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June 2018
The last few weeks in California's high-end audio arena have been, to say the least, interesting. Appropriately, we'll start off this issue with a relevant article by SFAS Vice-President Larry Deniston on his experience of attending audio shows, as well as some updates on upcoming events.
Now that summer is upon us, it is time for outdoor music festivals! Favorites such as Hardly Strictly Bluegrass, Outside Lands, and SF Jazz Festival are sure to please as they draw amazing musicians and bands. We'll be sending occasional e-blasts letting you know which of the many great events we're planning on going to. If you have a recommendation of your own, please write to us!
Also, way down near the bottom, don't miss David Hicks's eclectic Tidal playlist which he compiled and now shares with us in the Music Picks column.
Enjoy, Alón
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Audio Shows By Larry Deniston
We're all aware of the cancellation of the LAAS, sad news to be sure. It seemed like things were getting back on track with the shows in So Cal, but evidently not. Luckily Maurice Jung has stepped up and is re-invigorating T.H.E. Show June 1 - 3 in Irvine (more info below). June 1 - 3 in Irvine (more info below).
Putting together a show has got to be a full time job that would be somewhat like herding cats with so many moving parts. Am I volunteering? Hell no. It's must be a pretty thankless job where if you were able to make half the people happy you'd be doing a good job. The venue, the rooms, the reps, the press, the HiFi geeks (myself included), etc., all have to be a challenge to wrangle. But, that being said, it's not like it hasn't been done before and quite successfully.
From an exhibitor's perspective it's also not an easy task setting up for a show. Getting the gear delivered in one piece and on time to the hotel has got to be a challenge. Making a less than perfect room sound as best as they can with the limited time and materials available can be even more of a challenge! Then selecting music that can keep the demanding show attendees engaged and best demonstrates the capabilities of their equipment is a task that can only be successfully accomplished by the most talented in the industry.
Understanding the challenges of pulling off a show and a good sounding exhibit makes me appreciate how special audio shows can be and it's unfortunate to see them fail, but I still love going to audio shows. Over the years I've learned to pace myself a bit at a show and take advantage of the rooms and set-ups that are most enjoyable. I don't feel that I need to race to visit every single room plus I've found that it's more enjoyable to spend a couple of days at a show rather than trying to cram everything into a single day. I look for the gems in the show and enjoy them. It's always fun to find the rooms that are set up well and sound great; a piece of equipment that seems to exceed expectations; and seeing friends and making new ones. Additionally, I've always left a show with a list of new music to explore and enjoy which alone is worth the price of admission.
So I hope to see you at the California Audio Show in Oakland in July (more info below) to share some great HiFi and music!
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Michael Fremer Event
On Saturday April 28, 2018 the SFAS membership had the pleasure of another informative and entertaining presentation by Michael Fremer at our new conference room at The Shops at Hilltop. In addition to the 50 plus members in attendance we were lucky enough to have Allen Perkins of Spiral Groove, Roger Modjeski of Music Reference and RAM Tubeworks, Richard Schram of Parasound, and John Curl of Parasound, Vendetta, SOTA and Mark Levinson participate in the event. The music system is evolving at our new space and for this event we were fortunate to have the RM 200 II amplifier, and a preamp and phono stage from fortunate to have the RM 200 II amplifier, and a preamp and phono stage from Music Reference. A Spiral Groove Revolution turntable with Centroid tonearm and an Audio Technica OC9 Mk III cartridge played the source material and Leslie's venerable Vandersteen 3 speakers generated the room-filling music.
As kind of an amuse-bouche to awaken our taste buds before the main course we had the visual treat of the unveiling of a David Bowie painting by Tom Matousek. The painting is an "accessible" abstract that is truly unique. For more information about Tom and his work check out his website at http://tommatousek.com/index.html.
On to the main course! Michael Fremer regaled the lucky crowd of SFAS members with stories of his personal experiences, HiFi industry lore, and his knowledge of records, their pressings, and mastering engineers. The first story Michael told was his experience of being an expert witness for the Quincy Jones vs. Michael Jackson estate lawsuit (YouTube video can be seen at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6qHvOaUYwWQ). This is a fascinating and fun story told only as Michael can tell, which included some technical aspects of how compression can affect the sound quality of recordings and Michael's experience of becoming an expert witness, getting deposed, and a courtroom presentation with Wilson Audio speakers playing a Michael Jackson song at full blast! Of course Mr. Fremer the expert witness was successful in presenting his case.
