What are you listening to and WHY might anyone be interested? (Vol. X)

Steve

This is the Spoon Records reissue from about 1982 which is cheaper and easier to find than the United Artists version above. Pretty good overview of their career:

Jason wrote:

That's, uncanny Hmack, I have had that on in the car for the past week. I really like it and well produced.

Hi Jason. Haven't our paths crossed on some other forum? Can't remember which.

Yes - a very understated and underrated performer. This gives me an excuse to post another of his albums. Every bit as good as the first one. Again ripped from CD to FLAC.  

 

Originally Posted by Florestan:  I do not like harsh, percussive sounding pianos.  Far from it.  I always prefer a soft, rich, bell like tone out of a piano (very rare).  This recording though sounds like they tried to artificially achieve this result and the outcome is distasteful to me.  It sounds filtered and unnatural - much like a very over processed digital photo vs. a beautiful analog outcome.

 

Florestan,

 

Which tune?

Hard to imagine percussive Clair de Lune?

 

But then again that's how she sounded live. ( percussive pianos )

Hi Kuma,

No, I meant the opposite.  Percussive pianos bother me but on this recording it seems they really went out to soften everything and so at times it sounds rather muffled instead.  I kept wondering how they made a real piano sound like this as it seemed very uncharacteristic.  Probably works fine on an i-pod but on my main system it just seemed more than unnatural sounding.  Maybe on further listening I'll change my mind.

About your piano comment I have to say pianists have it the worst.  You practice 12 hours a day for your whole life and then you go to perform and you are at the mercy of whatever piano is there.  One person wants a loud, percussive sound and once you juice the hammers for this there is little room to go back.  So these pianos go through every sort of abuse and are often not taken care of.  The result is someone comes in and plays on it in the condition it is and many people think it is the player.  Often it can be the players fault but not always.  

Every other musician (besides keyboard / organists) gets to perform with the same instrument they practice on - singers, string players, wind players, percussionists even (while this one doesn't seem to be as vital).  

Martha Argerich and Friends Live from Lugano 2013

Martha Argerich, Mischa Maisky, Renaud Capucon, Francesco Piemontesi, Alissa Margulis, Jura Margulis, Gautier Capucon, Gabriela Montero, Andrey Baranov, Cristina Marton, Giorgia Tomassi, Alessandro Stella, Orchestra della Svizzera Italiana, Hubert Soudant, Lilya Zilberstein, Michael Guttman, Lyda Chen, Alexandre Debrus, Enrico Fagone, Alfred Rutz, Corrado Giuffredi, Gregorio Di Trapani

This is the eleventh year I think of this series.  I have never been let down by the playing or the interesting programs.  2013 was no exception either. 

Dear Kuma,

Thank you profoundly for our long [more or less ten year] correspondence.

I am leaving the Forum permanently, and this is my last post.

I am so grateful for your posts on music. Especially sending me to Oistrakh playing Prokofiev!

Very best wishes from George

On CD from 2014. Inspired by the Heineken commercial besieging every sporting event that I watch, I went out today and bought this.

George,

Sorry to hear, as I've enjoyed your posts. Take some time to reconsider; the forum is a much better, livelier place with your insights. Best wishes, whatever you decide.

George,

Hope you'll be back all refreshed.

I wonder why this forum is losing a few classical guys lately. 

Anyways, you have earned by now as a *forum character status*, so you just can't simply disappear off the sunset, you know. 

Searing versions of Hoochie Coochie Man & In Memory of Elizabeth Reed on this one...

and Whipping Post too now that I've listened to the end,,,

AC/DC. Back In Black. Remastered CD from 2003. I'm evaluating a powerline on my 5x. This should be a good test.

Pink Floyd. The Wall. 1997 Columbia remastered CD. Best SQ of The Wall CDs that I have heard.

Eddie Boyd on Decca mono vinyl

Awadagin Pratt's Beethoven Sonata No.9:

Starts off  with sunny and happy disposition. Lyrical and flowing, nicely crafted plus an excellent dynamic shading.

The trouble is he seems to have only one trick up his sleeve. It gets monotonous as the tunes progress not as interesting as Richter's slow movement missing a bit of breathing quality behind notes. Rondo is cleanly executed but pretty much the same attitude. Nice enough performance but I want more out of Beethoven Sonatas.

On FLAC ripped from CD, Hot Tuna's first studio album for over 20 years. Now, what have I done with those original Hot Tuna albums on Vinyl I used to have in the 70s?

A nice mellow groove for a summers afternoon and a good woofer workout too 

Hi James,

I heard this track last night - Jah Wobble & Marconi Union - Terminus (Anomic)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9VvaAgOLicI 

First press 'fatboy' cased double CD ripped as FLAC.

G

MCLD CD - Sounds magnificent.

G

On CD. Brilliant Western-style rockabilly from the lads in the long black frock coats. Reminds me of their gigs at the Slaughterhouse in Liverpool.