Jennifer Warnes in concert, October 31st

Jennifer Warnes is best known for her rich distinctive voice, her exquisite interpretations of work by James Taylor, Leonard Cohen and other significant songwriters, her own original songs and for her association with the soundtracks of a number of popular films during the 1970s, ‘80s and ‘90s.

"Famous Blue Raincoat," her interpretation of Leonard Cohen songs, is a critically acclaimed classic album as is The Well & The Hunter.  All three have been meticulously reissued by Impex Records.

With a voice that is sweet & delicate yet dynamic & powerful, her close friend, poet laureate Leonard Cohen, opined that  "her voice is like the California weather, filled with sunlight, But there's an earthquake behind it"

In her only New York area appearance, Grammy & Oscar award winning singer, songwriter, arranger and record producer Jennifer Warnes will appear one night only at the Madison Theatre on the campus of Molloy College in Rockville Centre, NY, October 31st at 8 PM.

Additional information and to reserve tickets, click here.

RIP Howard H. Scott

We lost a pioneer in the music industry, September 22, 2012

Grammy award winning producer & composer Howard Hillison Scott (shown to the right of Aaron Copland in this 1974 photograph) started his career in 1946 at Columbia Records / Masterworks, the label's classical division.   Soon after getting his start at Columbia Records, he was assigned to join a team of their engineers who were charged with developing a long-playing record to replace the brittle shellac 78 rpm disc (which could only hold about 4 minutes per side).  The project was designated as top secret and had been in development since 1940.  Nearing its completion, Scott was brought on board because the engineering team needed someone with musical training (who in addition to being able to read music, could more importantly read and interpret orchestral scores -- necessary to successfully transfer current 78 recordings to the new 33 1/3 long-playing format).  The "LP" was realized in 1948.

Mr. Scott went on to become an invaluable member of Columbia's classical music production team, working with many Columbia artists including Glenn Gould, Isaac Stern, Aaron Copland, etc.  The rest is of course history and Mr. Scott's invaluable contribution to both music and technology will continue be appreciated now as well as for future generations to come.  Read more about Howard H. Scott here.   

Digital Without the ‘Digititus’

Audiophilia Reviews the Lindemann 825 High Definition Disc Player

This past week, Audiophilia’s Henry Wilkenson reviewed the Lindemann 825 High Definition Disc Player. His favorable review featured two themes:

First, if you haven’t of the Lindemann nor the 825 Player, you probably will. He writes:

You may not have heard of this player, or of Lindemann, but keep your ears out for a big sound from this quiet company.

Second, don’t expect to hear much of anything from the player itself. Wilkenson heard more of sonic attributes of the other components in the system than from the Lindemann 825 digital player “because it is quite neutral.” He seemed to be most pleased with what he didn’t hear:

What I didn’t hear from the 825 was edge, glare, or the ‘digititus’ that often afflicts CD players.

Of course, Wilkenson seemed to like what he did hear too:

The 825 is quite analog-sounding. Its treble is extended and clear…Bass response is deep and detailed. I cannot recall hearing any CD player in the 825’s class that goes deeper or with better pitch definition.

For the review, the Lindemann 825 served up Clapton’s Layla, I Shot The Sheriff, and Lay Down Sally and a couple from Coltrane too: Blue Train (from Blue Train, Blue Note-CDP7243853428 06) and Equinox (from Coltrane’s Sound, Atlantic Jazz–1419–2).

The Lindemann struck an excellent balance between clarity, detail, and tonal balance that at once provided the timbral weight of the guitar and the leading edge attack of the notes, underscoring Clapton’s highly articulate playing.

The Coltrane tunes underscored a “double-edged sword” of the Lindemann 825’s resolution and neutrality: a great recording will sound truly great, but the 825 doesn’t hide flaws in a less than stellar recording.

As a music lover myself, I really take notice when a piece of gear helps a person really connect to the music. So, it really resonated to hear Wilkenson say:

While I always found the 825 to be quite neutral, I was struck by its ability to allow an emotional connection to the music.

Read the entire review at Audiophilia.

Visit WBSNYC to hear the Lindemann 825 High Definition Digital Player for yourself!

Audiophilia Visits The Studio

Martin Appel at Audiophilia came by WBSNYC to give a good listen to the stunning Zesto Leto linestage and Zesto Andros phonostage. Martin’s review confirms what our ears also find true: Zesto makes fantastic gear that is as effective as it is sonically unobtrusive; and the Zesto linestage and phonostage pair very well with Viola Audio Labs amplification and Hansen Audio loudspeakers.

But before relating his findings, Audiophilia Editor/Publisher Anthony Kershaw and Martin both cut in to say a few candid and kind words about me and about what we’re doing here at WBSNYC. I have great respect for Anthony, Martin, and Audiophilia. They continue to inform and inspire me. So, I send a heartfelt thank you to them for saying what they’ve said and doing what they do.

Meanwhile, in the listening room at WBSNYC… Martin got reacquainted with the Zesto line and phono stages he first met in the WBSNYC room at the New York Audio and A/V Show 2012. We listened to several CDs served up by the Lindemann Audio 825 High Definition Disc Player through the Zesto Leto linestage into Viola Audio Labs Symphony amplifier into Hansen Audio Prince E loudspeakers connected with Jorma Design/Unity interconnects and speaker cables. We listened to vinyl on a Townshend Rock 7 turntable with an Omega Silver Ruby tonearm bearing a Transfiguration Axia cartridge through the Zesto Andros PS-1 phonostage into the same amplification and speakers. Martin seemed to really like the Impex remaster 180g pressing of Ellington Indigos.

Martin described his listening experience eloquently and aptly:

…it was apparent that the Zesto equipment in the loop created a synergy that enhanced the already excellent sound… Blending the Viola solid state amp with the Zesto tube equipment seemed fortuitous allowing the Hansen Prince IIs to show off their full range capabilities.

He also said that the sound, “had a rightness to it that was difficult to put in to words.” We experienced that same rightness when we added Zesto to WBSNYC.

Perhaps one of Martin’s most telling compliments is that he said:

I only wish I could have stayed longer to further enjoy the experience. Time flies when you’re having fun.

We agree.

Read Martin Appel’s full review of his visit to The Studio at Audiophilia.com, it’s part of the “In the Trenches” series.

Mike Kay 1923–2012

Michael Kakadelis, known professionally as Mike Kay, the New York retailer who owned and ran Lyric HiFi for 45 years, died on Saturday, July 14 at age 89.

He was born in Greece on April 5, 1923, served in a World War II commando unit fighting Hitler’s forces while still in his teens, then earned an engineering degree, and helped build the Radio Station of Athens before emigrating to Canada in 1955. Mike learned English while laboring in a brickyard, and washing dishes in a Montreal restaurant, then went to work in an electronics store where, after a few months, he was rewarded with a 25% share of the business.

He subsequently moved to the US, which he felt offered more opportunity, and in 1959 acquired Lyric, where he was working as a salesman. It was then a small, second-floor hi-fi shop a few blocks down Lexington Avenue from its current Manhattan location.

Mike’s wife, Catherine, whom he had married the prior year, worked alongside him as Lyric’s head of office operations for decades. She died in February at age 85. They are survived by a son, Stratis Kakadelis, his wife, Regina, whom he met while both were enrolled in a post-graduate aerospace engineering program, and two granddaughters, Michelle and Christina.

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I had the pleasure of working with Mike and was blessed to count him as a friend and mentor.  A true force of nature whose point of view infected anyone within the sound of his strong Greek accented voice.  He will be sorely missed but not forgotten.   I suspect heaven will soon have a new hi-fi...