Track 1, enjoy, move to #7...and get lost in that one....then immediately click to Track 9, hang tight, and wait for the last few seconds...it may be startling!
Go get it and let me know what you think!!!

Big Star - #1 Record/Radio City

Both of these are excellent records in their own right. They were packaged together on one CD, which I believe is still in print and constititutes, in my opinion, an embarrassment of riches. Weird, melodic, whimsical, poignant, and sonically beautiful, this record continues to delight and amaze me every time I play it. Although Big Star is often credited with founding power pop, I find that their catalog is impossible to categorize. Their third and final studio album, Sister Lovers, is also startling.