A few years ago, while on vacation in Puerto Rico, I found myself sitting at a nearly empty beach bar, discussing music with Cassie Ramone, singer and guitarist for one of my favorite bands, Brooklyn's Vivian Girls. (I was as surprised as anyone by the strangeness of this chance encounter, but that's another story.) When the conversation turned to the topic of so-called "lo-fi" bands, Cassie's tone became critical, almost bitter: "No one wants to make 'lo-fi' records," she said.
Recording of July 2012: Bill Evans Live at Art D'Lugoff's Top of the Gate
Jun 28, 2012First Published:Jul 01, 2012
Bill Evans: Live at Art D'Lugoff's Top of the Gate
Bill Evans, piano; Eddie Gomez, bass; Marty Morrell, drums
Resonance HLP-2012 (2 LPs/2 CDs, HDTracks 24/44.1k download). 1968/2012. George Klabin, exec. prod., mix, sound restoration; Zev Feldman, prod.; Fran Gala, mix, sound restoration, mastering. ADA/ADD. TT: 49:12/40:50
Performance *****
Sonics * to ***
Complain if you will, analog lovers, about the evils of digital technology, but in one area there isn't a whiff of argument: the esoteric pursuit of rescuing live recordings with marginal sound. Without question, manipulating ones and zeros has cleaned up a lot of nearly unlistenable bootlegs. This bit of buried treasure, while never unlistenable, has been rendered in sound that is, at times, very good. The two-star sonics rating, which may seem shocking for a "Recording of the Month," is an averagewhile the sound quality rates a single star in the opening, it's nearly up to four stars by Disc 2. The long-ago sounds of these two live sets of the Bill Evans trio playing mostly standards, recorded in a long-gone Greenwich Village club, Top of the Gate (it was literally above the better-known Village Gate jazz club), are, if not the holy grail, then a very gilded cup.
This story originally appeared at InnerFidelity.com
Goodness gracious! I'm just blown away by the new B&W P3. It's absolutely gorgeous, ergonomics are stellar, and build quality unparalleled. It's really quite an accomplishment to make a headphone this small this beautiful.
Grizzly Bear’s next album will be released by Warp Records on September 17—one day after my birthday. Nice. Judging from the album’s lead track, “Sleeping Ute,” it’s going to be another great record and an impressive follow-up to 2009’s spectacular Veckatimest.
Stereophile 2012 Recommended Components iPad App Now Available for Free Download
Jun 25, 2012
Stereophile is pleased to announce the availability of the free 2012 Recommended Components iPad app.
Available Now
The app is available right now for free download to your iPad in the iTunes store. In iTunes, search for "Stereophile Recommended Components" or follow this link to the iTunes store from your web browser.
This app includes all current Recomended Components as listed in the recent issue of Stereophile as well as additional ratings and listings that could not fit in the print version. There are over 700 component rankings in all and the app is compatible with all iPad hardware versions including retina displays.
Search and Full Reviews
Each component is ranked and most include links directly to the full review on Stereophile.com. The app also allows you to sort by component category and features quick search.
Tagged Items
An additional app feature is the ability to "tag" any item in the listing to create your own curated list of items for future reference. You can add and delete items from this list as needed. Just tap the "checkmark" graphic next to each entry to add it to your list.
Due to the immense amount of text in the Recommended Components, we don't have an iPhone version at this time. However, we will continue to update the Stereophile Recommended Components iPad app with new features and ratings additions and welcome your comments.
Wednesday night, June 20, I witnessed a marvel that, among many other things, confirmed my (hardly original) belief that the recording industry has to change its business model.
Three Jazz Journalists Association Awards for Sonny Rollins (Photo: www.sonnyrollins.com)
The Jazz Journalists' Association held its annual bash at the Blue Note jazz club in New York City Wednesday afternoon: crowded, boisterous, and, thankfully, air conditioned (it was 97 degrees out on the sidewalk).
The big winnerno surprisewas Sonny Rollins, who nabbed Best Musician of the Year, Best Tenor Saxophonist of the Year, and (for Road Shows, Vol. 2) Best Album of the Year. I voted for Rollins in all three categories as wella rare instance when I've been at one with the consensus on the top prizes.