Jazz Awards '08
The Jazz Journalists Association announced the winners of its 2008 awards today. Here’s most of them—followed, in parentheses by how I voted:
LATEST ADDITIONS
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Fourier 6 loudspeaker
The Fourier 6 has the special ability to generate large coherent sonic fields, from a box small enough to slip into an ordinary shopping bag. At $499/pair, the 6 competes directly with another remarkable-imaging, compact American speaker, the <A HREF="http://www.stereophile.com/standloudspeakers/446">Spica TC-50</A> ($420/pair).
The Freewheelin'
<I>The Bob Dylan Encyclopedia</I>? Now in its second revised and updated printing? Does any one person, even a momentous artist who now seems determined to die on the stage (to steal a quote from the great <I>Midnight Cowboy</I>) really need or deserve their own encyclopedia?
Revel Ultima Salon2 loudspeaker
Back in March 1998, Revel's Ultima Salon1 floorstanding loudspeaker generated quite a stir at <I>Stereophile</I> (<A HREF="http://www.stereophile.com/floorloudspeakers/96">Vol.22 No.3</A>). Our reviewers were impressed by its seven designed-from-scratch drive-units, its ultramodern enclosure with curved rosewood side panels, exposed front tweeter and midrange, rear-facing reflex port and tweeter, and a flying grille over the mid-woofer and woofers. In the December issue (Vol.22 No.12), the Ultima Salon1 ($16,000/pair) was named <I>Stereophile</I>'s "<A HREF="http://www.stereophile.com/features/178/index1.html">Joint Speaker of 1999</A>" for its "big bass, timbral accuracy, low distortion, dynamics, lack of compression, and best fit'n'finish."
Super Deep Plus Pure
Oh, <a href="http://blog.stereophile.com/stephenmejias/060308criteria/">I forgot to mention</a>: For really dirty records, like those that have been through my many unfortunate basement floods or those that I've picked up from the flea market on 17th Street, I've developed a two-part cleaning process.
Pratchett and Gaiman: Together Again
At Waterstone's website, <A HREF="http://www.waterstones.com/waterstonesweb/navigate.do?pPageID=1575">Neil Gaiman interviews Terry Pratchett</A>. If that isn't enough to whet your interest, the interview is accompanied by excellent Paul Kidby illustrations.
People, Places, Music, & Gear
<i>Me, holding a very big tube, at Nori Komuro's place in Brooklyn. To my right, Komuro's prototype VT-52 sits quietly. Photo by Michael Lavorgna.</i>
Do you find yourself increasingly dubious about cable manufacturers' performance claims? Has this affected your spending habits?
There are an increasing number of articles on the Web regarding cables/speaker wire and their sonic properties. Combine this with some "blind" listening sessions (like the one substituting a coat hanger) and any sensible person has reason to pause. Do you find yourself more dubious about manufacturers' performance claims? Has this affected your spending habits?
Conrad-Johnson PV9 preamplifier
As I write, it is garage-sale season here again in Santa Fe, and a recent sign near my home advertised "Over 3000 LPs, good condition, low prices." To my surprise, the seller wasn't a yuppie enamored of his new CD player but a true collector discarding the duplicates and dogs from his collection. 30 minutes later, many LPs heavier—including a mint Flanders & Swan <I>At the Drop of a Hat</I> (footnote 1)—and not too many dollars lighter, I returned to a great night's listening courtesy of the black vinyl disc.
Louis Armstrong's Mix-Tape Art
When I visited The Louis Armstrong Archives a few years ago to visit archivist Michael Cogswell, Cogswell escorted me back into the stacks to show me Armstrong's collection of 650 open-reel tapes, almost all of which sported collages assembled by the great trumpeter. More than touching his trumpet, I felt a direct connection to Armstrong viewing (and hearing) his mix tapes—Satchmo was one of us!