Last night the Music took over….


I woke up this morning a little hungover, not from wine but from the lingering spell of last night’s listening session. Nicki Parrott’s voice was still in my head, smoky and rich, wrapped in the warmth of Black Coffee album on vinyl.

You may or may not be a fan of hers, and that’s okay because this post isn’t just about singing praises for her impeccable storytelling. It’s about those moments we all chase… the ones when your system disappears, and the music breathes with such life and intimacy, it feels like the artist is right there with you.

Last night, my system was at its absolute peak. Everything clicked. The performance was spellbinding, her tone so warm, her phrasing so present, it made me pause and ask myself:

Have I finally reached the point where I can stop tweaking… and just enjoy the music?

So I’m curious…have you had one of those nights where the gear disappears, and the music just becomes the room?

What was playing? 

I’d love to hear about those moments that made you forget the tweaks, the specs, and the chase… and just feel! 

lalitk

Showing 1 response by mylogic

@mihorn 

Ennio Morricone. Once Upon a Time in the West. Steffi Vertriest cover version.

l am very familiar with the soundtracks and concert performances by the composer. I have collected his music since the 1960s before he was even well known. I have after 60 years accumulated most of his 500 film soundtracks in some form or other on Record and CD. The Morricone collecting community can be quite obsessive in wanting everything they can lay their hands on, the most coveted being the original LPs.

l have to say, and not just because you sampled the live recording on Audiogon that l have known of this example for many years…… It is the worst kind of reproduction of “Jill’s Theme”  out there on the internet. The piano may be authentically recorded, but the vocal track has the worst “brightly” enhanced echo reverb fiddling with l have ever heard.

This example may sound impressive at a hi-fi show or demonstration room with a first listen, but on closer scrutiny it is a mixing desk nightmare. It is not a natural sounding reproduction. No performer can possibly sound so excruciatingly screechy as that, no matter what church or cave they can ever sing in.

That recording is a resounding rebounding bad sounding NO from me.IMHO