MP3 Archive
Stephen Crump – Stephen Crump’s Rhombal – Papillon Sounds double vinyl
Stephen Crump – Stephen Crump’s Rhombal – Papillon Sounds PS51514 stereo double vinyl, TT: 59:33 ****: Jazz bassist and composer releases an unusual tribute album. (Adam O’Farrill – trumpet; Ellery Eskelin – tenor saxophone; Stephen Crump – doublebass; Tyshawn Sorey – drums) Stephen Crump has established a solid reputation as a musician, composer and bandleader. He is known as a member of the Vijay Iyer Trio and his own Rosetta Trio. In 2015, he put together the Rhombal Quartet, with drummer Tyshawn Sorey, trumpeter Adam O’Farrill and saxophonist Ellery Eskelin. His intention was to pay tribute to his late brother, Patrick. Stephen Crump’s Rhombal was released in 2016 on MP3 and CD and now is available on vinyl format. Side A opens (“No D For Nelson”) with a vampy doublebass line, that is maintained throughout the piece. Crump and drummer Tyshawn Sorey (who are previously band mates) interact in a precise, cohesive manner. The melodic instrumentation falls to trumpeter Adam O’Farrill and saxophonist Ellery Eskelin. They delve into some abstract structures together and find room for solos. There is also a nimble, accelerated tempo break. “Grovi” embraces a funkier, soulful feel centered by Crump’s deft bass work. Trumpet and saxophone […]
European Tour – Nordic Brass Ensemble – Music of DOWLAND, PRAETORIUS, HOLBORNE et al – 2L (Blu-ray & SACD)
European Tour – Nordic Brass Ensemble – Music of DOWLAND, PRAETORIUS, HOLBORNE et al – 2L-128-SABD – Pure Audio Blu-ray + multichannel SACD, DTS-HD MA 192kHz/24 bit 5.1, PCM 192kHz/24 bit stereo, mShuttle: MQA 96kHz + MP3 (11/18/16) [Dist. by Naxos] ****: Beautifully rendered recording of Brass Ensemble music. This is a most agreeable disc with a collection of brass performances by the Nordic Brass Ensemble. The group was founded in 1993 by a group of brass musicians who shared a strong desire to make chamber music together. From the start, the ensemble has focused on developing its own musical ideas and concepts of sound. By exploiting the different instruments’ special qualities and combining them in new and unusual ways, and by extensively using mutes, percussion, some non-standard instruments, the NBE is making a name for itself with a very unique approach to brass music. The music performed is traditional, with composers like Holborne, Dowland and Gesualdo. The arrangements were written for the group, and the addition of percussion, while unexpected, is quite persuasive to this listener. Since this is a 2L recording, I expected it to be good sonically, and I was not disappointed. The microphones are well back […]
JOHN ADAMS: The Dharma at Big Sur; My Father Knew Charles Ives – BBC Sym. Orch./ John Adams /with Tracy Silverman, electric violin – Nonesuch (2 CDs)
JOHN ADAMS: The Dharma at Big Sur; My Father Knew Charles Ives – BBC Sym. Orch./ John Adams /with Tracy Silverman, electric violin – Nonesuch 2-CD disc set 79857-2, 52:00 (9/26/06) ****: John Adams at his best with an East Coast and West Coast-themed musical offering. This is not a new disc, as it was released in 2006. But it is an important disc from one of the world’s greatest living composers, John Adams. This two disc set offers The Dharma at Big Sur, which comprises the 2003 title piece by Pulitzer Prize–winning composer John Adams, as well as My Father Knew Charles Ives, also from 2003. Both pieces are performed by London’s BBC Symphony Orchestra and conducted by the composer. The first piece, The Dharma at Big Sur is a musical offering reflecting on Adams’ move from the East to the West coast of America. Says the composer: “I immediately began searching my mind for an image, either verbal or pictorial, that could summon up the feelings of being an emigrant to the Pacific Coast—as I am, and as are so many who’ve made the journey here, both physically and spiritually. Coming upon the California coast, the Western shelf […]
Audio News for August 23, 2016
Sennheiser Coming to the Big Apple – Headphones will take center stage in October when Sennheiser opens two retail outlets in New York. Both a flagship Soundscape showroom in Westfield World Trade Center and a pop-up store in SoHo will stock Sennheiser’s audiophile range of headphones, including the new HE 1 electrostatic reference headphone system, and demonstrate the AMBEO 3D audio technology. Starting in Chicago on September 27, Sennheiser is planning a series of special “HE 1 Listening Experiences” in selected U.S. and Canadian locations, continuing on to other cities including Los Angeles, San Francisco, Seattle, Vancouver and Toronto. Bryston Introduces New Digital Music Player – The BDP-π (yes, that’s the Pi symbol) is currently available for a $1295 suggested retail. The device is built upon the Raspberry Pi and HifiBerry platform, with a chassis that’s one-third the size of Bryston’s BDP player. The BDP-π will playback a range of digital files — from MP3 to lossless 24/192 — and can be connected to virtually any digital-to-analog converter, according to the company. It can also be connected to a network-attached storage drive and access Internet radio and Tidal streaming. The player features four USB 2.0 and one Ethernet (10/100 Mbps) input; […]
