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"Art+Tech" - where music meets equipment

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Category: Art+Tech Art+Tech

Up Close with Percussionist Ches Smith through Ollo Audio S4R 1.1 Recording Headphones

May 2022

I have a friend in New York City who shares my audiophile leanings and many of my musical tastes, and we frequently exchange thoughts on recordings I review here. However, as an apartment dweller, my friend keeps his amplifier turned down low, limiting how deeply he can delve into them. He relies on headphones for most of his listening.

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Category: Curator Curator

Adventures in Vinyl

May 2022

Let’s talk about vinyl.

I’ll begin by saying that you can call them records or LPs (which stands for “long player” or “long-playing”), but never “vinyls.” Vinyl is what’s used to make LPs, and vinyl as a general description for records that are pressed out of that material is fine. I’ve been buying records for more than 50 years, but I’ve never called them “vinyls.” I collect vinyl, but I have 4000 LPs. Or maybe 5000. . . .

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Category: CD music CD music

Trombone Shorty: "Lifted"

May 2022

Blue Note Records B003456902
Format: CD

Musical Performance
****

Sound Quality
***

Overall Enjoyment
****

In the late 2000s, not long before Troy “Trombone Shorty” Andrews began landing gigs at the White House and on late-night network TV shows, I worked twice with the New Orleans musician at the Ottawa Jazz Festival, where I was the media resource. The first time Andrews appeared there, he was an unknown support act; the following year, he headlined. Both times, he put on astounding live shows that were equal parts Crescent City parade music and guitar-powered Southern rock.

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Category: Music Everywhere Music Everywhere

In Memory of Rad Bennett

April 2022

Rad Bennett, a writer for the SoundStage! Network for the better part of two decades, passed away in Harper’s Ferry, VA, on March 10, 2022. A versatile reviewer, Rad covered movies, music, and equipment. He was the kind of writer who could take a $79 Bluetooth speaker through its paces and craft an article from it that was both compelling and accurate—a rare skill in this industry. Rad’s main focus, though, was entertainment—Rad was an expert on classic films and classical music, and wrote authoritatively on both. His many writings can be found on multiple sites throughout the SoundStage! Network.

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Category: Music Everywhere Music Everywhere

JBL Flip 6 Waterproof Bluetooth Speaker

April 2022

The model-designation number of the Flip 6 tells us that this popular speaker has been around for quite a while. And this time, it appears that JBL is turning over new models fairly rapidly, as I just reviewed the Flip 5 last August. At first glance, this new version looks much like the previous one, but there are in fact quite a few differences and upgrades. At $129.95 (all prices USD), the Flip 6 is still a bargain, even when you consider that the price of the Flip 5 has been reduced to $109.95. Is the Flip 6 worth the extra $20? I think so, but a lot depends on the needs of the buyer.

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Category: Art+Tech Art+Tech

Re-evaluating ZZ Top’s "Rio Grande Mud" through Monitor Audio Bronze 100 Bookshelf Speakers

Note: for the full suite of measurements for the Monitor Audio Bronze 100 loudspeaker performed in the anechoic chamber at Canada’s National Research Council, click this link.

April 2020

As revolutionary as the popular music of the 1960s was, some things didn’t change. When that decade ended, artists were still expected to be from somewhere rather than remaining regionally based.

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Category: CD music CD music

Various Artists: "Black Lives: From Generation to Generation"

April 2022

Jammin’ Colors 73374
Format: CD

Musical Performance
****

Sound Quality
****

Overall Enjoyment
****

Miles Davis was a firm believer that music is colorless. Despite having been an outspoken champion and defender of Black artists and their creative output, the trumpeter recognized that music transcends the petty political stances and systemic racism dominating life in Western democracies.

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Category: Blu-ray movies Blu-ray movies

"Miller's Crossing"

March 2022

Stylized Mob Characters in a Film with Memorable Set Pieces

The Criterion Collection 1112
Format: BD

Overall Enjoyment
***1/2

Picture Quality
****1/2

Sound Quality
***1/2

Extras
***1/2

Joel and Ethan Coen’s Miller’s Crossing was released in 1990, the same year as Martin Scorsese’s Goodfellas, the movie many regard as the ultimate gangster flick. While Scorsese’s film aims for exaggerated realism, Miller’s Crossing embodies a highly stylized romanticism. But despite its memorable set pieces and earnest acting, it doesn’t seem to tell a story quite as well as its flashier competition.

