electronic Archive
Cameron Carpenter, pipe organ – All You Need Is Bach – Sony Classical
The latest from today’s replacement for Virgil Fox on the pipe organ. Cameron Carpenter, pipe organ – All You Need Is Bach [TrackList follows] – Sony Classical 88875178262 ****: Previous Carpenter albums were surround sound or videos or both, but this time we’ll have to be satisfied with a plain old audio stereo CD. (As more and more U.S. labels pull away from hi-res and surround sound for music.) Carpenter is the current replacement for the pipe organ crowd for the late Liberace-ish Virgil Fox. Carpenter travels around with an immense electronic installation he calls his International Touring Organ, the only one of its kind. It samples the sounds of Carpenter’s favorite pipe organs from around the world. He obviously doesn’t trust the wide variety of pipe organs found here and there. Some leading pianists do a similar thing with their instrument – always appearing with their trusted Steinway or whatever which is shipped with them. One critic says “[He] drags his instrument into the 21st century.” He also does most of his own arrangements, and even has a line of special shoes and other outfits for the more showy pipe organist. There is a video of him on YouTube […]
Audio News for August 19, 2016
Steps to Protect a Home’s Electronics – More and more homeowners are becoming aware of the need to protect their homes from lightning strikes. The number of homes struck by lightning has increased 5 to 8% and exceeds billions of dollars annually. Lightning can rip thru roofs, cause structural damage, ignite fires and cause chaos with electronic equipment. The most common damage mode is a lightning strike to the network power, phone and cable TV. It can go to all your connected equipment. The next most common mode of damage is when lightning strikes travel thru the ground connecting to the external wiring such as air conditioners, exterior lights, gate control systems and security systems – all of which will carry the lightning into the home. The third most common lightning damage is when it strikes nearby objects such as trees, flagpoles and signs. It can thus radiate a strong electromagnetic field which can be picked up by the wiring in the house. The fourth and last mode of damage is a direct lightning strike to the house. The National Electric Code requires certain grounding, bonding and protection features intended to protect against lightning. They can greatly reduce personal injury, […]
“F. Gerard Errante, New Music for Clarinet – Another Look” – Works by USSACHEVSKY, HAILSTORK , ERRANTE & Others – Ravello
A valuable collection of some of the most avant-garde clarinet work. “F. Gerard Errante, New Music for Clarinet – Another Look” = WILLIAM O. SMITH: Solo for Clarinet with Delay System; Asana; VLADIMIR USSACHEVSKY: Four Studies for Clarinet and EVI; ADOLPHUS HAILSTORK: A Simple Caprice; DANA WILSON: Piece for Clarinet “alone”; F. GERARD ERRANTE: Souvenirs de Nice; SYDNEY HODKINSON: The Dissolution of the Serial – F. Gerard Errante, clar./Lee Jordan-Anders, p./William Albright, p./ Nyle Steiner, EVI – Ravello RR7941, 60:25 (8/12/16) [Distr. by Naxos] ****: The booklet notes to this very unusual collection begin by reminding us (reminding me!) of the 1976 book, “New Sounds for Woodwinds” by Bruno Bartolozzi; which I own (somewhere) and haven’t even thought about for over forty years. Similarly, these works are all, in their own way, landmark compositions in the style that was the “latest thing” in the 1960s and ‘70s. The style of clarinet playing in which F. Gerard Errante was/is an absolute master depends heavily on the player’s ability to perform a vast array of extended techniques such as multiphonics, pitch bending, quarter tones, and a command of the extreme altissimo register. Errante was one of the first and one of the […]
Audio News for June 7, 2016
