Kevin Bresnahan

Losing our last link to Coltrane. Damn. I got to see him perform quite a few times. Some shows were really good and others just OK. There were a couple of shows at the Regattabar where he gave his band way too much solo space. I seem to remember a 15 minute bass solo and another 5 minutes of Pharoah "playing" a ringing bowl.

Not really... the author was implying that this supposed quack actually did something for him, which seemed to surprise him. So hey, maybe some of these audio treatments might do something like that as well. I don't see the equivalency. I can't speak to his friend's Rife technology experience, but I can speak to chiropractic care. I feel and hear my spine move and it results in less pain. I can feel the pain lessen. There is no doubt. This isn't some slight change that I think is there. Most people who tweak their audio system would probably say that a lot of them produce subtle changes. Feeling a facet joint pop is not subtle..

Stereo Review's Julian Hirsch sat down with 16 members of the Detroit Audio Society and did a blind test of a Pioneer solid state amp and a Mark Levison tube amp. He got a lot of grief for that article because statistically speaking, by a very slim margin, listeners preferred the sound of the Pioneer receiver. However, this was a two-part listening test. When people saw what they were listening to (un-blinded so to speak), they overwhelmingly chose the tube amp. I think that is the part that got him in the most trouble. I don't remember this stopping them from doing blind tests though. In fact, I think they did a blind listening test of speaker wires shortly after this amplifier test. I found that Stereo Review article here: https://www.soundandvision.com/content/speaker-cables-can-you-hear-difference

I recently picked up an inexpensive gold CD copy of Stan Getz & Charlie Byrd's "Jazz Samba" (DCC).

I read it. I almost didn't when he started out by inferring chiropractors are "quacks". I have had many back issues minimized by my chiropractor. What he does by manipulating my spine relieves nerve pain. It's not imagined. I can hear my joints pop and I get almost instantaneous pain relief. In my limited experience in comparing audio playback, it is nothing like popping facet joints. I have no idea what Rife technology is doing for his friend and I hope I never have to find out. FWIW, I have tried some audio tweaks. After all, I do have Blue Jean Cables interconnects and speaker wires (mainly because they are well made and look good). I tried hearing differences when I switched over to these cables, but I really wasn't able to hear anything different. One time, I tried swapping AC cords. I could hear no difference at all with that experiment, which validated the science, making me a happy camper. That being said, the time it takes to swap an AC line cord is far too long for human audio memory anyway, so from a scientific point of view, that alone likely invalidated the test.

I believe in using well made speaker wires. I would not have bought the KK Cable k4B-2B cables mentioned above specifically because several Amazon reviewers state that the banana terminations are crimped on and as a result, several have had them pull off. I use Blue Jean speaker wires. The banana terminations are welded on. Purity of the copper has very little to do with the sound. Insulation has even less to do with the sound. Again, buy whatever you like and enjoy it to your heart's content. Believe your own ears when you hear some improvement. I have no qualms with that. Just don't start debating the science behind it or we'll likely disagree. I measure things for a living. I measure signals as high as 100 GHz. I know all about cables and signal integrity. I know what measurements show about the quality of transmitted signals.I make these types of measurements almost every day. I stopped reading that magazine a long time ago as well. They continually touted expensive tweaks that just didn't stand up to the science. Having an EE degree and knowing the science behind it is kinda like knowing the wizard is behind the curtain.

I've got to pick up a copy of Carter's "All Blues". I've been meaning to for a while now. Time to get off my duff and do it. I should've picked up that LP copy at Stereo Jack's last year.

You are using absolutes where they are not necessary. I would definitely dispute every one of the generalizations you've made. In fact, I would say that price has very little to do with how a stereo sounds or a TV looks. And then you'll have to explain to me how these KK Cables represent an innovative design or what improved materials are being used here... Wire is being used here. Wire. Oh, and banana plugs. These materials have been used for speaker cables for as long as I've been buying speaker cables. And don't even get me started over bi-wiring.

