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Since you're reading Stereophile, it's likely that you and music have an intense and (hopefully) steadfast relationship. Perhaps it dates from your formative years, or perhaps you and music found each other during a difficult or transitional life phase. Whatever the case, you found music—or music found you.

I sometimes lament how much technological know-how is required for a consumer to successfully navigate the world of high end audio. Why do we have to wade through all this engineering mumbo jumbo just to enjoy great sound?

Sometimes artists walk away from a final mix, heads shaking after a reluctant sign-off . . . This is essentially what British prog outfit Gentle Giant did with their 1973 LP In a Glass House.

Music often brings me joy, awe, and, if I'm lucky, something close to transcendence, but it's not my only route there. A few years ago, on a sunny January day in Madrid's Prado museum, I went looking for Hieronymus Bosch's The Garden of Earthly Delights.

Drummer Cindy Blackman Santana sings along to music from Herbie Hancock, Davis, John Coltrane, Tony Williams, and Wayne Shorter to get her creative juices going. "I do that all the time!" she exclaimed. "It's like breathing to me. It's second nature."

Earlier this year, I wrote two articles on record cleaning, in particular the ultrasonic kind. Some of the ideas I expressed were good and correct, like the choice of surfactant (Tergitol 15-S-9). Others, like the amount of Tergitol to use, were less well-considered.

Oscar Peterson was born in 1925. In late 2026, a set titled World Tour was released on the Mack Avenue/Two Lions label. It is advertised as "part of the continued celebration of Peterson's centennial." Consider this article a modest attempt to join the celebration.