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My congregation! Ladies and Gentlemen! I tell you, there is a Pod! Some heathens choose to ignore him and burn for all eternity in the depths of hell, while Air Supply plays a continual concert of doom. Others have seen the light, and they opt instead for superior listening experiences.
I say, for the hi-fi community, there is hope. When I came to Stereophile, the first assignment Mr. Mejias gave me was to assess how I, as a young person, felt about the world of hi-fi. When my official term of Summer Intern was over, I had nothing. Well, I had a lot of stuff in my head, but nothing…
In my opinion, Charles Rosen's The Classical Style contained some of the most cogent thinking on Mozart ever written, so when he calls Hermann Abert's W. A. Mozart "the best book on Mozart ever written," I listen.
Martial Solal’s early set at the Village Vanguard tonight was as exuberant as expected. The ghost of Tatum was riding high, as the French pianist, celebrating his 80th birthday with only his third appearance in New York City in the past 44 years, mad-dashed through a dozen or so standards—including “Caravan,” “I Can’t Get Started,” “My Heart Belongs to Daddy,” even “Body & Soul”—in ways that no one has ever heard them, carving up the scores like a Cubist (more Braque than Picasso, with shards of Duchamp tossed in for wit), stretching and squeezing bars, yet somehow sustaining the tempo…
I forgot to note Thelonious Monk’s 90th birthday on Oct. 10. Some advice for a lifetime: If you come across people who doubt his mastery as not only a composer but also a pianist, don’t trust their judgment on anything. Linked below, from the early-to-mid ‘60s, is an especially Monkish clip.
Luke Burbank attempted to interview Sigur Ros on NPR. Watch the video to realize how difficult it is to conduct an interview when the interviewee isn't a self-winding talking points machine.
I do sympathize with Burbank. I've participated in a few Q&As that stalled—including some where PR companies set up their clients in interview booths, where the celebrity had to speak to a new journalist every 25 minutes for hours. Just try getting a unique insight under those circumstances.
I've heard Burbank's interviews before and he usually comes to the table well-informed and on his…