tonight:
Leroy Jodie Pierson (APO 005) New release from Chad Kassem's Blue Heaven Studios, recorded direct-to-disc.
Bill Evans "The Tokyo Concert" (Fantasy F-9457)
Oscar Peterson Trio w/Milt Jackson "Very Tall" (Verve V-8429)
Beethoven "String Quintets Opp. 4 & 104" Suk Quartet/Karel Spelina (viola) (Supraphon 1 11 2128) |
I have been listening to SO MANY different LP's in the last week, I haven't had the gumption to post them here.
I am in the middle of an audition of a pair of Wolcott P220 tube amps I am contemplating adding to my system.
Last night:
Chopin "Les Sylphides" von Karajan/Berliner (Deutsche Grammophon 136 257)
Holst "Savitri - A Chamber Opera in One Act" Imogen Holst/English Chamber Orchestra/Purcell Singers (Argo ZNF 6)
Eva Cassidy "Songbird" (S&P-501 180g)
Pink Floyd "DSOTM" (Harvest SHVL 804 30th Anniversary reissue)
CD:
Pink Floyd "Division Bell"
Jerry Douglas "Look Out For Hope"
Sanjay Mishra/Jerry Garcia "Blue Incantation" |
Bach/Vivaldi "Sonatos & Concertos" Helicon Ensemble (Reference Recordings RR-23)
Ray Brown/Laurindo Almeida "Moonlight Serenade" (Jeton JET 33 004) A direct to disc recording featuring bassist Ray Brown and guitarist Laurindo Almeida. Superbly recorded with outstanding sonics, and, a medly version of Almeida playing Beethoven's "Moonlight Sonata" with Ray Brown weaving in and out playing the jazz standard "Round Midnight" on the bass.
William Ackerman "Passage" (Windham Hill WH 1014) Pieces for acoustic guitar with some duet work featuring other artists from the Windham Hill lable. A fairly early digitally recorded LP, but what makes this one interesting is that it was mastered by Stan Ricker at MFSL, pressed at RTI, and done on Quiex heavy vinyl. Windham Hill had the right idea for QC in 1981, and it shows. The surface is quiet, the master is not bad for an early digital to LP effort. |
On the menu tonight
Holst "The Perfect Fool"/"Egdon Heath" Boult/London PO (London
CS 6324 "Blueback" original pressing)
Antill "Corroboree" Goossens/London Symphony Orchestra (Everest SDBR 3003) |
Mahler "Symphony No. 1" Solti/LSO (London CS 6401) |
Prokofiev "Lieutenant Kije"/Stravinsky "Song of the Nightingale" (Chesky RC10) |
Forgot to add on the above:
Reiner/Chicago Symphony Orchestra. Chesky remastered this original RCA release from the 3 track master. Never been a big fan of the Chesky "sound", but they did a very admirable job with this. Plenty of the hall ambience that makes these large orchestral works bloom. |
Rushton,
I read your post and pulled out my 12 disc box set of "Treasury of Great Music", and sure enough there it is on Disc 12. I have yet to listen to this acquisition, I assume the Chesky is a remaster of this recording. I guess my listening session just got a little longer ;) |
So far today,
Stravinsky "Divertimento from the Fairy's Kiss" Reiner/CSO (RCA LM-2251} A Shaded Dog mono in very good shape, paired with Hovhaness' "Mysterious Mountain" Two very nice performances to begin the weekend.... |
Tonight:
Art Pepper "Meets The Rhythm Section" (Contemporary S7532, OJC reissue)
Mark Knopfler "Soundtrack From Local Hero" (Warner 23827-1)
Supertramp "Crime Of The Century" (A&M 3647) Speaker's Corner reissue
Beethoven "Piano Concerto No. 4 in G Major, Op.58" Serkin/Ozawa/BSO (Telarc DG-10064) |
Laurindo Almeida "Virtuoso Guitar" (Crystal Clear CCS-8001) 45 rpm black vinyl version. Picked-up a "minty fresh" used copy.
