home

The Vinyl Press

  • Features
  • Records
  • Cleaning – Care
  • Editorials
  • Compendia
  • Ephemera
  • Phono
  • About
You are here: Home / Archives for Bill Hart

Roots- (Barney Rachabane)

March 5, 2021 by Bill Hart Leave a Comment

Roots- (Barney Rachabane)   Roots self-titled album, featuring Barney Rachabane, is somewhat obscure here in the States despite the international recognition accorded Mr. Rachabane for his work with Paul Simon and his legendary status in South Africa as a horn player of the first order.  Roots was a group formed by Rachabane and treated as a one and done, although the group did issue one other album under the Roots moniker. Rachabane is probably best known for his touring in support of the Graceland album for two decades. Yet his musical roots extend far deeper, as one of the living... Read More

Filed Under: Records

Clifford Jordan- Glass Bead Games Shoot-Out

March 2, 2021 by Bill Hart Leave a Comment

Clifford Jordan- Glass Bead Games Shoot-Out  By Ken Golden I’ve been asked by Fearless Leader to do a “shoot out” comparison between an original Strata-East pressing of Clifford Jordan Quartet “Glass Bead Games” (SES 19737/8) and the recent reissue from Pure Pleasure Records out of the UK. Some brief background – Strata-East Records was co-founded by Charles Tolliver and Stanley Cowell.  The name was taken in tribute to the Detroit based Strata Records label.  The exclusive focus of the label was black jazz musicians.  The range of music touched on post-bop, hard bop,... Read More

Filed Under: Stickies

Lou Bond- self-titled

March 2, 2021 by Bill Hart Leave a Comment

Lou Bond- self-titled  Lou Bond is an under the radar soul man whose self- titled album is a mixture of deep period soul with tinges of pop, folk and more than a few surprise covers—not exactly a mainstream soul sound. The Lou Bond album apparently got lost in the house of Stax, overshadowed by the bigger name crooners who fit more into the mold. But with the passage of time, and a sample from the album on an Outkast record, among others who tapped into the soul of this album, Lou Bond can now be appreciated for what it is. Reissued by Light in the Attic (LITA) in 2010, I found a sealed... Read More

Filed Under: Records

Precision Aqueous Cleaning of Vinyl Records-2nd Edition

March 2, 2021 by Bill Hart Leave a Comment

Neil Antin’s Precision Aqueous Cleaning of Vinyl Records-2nd Edition Neil Antin’s Precision Aqueous Cleaning of Vinyl Records received considerable attention on the web when it was first published in May, 2020. Now, less than a year after its first publication, Precision Aqueous Cleaning of Vinyl Records has undergone a substantial revision. This, the Second Edition, is not merely a “fluff and buff” update but a serious, extensive reexamination of the premises with which Mr. Antin started: that record cleaning is not a mysterious dark art, that science (in his case adapted from... Read More

Filed Under: Features

DRIFTGLASS by Seed Ensemble

March 2, 2021 by Bill Hart Leave a Comment

DRIFTGLASS by Seed Ensemble There is something very special about Driftglass by Seed Ensemble. For starters, it’s a hell of a lot of fun to listen to; when did you last experience that?  The album and ensemble are the brainchild of Cassie Kinoshi, a gifted performer, composer and arranger who leads a big band with a big sound and an eclectic, and sometimes unexpected, array of influences. What starts as a thrumming bass solo soon morphs into a stage full of instruments that mixes the avant-garde with something that resembles a James Bond film theme from the ‘60s—it’s cool stuff,... Read More

Filed Under: Features

Milt Ward Virgo Reissue Coming from Frederiksberg

January 12, 2021 by Bill Hart Leave a Comment

Although I don’t have all the details yet, I have learned that Frederiksberg Records, a small, eclectic label from New York, is in the process of reissuing the hard to find (and even harder to pay for) jazz obscurity, Milt Ward and Virgo Spectrum. You can find out more by keeping tabs on Frederiksberg’s Bandcamp page, https://frederiksbergrecords.bandcamp.com   I’m told there is a bootleg out there so be careful. Frederiksberg is doing this project with the participation of the family of Milt Ward, which is to be applauded. Hopefully, this will give more access to a... Read More

Filed Under: In Brief

Woody Shaw- Blackstone Legacy

November 22, 2020 by Bill Hart Leave a Comment

Woody Shaw- Blackstone Legacy Woody Shaw’s Blackstone Legacy, his first as a featured artist released in 1971, may be one of his best. Shaw had a steady career as a sideman, working with some of the greats in Paris, including Nathan Davis (whose work after he returned to the States has been covered here), followed by a stint with Blue Note before embarking on a career as a bandleader. After release of Blackstone Legacy, Shaw continued to work as a sideman at the same time he released a succession of albums as a featured artist. Shaw was prolific and died tragically at the age of 44,... Read More

Filed Under: Records

Charles Tolliver-Connect

November 22, 2020 by Bill Hart Leave a Comment

Charles Tolliver-Connect  Charles Tolliver has just released a new album—Connect.  Tolliver is a gifted composer, instrumentalist, producer and co-founder of the legendary Strata-East label. Unlike some of the Strata-East albums, which are now in serious collector territory, pricewise, Connect is readily available, sounds wonderful and won’t cost more than a standard issue record, though it is sourced from tape and wonderfully presented by Gearbox Records. Connect consists of four tracks- starting with “Blue Soul” which begins with urgent war drums and the horns, piano and drums... Read More

