Monthly Archive: July 2005
Audio News for July 26, 2005
Legal Downloads on the Increase; Universities Curbing Illegal Music File Sharing; First Woman Conductor of Major U.S. Orchestra; FCC Urged to Adopt Digital Radio Standard
Pianist Aldo Ciccolini in Recital and in Concert
Satie specialist of the 70s is heard in Debussy, Ravel and Rachmaninoff as well as the witty minimalist
TCHAIKOVSKY: Symphony No. 4 in F Minor, Op. 36; Swan Lake–Suite, Op. 20; Waltzes from Sleeping Beauty and The Nutcracker; Waltz from Eugen Onegin, Op. 24 – RIAS Symphony Orchestra Berlin and Berlin Radio-Symphony Orchesta/Ferenc Fricsay – DGG
A gem of DGG’s restoration series from their 1950s mono catalog
Titan Hot Seven – Out of the Box – THS 3401; Titan Hot Seven – Cruisin’…The River with… – Summit World Jazz
The Hot 7 x 2 = a solution of fresh-sounding trad jazz without the moldy fig component
Herbie Hancock – V.S.O.P. – Live Under The Sky; Columbia/Legacy
The Miles Davis Quartet without Davis but with the energetic trumpet of Freddie Hubbard
Simone Kopmajer: Romance – with John diMartino, Piano and arrangements; George Mraz, Bass; Tim Horner, Drums; Eric Alexander, Tenor Saxophone – Zoho Music
Real vocal talent and un-hackneyed song choices distinguish the CD from this Austrian singer
Cheryl Bentyne: Let Me Off Uptown – with Corey Allen, Piano; Kevin Axt, Bass; Jack Sheldon, Trumpet and vocals; Grant Geissman, Guitar; others – Telarc
Another winner from the member of Manhattan Transfer who shines as a solo act
Life Is Jazz; Le Maquis – Disqes Dreyfus
“Nu-jazz” from France, using sampling, electronics, and beat/dance music added
The Roger Kellaway Trio – Remembering Bobby Darin (with Bruce Forman, guitar & Dan Lutz, bass) – IPO Recordings
Kellaway was Darin’s music director and is close to the saga of the late singer
Friedrich Gulda and his EuroJazz-Orchestra (featuring J. J. Johnson & Joe Zawinul) – Preiser Records
Music from the 60s in the Third Stream style
Bill Charlap, piano, Plays George Gershwin – The American Soul (with Peter Washington, bass; Kenny Washington, drums; Phil Woods, alto sax; Frank Wess, tenor sax; Nicholas Payton, trumpet; Slide Hampton, trombone) – Blue Note
A winning Gershwin collection with some top sidemen in jazz today
Marigo Audio Signature 3-D Stabilizer Mat
The last word in tweaks to go on top of or around your optical discs!
LISZT: Les Preludes; BEETHOVEN: Symphony No. 8; MENDELSSOHN: The Hebrides Overture; ROSSINI: William Tell; BERLIOZ: Benvenuto Cellini Overture; BRAHMS: Piano Concerto No. 2 in B-flat Major – Berlin Philharmonic/Paul van Kempen – Tahra
Recorded performances from 1937 to 1952 by the distinguished Dutch conductor
Bodysong (2002)
Extraordinary wordless collage film of great power
Abdullah Ibrahim – A Brother With Perfect Timing
Documentary on the South African pianist-composer better known as Dollar Brand
The Fifth Element – Ultimate Edition (1997)
The latest version of this sci-fi (and home theater demo) favorite combines the high image quality of the previous Superbit version with a second disc of many extras
Ford Blues Band (2005)
Topnotch blues from a California quartet performing for a German audience
Daniel Barenboim – 50 Years On Stage (2004)
2 DVDs: 1) Jubilee Concert in Buenos Aires
2) Documentary: “Multiple Identities”
PROKOFIEV: Romeo and Juliet–Suite No. 1, Op. 64a; Suite No. 2, Op. 64b; RESPIGHI: The Pines of Rome – The Philadelphia Orchestra/Riccardo Muti – EMI Classics
Two colorful 20th century concert favorites in 1980s tapings not as passionate as some but solid and in good sonics
Leopold Stokowski Transcriptions = MOUSSORGSKY: A Night on Bare Mountain; Entr’acte to Act IV of Khovantschina; Symphonic Synthesis fr. Boris Gudonov; Pictures at an Exhibition; TCHAIKOVSKY: Solitude; Humoresque – Bournemouth Sym./Serebrier – Naxos
A conducting acolyte of Stoky gives us new interpretations of the transcriber’s lush creations in modern sonics
The Ah! Tjoeb 4000 CD Player with extras
Tube output and other mods added in Holland to a cheap Marantz unit result in a competing $1000-area CD player
How to Improve the Moribund Home Audio Market
Pundits’ suggestions on turning vidiots into audio nuts