Buying Records in the Modern Age For those trying to build or rebuild a vinyl LP record collection, the market is a tough one to navigate: older pressings, particularly desirable “grails,” are extremely expensive if in clean playing condition, and top tier modern reissues have also gotten pricey. Is there a sensible path one can plot to acquire high quality, sonically satisfying records in today’s market? Most “guides” are simplistic in the extreme or provide a “buy this” type conclusion– often favoring the latest audiophile release. Getting into... Read More

An Interview with Cecil McBee   Cecil McBee may not only be one of the most prolific bass players in jazz, but one of the most inventive—his style of playing is immediately recognizable: melodic riffs that are unconventional but fit neatly into the larger motif of the composition, a technical mastery of the instrument displaying remarkable precision, making his excursions into unexpected territory all the more revealing of the expressive soul behind the music. His style exposes otherwise hidden passages that lurk inside the composition, making for melodious extensions of the main theme... Read More

Beer Budget Digital for Analog Buffs  I finally broke down several years ago and added some digital “front-end” components to my main system. I’ve never invested heavily in digital gear given that my mainstay format has long been LP. I’ve been buying vinyl records for almost 60 years- and have barely scratched the surface. If all production of the LP stopped tomorrow, I’d still have access to millions of existing records in circulation. But I first learned the value of digital in the archival world, where I heard ancient recordings brought back to life. And for both work and... Read More

Pharoah Sanders -Black Unity That a vinyl LP is essentially one long, continuous groove is probably nowhere more evident than listening to Pharoah Sanders’ Black Unity. This album was recorded and released during the peak of his creative power with a cast of ensemble players that are notable for their work in the avant-garde/free jazz space. There’s a whole lotta music packed into these grooves and trying to make sense of this album is not to listen in studied fashion—better to absorb it as a whole than to concentrate on its parts or look for some over-arching theme. The music is... Read More