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Last night, I sat on a bright yellow velveteen sofa eating red beans and rice while listening for three hours to blues and jazz from rare 78rpm records. I walked out feeling gospel-level raised up, with a head full of dreams and cultural memories.

The Hot Club of New York
Matthew Rivera's Hot Club of New York is on the third floor of an old commercial building at 20 W 20th Street, across from what used to be the Limelight Club (footnote 1). The walk from the F Train at 23rd Street generated a Rolodex of memories from watching this neighborhood evolve…

Formerly unknown French singer-songwriter Stéphane Schück is back with the second album from his Salt Collective. A lifelong fan of North Carolina power pop legends The dB's, Schück has teamed up with former dB's Chris Stamey (guitars/vocals) and Gene Holder (bass) and longtime North Carolina rock-pop kingpin Mitch Easter (keys/guitars).

With basic tracks recorded in Easter's Fidelitorium…

Nick Doshi, accompanied by Jessie Bentley of Virginia dealer Command Performance AV, picked up the Doshi Evolution Stereo amplifier from Ken Micallef's Greenwich Village apartment and delivered it to me in Brooklyn. They carefully installed the eight numbered Electro-Harmonix 6CA7-EH output tubes, then Nick briefed me on his design philosophy and how to operate the various buttons and switches. As I did with the similar-looking Evolution Monoblock amplifier that Jason Victor Serinus reviewed in May 2021, I left the amplifier powered up for 45 minutes before I…

For vocal lovers, regardless of the specific genre they favor, few thrills are as great as encountering a young artist whose fresh voice radiates health, confidence, and optimism. To hear such a voice intelligently deployed in a wide-ranging recital of extremely beautiful, rarely programmed French songs—each a gem in its own right—compounds the sense of discovery andjoy.

With thanks to…

We were tired but fulfilled, sitting at the old bar, admiring the albums we'd come away with from a long day of hunting at the Princeton Record Exchange. One by one, I pulled the…

Analog sources: J.Sikora Standard Max Supreme turntable with KV9 tonearm and Aidas MC Tru Stone Gold Web cartridge; Benny Audio Odyssey turntable with Benz Micro Gullwing MC cartridge.
Preamplifiers: Ampsandsound Yosemite, Rogue RP7, line. Tavish Audio Design Adagio, Manley Chinook, Allnic H-5500, phono.
Power amplifiers: Air Tight ATM-1 2024 Edition, Rogue Audio Stereo 100.
Integrated amplifiers: Riviera Labs Levante, Unison Research S6 Black Edition.
Loudspeakers: DeVore Fidelity Super Nine, Voxativ Ampeggio 2024.
Cables: Interconnects…

Description: Hybrid solid state/tubed class-AB power amplifier. Tube complement: 8 EL34/6CA7 (4 per channel). Analog inputs: One pair single-ended on RCA, one pair balanced on XLR, through a buffer. Outputs: L/R loudspeaker binding posts, optimized for a 5 ohm load. Frequency range: 20Hz–40kHz. Output power: 65Wpc into 5 ohms (16.1dBW). Input impedance: 30k ohms. Output impedance: <1 ohm. Voltage gain: 30dB. S/N ratio: 65dB. Power consumption: 130W.
Dimensions: 18" (457mm) W × 20" (508mm) D × 8" (203mm) H. Weight: 65lb (29.5kg).
Finishes: Aluminum,…

Billy Hart's quartet started in 2004. In 20+ years, it has quietly become one of the best small ensembles in jazz. It has taken Hart almost all his 85 years to be recognized as a national treasure. He is a master of a drum language he invented, one that knows a thousand ways to swing.

An unusual aspect of this quartet is…

In these days of industry transformation, acquiring a brick-and-mortar hi-fi store is not for the faint of heart. That's just what 41-year-old Brandon Bartee did in August 2025. Bartee acquired Audio Concepts from Mark Ashworth, who was celebrating the store's 40th anniversary, all 40 years under his ownership. Ashworth has been consulting for the store since the acquisition and will continue to do so for another few more months.

Audio Concepts has been in the same location in North…