Michael also brought some records to share with the membership. He first played Mood Indigo from Ellington Masterpieces, the 45 rpm mono version by
Analogue Productions. Simply a wonderful reproduction of this 1951 recording.
Following the Ellington listening session Allen Perkins discussed his Spiral Groove Revolution turntable with Centroid tonearm and 3D printed arm base. Allen explained how he worked to make this 'table one of the quietest on the market through damping and the use of layering different materials that make up the plinth. The Revol ution is a sight and sound to behold! We then moved back to Michael, who talked about what happened after he published a critical review of a reissue of the Beatles stereo vinyl box set. Michael received a call from the UK asking if he would be willing to help with the vinyl edition of the Beatles mono box set reissues. Of course Michael accepted and was able to revel at the experience at Abbey Road studios with the original Beatles master tapes during the process of producing the vinyl mono box set. Michael then talked a bit about the sale of Stereophile magazine, a publication that actually makes money. Stereophile was bought by AV Tech which seems to be a good fit.
Next, he spoke about his work on the old Animalympics movie currently on YouTube ( https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RDjR65KHoeM), featuring the voices of Gilda Radner, Billy Crystal, Harry Shearer and Michael Fremer! Michael talked about the making of the animated movie and told a story about speaking at a Furry People (also known as "Furries") convention. Evidently that particular special interest group has established somewhat of a cult following of the movie.
Music break
Nina Simone - her first album was played in both mono and stereo versions, and both sounded quite good. Bobby Darrin -"Every Day Now" - reissues from original metal stem and the original master tape - the metal sounded appreciably better! UHQR release from Analogue productions (name stolen from MoFi), The Who - Teenage Wasteland TV Jazz Themes -Video All Stars, great 1959 recording by studio musicians with big soundstage Dionne Warwick - Walk On By - engineered by the late great Bill Ramon. Dionne Warwick - Walk On By - engineered by the late great Bill Ramon. Michael played two versions, both on the original Scepter label, one pressed by Bell and one by Columbia. The Bell pressing was much better. Beatles - The Abbey Road UK pressing is considered the best pressing and sounded great!
The sonic differences between different pressings and mastering engineers never cease to amaze me.*
As always, Michael was entertaining and educational and the near capacity crowd at the Shops at Hilltop seemed to enjoy every moment.
* As a side note if you're interested, click on the following link that discusses in great detail all the variants and complexities of just the Blue Note label: https://londonjazzcollector.wordpress.com/record-labels-guide/labelography- 2/the-blue-note-labels/
Larry ------Upcoming Events
The San Francisco Audiophile Society
-Presents- -Presents- A discussion of the works of David Bowie
with Richie Unterberger June 16th in the Conference Room of The Shops at Hilltop 1-4 pm
(click on the above picture to go to Richie Unterberger's web site)
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--- Postponed ------Postponed --- David Gans & John Curl
Powerhouse legends
David Gans & John Curl come together for a Deep Listening Session you don't want to miss. These two have been a part of Rock history and will share with you the details surrounding the making of some of the most iconic recordings ever produced. Stay tuned - more details and sign ups to follow.
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Pending Events
In no particular order, we are in the process of organizing the following:
* A Sys-Hop, of sorts, between the South Bay's Gordon Burwell and John Johnson.
* A rack and amp stand tweak evaluation August 18th at Joe's house in Soquel.
* A talk with Eva Manley, of Manley Laboratories.
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This month's video viewing suggestion:
This is a fun and entertaining group with numerous talented musicians that write new arrangements of modern day songs with a vintage filter. Check out the links below.
Postmodern Jukebox - Nothing Else Matters
Postmodern Jukebox - It's All About the Bass
***************************************************** Audiophile Humor
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New Toys
My new toy (as of yesterday) is a nearly new Kiseiki Blue NS cartridge. It replaces my rather long in the tooth Ortofon A-90. Initially I thought the Kiseiki would be a nice back-up to have, but after listening to a few records I'm not going to put the Ortofon back on anytime soon. A new cartridge is a great way to bring new life to your system especially if your current cartridge has more hours on it than you can estimate.
