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
Power to the People-Back Up Generator
Shortly after the Texas “big freeze” in February 2021, I contacted various vendors of back up generators. Some did not bother to respond, a few came out, ostensibly to give me a quote and I never heard from them again. One vendor did send me a blank form with a very high total price, without completing the cost analysis for running gas lines, electrical wiring and the other things that are “adds” to the cost of the generator itself. I kicked this around for a while– given the heat in Central Texas during the summer–110F for days on end, we got... Read More
Incoming-Know what I mean?
Cannonball Adderley’s “Know what I mean? is a warhorse, to be sure,but one that deserves its reputation. I was prompted to explore a few different pressings as a result of a thread on the Hoffman forum: https://forums.stevehoffman.tv/threads/do-you-have-cannonball-adderley-bill-evans-know-what-i-mean-the-best-sounding-vintage-jazz-lp.1175660/ I used to shop these OJCs as bargains back in the day when Tower Records was thriving. They were a solid entry point into some very good sounding jazz–some of it “straight ahead” but well made, taken from analog masters... Read More
Muriel Grossmann- Devotion
Muriel Grossmann Devotion I’m a fan of Muriel Grossmann, though I have yet to meet her. She lives and works in Ibiza, which sounds like a constant party, but this woman is always working, striving, and challenging herself. Her newest release is another notch in her ascent as an important artist committed to modern spiritual jazz. The album, pressed at Third Man Records (nice clean, well-made wax), played flawlessly. This is the first album with Abel Boquera on Hammond B3. Side I “Absolute Truth”— takes the entirety of side one, some spacy sounds which are soon joined by a regular... Read More
We’re Back!
We’re Back! Some fresh content for your consideration. Neil Antin did some modest updates to his seminal book on Precision Aqueous Cleaning of Vinyl Records. Neil did not regard these changes as a “new version” so the download is now 3.1 with a “Record of Changes” at the end. I’ve talked to Peter Ulrich, the drummer from Dead Can Dance a few times over the years because I was fascinated by the group. They hit it big in audiophile circles with “Into the Labyrinth” which became a “demo” record with the MoFi release. I got that, but also sought out an original 4AD pressing,... Read More
KING CURTIS Live at Fillmore West
KING CURTIS Live at Fillmore West King Curtis is another great jazz/soulman who died young but left a legacy. He is famous for playing jazz, rock, soul, recorded with Jimi Hendrix and backed Aretha Franklin. This appearance at the Fillmore West followed a night backing Aretha. It’s funny how some records catch your attention. I knew of King Curtis but it was a debate on Bosch Legacy– between Titus Welliver and his computer hacker accomplice “Maurice”– over which rendition of “Memphis Soul Stew” was better, that led me to buy a couple copies. The band is stellar and... Read More
Drumming with Dead Can Dance: and Parallel Adventures- Peter Ulrich
Drumming with Dead Can Dance: and Parallel Adventures Peter Ulrich I didn’t really get on to Dead Can Dance until “Into the Labyrinth,” their most popular LP that made the audiophile rounds here in the States. 4AD, their label, wasn’t well distributed in the US when the band was first developing, it wasn’t exactly mainstream stuff here, even in the audiophile community. Yet the band had a following, starting in Australia, where Lisa Gerrard and Brendan Perry had a band and moved to a council flat in London where the two met our narrator, a soon to be jobless publicist... Read More
By Myself Abdul Wadud
By Myself Abdul Wadud This was not an easy record to find until a recent reissue and it may not be everyone’s “cup of tea.” It is a combination of free jazz with classical elements on a solo cello, played by a master. Abdul Wadud had appeared on a number of other albums, both as a featured artist and as a sideman. I first got wind of his work as part of the Black Unity Trio – Al-Fatihah (1971) Salaam, an album that also deserves mention. An original pressing is expensive. Gotta Groove did the recent reissue in cooperation with Wadud, who died before the record was released.... Read More
What’s Happenin’ Now
Sorry I’ve been absent. I’ve done some interesting research into music commissioned for the earliest days of television, and just resumed teaching again. I’m also thinking of going back to school to learn archival practices and preservation among other things. I’m reading about the history of Dead Can Dance, and it is fascinating. More soon on that and other things. You should go out and buy: Katanga! Tone Poet Bobby Hamilton -Dream Queen- cut from tape and mastered by the notorious Bernie G. More soon, Bill ... Read More
There Is No “Magic Bullet” in Hi-Fi
There Is No “Magic Bullet” in Hi-Fi No Magic Solutions I’ve spent some time on the audio chat fora over the years. Many popular threads these days are devoted to cheap improvements that can be made using audiophile “tweaks” or repurposed non-audiophile products. These can be applied to isolate gear, enhance the signals or connections or otherwise address some perceived problem that, once solved, offers to raise the level of music reproduction. It’s like a cheap solution to upgrade your system: from audiophile fuses, special wires (beyond simply having a high-quality... Read More
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