A thank you shout out to Sbank for turning me on to this gem of an LP! |
Getting an early start on a rainy Saturday in the East:
Roger Waters "Radio KAOS" (Columbia 40795) Interesting work. A bit of a spill over from some of "The Wall" in that Waters continues to explore the numbing effects of the media, in particular radio and television. Shades of what is to come in the now legendary (for sonics) "Amused To Death" Side 2 opens with a large dog barking off to the left as a transistor radio DJ voice begins in the right speaker and moves to the center. Some will argue that Water's solo works are over-indulgent drivel, but his production values are second to none. No excuse if the music is lousy, but sometimes sonics are fun in and of themselves.
Pink Floyd "A Momentary Lapse Of Reason" (Columbia 40599) Too many have dismissed the post-Waters Pink Floyd efforts.
I would invite you to give a listen this LP. "Learning To Fly" and "Sorrow" show some of the spark of the DSOTM and WYWH years.
Supertramp "Paris" (A&M SP-6702) Great live LP, with quiet surfaces and good dynamics. Supposedly the one to get your hands on of this LP is a Canadian pressing. They are alleged to best the excellent Japanese pressings.
Next up:
A Polycarbinate: Pink Floyd "Division Bell" Only because I don't have the LP. The most underated and oft-dismissed of the post-Waters era. I enjoy it's rather cynical look at human relationships. A nice break from the Big Brother, government, media, nihlism Waters is so famous for. |
Miles Davis "Kind Of Blue" (Columbia CS 8163) Listened to two different Classic Records reissues tonight. first the 200 gram, then the 45 rpm reissue.
I never tire of listening to this masterpiece. The line up of performers and the selection of music for this album are first rate and perfect for lower volume late night listening. This recording introduced me to Miles Davis, and I have added to my collection "Sketches of Spain", "Bag's Groove" and a few others.
I would ask the more enlightened and experienced posters here to please recommend other Miles Davis recordings similar in style to the above. I also have the better known Coltrane releases as well as almost all of Bill Evans' work as well, but would like to explore Davis a little more. Thanks. |
Thanks gents! I have a coupla more titles on my shopping list. KOB and Sketches really get it done for me, so I am likely to stick with that style. I guess it's the pre-electric acoustic Miles I am after... |
Arturo Delmoni "Songs My Mother Taught Me" (North Star DS0004) Arturo Delmoni, violin and Meg Bachman Vas, piano. A collection of short works by the likes of Kreisler, Smetana, Dvorak, Mendelssohn, etc. Simply recorded with two microphones at Holy Trinity Church in NYC.
F.J. Haydn "Harmoniemesse" Mass in B flat. Academy of St.Martin-in-the-Fields/Choir of St. John's College Cambridge (Argo ZRG 515) This is another one of those recordings you come across that are surprising. I have come to discover that recordings from the Argo lable have a lot to offer. The two I have been listening to; this one and the Holst "Savitri" are both works for voice and both feature great artists and wonderful performances that capture the acoustic space in which they were performed.
Arthur Salvatore has several Argo works on his list, and while I find myself in disagreement with his choices in equipment, more times than not I find that a lot of his music recommendations are in my collection, and I find myself searching out those I don't have. |
Ken,
You are so right! when I first acquired this, the first few plays were good, but I wasn't sure what all the fuss was about. The more I listen, to his technique and the emotion he puts into a work, regardless of who he is playing with, the more this disc has grown on me. |
Albert,
I bought the Jodie Leroy Pierson disc from Chad in NY myself. Stunning realism, and a lot of fun to listen to.
Both releases highly recommended! |
As a result of reading Nick Mason's recently released history of Pink Floyd: "Inside Out",
"Piper At The Gates Of Dawn"
"Ummagumma"
"Meddle"
"Dark side Of The Moon" (30th anniversary reissue)
"Animals"
"Momentary Lapse Of Reason"
"Delicate Sound Of Thunder"
Two CDs:
"Amused To Death"
"Division Bell"
'Twas a pink kind of day.... |
It's been waaaay to hot of late to light up all the tubes in my listening room, but tonight we did:
Neil Young "Greatest Hits" (Reprise 48935-1/Classic Records 200g reissue) Listening to "Cowgirl", "Southern Man", and the great tunes from "Harvest" made me feel 16 again. But for me, "Harvest Moon", the final cut on side four really gets it done. What a great love song. Excellent pressing and a great job of remastering the greats from 1969-1970.