We'd all be interested in hearing about any new electronic equipment, tweaks, or furniture that you've added or recommend to get better sound from your system. No formal writing experience required. Just send a picture with a few words strung together telling us a bit about what you've got.
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Industry News
T.H.E Show is Back! June 1 - 3, 2018 Marriott Spectrum Irvine
Get your tickets here ------
CANCELLED !
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Click on the picture above to go to the CAS website
JULY 27 - 29, 2018 HILTON HOTEL OAKLAND INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT ......
The eighth annual California Audio Show is here! The show's producer, Constantine Soo, has shaped the current presentation of CAS into more personal experience of an audio show. You can read his words below:
It will no longer be a question of how fast and how many rooms you can go through in a show. Now, you can do a brief survey of all the rooms in the first day, then spend time in those most interest you for the next two days. You can also choose to visit 14 rooms leisurely per day. Last year, our attendees and exhibitors informed us that CAS7 was the most enjoyable and memorable audio show in recent history. This year, CAS8 will redefine your experience of attending an audio show.
TICKETS ARE ON SALE NOW:
Early online purchases will qualify you for exciting Giveaway Prizes, such as the $1,999 Soundsmith Zephyr MIMC.
CAS8 Tickets Now Available. CAS8 Tickets Now Available. $20 All Days All-access. Purchase Your Tickets Here! https://caaudioshow.com/for-attendees/
PARKING: 800+ spaces FEE: $6 with validation
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Shure will stop making cartridges - who hasn't owned a Shure cartridge? I've had a few in the past for shure! Story at the following link:
http://forums.stevehoffman.tv/threads/shure-cartridges- discontinued.748953/
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Gibson files Chapter 11 bankruptcy - which means they'll try to restructure the business as opposed to shutting down. See story: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2018-05- 01/gibson-files-for-bankruptcy-with-deal-to-renew- guitar-business
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SFAS Monthly Music Picks
This column features monthly music recommendations from SFAS staff and sometimes special guests. Members are welcome to submit music picks to Larry Deniston [email protected] .
Grant's Pick
My music pic for this month is Shelly Manne and His Friends, My Fair Lady Contemporary records 1956 vinyl mono.
This LP features Shelly Manne on drums, Andre Previn on piano and Leroy Vinnegar on bass playing selections from My Fair Lady. From the rousing uptempo " Get Me To The Church On Time" the mild swing of my favorite " On The Street Where You Live" and the playful "Wouldn't It Be Loverly", this is classic jazz trio at it's finest.
Now those of you that have only heard Andre Previn's slightly cheesy but beautiful numerous lounge records (like myself), it's very nice to hear him thoroughly cooking on these tunes. He's also capable of very nuanced melodic finesse a la Bill Evans, on numbers like "I've Grown Accustomed To Your Face".
Shelly Manne is of course one of the early great jazz drummers, playing with big bands of the era, and winning many popularity polls. Leroy Vinnegar, a completely self taught player, has also played with many big names, including Barney Kessel.
Now I usually avoid mono recordings like the plague, I like a stereo spread, but if Now I usually avoid mono recordings like the plague, I like a stereo spread, but if they're recorded this well, fine by me. There seems to be air around each instrument, and somehow a nice spread. The drums sound especially amazing with a very natural snare sound in particular. With all the technical recording data on the back, you can tell real effort went into the production. Worth checking out if you can find a copy (another estate sale find).
Tidal: https://listen.tidal.com/album/1275072 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ttxd-1KGiN0
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Alón's Pick
Guilty pleasures. I've always loved simple, honest rock and roll... even when it leans toward Power Pop. I'm just a sucker for a catchy tune - I'm helpless against its pull to sing along, something I do only in the shower or my car. Believe me, that's a good thing. To this day, this band's one hit wonder is still a favorite. And for a low budget production, the sound quality is pretty good.
Picture this: it's summer 1980, me and a bunch of my college friends are crammed into my junky car heading down to the Jersey Shore for a long weekend at the beach. The ride down was powered by loud rock and roll tracks that had me banging the steering wheel while my friends were slamming the dashboard and the headrests to the beat. If you fondly remember tunes like Sniff'n the Tears's "Driver's Seat" you know the feeling. Surprisingly, one of my favorite road-worthy songs is one that many people I've played it for had never heard! If you like driving music and don't know it, get ready to be swept up into The Kings's timeless "This Beat Goes On/Switching to Glide..." Don't forget to crank up the volume for the full effect, especially if you're in your car.
