Everyone knows not to judge an album by its cover. But sometimes we can't resist the visual allure created to tempt the unwary shopper. Have you ever bought an album just for the cover? How did it turn out?
Three years ago, as the shift to downloadable media gathered momentum, <A HREF="http://www.stereophile.com/news/122605concord/">Concord Music Group purchased Telarc International</A>. The suspicion of those who then saw the handwriting on the wall were confirmed this past December, when a company-wide restructuring by CMG included the layoffs of 27 Telarc employees. Among those now on their own are the entire Telarc Production Department, as well as former classical publicist Amanda Sweet.
Thomas Alva Edison may have had a fully equipped laboratory, with a team of assistants slaving every day over ideas to be adopted when ripe as those of the great inventor, but the image of American ingenuity which rings true to me is of the lone tinkerer, working alone and mixing a generous dose of good ol' Yankee know-how with the sweat of his brow—a lot of it. These days, with the faithful PC and a hardworking CAD program at his side to do the math, the lone tinkerer seems to be thicker on the ground than ever, to judge by the humongous numbers of small companies selling high-end hi-fi components as revealed in <I>Stereophile</I>'s readership survey (see p.5). Whether these loners will ever rise above their origins depends, among many other things, on their ideas being truly worthwhile.
<B>DICK HYMAN: <I>Dick Hyman Plays Fats Waller</I></B><BR>
Dick Hyman, piano<BR>
Reference Recordings RR-33DCD (CD*), RR-33CD (CD**), RR-33LP (LP). Keith O. Johnson, recording eng.; Robert Harley, mastering eng. (RR-33DCD); J. Tamblyn Henderson, Jr., prod. D/DDD/AAA. TTs: 59:28,* 59:22,** 59:22
<B>Procrustean bed</B>: <I>a scheme or pattern into which something or someone is arbitrarily forced</I>.<BR>
<B>Procrustes</B>: <I>a villainous son of Poseidon in Greek myth who forces travelers to fit into his bed by stretching their bodies or cutting off their legs.</I>—Webster's Ninth New Collegiate Dictionary
Friend and neighbor, Tris McCall, has been posting the results and analysis of his annual <a href="http://www.trismccall.net/critics_poll_2008_results.htm">Critics Poll</a>. My favorite bit—<a href="http://www.trismccall.net/critics_poll_2008_miscellany.htm">Miscellaneo… Categories</a>—went up today. I am even mentioned in the analysis. Always a thrill. Oddly, however, Tris notes that I am an "audiophile."
Keith Jarrett has also just released a trio CD called <I>Yesterdays</I> (on ECM), featuring Gary Peacock on bass and Jack DeJohnette on drums, with whom he’s been playing for decades. The album might be described as outtakes from the group’s 2001 concert in Tokyo—portions of which were released the following year on a double-disc recording called <I>Always Let Me Go</I>—except that the new album is dramatically different. <I>Always</I> consisted almost entirely of improvisations; but it turns out the trio also played standards that night (the group is known as Jarrett’s “standards trio”), and they’re all assembled on <I>Yesterdays</I>. Often when a musician releases an album of previously unreleased takes, it’s clear why they didn’t make the original cut. But that’s not the case here. In fact, this is one of Jarrett’s loveliest albums, especially the ballads (“You’ve Changed,” “Smoke Gets in Your Eyes,” and “Stella by Starlight,” as well as the title tune). Whatever one might say about the man’s antics and idiosyncrasies, his artistry cannot be disputed. I can’t think of another jazz pianist alive, and only a few from any era, who displays such seamless virtuosity, across so many styles of music, and still conveys the vibrant rhythms and true emotion of a song.
Now here's a fascinating album from only God knows where. Or maybe a few hipsters know. Maybe you know. I don't know. It's supposed to be from Thailand; that's all I know. It's from Mississippi Records, catalog number MR009, and it's very good.
The value of music as a commodity, and as one of mankind's wonders, has never been in such flux. Retail record shops are dying, the former major labels are focused on making records for kids (the same kids they're suing), and the business overall remains wedded to an incredibly short view (get a hit or get out), but the music itself continues to trickle through to those who want it—and, yes, on some level would die without it.