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My interest in New York City salsa and Cuban son was fueled in part by Descarga.com, an impressive resource for all things Afro-Latin. The Spanish word "descarga" means to unload, but, in musical terms, is Cuban slang for a hot and riotous jam session. You'd often hear about guys getting together in the streets or on the beach for a wild, time-stopping descarga. Providing in-depth interviews with musicians and producers, well-informed think pieces, hard-hitting reviews, and tons and tons of great music, Descarga.com is a great destination for music lovers.
Try this:
1. Go to the record store of your choice and,
2. Buy, on vinyl, the album of your choice. Then,
3. Go to the bar of your choice, and place your vinyl purchase where it can be easily seen by others. And, finally,
4. Order the drink of your choice.
Watch what happens!
Miracle of miracles, like so many of history's greatest discoveries, from the Popsicle to Post-it Notes to penicillin, I stumbled upon this completely by accident.
I discovered it only yesterday. My choices:
1. Other Music
2. El Perro Del Mar:…
Herman Leonard’s first New York show in 20 years got underway last week at the Morrison Hotel Gallery in SoHo. It’s open to the public every day until June 1, and anyone with a taste for classic jazz, gorgeous black-and-white photography, or both should take a look. If you don’t know Leonard’s name, you probably know him by his work. He has taken some of the most iconic shots of Sarah Vaughan, Billie Holiday, Miles Davis, Louis Armstrong, Dexter Gordon, Duke Ellington, Frank Sinatra, Ella Fitzgerald, Charlie Parker, Dizzy Gillespie, Art Blakey, Thelonious Monk—the list goes on. There are, or…
Well, ladies and gentlemen, our Zappa Plays Zappa DVD Sweepstakes is now closed. We will not accept any additional entries. I offer my sincere thanks to all those who participated, sending in colorful, encouraging, and often amusingly odd e-mails. Thank you.
Among the many entries that offered suggestions for where I might begin my own Zappa journey, Joe's Garage was the title that was mentioned most often. I'll look forward to listening. I was also impressed by all the many participants who went into great detail regarding their first or last or favorite experience at a…
Ten years ago today Frank Sinatra died. May 14, 1998.
In his absence, his legacy has grown—at least among fans—thanks in large measure to the release of the Sinatra:Vegas boxed set which collected some classic live performances, particularly the two Sands dates from 1961 and 1966. When his mouth was rolling—and he wasn't being sexist or racist—he had some comedic skills going on.
Yesterday, Reprise released, Nothing but The Best yet another collection of Sinatra hits mined from the archives of his own label, Reprise Records. The copy I received in the mail came with one of…
"I can't see anyone getting into analog without a record-cleaning machine."
—Michael Fremer, Stereophile, Vol.19 No.6, 1996
—Michael Fremer, Stereophile, Vol.19 No.6, 1996
"If you listen to records, you need a record-cleaning machine. Period."
—Corey Greenberg, Stereophile, Vol.17 No.5, 1994
"We all know that stingy audiophiles die young, have bad astrological signs, produce children with poor SAT scores, and get rained on a lot. You must fork out enough money to buy the VPI or the Nitty Gritty to avoid these dire fates."
—Anthony Cordesman, Stereophile, Vol.8 No.1, 1985
I sent some crazed e-mails to my audiophile friends, all like: Dude, I'm at my wit's end over here. I can't make sense of any of it. I know so-and-so uses a VPI and what's-his-name uses a Nitty Gritty, but what's YOUR method? Huh, huh, huh?
Everywhere I turned, it was the VPI or the Nitty Gritty, the VPI or the Nitty Gritty, the VPI or the Nitty Gritty. And I figured that that would be the case. I suppose I was hoping for some alternative; something that would prove appealing to my particular blend of wants and needs. Meaning, what, exactly? I don't know. Maybe my record-…
And so, I turn back to the VPI. Or the Nitty Gritty.
Like most things in hi-fi, these roads have been walked before. In the short time I've spent researching and enjoying hi-fi, I have yet to define a dilemma, controversy, or fad that someone else hasn't already encountered and tackled. I have discovered nothing new, I have done nothing new. It's almost frustrating, like a constant flick to the ear of my delicate self-worth. How can I tread new ground in a hobby that is so rich in history? How can I leave a mark? Perhaps, rather than attempt to leave a mark, I should…
CG?
Oh, yes. The famous Corey Greenberg. I've never met the dude, but I've heard—time and time again, I'll add—that he was a pretty special writer. And so I went back to the issue—Vol.17 No.5—to see what Corey had to say.
Interestingly, reading Corey Greenberg's report on record-cleaning machines was a bit like looking in a mirror. Just a bit. But I flatter myself. Corey Greenberg was a professional audio reviewer. I am not. I'm simply trying to find my way through this and that, trying to enjoy my music, and hoping to learn something…
I spent yesterday at my mom's house, celebrating my sister's 14th birthday. Uncles and aunts and cousins are scattered around the house, laughing and eating and shouting at the television screen as if someone is just going to die if the Celtics don't win this game. See me and my sister sitting side by side, somehow apart from it all: She's absolutely engrossed in Weird N.J., Vol.1 (I'm very proud of her), and I'm similarly rapt by Acoustic Sounds' "Under the Radar" list.
Man, this damn vinyl thing. It is changing my life. I had never been one to do much online shopping,…