The Kings The Kings
1980 LP The Kings Are Here
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gEwd0WogJNE ------
David's Pick
THE MUSIC SHOP
I didn't set out reading Rachel Joyce's fourth novel, The Music Shop, thinking I'd write a music recommendation from it, but once I was immersed in the book, it seemed like the natural thing to do.
The Music Shop's milieu will seem familiar to fans of the book/movie High Fidelity simply because both stories revolve around record store owners who are vinyl fanatics. Both tale's also have a love story thrown in, and a host of quirky supporting characters. But, The Music Shop is not at all a repackaging of the same story. This is a novel that takes place over decades and paints a broad landscape of the human condition, relationships, and the meanings we attach to music.
In the novel, we learn about Frank, the Music Shop's owner, and how his mother taught him how to listen to music while also educating him on the composers lives as they were writing their music, and how events that were happening in their lives manifested in the scores of their compositions. This early childhood education from Frank's mother contributes to Frank's unique ability to recommend just the right vinyl record for each customer. The album recommendations are given out much as a doctor would prescribe a course of treatment for whatever the customer might need, whether it was just a recording to expand a customers' musical palate, or a recording that could serve as a remedy for an emotional trauma or stumbling block the customer might be experiencing. But, as the saying: Medice, cur ate ipsum (Physician, heal thyself) references, Frank is unable to overcome his own emotional life wounds, and must ultimately rely upon someone else to provide the perfect musical cure to help him heal.
As I read the novel, I found myself wanting to listen to the tracks that were referenced within the context of the book. I experience the same desires while reading biographies of famous musicians while they recount the tales of writing and recording their music, (ie: Jimmy Page; Joni Mitchell; Keith Richards, etc). With Tidal, and Apple Tunes, and Spotify, and any number of other online music services, this is easy enough to do. But when I was through with The Music Shop, I thought it would be fun to hear the entire collection in a playlist. So, I Googled "The Music Shop Playlist" and I found that someone had already created just such a thing on Spotify. Being a Tidal user, I created one on Tidal. Both links appear below so that you can listen to the playlist as you read the book- or if you just want to listen to it on its own- which I think might sound a bit disjointed without the references to the characters and situations in the book in which they are supplied. I can't vouch for the exactitude of the playlists as I basically copied my Tidal tracks from Spotify, the exactitude of the playlists as I basically copied my Tidal tracks from Spotify, having neglected to write the track names down as I was reading the book. My memory tells me they all look familiar to what I read about. I did change one or two artists that weren't available on Tidal and replaced them with the same title by a different artist that I thought sounded similar.
So, this is obviously not an album or CD recommendation, unless someone in the future ends up making a movie from the book- in which case the script writers will more than likely change the songs that are referenced in the book anyway, and that will be a different soundtrack.
Am I recommending the book, or even just the soundtrack? Well, I did get through the book to the end, but perhaps, only because I'm somewhat of a vinylphile. If you happen to have an interest in music stores, vinyl records, or some detailed information about certain classical composers and their recordings, you might like the book enough to get through it too. I found myself more interested in these things than the love story, which was at first intriguing, but seemed to dribble out at what I thought was an overly slow pace. I also so thoroughly enjoyed the occurrences of Frank prescribing music to his customers that I wanted much more of that than the book delivered. Your mileage may vary. You can download a free sample from Amazon or Barnes & Noble, and check it out before you buy, as I did.
