Sensible Sound articles from November 2001

Sensible Sound archives from November 2001

Ramblings.(Editorial)
November 1, 2001... Welcome to Issue #88, our annual Staff Picks issue. We bring you the equipment recommendations of our contributors, who pass along advice on everything from individual components to complete systems. By letting each contributor publish his own...

A first-class first choice. (Straits Of The Art).(Brief Article)
November 1, 2001... Those who are familiar with the wet/vacuum record-cleaning method (such as with the Nitty Gritty or VPI record cleaning machines) will surely remember the Nitty Gritty cleaning product called First[R]. This highly volatile fluid evaporated very...

Comparing: round 2. (Skeptimania).(double-blind cable and amp comparisons)
November 1, 2001... Back in issue 82 (Set/Oct, 2000), I did a column on comparing hardware, and one of the primary conclusions I came to was that a rational adult could do level-matched, quick-switch comparisons of audio hardware like wires, interconnects, amps,...

Staff Picks.(Letter to the Editor)
November 1, 2001... It was way back in Issue 63 that we published our first "Staff Picks" compilation, following it up in Issues 65 and 67 with additions by contributors who were a bit tardy in getting their lists together for that first installment. A year later,...

Home Theater musings. (Equipment).
November 1, 2001... There are many kinds of Home Theaters in a box on today's market. Most of these consist of a Dolby Pro Logic and, possibly a 5.1 decoder, speakers that most of us wouldn't give a second glance, and possibly some additional amplification. There...

Linn System.(sound system)(Evaluation)
November 1, 2001... Manufacturer: Linn Products Ltd., Floors Road, Waterfoot, Glasgow, Scotland G76 OEP, linn.co.uk Distributor: Linn, Incorporated, 4540 Southside Blvd., Suite 402, Jacksonville, FL 32216; 904/645-5242 Prices: Genki CD Player, $1,700;...

Neosonik Z1 Loudspeakers.(Evaluation)
November 1, 2001... Manufacturer: Neosonik Inc., 3496 Sitio Borde, Carlsbad, CA 92009; 760/944-0866; www.neosonikacoustics.com Price: Hi-Gloss Black, $2000; Hi-Gloss Rosewood, $2300; Flat Satin, $1700 Source: Manufacturer loan Neosonik has been...

PSB Alpha SubSonic 5.(loudspeaker)(Evaluation)
November 1, 2001... Manufacturer: PSB Speakers, a member of the Lenbrook Group, 633 Granite Ct., Pickering, Ontario, Canada L1W 3K1; 888/772-0000 Price: $449 Source: Manufacturer loan When TM reviewed the Alpha SubSonic 1 in No. 75, he noted -- after...

SV Subwoofers 16-46PC Subwoofer.(Evaluation)
November 1, 2001... Manufacturer: SV Subwoofers LLC, 590 Carlin Drive, Austintown, OH 44515; www.svsubwoofers.com Price: $849 Source: Manufacturer loan These days, I am convinced that only two things can make significant improvements in the sound we...

Hsu VTF-2 Powered Subwoofer.
November 1, 2001... Manufacturer: Hsu Research, 14946 Shoemaker Avenue, Unit L, Santa Fe Springs, CA 90670; 800/ 554-0150 Price: $500 Source: Manufacturer loan The last Hsu subwoofer I reviewed (in Issue 67, January/February, 1998), was the TN1220HO....

Concerto for Orchestra; Four Orchestral Pieces; Hungarian Peasant Songs. (More Jazz Than Not).
November 1, 2001... (Telarc CD-80564) I was excited to see that Telarc has released a new DSD-based recording of the Bartok Concerto for Orchestra. I can still remember the first time I heard this music through a set of headphones in the music listening...

Blythe Byte. (More Jazz Than Not).
November 1, 2001... (Savant SCD 2036) Perhaps I lead a pretty dull life, but I must say that there are few things that are as exciting as finding a new Arthur Blythe CD at the local megamultimediamall. A couple of seconds into this one, even on the car...

Inside Out. (More Jazz Than Not).
November 1, 2001... (ECM 1780 440 014 005-2) What has come to be known as Jarrett's "Standards Trio" gets into some free improvisation in this recording, taped during live performances last summer in London. Although the concept of "free jazz" scares many...

The Best of Beau Jocque and the Zydeco Hi-Rollers.
November 1, 2001... (Rounder 1166-11603-2) Long-time readers may recall that I have given enthusiastic reviews to several previous releases by the late "Zydeco Giant," Beau Jocque. Sadly, we will have no more new music from Andrus Espre, but this...