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Category: Art+Tech Art+Tech

Brawling with Vintage Charles Mingus and the NAD Masters M10 V2 BluOS Streaming Amplifier

Note: for the full suite of measurements from the SoundStage! Audio-Electronics Lab, click this link.

March 2022

A couple of months ago, 2021 was capped off for me by the arrival of NAD’s C 700 BluOS streaming amplifier, which I wrote about in the January edition of “Art+Tech.” As I always do, I turned to the manufacturer’s website to see where the C 700 sat in the company’s product line. I couldn’t help but linger over the description of the Masters M10 V2, the C 700’s grander sibling.

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Category: CD music CD music

Culture and Flow: Three Saxophonists Who Transcend (Melissa Aldana, "12 Stars"; Roxy Coss, "Disparate Parts"; Julieta Eugenio, "Jump")

March 2022

Melissa Aldana: 12 Stars

Blue Note Records B0034596-02
Format: CD

Musical Performance
****

Sound Quality
*****

Overall Enjoyment
****

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Category: Music Everywhere Music Everywhere

Anker Soundcore Flare 2 Bluetooth Speaker

March 2022

For the past seven months, I’ve been on a bit of a roll reviewing portable Bluetooth speakers with light shows—LEDs that dance to the music. The latest of these is the Anker Soundcore Flare 2, another cylindrical design that’s shorter than most JBLs and other brands of Bluetooth speakers, yet provides pretty good sound along with a user-adjustable light show. At $79 (all prices in USD), it’s a strong contender if you’re looking for a really small speaker with decent sound. And you can usually get your hands on one for far less than the list price if you shop around.

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Category: Blu-ray movies Blu-ray movies

"Beasts of No Nation"

February 2022

Netflix Film about Child Soldiers Gets Superb Blu-ray Treatment from Criterion

The Criterion Collection 1091
Format: BD

Overall Enjoyment
****

Picture Quality
****1/2

Sound Quality
****1/2

Extras
***1/2

Cary Joji Fukunaga has been making quite an impression lately as a director with vision and one who values diversity. He directed the first season of True Detective for television, and it was a doozy. In Beasts of No Nation, adapted from the novel of the same name by Nigerian-American author Uzodinma Iweala, he tackles the story of a child soldier. Its main character, Agu (played by impressive discovery Abraham Attah), is a young, upbeat boy living in a village in West Africa, who spends his time playing games of fantasy and make-believe with his friends.

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Category: Art+Tech Art+Tech

Cecil Taylor Dances Out of the Vault and into the Emotiva BasX TA1 Stereo Receiver

Note: for the full suite of measurements from the SoundStage! Audio-Electronics Lab, click this link.

February 2022

Five decades ago, many leading jazz musicians were at a chaotic, crowded crossroads.

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Category: Download music Download music

Ethan Iverson: "Every Note Is True"

February 2022

Blue Note Records B003473002
Format: 16-bit/44.1kHz WAV download

Musical Performance
****

Sound Quality
***

Overall Enjoyment
***

This year marks a milestone anniversary; I’ve been writing about music on a regular basis for 30 years. Over that time, it’s likely I’ve encountered pianist Ethan Iverson more than any other artist, with the possible exception of trumpeter Dave Douglas. I caught Iverson with The Bad Plus many times during his tenure with the trio, sat on a panel discussion with him at the Portland Jazz Festival, shared the pages of DownBeat with him in his guise as a part-time music critic, and interviewed him for insights on topics as disparate as the late Andrew Hill and the state of jazz education. I’ve even seen him sit in on drums, fuelled by numerous martinis, at a jam session.

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More Articles ...

  1. Furrion LIT Bluetooth Speaker with Adventure Kit
  2. "The Red Shoes"
  3. Revisiting the Best of 2021 with the NAD C 700 BluOS Streaming Amplifier
  4. Miles Davis: "Live-Evil"
  5. Tribit StormBox Pro Bluetooth Speaker
  6. "La Strada"
  7. Streaming Contemporary Composition Through the EarMen Tradutto DAC
  8. Ray Charles: "True Genius"
  9. Fix It in the Mix: Recording a Rock Band
  10. JBL PartyBox On-The-Go Bluetooth Speaker
  11. "Masculin féminin"
  12. Discovering Contemporary Trios Through the Arcam SA30 Intelligent Integrated Amplifier
  13. The Tragically Hip, Curated
  14. Sony SRS-XB33 Bluetooth Speaker
  15. John Coltrane: "A Love Supreme: Live in Seattle"
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