Holst "The Planets" von Karajan/Berlin (DG 2532 019) This particular reading of "The Planets" remains my favorite of the versions I own. The pacing, sonics and dynamic swings von Karajan coaxes from the Berlin Philharmonic lend the majesty and drama this composition deserves. Other versions I own are the Boult/New Philharmonia on Angel/EMI and the Davis/Toronto reading from Angel/EMI. Most would agree that the Previn/Los Angeles is the one to own, but not having that one to make a comparison, the DG remains my favorite. |
Kind of OT, but relevant to posters to this thread:
Took my daughter to the Princeton Garden movie theater today to see "March Of The Penguins" Great documentary on Emperor Penguins! After, we stopped in at the Princeton Record Exchange to pick up some vinyl. My god, what have they done? Every time I have been in there in the last couple of years, the vinyl has shrunk to make room for more CD's and DVD's.
Classical vinyl has been relegated to a few lonely bins (5) at the very back of the store. The jazz is still in the middle row but pickins' are slim boys and girls. The "new arrivals" jazz bins still have some goodies, but how far the mighty have fallen. The store has been taken over by CD's and DVD's. To add insult to injury, the clerks at the front counter consist of rude, clueless 18 year old women who are so pale, they look as though the haven't had exposure to sunlight since they were 10.
It looks as though the king of used vinyl in the Northeast is dead. |
Ok all you vinyl experts: Do any of you have a recommendation for Charles Ives' "Unanswered Question" on LP. Reading another thread on Sibelius' work reminded me of a music appreciation class I took in high school and how that Ives work stands out as one of the highlights of that class. |
"Moscow Sessions" Kitayenko/Moscow PO (Sheffield TLP 27) Thanks Rushton!!
Bryan Ferry "Bete Noir" (Reprise 25598-1)
Thelonius Monk/Gerry Mulligan "Mulligan Meets Monk" (Riverside/OJC 1106) |
Last night:
Mussorgsky "Pictures At An Exhibition: Reiner/CSO (RCA/ Classic Records reissue)
Antill "Corroboree" Goosens/LSO (Everest/Classic Records reissue)
"River Of Sorrow" (First Impression Music 45 rpm)
Gary Burton/Chick Corea "Crystal Silence" (ECM original pressing) |
Last night:
Shostakovich "Symphony No. 5" Bychkov/Berlin (Philips 420 069-1)
Rachmaninoff "Concerto No. 3" Cliburn/Kondranshin/Symphony Of The Air (RCA LSC 2355 2s/2s original pressing) Those who like the Byron Janis Mercury recording should give this one a try as well. I believe this work has also been re-released as a three channel SACD. The Cliburn is a live recording from Carnegie Hall 5/19/58 |
Rushton, I just sat down to record write up my listening session this evening and read yours. I completed tonights listening with RR 23, Vivaldi side only: "Sinfonia in C", "Trio Sonata in G Minor", and "Concerto in E-flat". I haven't thought about this recording in months, then wind up playing it the same night you do (cue Twilight Zone theme here) In addition:
Eva Cassidy "Songbird" (S&P 501)
Ben Webster/Joe Zawinal "Soulmates" (Riverside 9476/OJC 109)
Webster's saxophone is so breathy and centered in the mix, with Zawinal's piano on the left, bass just right of center and Philly Joe Jones drums on the right. A wonderful recording of soulful, thoughtful music making. |
Emerson, Lake and Palmer "Pictures At An Exhibition". Early Cotillion pressing. Tomorrow a later pressing from the Atlantic red/green lable.
Wynton Marsalis "Hot House Flowers" Columbia
Patricia Barber "Modern Cool" MFSL 45 rpm reissue. Stunning sonics if Barber is your cup of tea.