New Favorite. (More Jazz Than Not).
November 1, 2001... (Rounder 11651-0495-2) Alison Krauss and Union Station continue to amaze with their ability to dig into American music both old and new. They combine the best of bluegrass, country, and folk and make it all sound organic. Two of the best...

After Mozart. (More Jazz Than Not).
November 1, 2001... (Nonesuch 79633-2) Unless my mind is playing middle-age tricks on me, I believe that the previous recordings I have seen featuring Gidon Kremer and his young chamber orchestra have been on the Teldec label. It looks as though they have a...

Hyperion with Higgins. (More Jazz Than Not).
November 1, 2001... (ECM 1784 440 014 0002) No, Charles Lloyd has not taken to playing with the fake-Brit-accented Higgins from Magnum P.I.--the title of this CD refers instead to the late drummer Billy Higgins, a veteran of something like 600 recordings, and...

Boroque Favorites. (More Jazz Than Not).
November 1, 2001... (Telarc Jazz CD 83516) Many jazz musicians have gained fame by taking popular standards and improvising on them (think of John Coltrane's version of "My Favorite Things," for example). French pianist Jacques Loussier has made a nice living...

The Power of Glory. (More Jazz Than Not).
November 1, 2001... (Telarc CD-80579) I was excited to see that Telarc had released a new recording featuring the Mormon Tabernacle Choir. I had enjoyed their English-language version of Brahms's German Requiem, and looked forward to hearing the group...

Violin Concerto; New England Triptych; Ives: Variations on "America" (orch. Schuman). (More Jazz Than Not).
November 1, 2001... Philip Quint, violin/Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra/ Jose Serebrier (Naxos 8.559083) The Schuman Violin Concerto isa work that is seldom heard. It is not a piece by which most listeners will immediately won over; indeed, it can sound...

Symphonies Nos. 6 and 10. (More Jazz Than Not).
November 1, 2001... Dallas Symphony Orchestra/Andrew Litton (Delos DE 3283) Delos sells this excellent two-CD set for the price of one; that makes this release a reasonable value. But what really makes it an outstanding value is that the performance and sound...

Shifting Sands of Time. (More Jazz Than Not).
November 1, 2001... (Rounder 11661-0484-2) Here's a quick rule of thumb: If you see Andy Statman's name on a recording, buy it. Statman's clarinet and mandolin playing bring an exotic air to this recording, which is a mix of bluegrass, Texas swing, Klezmer,...

Double double. (The Music).(recordings of Shostakovitch's Symphony No. 15)
November 1, 2001... Long-time readers may remember that some issues back, Tom Lyle and I compared a couple of versions of Shostakovitch's Symphony No. 15. One of the CDs in that comparison was a Denon disc (CO-78948) featuring Eliahu Inbal conducting the Vienna...

Carousel corner. (The Music).(Brief Article)
November 1, 2001... Okay, yowsuh! Let's spin some wax, Desmond, my brothuh! A dinner party for some of our oldest and dearest friends found the following on the Onkyo carousel changer. Indeed, this issue's selections echo one of the original premises of this...

D'lectrified. (Carousel Corner).
November 1, 2001... Clint Black, D'lectrified (RCA). Now I'm no modern country fan, but after reading KWN's enthusiastic review, I stumbled on D'lectrified in the local used CD emporium and couldn't pass it up. It is everything he said and more. From the...

Shake Hands With Shorty. (Carousel Corner).
November 1, 2001... North Mississippi All-Stars, Shake Hands With Shorty (Tone Cool). Hailing from Tate County, Mississippi, the All-Stars' origins are hard by Holly Springs and Oxford, stomping grounds of the late Junior Kimbrough and R.L. Burnside, two...

Better Day. (Carousel Corner).
November 1, 2001... Continental Drifters, Better Day (Razor and Tie). I hate rock and roll bands. And let me tell you why. Just when they get their act together and start making serious, epoch-molding music... either a couple of 'em get romantically involved...

The Millennium Collection. (Carousel Corner).
November 1, 2001... Pablo Cruise, The Best of Pablo Cruise, The Millennium Collection (A&M). When I offered the list of "Essential '70s Listening" for No. 78's "Recordings to Live For!," I forgot Pablo Cruise's eponymous debut album. Gratefully, this...

