Pulitzers for Ornette Coleman & John Coltrane – Among the 2007 winners of the Pulitzer Prize are two jazz figures. Ornette Coleman became only the second jazz artist to win a competitive Pulitzer, following Wynton Marsalis in 1997. Coleman’s new live CD, Sound Grammar, was honored as an example of the achievements of the 77-year-old saxist in the field of free jazz. His new band features two basses and his son playing percussion. An honorary prize was also made to the late John Coltrane for his “masterful improvisation, supreme musicianship and iconic centrality to the history of jazz.” A second honorary prize went to sci-fi author Ray Bradbury.
DVD-Sniffing Dogs – Two black Labradors have become the world’s first dogs trained to search for counterfeit DVDs, according to the Press Association. They were trained in the UK by the Federation Against Copyright Theft (no kidding!). When put to work at an airport in Essex they immediately identified packages and parcels containing pirated DVDs sent to destinations in the UK. The dogs are now in Malaysia, where they are being evaluated to see whether the government there should train its own dogs to perform similar work. The Labs are named Lucky and Flo and are supposedly the world’s only dogs trained to detect a chemical used in the making of legal commercial discs. They are able to find discs in locked rooms and concealed compartments that may have otherwise gone unnoticed. Malaysia is one of the main producers and exporters of pirated discs in the world. Last year 5 million discs were seized in more than 2000 raids by the government. Malaysian movie pirates have reportedly placed bounties on Lucky and Flo.
The Pittsburgh Symphony Signs with PentaTone Classics – Another top U.S. symphony orchestra whose recording contract with a major record label was dropped some time ago has announced a series of recordings with a European independent label, and the recordings will again be released as hybrid SACDs, as has been the practice with other similar series. PentaTone’s engineers are recording orchestral music of Brahms, which will be issued on three SACDs – including all four symphonies, the Haydn Variations and the Hungarian Dances. Other projects will be announced later this year. The conductor will be Marek Janowski, who holds the Endowed Guest Conductor Chair for the symphony. PentaTone Music was founded in 2002 by three former Philips Classics staff members. Other orchestras associated with the classical label include the Vienna Symphony Orchestra, the Suisse Romande Orchestra, the Netherlands Philharmonic Orchestra, the Netherlands Chamber Orchestra, the Russian National Orchestra and the Bolshoi Theater Orchestra.
DVD-Sniffing Dogs – Two black Labradors have become the world’s first dogs trained to search for counterfeit DVDs, according to the Press Association. They were trained in the UK by the Federation Against Copyright Theft (no kidding!). When put to work at an airport in Essex they immediately identified packages and parcels containing pirated DVDs sent to destinations in the UK. The dogs are now in Malaysia, where they are being evaluated to see whether the government there should train its own dogs to perform similar work. The Labs are named Lucky and Flo and are supposedly the world’s only dogs trained to detect a chemical used in the making of legal commercial discs. They are able to find discs in locked rooms and concealed compartments that may have otherwise gone unnoticed. Malaysia is one of the main producers and exporters of pirated discs in the world. Last year 5 million discs were seized in more than 2000 raids by the government. Malaysian movie pirates have reportedly placed bounties on Lucky and Flo.
The Pittsburgh Symphony Signs with PentaTone Classics – Another top U.S. symphony orchestra whose recording contract with a major record label was dropped some time ago has announced a series of recordings with a European independent label, and the recordings will again be released as hybrid SACDs, as has been the practice with other similar series. PentaTone’s engineers are recording orchestral music of Brahms, which will be issued on three SACDs – including all four symphonies, the Haydn Variations and the Hungarian Dances. Other projects will be announced later this year. The conductor will be Marek Janowski, who holds the Endowed Guest Conductor Chair for the symphony. PentaTone Music was founded in 2002 by three former Philips Classics staff members. Other orchestras associated with the classical label include the Vienna Symphony Orchestra, the Suisse Romande Orchestra, the Netherlands Philharmonic Orchestra, the Netherlands Chamber Orchestra, the Russian National Orchestra and the Bolshoi Theater Orchestra.
Samsung Announces Dual-Format Hi-Def Player – Korean manufacturer Samsung Electronics will join LG Electronics, who already have a DVD player on the market which will play both Blu-ray and HD DVD hi-def discs. Their Duo HD player is expected in time for the 2007 holiday season, and will also support two upcoming interactive technologies: HDi and BD-Java. Until this announcement, Samsung had been solely a Blu-ray supporter.