Stravinsky "Rite of Spring" Maazel/Cleveland. Telarc recording. The bass drum whacks on this recording will give any system a workout. |
"Trumpet & Organ Music Of The Baroque" Thompson/Diemer (Water Lily Acoustics WLA-WS-13)
"Autumn Yearning Fantasia" Wei LI/Fei SONG (First Impression Music FIM LP 003)
Mussorgsky "Pictures At An Exhibition" Reiner/CSO (RCA LSC-2201 Classic Records reissue 33 1/3 rpm)
Roger Waters "Amused To Death" (Columbia 471127 CD) |
Tonight
Sibelius "Symphony No. 2 in D Major Op. 43" Ashkenazy/Philharmonia (London LDR 10014) Unfortunate early digital recording/pressing of a nice performance despite the fact that it was engineered by none other than Kenneth Wilkinson.
Bill Evans Trio "Moonbeams" (Riverside/Original Jazz Classics RLP-9428/OJC-434) Classic Records reissue |
I sure agree to the above! My full set of subscription tickets for this seasons Haddonfield Symphony arrived by mail today. Center section, row F. October 29th is opening night with Rossen Milanov conducting Sibelius' Symphony No. 7 and Beethoven's Symphony No. 7. Nothing like live music to calibrate one's ears! |
So far today:
Cowboy Junkies "The Trinity Session" (RCA 8568-1-R)
Joni Mitchell "The Hissing Of Summer Lawns" (Asylum 7E-1051)
Respighi "Church Windows" Clark/Pacific Symphony (Reference Recordings RR-15 45rpm) |
No LP's tonight, but a delightful evening with the Haddonfield Symphony performing:
Haydn "Symphony No. 60 (Il distratto)"
Stravinsky "Pulcinella Suite"
Schnittke "Moz-Art a la Haydn"
Prokofieff "Symphony No.1 (Classical Symphony)" |
The only thing on my platter tonight are lttle beads of sweat from installing the new JMW 9 Signature tone arm. Requires a complete dismantling of the stock arm down to the plinth, retaining parts, and screws from it and a complete reinstall of the new arm. One LP so far:
Ray Brown and Laurindo Almeida "Moonlight Seranade" (Jeton 33 004)
Tons of bass and good string tone. Large soundstage, more forward than the stock arm. still a little raw sounding.
My guess is a need to play with the VTA a bit, as well as the need for the Walker Extreme SST treatment on the cart pins to cure and the Nordost Valhalla wire in the arm needs to burn in a bit. |
Today, so far. The new arm is going through it's run-in. After about 10 hours or so, the highs are still forward and the bass is a tad lean, owing mostly to the burn in needed on the Nordost Valhalla wire and the 20 or more hours needed to cure the Walker Extreme SST on the cartridge pins. running things right now with the mechanical anti-skate in use, no damping fluid in the well and the VTF on the Shelter set at just a nick under 2g. Will leave the VTA as is till things have about 50 hours on them.
Enescu "Sonata No. 3 Op.25 in Rumanian Folkstyle (Wilson Audiophile W 8315)
Stravinsky "Rite of Spring" Maazel/Cleveland Orchestra (Telarc DG 10054)
Miles Davis "Kind of Blue" (Columbia CS 8163) Classic Records 45 RPM reissue |
OK boys and girls, here's tonights line up:
Mendelssohn "Mendelssohn In Scotland "Fingal's Cave"" Maag/LSO (Decca SXL 2246) Speaker's Corner 45 rpm reissue
Bach "Suites For Unaccompanied Cello Complete" Starker (Mercury SR3-9016) Speaker's Corner 200g reissue
Ray Brown Trio "Soular Energy" (Pure Audiophile PA-002) 200g blue vinyl
Arm is starting to dial in. VTA will be needing some attention. However, in a d'oh! moment, I have managed to lose the set screw for the counterweight. I have been crawling around the floor with a Maglite trying to find the little bugger to no avail. I have both a large and small counterweight for the arm but the screws are not interchangable (that would make too much sense)
One thing is for sure: the JMW Signature arm sounds NOTHING like the stock arm. As good as the soundstage was, it is much wider now. The Bach Cello Suites almost sound movie monster size huge. |
Rush,
You're right, it's NOT a good thing. The "Soular Energy" LP after it was more like it should be. Maybe my ears were still in work mode for the Bach. Needless to say, I was not a happy camper with a 10 foot high cello resonating around the listening room.