Audio News for June 21, 2016
Bowie Classical Tribute Scheduled – Glastonbury in the UK will have a tribute concert for the late David Bowie tomorrow. Philip Glass will conduct his 1966 orchestral work Heroes Symphony which was a tribute to the 1977 Bowie album Heroes. The music will be backed by an immersive light and laserworks show by Chris Levine. Surface Hub Videos Focus on Music Notation, Product Planning, and More – Microsoft’s Surface Hub has been on sale to customers for a few month. They have decided to highlight some documented real world application and hardware use cases in a series of YouTube videos. They focus on third party software on the Surface Hub doing music notation with StaffPad, collaborative creation with Drawboard, and Video looping with TechSmith Loop. LeEco Bringing Its Phones and Video Streaming to U.S. – This fall LeEco, which has launched hi-end affordable Android phones outside of the U.S., will be bring them into the U.S. Their phones are light and will be sold unlocked. The company is currently securing the rights to live and recorded U.S. video content, and their handsets will support other streaming services as well. The phones have solid specs and affordable price tags. Is MQA […]
Audio News for May 31, 2016
Oppo Introduces Its First Speakers – The compact Sonica Wi-Fi speaker comes equipped with Bluetooth, Wi-Fi and AirPlay capabilities, and there are compatible smartphones and tablet apps making it easy to manage multiple speakers on the same network. Drivers, amps and chassis have all been designed for a deep, pure and engaging sound that can be further optimized with built-in presets using the Sonica app. It is capable of decoding audio files up to 192/24 and supports FLAC, WAV and Apple Lossless. The companion app can be downloaded for free from the Apple App Store, while the Android version is available from Google. Retail price is $299. New Superior Classical Music Platform – Primephonics’ lossless audio and meticulous metadata offers a perfect solution for classical music listeners and audiophiles. The vast catalog of the Netherlands-based company has expanded to include Sony Classical titles. The music downloads range from WAV to FLAC or DSD – with no compressed files or degraded sound, and later this year a high-quality streaming service will also be offered. The primary problem with iTunes and other services is that they really fall apart when needing to classify classical music. Dirk Jan Vink is Managing Director or […]
Audio News for May 27, 2016
Google Plans for New VR Hardware/Software – Google already has many virtual reality projects going: Google Cardboard, is now in the hands of ten million people. Google Jump is a part of a GoPro Odyssey rig with 16 HDR cameras set in a circular array allowing users to capture 360-degree sterereoscopic video. Jump Assembler is a “stitch software” created by Google to “sew” together 16 simultaneously-recorded videos. Google’s Tilt Brush is a 3D painting application for the HTC Vive virtual reality headset which appears to give users control over a luminous and abstract digital medium. You download it from Stream – the Google gaming and entertainment platform. Expeditions is Google’s virtual reality education platform where students use Google Cardboard to access immersive VR experiences of places they could never go on an ordinary field trip. Next comes Project Daydream – a hardware design for a viewer, with a new version of Google’s popular Android operating system. It will probably be an inexpensive headset and microcontroller released this fall. MQA Boasts New Wins for Hi-Res – The MQA audio format continues to gain momentum as more hardware suppliers and music-download sites embrace the new technology and Warner Music becomes the first […]
“The Return” = Preludes of RACHMANINOFF, Works of BABAJANIAN – Raffi Besalyan, p. – Sono Luminus CD & audio-only Blu-ray
