Monthly Archive: January 2005
Weekly Audio News for Jan. 26, 2005
Concord Records Buys Fantasy Records – Here’s one merger that should be a positive move for jazz fans and audiophiles: Concord Records, which began 31 years ago as a small jazz label in Concord, California issuing recordings from the Concord Jazz Festival, has merged with Fantasy Records of Berkeley, California, and the new entity will be called The Concord Music Group. Since moving to Southern California Concord has expanded, issued many multichannel SACDs, struck a deal Starbuck’s Hear Music, and had great success with their recent Ray Charles Duets disc. Fantasy – who got their start recording Dave Brubeck, Cal Tjader, and Vince Guaraldi – owns probably the world’s largest and most important catalog of jazz, blues and rock, and has been reissuing high-quality remasters from such great jazz labels as Prestige, Contemporary, Riverside, Milestone, Galaxy and Stax/Volt. They have been reissuing a series of classic jazz in stereo SACD format. Their financial viability was assured by Creedence Clearwater Revival – one of the most successful rock n’ roll bands of all time. And the award-winning film Amadeus is their property. Fantasy’s President Ralph Kaffel stated “…my primary concern was that the acquiring entity should have the proper understanding and […]
Weekly Audio News for Jan. 19, 2005
Chesky SACD News – Many new SACD releases were announced and sold at CES last week. Among them were two from Chesky Records – Jazz Kamerata, and a recording premiere of David Chesky’s own Violin and Flute Concertos. The label has installed a new A/D converter for their latest recording sessions, and has rebuilt and redesigned their main one-point microphone. It was the sole mic used for a new jazz session with his group The Body Acoustic. Robbery of CES Exhibitor – Over $40K of high end electronics and cables were stolen from a ballroom at the alternate-to-CES T.H.E. Show in Las Vegas. A pallet of goods had to be left overnight because it was too late to make a pickup, and the hotel management said to put it in the ballroom. But nearly an hour passed before someone with the right key locked the room and entry was made during that time. Open Reel Tape Sorely Missed – Something else is missing and causing great consternation: open reel blank tape! With the closing of the last manufacturers of professional recording tape in the world (reported in last week’s News) there is a frantic scramble in the music industry as […]
Weekly Audio News for Jan. 12, 2005
Last U.S. Analog Tape Manufacturer Closes – The blank tape company in Opelika Alabama now known as Quantegy but originally as Irish and then Ampex Tape, closed its doors just after Christmas. This followed on the heels of BASF, the German tape manufacturer, ceasing business a short time ago. The company was started in l945 after General Eisenhower had recorded and broadcast a speech to the people of occupied Europe. The Army was using the German Magnetophon recorders and German tape and the tape was not fully erased. Listeners occasionally heard Adolph Hitler’s voice replacing Eisenhower’s. This led to an order that no more captured German tape was to be used and an American magnetic tape manufacturing company should be started. Hot Video Introductions at CES – At the just-concluded Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, several manufacturers introduced a new type of product – a combination DVD Player and Video Front Projector. They were priced at entry level compared to many front projectors, and were designed for ease of use – to bring the attractions of front video projection to more mainstream home theater fans. HP, Optoma and Cinego were the makers of the new combo units. Another type […]
Weekly Audio News for Jan. 5, 2005
Celebrity Guests Mingle at CES – Personalities from film, sports, music, broadcast and other areas will be guests at the 2005 International Consumer Electronics Show which opens tomorrow in Las Vegas. Six Grammy-winning producers – the names behind the hits – will demonstrate 5.1 surround sound mixes and tell behind-the-scenes studio stories at the CES South Plaza. Included are Elliot Scheiner, Al Schmitt, Ed Cherney and George Massenburg. Invitation-only events: Monster Cable’s Dealer Awards – Rod Stewart; Samsung – Bon Jovi; Gibson Guitar – Ike Turner & Les Paul. Monster Fiercely Defends Its Name – Speaking of the Monsters, the cable and accessories maker has filed lawsuits and trademark infringement claims against dozens of unrelated companies for using the word monster in their names, products or services. Their attorney reports he has registered more than 50 trademarks covering a wide variety of products – including food, furniture and clothing. Among Monster’s targets are Hansen Beverages’ Monster Energy drink, Walt Disney for its hit movie “Monsters, Inc.,” and a small clothing store in Camas, WA, named MonsterVintage. Dolby Laboratories at CES – Dolby will feature a new booth layout at CES illustrating how various Dolby technologies impact the entertainment experience in […]
Best of the Year Discs for 2004
Classical/Reissues/Jazz/Pop (incl. Hi-Res Formats) Back to Archives Index This is our 20th annual Best of the Year list and as usual, we make no definitive claims for the list. It is predicated on the personal tastes of all our contributors and also on what was available to us, but with an equal emphasis on both the musical and sonic quality of each disc (except for some of the reissue material). All of these discs have been reviewed in AUDIOPHILE AUDITION during the past year and can be quickly located for their reviews and record numbers using our handy site search engine at the upper left-hand column of every page. CLASSICAL J. S. BACH: Solo & Double Violin Concertos = Concerto in D Minor for Two Violins BWV 1043; Concerto in A Minor for Violin; Concerto in E Major for Violin; Concerto in D Minor for Two Violins – Andrew Manze & Rachel Podger, violins/The Academy of Ancient Music – Harmonia mundi multichannel SACD HMU 807155 BACH: The Well-Tempered Clavier, Book I – Till Fellner, piano – ECM New Series 1853 SAMUEL BARBER: Vanessa – Libretto by Gian Carlo Menotti Vanessa, Ellen Chickering; Erika, Andrea Matthews – National Symphony Orchestra of […]
Stereotypes Audio
Cembal d’amour
Pure Pleasure / Speakers Corner
Cedille