Afterglow. (Carousel Corner).
November 1, 2001... Crowded House, Afterglow (Capitol). Given that Crowded House started as a healing afterthought to the crash and burn of Split Enz, I find it remarkable that the band gelled as well as it did and that Neil Finn's songwriting rose to heights...

time* sex* love*. (Carousel Corner).
November 1, 2001... Mary Chapin Carpenter, time* sex* love* (Columbia) "* time is the great gift, * sex is the great equalizer, * love is the great mystery." There are precious few singer/songwriters today who would dare offer as pithy a summation of the...

Reckoning/Revelling. (Carousel Corner).
November 1, 2001... Ani DiFranco, Reckoning/Revelling (Righteous Babe). Ani DiFranco has been with us a long time, and still hasn't broken the water line that defines public consciousness. And those of us who have followed her defiant stroll through the biz,...

Satisfy My Soul. (Carousel Corner).
November 1, 2001... Paul Carrack, Satisfy My Soul (Compass) Paul Carrack's recording career has been as successful as it's been spotty. An original member of Ace, he sang the lead on "How Long" (An Ace Album) before joining Squeeze and East Side Story's...

In Blue. (Carousel Corner).
November 1, 2001... The Corrs, In Blue (143 Records) I admit feeling compelled to investigate all the hooha surrounding this quartet of Irish sibs. The sisters, Andrea, Caroline, and Shannon, are gorgeous. The brother, Jim, is, er, pretty, and the music picks...

Reveal. (Carousel Corner).
November 1, 2001... R.E.M., Reveal (Warner Bros.) When Paul Hester abruptly left Crowded House in mid-tour to tend to his wife, who was about to give birth to their first child, the band plodded on gamely before folding its tent. Somehow, Hester and his...

High Fidelity. (Carousel Corner).
November 1, 2001... High Fidelity (Original Soundtrack) (Hollywood Records). John Cusack's sorry Rob Gordon never quite gels as much as Jack Black's acerbic Barry or Todd Luiso's feckless Dick, two audio/musical snobs who are all too familiar to those of us...

Amnesiac. (Carousel Corner).
November 1, 2001... Radiohead, Amnesiac (EMI). After just one listen to this disc, you'll wish you'd developed amnesia. -KE

Blues for a Gypsy. (Carousel Corner).
November 1, 2001... Frank Vignola, Blues for a Gypsy (Acoustic Disc) Vignola's absorbed the Bird, Django Reinhardt, Errol Garner, Antonio Carlos Jobim, and Les Paul among many, many more. The result is this extraordinary, sublimely dexterous collection of...

Aislinn. (Carousel Corner).
November 1, 2001... Celtic Jazz Collective, Aislinn (Mapleshade). There is a version of Celtic jazz that's been around for a while. It's called New Grass. This group, however, delves into Irish folks tunes and jazzes them up with a band that's half trad jazz...

New River. (Carousel Corner).
November 1, 2001... Danny Zeitlin and David Grisman, New River (Acoustic Disc). It's difficult to imagine that a disc full of piano/ mandolin duets could stand up to the acoustic challenges of live recording, but New River pulls it off. Jazz psychiatrist...

Rain of Fire. (Carousel Corner).
November 1, 2001... Fallen Angels, Rain of Fire (Wildchild!). Fallen Angels is one of those '60s bands that never quite made it into the '70s and beyond. Their legend in a Washington, D.C., music scene that included John Phillips, Cass Elliot, Jim Morrison,...

Live in New York City. (Carousel Corner).
November 1, 2001... Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band, Live in New York City (Columbia). This one sizzles from first to last -- and one has to wonder why Bruce ever broke up the band. -KE

Molasses Creek citybound; Wildheart (Molasses Creek). (Carousel Corner).
November 1, 2001... Molasses Creek, citybound; Wildheart (Molasses Creek) Noah Paley, Stick and Stones (Soundside). Like KWN, vacations or extended business trips inevitably have us scouring the local venues for indigenous music. This summer's vacation...

State of Grace. (Carousel Corner).
November 1, 2001... Pierce Pettis, State of Grace (Compass). Pettis, both as a songwriter and singer, bears remarkable resemblance to Peter Himmelman and Jesse Winchester, although in spirit he's closer to Himmelman's earnestness. State of Grace is a lovely...

Cape of Good Hope.
November 1, 2001... Jim Willson, Cape of Good Hope (Hillsboro Jazz). A while back my mother-in-law asked if we had any John Tesh in the collection. My look must have said all as she protested, "But I think he's wonderful!" We won't argue Tesh's musical merits...