The arm continues to change with each LP, so I think we have a way to go yet. I noticed an even leaner bass presentation today with the Mendelssohn (only about 7 hours on the SST), but the Ray Brown had the depth and snap you would expect. The VTA is nowhere near dialed in yet.
Next up, the ultimate Slipknot1 test of soundstage:
Holst's "Savitri" |
Some birthday present listening today:
Dvorak "Cello Concerto In B Minor, Op. 104" Starker/Dorati/LSO (Mercury SR90303) Speaker's Corner reissue.
Dave Brubeck Quartet "Time Out" (Columbia CS8192) Classic Records 45 rpm reissue. The 45 reissue is far and away superior to the excellent 200g 33 1/3 reissue
Duke Ellington/Ray Brown "This One's For Blanton" (Pablo 2310-721) Acoustic Sounds/AcousTech 45 rpm reissue.
Plus, some interesting experiments in transferring LP direct to CD in the analog domain by going from the phono stage of the Supratek Chenin preamp to the analog inputs of an HHb 830 Burnit standalone CD recorder. |
Good one! I stared at his name on "Rough Mix, "Who By Numbers" looked over Led Zep but missed his name. I was gonna say Clapton cuz of the Delaney & Bonnie ref and Clapton played a lot of the lead parts on "Rough Mix".
That was fun. Maybe we should start posting thematic evenings of music and quiz folks on what the commonalities are... |
Rushton,
My early thoughts on the "Blanton" 45 is good to very good, but not in the same way some of the others are, as they are blockbusters for sonics. This is good, but not "great", especially being played on the heels of the "Time Out" 45. The 45 is so far improved over the 33 in sparkle, image, and impact from the kick drum. A real winner! |
Stuck at work today, but unwinding tonight with:
Louis Armstrong & Duke Ellington "Recording Together for The First Time" (Roulette SR52074) Classic Records 200g reissue. And what a wonderful reissue this one is! Satchmo's voice is locked dead center with Ellington's piano on the left. Quiet surfaces and a lot of fun to listen to.
Dire Straits & Mark Knopfler "The Best Of...Private Investigations (Mercury Records 987576-7) Fairly new LP release. Curious effort this one. When I ordered it, based largly on the track listing, I thought I would be getting a remaster compilation pressed on heavy vinyl. These tunes are remixed, different presentation/performances of some of their most familar work. No judgement, as I want to give it more time to get my ears used to it.
Rimsky-Korsakov "Scheherazade" Maazel/Cleveland (London CS7098) Nice performance of this warhorse. Not quite the sonic fireworks of the RCA/Reiner/Chicago.
Tchaikowsky "Symphony No.6 in B Minor, Op.74 (Audio Fidelity FCS 50,002) One of those "Oh wow, an Audio Fidelity for 2.00 here in this junk store" moments. Record cleaner has not really been able to salvage this one. Too much surface noise getting in the way of the performance. |
Prokofiev "Love For Three Oranges Suite" (Mercury SR-90006) Thanks Rush!
Wynton Marsalis "Hot House Flowers" (Columbia FC 39530)
Oscar Peterson Trio with Milt Jackson "Very Tall" (Verve V-8429) Original pressing with quite a few ticks and pops, but the music shines through
Mozart "Symphony No.41 in C Major, K.551 "Jupiter"" Hans Schmidt-Isserstedt/London SO (Mercury SR-990184) |
Enjoying 14" of fluffy white snow today with a fire in the woodstove and, on the turntable, we have:
Richard Strauss "Eine Alpensinfonie" von Karajan/Berliner (Deutsche Grammophon DG 2532 015)
Dire Straits "Love Over Gold" (Warner 23728-1)
Talking Heads "Stop Making Sense" (Sire 25186-1)
Not sure what's up next though. Olympic coverage on the tube may coax me out of the listening room. |
R f sayles,
HMMMM- My guess is that these LP's were all issued in the early 80's, perhaps in the same year?