The Music Shop Tidal playlist link below was c reated by me that has 24 t racks and is 1:47:18 in length: https://tidal.com/playlist/820f8600-41e7-48bd-a34c-a26102b7d4ca
1: Oh No, Not My Baby by Aretha Franklin 2: Bach: Double Violin Concerto 3: Starman by David Bowie 4: Prelude in D Flat Major; Op. 28, No. 15 Raindrop Chopin 5: A Night To Remember by Shalamar 6: Satin Doll by Duke Ellington 7: God Save The Queen by the Sex Pistols 8: So What by Miles Davis 9: Stairway To Heaven by Led Zeppelin 10: Into The Mystic by Van Morrison 10: Into The Mystic by Van Morrison 11: Ain't It Funky Now by James Brown 12: Beata Viscera by Perotin 13: Moonlight Sonata by Beethoven 14: Theme From Shaft by Isaac Hayes 15: Te Deum 16: Avarandado by Phil Woods 17: Heyr Himna Smiður Schola Cantorum 18: Purcell: Dido and Aeneas / Act 3 - "With drooping wings" The Academy of Ancient Music Chorus, The Academy of Ancient Music, Christopher Hogwood 19: Wild Thing by The Troggs 20: Adagio For Strings, Op. 11 by Samuel Barber 21 Caroline, No by The Beach Boys 22: Strange Fruit by Nina Simone 23: Messiah, HWV56: Hallelujah by George Frideric Handel 24: Time Has Told Me by Nick Drake
The Spotify link: https://open.spotify.com/user/penguinbooks/playlist/1skEBZppUBtHBXxdcYIHns
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Jay's Pick
My pick for June is The Black Saint and the Sinner Lady by Charles Mingus. Since this 1963 recording by Mingus and and his 11-piece jazz orchestra is relatively well- known, and this is a pick rather than a review, I'm not including a detailed description. Check out: https://www.allmusic.com/album/the-black-saint-and- the-sinner-lady-mw0000192238. the-sinner-lady-mw0000192238.
This music is a combination of jazz, blues, and folk music with a touch of flamenco. It has been called avant-garde, and I mostly agree. This small jazz orchestra may be a bit radical and unorthodox, but the music is accessible. On first listen, it's easy to get lost in the complex and sprawling instrumental soundstage, with both dissonant and harmonic themes coupled with some striking melodies. On the second time around, everything coalesces and quickly begins to makes sense.
I picked up a current LP version that is on the "Superior Viaduct" label. Uh-oh! Is this another European public domain record with quiet surfaces and insipid sound? Fortunately, no. Superior Viaduct is actually based in San Francisco. The company's web site indicates that this release was mastered from the original master tapes and the album cover clearly specifies the license owners. The instrumental sounds are detailed and very dynamic -- the brass players in particular have rich dynamic tones. It's rewarding to enjoy this music through a good system. The CD is OK too, but through my system the CD is not as spacious as the LP. YouTube is probably not the best place to experience this album!
Even if you already have a copy of this, pull it out for another listen! (Or cue it up on your streamer / server.) This album lives up to its lofty reputation.
Tidal: https://listen.tidal.com/album/77618473 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lyd1_tLN0i4
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Larry's Pick
Van Morrison and Joey DeFrancesco's You're Driving Me Crazy. This is a two LP vinyl record on Exile Productions, 2018, 19075820041 and is available on CD as well.
Morrison teamed up with organist and jazz legend Joey DeFrancesco to produce this album. You can't miss Van Morrison's unique voice and phasing, but this album is more of bluesy jazz or jazzy blues. DeFrancesco is a truly talented person who is not only outstanding playing a classic Hammond organ, but plays a mean trumpet as well. Joined by players such as Troy Roberts on tenor sax, drummer Michael Ode, Dan Wilson on guitars, and even Morrison's talented daughter Shana, the album is entertaining and completely enjoyable.
While I really enjoy this Morrison/DeFrancesco collaboration and collection of songs, it is not the most resolving recording I've heard. I've not heard the CD, so I can't compare the analogue vs. digital.
Tidal: https://listen.tidal.com/album/85207597 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zyxeibw3vq4
SUGGESTIONS or SUBMISSIONS? The SFAS Leadership Team wants to hear from you! If you have something written up about some music you'd like to share, or a piece of equipment you're fond of, just send it to us. And if you have an event idea you'd like to have us present, just reply to this email with your suggestions. If we like it, you'll attend the event as our guest and we'll thank you for sharing. Sorry if you thought you would win a new Tesla... we can afford to give you recognition for your brilliance, but that's about it. Besides, we just saved you from the stress of all those speeding tickets.
The Muse Publication Team Contributing Editor: David Hicks Contributing Editor: Larry Deniston Editor in Chief: Alón Sagee
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