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Even though she calls her new band, 4x4, a "small" group, it's a big band—almost too big for the stage of the Knitting Factory on the night of October 11, 2000, as it makes its first American appearance. Bley's piano is so far to stage left, she has to lean against the wall and stoop under a hanging monitor speaker to address the audience. Four music stands dominate the rest of the apron—her front line of tenor saxophone, alto saxophone, trumpet, and trombone stand shoulder to shoulder, blocking the audience's view of Larry Goldings and his Hammond B3, drummer Billy Drummond, and bassist…
"Yes, there is: Sonny Rollins! That would be incredible. I thought I had it lined up at one point, but it turned out that the group commissioning me thought I knew him and I thought they knew him and I just didn't feel I could call him out of the blue."
Bley's art depends on powerful solo voices, so a project with Rollins would, in all probability, have successfully preserved both artists' strengths. Bley writes perfect tunes for extended improvisation—long melodic lines that are seldom tricky or involve convoluted chord changes. She modestly attributes this to a lack of ability on her…
Sidebar 1: Carla Bley Recommendations
Carla Bley has been particularly fortunate in the recorded sound she has achieved through the years. Part of this stems from her grabbing the means of production early on by founding her own record label, WATT. As a result, she has been able to oversee all of the aspects of production—and, since she has her own studio installed in her upstate New York home, she has the luxury of working on a project until she deems it right.
"People don't realize that Steve Swallow has been the producer of every recording I've ever done. He knows the sound we…
Sidebar 2: A Carla Bley Discography
WATT/30: 4x4
WATT/29: Are We There Yet? (Bley/Swallow)
WATT/28: Fancy Chamber Music
WATT/27: Carla Bley Big Band Goes to Church
WATT/26: Songs with Legs (Bley/Swallow/Sheppard)
WATT/25: Big Band Theory
WATT/24: Go Together (Bley/Swallow)
WATT/23: The Very Big Carla Bley Band
WATT/21: Fleur Carnivore
WATT/20: Duets (Bley/Swallow)
WATT/17: Sextet
WATT/16: Night-Glo
WATT/14: Heavy Heart
WATT/12[1/2]: I Hate to Sing
WATT/12: Live!
WATT/11: Social Studies
WATT/09: Musique Mecanique
WATT/08: European Tour…
In the September 2001 Stereophile (Vol.24 No.9), I wrote very favorably about Polk's RT25i loudspeaker ($319.90/pair). That bookshelf model impressed me with its open, neutral midrange; its pristine, extended high-frequency response; and its low-level dynamics. On the minus side, the RT25i was fairly limited in low-bass extension and high-level dynamic slam. At the time, I was seeking a new speaker for my home computer music-composition system, and I bought the review samples—the only time I've done that since I began to write for Stereophile some 20 speaker reviews ago.
Shortly…
Sidebar 1: Specifications
Description: Two-way biwirable bookshelf loudspeaker. Drive-units: 1" doped silk-dome tweeter, 5¼" plastic-cone woofer. Crossover: 1.9kHz, 12dB/octave high- and low-pass slopes. Frequency range: 50Hz-27kHz. Frequency response: 60Hz-26kHz -3dB. Nominal impedance: 8 ohms. Voltage sensitivity: 89dB/W/m. Recommended amplification: 20-125W.
Dimensions: 12" H by 7" W by 11½" D. Weight: 29 lbs.
Finish: Black or cherry wood veneer.
Serial numbers of units: AM 029505333.
Price: $319.95/pair. Approximate number of dealers: 500.
Manufacturer: Polk Audio,…
Sidebar 2: Associated Equipment
Analog sources: VPI TNT IV turntable, Immedia RPM tonearm, Koetsu Urushi cartridge; Rega Planar 3 turntable, Syrinx PU-3 tonearm, Clearaudio Virtuoso Wood, Aurum Beta S cartridges.
Digital sources: California Audio Labs Icon Mk.II Power Boss, Creek CD53 Mk.II CD players; Pioneer DV-333 DVD player.
Preamplification: Vendetta Research SCP-2D phono stage, Audio Valve Eklipse line stage.
Power amplifier: Audio Research VT100 Mk.II.
Integrated amplifier: Creek 5350SE.
Loudspeakers: Polk RT25i, Epos ELS-3, Infinity Primus 150.
Cables:…
Sidebar 3: Measuring
Given its diminutive size, the Polk RTi4 was surprisingly sensitive: an estimated 89.3dB(B)/2.83V/m. Its impedance magnitude (fig.1) remains above 4 ohms for almost all of the audioband, and although there is a somewhat problematic combination of 5 ohms magnitude and a -42 degrees capacitive phase angle at 150Hz, overall it will not be a difficult speaker for an amplifier to drive. The saddle at 54Hz in the magnitude trace in fig.2 suggests that this is the tuning frequency of the RTi4's two ports.
Fig.1 Polk RTi4, electrical impedance (solid) and…
Ten years ago, I'd probably have got pretty good odds from industry insiders on a bet that Stereophile would still be reviewing phono cartridges into the new millennium. Linn's Arkiv B may not be a brand-new design—I heard my first sample in mid-1997—but phono-cartridge technology is about as stable as anything in hi-fi today. This Stereophile review is long overdue.
Furthermore, this review addresses a complaint often directed against reviews and reviewers: that we rarely spend enough time with a component to gain a properly balanced, long-term perspective. While a couple of…
Getting the bottom end right
I suspect I've remained loyal to Linn cartridges over the years because I've always found them superior to the competition through the bass region. For me, at least, music builds from the foundation of the bass, and getting the bottom end as tight and coherent as possible is more important than worrying about the midband and top end. Linn's three-point headshell mount undoubtedly helps, and is one advantage that Linn holds over other high-end rivals. (To my knowledge, only Rega has emulated this, in a moving-magnet design.)
I suspect I've remained loyal to Linn cartridges over the years because I've always found them superior to the competition through the bass region. For me, at least, music builds from the foundation of the bass, and getting the bottom end as tight and coherent as possible is more important than worrying about the midband and top end. Linn's three-point headshell mount undoubtedly helps, and is one advantage that Linn holds over other high-end rivals. (To my knowledge, only Rega has emulated this, in a moving-magnet design.)
When I changed from the Arkiv…