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Yes, the World Saxophone Quartet Can

Yes We Can is the most jolting, swinging, all-round best album by the World Saxophone Quartet in nearly 20 years.

WSQ, which was formed in 1977, still has at its core two of the founding members, David Murray on tenor sax and Hamiett Bluiett on baritone. The alto parts, which have shifted over the decades, are taken up here by Kidd Jordan and James Carter (the latter also on soprano at times). They’re all playing at peak power.

In its original guise, with Julius Hemphill and Oliver Lake on altos, WSQ was the signature jazz band of the 1980s, the spearhead of a spontaneous “neo-…

White Wilderness and Minitel

John Vanderslice’s seventh studio album, White Wilderness, marked by the enchanting, fluid maneuvers of the Magik*Magik Orchestra, was released last Tuesday. The entire album&#151nine twisting, coiling songs, spanning 31 minutes&#151was recorded in just three days, but sounds as purposeful and carefully conceived as a special gift.

Meanwhile, Vanderslice has another gift up his sleeve: He is building a new recording studio&#151San Francisco’s first not-for-profit recording space&#151structured as a co-op at a cost of $200/day. It will be called Minitel, after the early…

Phiaton PS 500 Primal Series Headphones Sweepstakes

According to Phiaton, The PS 500 Primal Series headphones offer listeners "a soaring level of concert-hall sound quality, unmatched performance, and a high level of comfort. Phiaton Primal Series headphones are designed for those who appreciate the classic yet somewhat exotic look and feel of supple leather and leather-grade trim."

Keeping with this philosophy, the PS 500s feature hand-made, genuine leather outer cup housings and extra-plush ear cushions for…

Recording of April 1989: The Symphonic Soundstage

The Symphonic Soundstage: The Art and Science of Recording the Orchestra
Excerpted: Strauss: Thus Spake Zarathustra, Dance of the Seven Veils (complete); Respighi: Roman Festivals; de Falla: Three-Cornered Hat, Nights in the Gardens of Spain; Prokofiev: Romeo and Juliet; Stravinsky: The Firebird; Lutoslawski: Concerto for Orchestra; Haydn: Piano Concerto 2, Cello Concerto 1
Various performers
Delos D/CD 3502 (CD only). John Eargle, eng. & prod. DDD. TT: 71:55

It is often said that anyone with a recorder and a couple of microphones can record an orchestra. It's true,…

Book Review: Thelonious Monk: The Life and Times of an American Original

Thelonious Monk: The Life and Times of an American Original
By Robin D.G. Kelley (New York: Free Press, 2009): 588 pages; hardcover, $30; paperback, $18.

Bebop was new and controversial when, in September 1947, writer-photographer Bill Gottlieb profiled an obscure jazz pianist for Down Beat magazine. The story, which appeared just before Thelonious Sphere Monk (1917–1982) turned 30, called him an "elusive" figure "few have ever seen."

Then Lorraine Lion, the wife of Blue Note Records' Alfred Lion, began to tout Monk's first releases on the label. Her hyperbolic prose…

Music in the Round #46

As I wandered the displays and demonstrations at the 2010 CEDIA Expo last September, I found few multichannel products worth writing about. Sure, there were many interesting new speakers from Pioneer, GoldenEar, Atlantic Technology, Adam Audio, MartinLogan, and others, but really, you could just use two for stereo. I saw the requisite number of new multichannel players, processors, and receivers, but most boasted no more than some new features that made them easier to use (iPad apps were rife) and/or gave them access to new sources (audio and video streaming were obligatory).

So why was I…

Music in the Round #46 Page 2

Next, I compared the DX-5's HDMI A/V Output with its own HDMI Audio Output. Instrumental to this task was A Virtuoso Faceoff, which includes pieces by Biber and Muffat performed by Petri Tapio Mattson (baroque violin), Eero Palviainen (archlute), and Markku Mäkinen (organ), recorded in the very warm, ripe acoustic of the Church of St. Lawrence in Janakkala, Finland (SACD/CD, Alba ABCD 311). Indeed, it did sound warm and ripe through both the DX-5's HDMI A/V output and the Oppo. Through the Ayre's HDMI Audio output, there was a decided difference in clarity and transparency that extended…

Music in the Round #46 Page 3

Second, after RoomPerfect calculates its corrections, you can take additional measurements to enhance its accuracy, or add more Focus points to have it develop corrections for other listening positions. Each resultant correction can be named descriptively and recalled as needed. At an early demo of RP, I found that sitting only a seat or two off the Focus resulted in an audible corruption of the acoustics; apparently, the newer version of the software incorporated into the MX150 doesn't suffer from this foible. Now when I sat off center, the correction wasn't optimal, but it was still better…

Music in the Round #46 Recordings In The Round

Sidebar: Recordings In The Round

Here's a list of some of the multichannel discs I regularly use to assess equipment. Each one demonstrates some aspect of surround sound, but each is also a wonderful musical treat.

CLASSICAL

Atrium Musicae de Madrid: La Folia de la Spagna. SACD, Harmonia Mundi HMC801050.
J.S. Bach: Four Great Toccatas and Fugues. E. Power Biggs. SACD, Sony SS 87983.
J.S. Bach: Motets. Matthias Jung, Sächsisches Vocalensemble. DVD-A, Tacet 0108-3.
Barainsky, van Steen, Winterthur: Music of the Viennese School. SACD, MDG 901 1425-6.
Biber:…

Marantz and David Garrett

Marantz America will sponsor German classical and rock violinist David Garrett through his 21-city tour of the United States. The tour sponsorship includes an integrated marketing initiative to directly support key Marantz retailers across the country, as well as generate music content for Marantz’s good-looking new website and other social media platforms.

Kevin Zarow, Marantz’s Vice President of Sales and Marketing, said: “As a longtime supporter and proponent of both classical and rock music, our sponsorship of David Garrett is a perfect fit. Just as Marantz creates products that…