On Panasonic Giving Up On Plasma TVs – The TV set made Panasonic a household name from Singapore to San Francisco. Their TV engineers pointed out that though plasma flat-panel technology gave a better picture, consumers preferred the lighter, durable rival: liquid LCD TVs. When the new president Kazuhiro Tsuga took over in 2012, he announced that he would downsize the TV business as a whole and shutter the plasma plants. He re-organized Panasonic’s myriad businesses, ditched other beloved but moneylosing operations, and refocused investment on more promising businesses. The company no longer sells TVs in the U.S. and has a minimal presence in China. It has conquered extreme losses and is doing much better than competitors Sony and Sharp. Monolith Seven-Channel 200-watt Amp – At $1499 the new 7×200 multichannel home theater power amp from Monolith provides a serious shot of adrenaline for your audio surround systems at a low price. It is a massive Class AB amp with dual torodial power supplies with weights 92 lbs. Unlike most multichannel amps, the Monolith is measured for its 200-watt rating with all seven channels driven across the full power bandwidth – not just two. It has a three-year replacement warranty […]
David Fiuczynski – Flam! Blam! Pan Asian Microjam! – RareNoise
Welcome to David Fiuczynski’s microtonal jazz terrain: unfamiliar musical landscapes abound. David Fiuczynski – Flam! Blam! Pan Asian Microjam! [TrackList follows] RareNoise RNR058, 47:02 [3/18/16] ****: (David Fiuczynski – fretted and fretless guitar, piano (track 6), percussion (tracks 4, 7, 9); Helen Sherrah-Davies – violin (tracks 1-7); Yazhi Guo – suona (oboe) and Chinese percussion (tracks 1-7, 9); Utar Artun – microtonal keyboards (tracks 1-3, 5-7, 10), Rhodes electric piano (tracks 1, 10), synthesizer (track 10), piano (track 8); Justin Schornstein – fretless bass and effects; Alex ‘BisQuiT’ Bailey – drums, bells, percussion (all except track 9); Rudresh Mahanthappa – alto saxophone (track 8-10)) There’s outsider jazz. Then there’s the music of guitarist David ‘Fuze’ Fiuczynski. Most musicians play the notes normally considered part of jazz or other Western types of music. Fiuczynski uses microtones, and plays notes between the set intervals of Western music theory and its 12-tone chromatic scale. His microtonal universe can seem strange to unsuspecting listeners. It’s certainly unique and rare among jazz artists. He’s not alone in his approach; guitarist Eric Zidovec and saxophonists Joe Maneri and Sergio Merce are other examples, but the list of microtonal jazz manipulators is short. Consequently, Fiuczynski’s material is […]
Audio News for March 11, 2016
Sonos Announces Layoffs and Readjustments; Tom Sachs Turns a Speaker Into Anything; Amazon Prime Video Could Have VR Upgrade Soon; Touch-Free Typing Project at Google
CAROLA BAUCKHOLT: Need to talk to friends – Cikada Ensemble – 2L Pure Audio Blu-ray + SACD + downloads
CAROLA BAUCKHOLT: Ich muß mit Dir reden (Need to talk to friends) – Cikada Ensemble – 2L Pure Audio Blu-ray 2L-116-SABD + multichannel SACD, 54:20 – DTS-HD MA 192kHz/24 bit 5.1 & PCM stereo, mShuttle: stereo FLAC 96kHz + MP3 – (2/26/16) [Distr. by Naxos] ****: A haunting electronic score with superb sonics. This disc is a collection of contemporary music by composer Carola Bauckholt. Played by the Cikada Ensemble which has gained a reputation far beyond the boundaries of Scandinavia as a special ensemble for contemporary music, as well as for projects at the nexus of composition and improvisation. Its repertoire includes works for electrically amplified string quartet, as well as works which combine acoustic string sound and live electronics. The quartet also often works in unorthodox instrumental combinations such as quintet with accordion. The quartet’s core repertoire includes major works from the second half of the 20th century by composers such as Kaija Saariaho, Rolf Wallin, Luigi Nono, Iannis Xenakis, Toshio Hosokawa, and James Dillon as well as collaborations with musicians across genres such as Annette Peacock, Steve Swallow and Trygve Seim. Ms. Bauckholt was born in Krefeld, West Germany. She worked at the theater at the Marienplatz […]
