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Slot Machine Music, Vol. 1 & 2: Field Recordings from Middle American Casinos

One of the last products I worked on was a "beam former". These beasts are used in 5G type communication systems. They typically work with 4 signals simultaneously, which is how you get so much data with 5G. A simplified block diagram doesn't even do it justice. Mounting these devices onto a board is a bear too. Each solder connection has to work at all 8 RF ports across the whole frequency band over the entire temp range. Not as easy as it sounds. Board assembly was a huge part of my days at Analog Devices, as getting these parts soldered down perfectly every time was ultra-important to our customers. The last one of these I worked on came in a bumped package i.e. little solder balls in the bottom. The biggest problem with them was that they curl a bit under solder heat temps (~260 degrees C) and sometimes, the little solder balls don't make good connections if the curl is too great.

When I decided to retire, I took a few pictures of my last work areas. I was an applications engineer for Analog Devices' RF products group. I tested parts from MHz to 100 GHz. Here was one of my last test benches, but I don't think the product was mine. By this time, I was responsible for beam forming products. This looks like a GaN ampllifer - you can tell by the monster capacitor on the test board. Those things needed to be pulsed and the drew a ton of current, so you needed a massive cap to be able to supply that current quickly. It was probably this 1-22 GHz amp: https://www.analog.com/en/products/adpa1112.html The labs I worked in typically had 50 or 60 test benches like this. Here is one "chase" with about 10 test benches/racks in it. The floor is conductive (as are the chairs) for ESD purposes. You can see a temp chamber on the left. We used to have to characterize our parts from -40 degrees to +85 degrees Celsius. The plexiglass box/cover is there because we had to pump in Nitrogen to prevent frost/freezing. This was one of our workhorses in the test lab. As you can see if you can zoom in, this box could test from 2 Hz to 110 GHz with extraordinary dynamic range. Cabling was extremely important with these test boxes. Some of our cables cost upwards of $12,000 each. My understanding of using cables capable of cleanly transmitting high frequency signals is why is am a bit biased against a lot of the audio cable debates... audio (Hz to maybe 16 kHz if you're lucky) is a piece of cake to conduct compared to the signals I used to have to worry about. BTW - I took this picture to show to the Keysight rep. Those calibration stickers have to be redone every year in a special cal lab.

No way of knowing. It could be anyone.

Schlippenbach Trio – Physics

Jethro Tull “Under Wraps,” the version with original drumming in a new remix of the 1983 album, from the new box set “Under Wraps. . . The Unwrapped Edition” (disc 2)

I was thinking about that comment last night. Butcher was particularly good: probably as good as I have ever seen him (and he's a Tuesday night special in this part of London). What I liked about Beresford is that he probed Butcher quite subtly, which gave Butcher space to work but also a little direction. Sadly they weren't the only ones on stage, and they kept getting cut up.

Amalgam – Samanna

There does not seem to be that many recordings of Beresford and Butcher together, and only one of them is a duo: https://ilusorecords.bandcamp.com/album/old-paradise-airs . I just skimmed through it, sounds interesting - will give it a full listen later. In general, as stated above, I strongly prefer Butcher in a solo format.

Duke Ellington “Volume 9 1942-1947 The Alternative Takes In Chronological Order” Neatwork cd I found this cheap. I have this material on other collections but these alternates really sound good together on this disc, nice mastering and I love Duke of this period.

I caught Miles once here in Boston. Late 80s. All I remember is thinking "why is he playing with his back to the crowd?"

Strcture and changes. Try some. Funk out the ass.

When I was young, I was bummed about never having the chance to see Coltrane - especially since I was constantly playing his music and inviting friends over to listen (Kulu Sé Mama was always a hit with them). Miles, on the other hand, I’d seen, IIRC, four times (’65, ’69, ’73, ‘74) - one time with Moms Mabley opening. I think I mentioned here before that he visited our home back in the 60s.

In the 1960s and 1970s, I was very interested in free jazz alongside older styles, and sporadically in the years that followed. I’ve noticed that my interests have narrowed as I’ve gotten older, and in recent years I hardly listen to freer styles anymore; now it’s jazz from the 1920s through the 1960s, and occasionally something more recent but no more free/avant-garde.

Punters Take Note: Sealed LPs "direct from the warehouse"* are often returns which have been re-sealed and made available to discount distributors. Crate diggers joy and flippers' visions of sugarplum profits are contained by keeping the shrink-wrap intact. Upon eventual shrink opening, the reveal is a crap shoot. *the company 'warehouse' can be one of several lesser storage sites. "Factory direct" has become an inside joke.

I saw Miles at the Tower Theater in Philly, March 1973. Pete Cosey for sure, Dave Liebman and Michael Henderson and Mtume I'm pretty sure. Reggie Lucas and Al Foster I think? 53 years ago, and there were no stage anmouncements or musician ID's. Very daunting experience for an 18 year old only 6 months into to jazz, to be honest. I was 12 when Trane passed, wouldn't discover his music for another 5 years.

I always think that the piano trio is a seriously underrated piece of music.

I finally have summoned the courage to listen to some of the music I used to listen to with my Dad. Doing so makes me miss him so much. It’s been four years now, the happier memories remain and are not as tinged with sadness as they have been the past years. Listening to disc 4 of this set, the first disc of orchstral work, sounds really really good in my current system situation.