It's the music, stupid ... (and don't forget the composers!). (The Music).(Great Masters: Haydn, Mozart, Tchaikovsky, and Stravinsky - Their Lives and Music)
November 1, 2001... Being a history buff, I find it imperative to know as much as I can, not only of historical events, but also of the people involved in these events. Imagine, if you will, studying World War II without studying the individuals who were the...

Scoping software: advanced-sound audio: good, almost good, and not quite good. (The Music).
November 1, 2001... Hey, DVD-A is here, and I hope it will be here to stay, even if some rough, recording-technique edges still need to be smoothed. In my last batch of DVD-A reviews, I noted that although the DVD-A and Dobly Digital (DD) tracks appeared to sound...

Symphonies Concertantes, Vol. 5.
November 1, 2001... J.C. Bach: Symphonies Concertantes, Vol. 5. Anthony Halstead, the Hanover Band. CPO 999 628-2. The title "Symphonie Concertante" may remind some people of the form's predecessor, the Concerto Grosso, or the form's successor, today's...

Concerto for Orchestra; Four Orchestral Pieces; Hungarian Peasant Songs.
November 1, 2001... Bartok: Concerto for Orchestra; Four Orchestral Pieces; Hungarian Peasant Songs. Leon Botstein, London Philharmonic Orchestra. Telarc CD-80564. I've heard of sound as smooth as silk, but the Telarc folks are taking it to the ridiculous....

Symphonie Fantastique; Love Scene from Romeo et Juliette.
November 1, 2001... Berloiz: Symphonie Fantastique; Love Scene from Romeo et Juliette. Paavo Jarvi, Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra. Telarc CD-80578. One thing is clear: this is probably the best-sounding Symphonie Fantastique you're going to find around....

String Quintets.
November 1, 2001... Boccherini: String Quintets. Fabio Biondi, Europa Galante. Virgin Veritas 7243 5 45421 21. Knowing violinist Fabio Biondi and his Europa Galante ensemble from a number of previous recordings, I rather expected this outing of Boccherini...

Piano Concerto No. 2; Schumann: Introduction and Allegro appasionato.
November 1, 2001... Brahms: Piano Concerto No. 2; Schumann: Introduction and Allegro appasionato. Idil Biret, piano; Antoni Wit, Polish National Radio Symphony Orchestra (Katowice). Naxos 8.554089. If at first you don't succeed.... After the initial failure of...

Bride of the Wind. Original Motion Picture Soundtrack.
November 1, 2001... Bride of the Wind. Original Motion Picture Soundtrack. Music by Gustav Mahler, Alma Mahler, and Stephen Endelman. DG 289 469 584-2. "Bride of the Wind" is, as you probably know, director Bruce Beresford's film biography of Alma Mahler and...

Nocturnes; Barcarolle; Fantaisie.
November 1, 2001... Chopin: Nocturnes; Barcarolle; Fantaisie. Claudio Arrau, piano. Philips 289 464 694-2 (2-disc set). Chopin didn't invent the Nocturne, that's credited to Irishman John Field, but Chopin did quite a lot to perfect and popularize the genre...

Symphonies Nos. 8 and 9.
November 1, 2001... Dvorak: Symphonies Nos. 8 and 9. Ivan Fischer, Budapest Festival Orchestra. Philips 289 464 640-2. Clearly, I'm jaded. Any new recording of something so popular as Dvorak's "New World" Symphony has got to be pretty special to make a dent...

Symphony No. 4; The Ocean; The Culprit Fay.
November 1, 2001... Hadley: Symphony No. 4; The Ocean; The Culprit Fay. John McLaughlin Williams, National Symphony Orchestra of Ukraine. Naxos 8.559064. According to the booklet note, in 1933 the Musical Courier called John Kimball Hadley (1871-1937),...

The Virtuoso Handel: Cantatas and Sonatas.
November 1, 2001... The Virtuoso Handel: Cantatas and sonatas. Patrice Michaels, soprano; John Mark Rozendaal, Chicago Baroque Ensemble. Cedille Records CDR 90000 057. If The $ensible Sound gave ratings to discs for their sound quality, this one would get...

Jurassic Park III. Original Motion Picture Soundtrack.
November 1, 2001... Jurassic Park III. Original Motion Picture Soundtrack. Decca 440 014 325 2. The dinosaurs are back, and so is Sam Neill. Everyone else is gone, though, including director Steven Spielberg, who is listed only as an executive producer on...

