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This is an ongoing project by Claude Lemaire of Soundevaluations 106. Bill Berry and His Ellington All-Stars, For Duke. M&K RealTime Records – RT-101 (1978), 33 1/3 rpm. Genre: big band swing, jazz. ­Direct-to-disc lacquer cutting. German pressing. We have often heard the expression "making a great first impression is the key to success" and that's exactly... Read More »

RAFF: Ode au printemps, Op. 76*; Piano Concerto in C minor, Op. 185; Caprice on Themes from König Alfred, Op. 65, No. 2. Tra Nguyen, piano; *Prague Radio Symphony Orchestra/Kerry Stratton. Grand Piano GP 771. TT: 67.06 Downloads: amazon.co.uk (mp3); classicalarchives.com (mp3); prestomusic.com (mp3, FLAC); qobuz.com (mp3, "Hi-Res") If you like Romantic music, it's worth exploring the... Read More »

I seem to have gotten onto this bandwagon a bit late, but on the bandwagon I am. K2 HD remastering is a new technique (c. 2014) that the Japanese have pioneered to try and improve the quality of that stalwart of music delivery, the RedBook CD, now seemingly in it's twilight in favor of hard... Read More »

Yon goode fellow John Marks continues his reflections on our recent musical past that he began in his just-published essay, "Walk Away Renée," to be found at his excellent Web site The Tannhauser Gate, as well as its re-publication here at Positive Feedback. Frankly, I was gratified by how quickly John continued the thread that... Read More »

He's back! Good friend and brother John Marks...the Big Kahuna of The Tannhauser Gate...strikes a note in my heart by plucking at a favorite song of mine from 1966, and fleshing out the flesh and souls behind it. Having just recently purchased the reissue of this album on LP, I am content to stir this... Read More »

Ketil Vestrum Einarsen - Photo by Dag Thrane (Used with permission) Ketil Vestrum Einarsen was born on the north-western edge of Norway. Known primarily for playing flute with a long list of bands, including White Willow, The Opium Cartel, Jaga Jazzist, Wobbler, Pixie Ninja, and more recent collaborations in Kaukasus and Galasphere 347, he stepped... Read More »

Masayuki Takayanagi and Abe Kaoru, Kaitai Teki Kokan.  Premiere: 1970 | Sound Creators Inc. SCi - 10101. Reissue: 2018 | Craftman Records CMRS-0013. Format: UHQCD, mini-LP.  craftmanrecords.com As it seems, every music genre and each trend within it and, on the other hand, every national discography have their "rarities"—rare and special, often simply "cult" albums. "A cult....... Read More »

This is an ongoing project by Claude Lemaire of Soundevaluations 101. Curtis Mayfield, Superfly (The Original Motion Picture Soundtrack). Curtom – CRS-8014-ST (1972), MoFi, Rhino Records ‎– MFSL 2-481 (2019), (2x45 rpm). Genre: funk, soul, blaxploitation soundtrack style, cinematic soul, ghetto soul. "I'm your mama, I'm your daddy; I'm that...in the alley; I'm your doctor, when in need;... Read More »

The Software The 60th anniversary of jazz king John Coltrane's banner year with Prestige Records, with all cuts produced by legendary Rudy Van Gelder and released on vinyl 4/26/19, has arrived. The eight LPs are from 24/192 tracks produced from the master tapes. The 37 cuts, presented in chronological order, were pressed at RTI in... Read More »

Abey Fonn and the entire team at IMPEX Records continue to impress and delight. Though we have only just passed the halfway point for the year 2019, these new vinyl releases entitled Another Time, Another Place from Jennifer Warnes and Lo Que Nice Mi Cantar from Trio Palabras are already strong contenders for my favorite albums... Read More »

A tape, a test pressing, an LP "The most expensive music format (in the world)" as exemplified by records produced by the AC Records label. A lot has already been said about analog tapes—by us as well. However, it was the first time we had had the opportunity to compare an analogue "master" tape with... Read More »

Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab reissue MFSL 2-479 (Sept. 2017). Originally released on Atlantic – SD-8227 (Aug. 1969). Category: soul, southern soul, R&B, blues, black gospel and spiritual roots, churchy. Format: Vinyl (2x180 gram LPs at 45 rpm). Rating Global Appreciation: 9.6 Music: A+ (9.5) Recording: 9.3 Remastering + Lacquer Cutting: 9.7 Pressing: 10 Packaging: above... Read More »

SAINT-SAËNS: Cello Concerto No. 1 in A minor; LALO: Cello Concerto in D minor; MILHAUD: Cello Concerto No. 1, Op. 136; OFFENBACH: Les larmes de Jacqueline; MASSENET: Thaïs: Méditation. Hee-Young Lim, cello; London Symphony Orchestra/Scott Yoo. Sony Classical S80425C.  TT: 75.40 The Korean cellist Hee-Young Lim has a lot to offer. Her tone is dark and full-bodied,... Read More »

Concluding our video interview series from Munich 2019, courtesy of NativeDSD.com, here are the final three interviews from that event. Many thanks to Jared, Jonas, and Floor of NativeDSD for sharing this series with the readers of Positive Feedback worldwide. Dr. David W. Robinson Grimm Audio presents the MU1 Eelco Grimm introduces the MU1 music player... Read More »

Every once in while an artist comes along who rocks my musical apple cart, challenges my perceptions, and reignites my excitement about a given genre. Listening to the Yuko Mabuchi Trio (Live) Vol. 1 and 2 release had this effect on me. I love it when this happens, and I love sharing these newfound gems... Read More »

I apologize for the long time between review articles and for the briefness of these: As I pass age 80, I am becoming more modest about the worth of what I have to say and am also beginning to play the age card. Hee-Young Lim, cello; London Symphony Orchestra. French Cello Concertos of Saint-Saëns, Milhaud,... Read More »

What can I possibly say about John Coltrane that hasn't already been said? Every jazz lover worth their salt knows John Coltrane was a player and band leader of unparalleled depth, creativity, and skill. With Craft Recording's new box set Coltrane '58: The Prestige Years the question is less about Coltrane and more about whether... Read More »

Reference Recordings RR-145, SACD and HDCD™ Price:  $19.98; high-resolution download file, $24.98 While I don't do music reviews on a regular basis, there are times when a particular album really strikes me, and I have to say something…usually brief, but definite. This is one of those times. I just received a new SACD from my... Read More »

Yuko Mabuchi Plays Miles Davis, Yarlung Records, YAR88171, multiple formats. Recorded live in the Brain and Creativity Institute’s Cammilleri Hall on April 25, 2018. Executive Producer: Randy Bellous. Associate Producers: Billy Mitchell & Elliot Midwood. Recording Engineers: Bob Attiyeh & Arian Jansen. Sound Consultants: Brad Michel & Ricardo Ryan. Mastering Engineers: Steve Hoffman & Bob... Read More »