Gil Scott-Heron’s Pieces Of A Man shouldn’t be relevant anymore. That is, it shouldn’t have to be relevant anymore, but it unfortunately still is. Since its 1971 release, its themes of racism, poverty, addiction, and the slight hope for a better future have retained a visceral urgency; partly because of Scott-Heron’s brilliant lyrics and powerful performances, and also because over 50 years later, the issues he wrote about continually worsen.Released on producer Bob... Read More

Craft Recordings relaunches Original Jazz Classics – the acclaimed reissue series that faithfully presented more than 850 memorable jazz albums over three decades. The soon to be relaunched reissue series will be focused on audiophile-quality vinyl and HD audio releases. Upcoming reissues include titles from Bill Evans, John Coltrane, Dave Brubeck, Mal Waldron and Yusef Lateef, with further details to be announced soon via Craft Recordings. First launched in 1982... Read More

The series Includes jewels of the label’s deep catalogue that have long been out of print or have never been available on vinyl, packaged in elegant, high-quality editions cut from the original masters made in Europe analogue production wherever possible 

Last week's Florida International Audio Expo in Tampa truly was an "international" event. Before the show, the "international" characterization seemed somewhat over the top. After all, this is a recent, relatively small regional show organized by non-professionals. But show organizers knew something most attendees didn't: it truly was an international show! Japanese speaker manufacturer TAD took a big room and even company president... Read More

Musical Surroundings today announced the new $2500 Hana-Umami Blue cartridge. From the press release: "The new cartridge follows in the Hana “Brilliant and Gorgeous” tradition of providing the listener with sublime enjoyment. Embodying the true sense of synergy, the HANA-Umami Blue combines the essential ingredients of the HANA-Umami Red with the ALNICO based generator of the HANA ML."The new cartridge incorporates the Auricle™ body design, unique and... Read More

"SAN FRANCISCO (February 28, 2023) – Early in his tenure as Parasound's new owner, David Sheriff made a commitment to the company's legendary designer, John Curl, to bring more of his new ideas to the fore. To accelerate this process, Sheriff has hired Darren Myers as Vice President of Research and Development. Myers was most recently Senior Analog Design Engineer for PS Audio, and earlier a designer for Classe Audio and B&W Loudspeakers. He is a... Read More

Jason Moran’s latest album, From the Dancehall to the Battlefield, is a staggeringly ambitious work, nothing less than a stab at reconceptualizing jazz history, hoisting a fairly obscure figure—the composer-bandleader James Reese Europe (1881-1919)—onto the pantheon of major innovators, a project that forges new links and traces a new path of the music’s evolution, with Lt. Jim Europe (as he was also known) at the—or at least a—center.

Recorded in 1966 and released in January of 1967 The Doors' debut album, powered by the edited single "Light My Fire" reached #2 on the Billboard charts, while the single was the "summer of love"'s #1 hit. If you were alive then you heard the single that summer wherever you went—blaring from jukeboxes and car radios. When you bought the album you heard a long extended "Light My Fire" that for many listeners was as uncomfortably... Read More

It’s been over a month since drummer and pop songwriter extraordinaire Yukihiro Takahashi passed away at age 70, though acknowledging it still feels weird. It wasn’t unexpected—he was treated for brain tumors, and related pneumonia caught him in the end—but for 50 years, Takahashi never really slowed down and always seemed focus on what was next. Between his solo material, his work in Yellow Magic Orchestra and Sketch Show, other gigs like the Sadistic Mika Band, or... Read More

Being inside a hotel for three days is not exactly the Sun and Fun in Winter that most make it out to be. No matter. This year I experienced an embarrassment of riches in the form of many impressive high-end systems - and managed to leave the hotel for some Tampa exploration.I started the days with trips to local coffee shops to quell my jonesing for top-flight espresso. I had some serious lattes and a nice cafe Cubano near the hotel. Saturday morning was all about... Read More

How do you know a reissue is a sonic success? There's no checklist but I've been playing an original pressing since it was first released and occasionally the Mobile Fidelity Anadisc 200 reissue, so when the stylus dropped onto "Jamming" (I always first play side 2) I wasn't expecting any major surprises.The opening drum flourish indicated a new level of transparency and clarity, which was nice to hear but the percussive jingle after Marley... Read More

I tip my hat to reviewers that do complete audio show coverage. The time/effort it takes to cover an entire show is enormous. Frankly, I am not that guy. Hey, you have to know your limitations. What I do want to share with you are some notable rooms that captured my attention and beckoned me to listen to the music rather than the equipment. Here are those rooms in no particular order.

Often it's a cry for attention or money when a veteran jazz artist releases a Christmas album or one of Beatles covers. Brad Mehldau's latest, an album of the latter with Bowie's meloncholic "Life on Mars" serving as a sort of denouement (or encore, as this is a live album recorded at the Philharmonie de Paris), is neither of those. Mehldau, 52, has been covering rock music without apology almost from the beginning of his recording career. His... Read More

A videographer visited recently to produce this 4K room tour showing my current audio system, including some new products under review, and some records and accessories.There's a similar room tour video shot years ago that's gotten 848,000 views. That sounds encouraging and most comments are positive but I think some people viewed it for the same reason they watch plane crash videos. Some of the comments express a variety of emotions including outrage at the... Read More

Fast on the approach to 70, where do we find Robyn Hitchcock these days? For a start…lyrically opening his parlour door to “The Shuffle Man” – the spirit of disorder inhabits the kickoff track to his latest album. “He's sort of the cheeky face of Destiny really,” Hitchcock explained over the line from London. “Certainly in times like 2020.”Which is when the ethos of Shufflemania – his 22nd long player, partially came together. The turmoil of lockdown, as it turns... Read More