Symphony No. 4.
November 1, 2001... Mahler: Symphony No. 4. Camilla Tilling, soprano; Benjamin Zander, Philharmonia Orchestra. Telarc 2CD-80555. Like his previous recordings of Mahler for Telarc, the Fifth and the Ninth, Benjamin Zander's interpretation of the Fourth is as...

Symphony No. 5.
November 1, 2001... Mahler: Symphony No. 5. Benjamin Zander, Philharmonia Orchestra. Telarc 2CD-80569. No guts, no glory. Benjamin Zander and the Philharmonia Orchestra attack this most passionate of Mahler's big orchestral works with all the extremes of...

Flute Concerto No. 1; Concerto for Flute and Harp; Clarinet Concerto.
November 1, 2001... Mozart: Flute Concerto No. 1; Concerto for Flute and Harp; Clarinet Concerto. Emmanuel Pahud, flute; Marie-Pierre Langlamet, harp; Sabine Meyer, Clarinet. Claudio Abbado, Berlin Philharmonic. EMI 7243 5 57128 2. Sometimes, a person doesn't...

Piano Concertos Nos. 22 and 27.
November 1, 2001... Mozart: Piano Concertos Nos. 22 and 27. Alfred Brendel, piano; Sir Charles Mackerras, Scottish Chamber Orchestra. Philips 289 468 367-2. First, the good news. Brendel, at age seventy I believe, is going stronger than ever. These two piano...

The Mummy Returns. Original motion picture soundtrack.
November 1, 2001... The Mummy Returns. Original motion picture soundtrack. Sinfonia of London. Decca 440-013-983-2. It's not the most auspicious beginning when the first thing out of the speakers is a rip-off of "Mars" from Gustav Holst's The Planets. Still,...

Music for the Spanish Kings.
November 1, 2001... Music for the Spanish Kings. Jordi Savall, Hesperion XX. Virgin Veritas x2, 7243 5 61875 2. This mid-priced Virgin double set presents music recorded by Jordi Savall and Hesperion XX back in 1983, originally appearing, I believe, on two...

Symphony No. 2.
November 1, 2001... Rachmaninov: Symphony No. 2. Alexander Anissomov, National Symphony of Ireland. Naxos 8.554230. Amazing, how often and how fast certain pieces of music get recorded. A few months earlier we had a new Rachmaninov Second Symphony from Jesus...

Scheherazade; Russian Easter Overture.
November 1, 2001... Rimsky-Korsakov: Scheherazade; Russian Easter Overture. Robert Spano, Atlanta Symphony Orchestra. Telarc CD-80568. Robert Spano makes a splashy debut recording as new Musical Director of the Atlanta Symphony with Rimsky-Korsakov's...

Royal Strings.
November 1, 2001... Royal Strings. Charles Rosekrans, Royal Philharmonic Orchestra. Telarc CD-80562. If this recording were any smoother, the listener would be in danger of slipping on the polished surface and breaking a leg. Maestro Charles Rosekrans,...

Russian Romance.
November 1, 2001... Russian Romance. Takako Nishizaki, violin; Peter Breiner, Queensland Symphony Orchestra. Naxos 8.555331. One can easily discern from these Russian folk melodies where composers such as Tchaikovsky and Borodin got their inspiration. There...

Shchedrin: Carmen Suite; Concertos for Orchestra Nos. 1 & 2.
November 1, 2001... Carmen Suite; Concertos for Orchestra Nos. 1 & 2. Mikhail Pletnev, Russian National Orchestra. DG 289 471 136-2. Rodion Shchedrin (b. 1932) mostly weathered the storms of Soviet musical repression in the fifties and sixties, only to find...

Symphonies Nos. 1 and 15.
November 1, 2001... Shostakovich: Symphonies Nos. 1 and 15. Jesus Lopez-Cobos, Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra. Telarc CD-80572. I listened to this Telarc issue of Shostakovich symphonies the day after suffering through the same company's concurrent release of...

Waltzes.
November 1, 2001... Strauss, Johann II: Waltzes. Willi Boskovsky, the Johann Strauss Orchestra of Vienna. EMI Double Forte 7243 5 74311 2 5 (2-disc set). According to everything I've read about Willi Boskovsky, his orchestras didn't particularly like him as a...

L'Oiseau de feu, complete ballet; Symphonies of Wind Instruments.
November 1, 2001... Stravinsky: L'Oiseau de feu, complete ballet; Symphonies of Wind Instruments. Kent Nagano, London Symphony Orchestra. Virgin Classics 7243 5 61848-2. When Igor Stravinsky premiered his Firebird ballet in 1910, it marked not only the...