MASON BATES: “Mothership” = Gil Rose, cond. – BMOP
MASON BATES: “Mothership” = Mothership; Sea-Blue Circuitry; Attack Decay Sustain Release; Rusty Air in Carolina; Desert Transport – Boston Modern Orch. Project/Gil Rose – BMOP 1045 SACD [Distr. by Albany], 54:22, (11/17/15) ****: The always interesting Bates gives us something a little “funky”! Mason Bates is, in my mind, one of the best and most promising younger generation American composers. His music is always refreshingly different with its reliance on a blend of electronic sound sources and live sampling plus traditional acoustical sources. He is not afraid to be just a little coy, humorous or shocking in his aesthetic, either, but always amazing! So, for example, the opening and title track, Mothership, is the truly “funky” offering here. Written for the also wildly innovative approach to hooking young musicians, the You Tube Symphony and Michael Tilson Thomas; this ode to electronic media is propulsive and funk rock inspired mayhem. It features some very catchy bits of melody and rhythm in the whole orchestra and joined by an electronic mix that is truly eccentric with sounds that are (or sure sound close enough!) taken from a mid-70s “beat box” to an electronic metronome to effects pedals. We also get to hear, […]
“Scrapyard Exotica” = MASON BATES: Bagatelles for String Quartet and Electronica; KEN UENO: Peradam; MOHAMMED FAIROUZ: The Named Angels – Del Sol String Q. – Sono Luminus (audio-only Blu-ray + CD)
Excellent playing and mostly intriguing new music from this inventive quartet.
Audio News for July 7, 2015
Slate Article Defends Audiophiles; Another New Vinyl Pressing Plant; Music Lovers Ready to Invest
LANSKY: Contemplating Weather – Western Michigan U. Chorale / Kimberly Dunn Adams – Orch./Ensemble: Meehan/Perkins pianists – Quattro Mani – Bridge
Three engaging contemporary compositions.
ROSENKRANZ: Toward the Curve [TrackList follows] – Thomas Rosenkranz, pianist & surround effects – Oberlin Music (audio-only Blu-ray + CD)
Well-recorded contemporary works with piano and electronics.
Donald Byrd – Black Byrd – Blue Note (vinyl)
A guilty pleasure…
Sun Ra = Reflections in Blue; Hours After; Mayan Temples, A Tribute to Stuff Smith – Black Saint/Soul Note/Cam Jazz (4 CDs)
1986 thru 1992 recordings of the unique Sun Ra, made in Italy.
Travis & Fripp – Discretion [TrackList follows] – Panegyric (DVD-A & CD)
Fascinating hi-res ambient music tracks, plus a standard CD.
Sergio Mendes – Magic – Okeh Records
The spirit of Brazilian rhythms is alive and well and up to date.
Audio News for May 2, 2014
Harman Reports 32% Sales Gain; Yamaha Boosts Sales; AT&T Considers Purchase of DirecTV; Easy to Go Hi-Res on Your Computer
BRETT DEAN: The Lost Art of Letter Writing; Testament for Twelve Violas; Vexations and Devotions – Frank Peter Zimmermann, violin/Sydney Sym./Jonathan Nott/BBC Sym. viola section/ Martyn Brabbins/ BBC Sym. and Chorus/Gondwana Voices/ David Robertson – BIS
Very interesting works with an element of message.
Pat Metheny – Tap: John Zorn’s Book Of Angels, Vol. 20 – Nonesuch Records/ Tzadik
Modern jazz master takes a courageous leap.
Richard Pinhas – Desolation Row – Cuneiform
A pioneer in experimental electronic music creates an auditory tempest.
Audio News for July 30, 2013
Samsung’s Boxee Buy; Wireless Helps Bring Entertainment Outdoors; Wren Play-Fi Speaker Tops for Wireless Wi-Fi Speakers; Expansion of Retail Market for Audio Equipment
Mythos – Surround Sound Evolution – Stephan Kaske, computers – Sireena Records
Surround from a standard CD?