Tonight, so far:
"Il Cornetto, Works Of Italian and British Composers of the 16th & 17th Century" (Klimo Edition Open Window OW 004)
Baroque era music performed on original instruments including the cornett, viola da gamba, harpsichord/chamber organ and lute/baroque guitar.
Liszt "Sonata, Piano Works By Franz Liszt" Robert Silverman
(Stereophile STPH008-1) |
R f,
I have to append my answer: They weren't all issued in the same year, or in the early 80's. I didn't take into account "Beggar's Banquet" and a couple of others. My other guess would have been that each LP was the second effort for each artist, but the Led Zep is their 1st LP, right? I give up. What is it? |
Nicky Hopkins playing piano? |
I know these pieces show up in my postings a lot, but I use them as references to help tell me what my system is doing. Right now, I am evaluating the Walker Reference High Definition Links on my speakers. I suspect after the past several listening sessions with them, they will be staying..
Holst "Choral Hymns From The Rig Veda" Imogen Holst/English Chamber Orchestra/Purcell Singers with Janet Baker, Thomas Hemsley, Robert Tear (Argo ZNF 6)
Rachmaninoff "Piano Concerto No. 3" Byron Janis/Antal Dorati/London Symphony (Mercury SR90283) Speaker's Corner reissue
Miles Davis "Kind Of Blue" (Columbia CS 8163) Both Classic Record's reissues: 33 1/3 rpm 200g and 45 rpm 200g
|
Rushton,
My first reaction to "Il Cornetto" is how delicate and airy the lute/guitar passages are as they weave through the soundscape. A lot of people may pass this recording by fearing the "acquired taste" of harpsichord, but the combination of the lute, cornett, chamber organ/harpsichord are just right IMO. Very easy on the ears, nice late night listening at lower volumes, and a tremendous recording from a production standpoint. Thanks for bringing this one to my attention! |
I too am sorry to hear that Elusive disc is listing it as OS. I must have gotten one of the last copies. Mine arrived within 3 days of placing the order. "Il Cornetto" is indeed a very delicate recording. I really allows you to hear texture and tonal shading of these early instruments if your system is resolving of this kind of intricate detail. |
"Dances Anciennes de Hongrie & Transylvanie" and Dances Du Moyen-Age" are two recordings that spend a great deal of time on my turntable. (Rushton introduced these to me - and I have his duplicate copies)
In addition, more music in this vein that is well worth pursuing is "Trumpet and Organ Music Of The Baroque" on the Water Lily Acoustics label. Kavi Alexander did a marvelous job of capturing these two instruments and the space in which they were recorded.
The Mercury Golden Import of Respighi's "Ancient Airs & Dances" spins a lot at my home too.
While not early music, the following recordings also offer the type of atmosphere we are discussing:
Both on the Argo label
Holst "Choral Songs Of The Rig Veda" and "Savitri"
Holst "Hymn Of Jesus"
Wonderful examples of small ensemble choral and instrument music. |
Montepilot,
I read of your interest in the Klimo Open Window Edition of the all harpsichord music. I tend to agree with you that LP's like this can be an acquired taste. But, if you are so inclined, I would like to recommend another that I have found very enjoyable and not at all tedious: It is an LP of works for the harpsichord and flute by the Baroque era composer Boismortier and it is on the Northeastern University Records label. I see used copies of it turn up from time to time as I believe it may be out of print. (I am away from my record collection as I write this so I cannot give you more details). It is well worth seeking out. |
Montepilot,
Not yet. I was at Lloyd Walker's last Sunday (he hosted our local audio group for an afternoon of listening on his personal setup). I saw the table, it is close to completion and I could be seeing it as soon as this weekend, or possibly next. I have already pulled and cleaned some LP's that have been discussed in this thread to listen to first, once the table is installed and dialed in. I will be sure and post my listening notes here. |