Stereophile is one of the biggest sellers of audio snake oil. This article is them just preaching to their choir. As for your experience with new speaker cables, it's your money and I'm glad you find it well spent. Stereophile might agree with your assessment but I find it unlikely. In my experience, Stereophile's reviews almost always favor the expensive tweaks. $71 a pair is "two buck Chuck" in speaker cables.

Both Eric & Steve Schwartz were fixtures on the Boston Jazz scene. At nearly every show in the area, one or both of them would be sitting in crowd nearby.

Has the Regattabar been closed permanently? Has that been announced officially? Man, that would suck... I have seen so many incredible shows there over the years.

I'm seeing them in November and they list Donald Harrison in the band, not Craig Handy. My one concern about this band is always Hart. He seems to follow the Spinal Tap rule of playing... always at 11.

Well, playing a trumpet with the bell bent upwards like this when the mic is in front of you will cause that. I always thought Dizzy's continued use of this trumpet was pretty stupid. I get that it was his thing, but as you've noted, it made it difficult to mic. I'm glad that fad died.

George Coleman - Big George (Affinity). Coleman's octet: Danny Moore, tp; Coleman & Junior Cook, ts; Frank Strozier, as; Mario Rivera, bs; Harold Mabern, p, Lisle Atkinson, b; Idris Muhammed, d. Azzedin Niles Weston plays percussion on one tune ("Joggin'"). Quite a few covers for this material. I have this session as part of a two-fer CD combining Junior Cook's "Pressure Cooker" & "Big George" that is titled "Stablemates". So 6 covers. Why did some of these covers come out so big?? They didn't look like that when I typed this up.

Teddy Edwards - Tango In Harlem (Verve/Gitanes).

I didn't know that little tidbit.

If you've ever turned on WGBH radio in Boston over the last 35 years or so, you've probably heard the sonorous voice of Eric Jackson on his show Eric In The Evening. Sadly, Eric's wife & daughter are reporting that he passed away this morning. I used to listen to Eric's show in my car whenever I found myself driving in Boston traffic at night. He had a great voice for radio and a deep love for Jazz that always came through. I will miss his shows. A sad day for Boston Jazz.

But even with the new "Use it or lose it" rule, "To My Queen", is still covered. It was issued on CD in 1996, so it would not qualify under this new rule until 2046 (50 years after last official release).

Have you ever spun any of Gertz's self-produced/released LPs with Bergonzi? I think Gertz still has a bunch of sealed copies in his closet. I was able to buy a few from him years ago. He had these back then: Con Brio - Con Brio (Not Fat Records 01-22) Gonz - Uranian Undertow (Not Fat Records 02-22) Jerry Bergonzi Quartet - Featuring Bruce Gertz (Not Fat Records 03-22) Con Brio - The Ray (Not Fat Records 04-22) Gonz - Caught in the Act! (Not Fat Records 06-22) There was another one by Gonz called "The Front End", which Gertz also had, but I had found a copy of that at Stereo Jack's years before. That band, Gonz, was a great trio with Gertz & the late Bob Gullotti backing Jerry. I wish I had gotten a chance to see them live.

I'm seeing Ambrose Akinmusire for the first time tonight at Jimmy's Jazz & Blues Club in Portsmouth, NH. I've never seen him so it will be interesting.

In the EU - yes. In the US - no.

Now playing Bob Kaufman - Dreaming Out Loud (Whaling City Sound). Berklee professor Kaufman on drums. Berklee professor Bruce Gertz on bass. Local tenor master Jerry Bergonzi on tenor. This is a very good trio date that would likely slide by most people as the leader and bassist are less know outside the Boston area. Funny thing is, even though I have seen Kaufman & Gertz on the bandstand many times, I still bought this because Bergonzi was in the tenor chair.

Damn COVID for stealing Fusco from us. This is my favorite CD of his. That guy could blow.

Since they are likely just digital dupes of legit CDs, and since you are willing to let Avid profit off of that mastering work, why not just get someone to send you a burn? Same result in the end except that you get to keep the money instead of sending it to Avid.

I put 5 of these new Elvin Jones CDs in my cart and totaled it up including shipping. I get $93.23 or $18.65 each. Dusty's CD price is $20 each and they don't ship for free.