Filed Under: Records

An Experiment with Platter Mats- the MyMat

November 22, 2020 by Bill Hart Leave a Comment

An Experiment with Platter Mats- the MyMat Introduction Until I performed some recent experiments with a product called the MyMat, offered by a long-time member of the Audiogon community, I rarely thought about changing out platter mats. I’ve owned a number of good turntables over the years and figured: (a) that the manufacturer knew what was best, and (b) going down this rabbit hole was yet another potential morass—that the results would vary considerably based on a number of factors, including the particular turntable design and platter. How “projectable” would anyone’s... Read More

Filed Under: Stickies

Fuzzy Duck- self titled (Be With Reissue)

November 14, 2020 by Bill Hart Leave a Comment

Fuzzy Duck- self titled (Be With Reissue)   Fuzzy Duck’s eponymous album is relatively obscure- it didn’t sell much at the time of release, with a limited pressing run and the group disbanded. But instead of fading into complete obscurity, the album enjoys a cult following with prices to match. Be With Records, the same outfit that did such a good job reissuing the Air album with Googie Coppola, just released this reissue, attainable by mere mortals for the cost of 4 lattes.  It’s well worth the cost. What you’ll hear is a UK psych hard rock band in top form circa 1971, with... Read More

Filed Under: Features

  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • …
  • 27
  • Next Page »

In Brief:

Milt Ward Virgo Reissue Coming from Frederiksberg

Although I don't have all the details yet, I have learned that Frederiksberg Records, a small, eclectic label from New York, is in the process of reissuing the hard to find (and even harder to pay for) jazz obscurity, Milt Ward and Virgo Spectrum. You can find out more by keeping tabs on Frederiksberg's Bandcamp page, https://frederiksbergrecords.bandcamp.com   I'm told there is a bootleg out there so be careful. Frederiksberg is doing this project with the participation of the family of Milt Ward, which is to be applauded. Hopefully, this will give more access to a great jazz record at a reasonable price. The Roots album reissue from Frederiksberg (which is sold out on vinyl on the Frederiksberg Records bandcamp site) still appears to be available through some online retailers as a pre-order, so that's another one to jump on now if you can find it-- the original is extremely pricey and … [Read More...]

Clem Snide- Forever Just Beyond

Clem Snide- Forever Just Beyond With a name derived from a character in the same literary work as the band name so famously identified with the Walter Becker-Donald Fagen duo, Clem Snide has an extensive discography, typically cataloged as “alt country.” This latest release is the work of one of its founding members, Eef Barzelay, who was responsible for much of the songwriting and singing. According to his bio, Barzelay suffered some serious bumps in the road during the last decade, including a failing marriage and financial ruin. At the same time, he learned that Scott Avett was a fan and they found inspiration in each other, leading to this album- a collaboration of artistry where Avett and Barzelay share some writing credits and Avett produces. The result is a fresh, upbeat set of tunes that are appealing in their simplicity and refreshing in their sincerity. The band is first tier … [Read More...]

Muriel Grossmann- Reverence

Muriel Grossmann- Reverence Muriel Grossmann continues her quest for musical ascension on Reverence, which was released on vinyl in early December, 2019 on the RR Gems label as a 2 LP set. The compositions are Grossmann’s, and the band is much the same as the group of seasoned musicians with whom she has worked for some time (and detailed in the review of her Golden Rule), but for one notable exception: the addition of a keyboard player who brings that rich, woody Hammond B-3 sound to a series of compositions devoted to Africa. In some ways, Ms. Grossmann’s exploration of the roots of jazz deliberately eschews any superficial attempt to make African music. Instead, she draws inspiration from its influences, which are wide ranging and deep—you can hear rhythm and blues sounds mixed with more traditional African instrumentation and polyrhythms and come away with something that is both … [Read More...]

Stylus Life- StylusTimer

Stylus Life- StylusTimer Stylus life is a recurring question in audio discussions. Some serious attention was devoted to the subject here, in Mike Bodell’s “The Finish Line for Your Phono Stylus.” That article examined the issue from a number of perspectives, including early studies, claims by cartridge manufacturers and real-life experiences by users. It also generated a long, interesting thread on the Steve Hoffman forum that is worthwhile to read. The Hoffman thread also generated an experiment by Ray Parkhurst who documented the wear of a new stylus under certain controlled conditions, which included a microscopic examination of the stylus at various time intervals over long hours of repeated play. See https://forums.stevehoffman.tv/threads/the-finish-line-for-your-phono-cartridge-stylus-wear-by-mike-bodell.842572/#post-21292730.   Whether you lean toward more optimistic … [Read More...]

Incoming! (More Interesting Records)

Incoming! (More Interesting Records)  An "interesting record" to me offers something unexpected, whether it is a fresh take on a recognized genre, or something that opens a new way of experiencing instruments in combination. It does not have to be "strange" or challenging to listen to; in fact, I'm a sucker for a good melodic hook and enjoy technical prowess as much as anybody, but there has got to be something "more"-- an intangible that differentiates the record from the millions of others to which we all have access.   As mentioned in a recent editorial, a lot of records come in and not all get written up. It’s not an editorial decision or any reflection of the music or sonics; I only have so much time, and I tend not to write short blurbs, but longer (some may say ‘too long’) reviews. My “incoming” piles continue to grow as I publish. This series of short capsules is meant to … [Read More...]

Terms of Use ·  Copyright © 2021 The Vinyl Press.com ·  Privacy Policy
A service of Flying Reptile Media Group ·  Contact


Register | Login to Comment | Comments FAQ

Copyright © 2021 · News Pro Theme on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in