Riveting sound and brilliant performances add up to a most desirable set. “The Return” = RACHMANINOFF: Prelude Op. 3, No. 2 in C sharp minor; Prelude Op. 23, No. 5 in G minor; Prelude Op. 23, No. 6 in E flat major; Prelude Op. 23, No. 7 in C minor; Prelude Op. 23, No. 5 in G minor; Prelude Op. 23, No. 10 in G flat major; Prelude Op. 23, No. 12 in G sharp minor; Étude-Tableau, Op. 33, No. 6 in E flat minor (published as No. 3); Étude-Tableau, Op. 39, No. 1 in C minor; Étude-Tableau, Op. 39, No. 5 in E flat minor; Étude-Tableau, Op. 39, No. 6 in A minor; Variations on a theme of Corelli, Op. 42; ARNO BABAJANIAN: Prelude; Melody and Humoresque; Elegy; Vagarshapat Dance – Raffi Besalyan, piano – Sono Luminus DSL-92187, 65:42 (CD + audio-only Blu-ray – 5.1 & 7.1 DTS, 2.0 PCM with FLAC and MP3 files downloadable) *****: I had no idea that such a powerhouse pianist as Raffi Besalyan worked so close to me. Just downtown from where I live, as Assistant Professor of Piano at Georgia State University, resides this technical wiz and bold Rachmaninoff master. On the […]
Audio News for February 12, 2016
Samsung and LG Show OLED Walls; Dying Technology – Hardware On the Way Out; Study Shows People Who Listen to Music Out Loud Have More Sex; New Canadian Site Offers Better Music Quality Plus Convenience; Only a Rumor So Far, But Apple May Make Lightning the Hi-res Audio Port of the Future
Astell & Kern AK Jr. Digital Audio Player
Astell & Kern AK Jr. Digital Audio Player SRP: $500.00 A high end but relatively low cost DAP. Specs: Body Material: Aluminum Display: 3.1″ WQVGA (240 x 400) Touchscreen Storage 64 GB storage built in, up to 200 GB in aux slot with mini SD cards Output Level: 1.95Vrms Supported Audio Formats: WAV, FLAC, WMA, MP3, OGG, APE (Normal, High, Fast), AAC, ALAC, AIFF, DFF, DSF Sample rate: FLAC, WAV, ALAC, AIFF: 8kHz – 192kHz (8/16/24bits per Sample)/ DSD: DSD64 (1bit 2.8MHz), Stereo (DSD to PCM) It was almost exactly a year ago that I reviewed my choice for an iPod replacement, the FiiO X1. Cheaper than the iPod Classic (now discontinued by Apple) the FiiO had the advantage of playing high resolution music files. I just recently put the FiiO in my car to replace my aging iPod, and I’m quite pleased. On my car screen I get album art just as I did with the iPod, and I get the benefit of playback of higher quality files. With the FiiO in the car, I started looking for another digital audio player for home listening on my headsets. I looked at some of the higher priced FiiO gear, but […]
Audio News for August 7, 2015
Pioneer Has New Affordably-Priced AVR; Ultra HD Blu-rays Expected for the Holidays; Kenwood Enters Headphone Market
Audio News for July 31, 2015
Dolby AC-4 for Broadcast and Streaming Services; Level Magic Selective Loudness Processing for MPEG-H TV Audio; Music Industry Grooving on Vinyl
J.S. BACH: Solo Cello Suites (6) – Andrew Dahlke, saxophones – Dahlmus (2 discs)
These amazing performances merit your attention.
Audio News for July 7, 2015
Slate Article Defends Audiophiles; Another New Vinyl Pressing Plant; Music Lovers Ready to Invest
Audio News for June 9, 2015
Naim Offers Tabletop Wi-Fi/Bluetooth Speaker; Walmart Tries to Improve CE Sales; Global Shipments of UHD TVs Quadruple; French Multiroom Audiophile Speakers Coming to U.S.
SPES – Cantus /Tove Ramlo-Ystad, cond./ Frode Fjellheim, joik and synthesizers / Snorre Bjerck, percussion – 2L Pure Audio Blu-ray + SACD
A lovely collection of Scandinavian sacred music in an exceptional recording.
Audio News for May 8, 2015
RadioShack Trademark Sales Still in Limbo; Sharp Plans Custom Audio Channel; Digital Video Spending Hits #2.1 Billion in First Quarter; Samsung Sales & Profits Off in First Quartet; Tidal Claims to be Hi-Res But Isn’t
Audio News for March 27, 2015
Pioneer Expands Atmos and Adds HDCP 2.2; SOL Wireless Headphones; Astell & Kern Limited Edition Hi-Res Mobile Audio Player; ‘Deezer Elite’ Hi-Res Audio Streaming Now Global; The Rise of Hi-Res Digital Music
Audio News for March 13, 2015
Mark Waldrep of AIX Comments On Hi-Res Mis-promotion; Apple TV Losing Share of Streaming Video Devices; Music Streaming Continues to Rise; Connected Audio Products Connect With Consumers
Audio New for January 6, 2015
New Naxos Hi-Res Lossless Streaming Service; PonoMusic World Store Now in Beta; RCA Introduces Curved UHD TV Display
“The Year Before Yesterday” = Music by WILLIAM KRAFT, SHAUN NAIDOO, ERIK GRISWOLD, JOSEPH PEREIRA, ISAAC SCHANKLER, NICHOLAS DEYOE /Los Angeles Percussion Q. – Sono Luminus (2 discs)
Great sound and equally engaging music in surround.
Audio News for October 17, 2014
Hi-Res at Recent AES Convention; Astell&Kern Create Special Hi-Res Edition for Blue Note 75th Anniversary; Airline Union Wants to Return to Passengers Stowing Electronics
Stereotypes Audio
Cembal d’amour
Pure Pleasure / Speakers Corner
Cedille
