HERBIE HANCOCK: NEW PHASE OR FADEOUT? GIIII · 121 Herbie Hancock's Fifth Incarnation Len Lyons 54...

154
HERBIE HANCOCK: NEW PHASE OR FADEOUT? GIIII IF ENEL SEPTEMBER 1977 $1.00 lCD What Industry Release Lists Have in Store

Transcript of HERBIE HANCOCK: NEW PHASE OR FADEOUT? GIIII · 121 Herbie Hancock's Fifth Incarnation Len Lyons 54...

Page 1: HERBIE HANCOCK: NEW PHASE OR FADEOUT? GIIII · 121 Herbie Hancock's Fifth Incarnation Len Lyons 54 Too Hot to Handle 56 News and Views 63 Equipment Reports Crown EQ-2 equalization

HERBIE HANCOCK: NEW PHASE OR FADEOUT?

GIIIIIF ENEL

SEPTEMBER 1977 $1.00

lCD

What Industry Release Lists Have in Store

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LIKE THIS.

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.4-r164111,0,-, Ai&

4E4:

LYEL)

. 0" ------9I I

Am

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90 19;. OD

f .C.AC SOP

incredible tolerances.Which give the 9191 the kind of

wow and flutter figures that no deck in ourprice range can match.

Of cou:-se, having a great tape transportsystem means nothing if you don't have greatelectronics to pack it up. We do.

The 9191 comes with an advanced threestage direct coupled amplifier that extends highfrequency response and minimizes distortion.The built-in Dolby system can reduce tape hissby as much as 10 decibels in high frecuencies.

Our multiplex filter lets you recorc FMbroadcasts without picking up a lot of unwantednoise, or the multiplex signal every FMstereo station sends out.

Even our ferrite solid tape head offers the

best combination of accuracy andlong life you can get in a cassettehead.

There's also a peak limiter thatlets you cram as much onto a cas-sette as possible without distortion.Large VU meters and a peak indi-cator light that let you know if youdo begin to oversaturate the tapeand distort. Plus separate bias andequalization switches that let you getthe most out of different brands oftape. And an automatic CrO, selector.

If all this isn't enough, you'll findthat the 9191 comes with a memorythat lets you go back to a favorite spoton the tape automatically. Andelectronic solenoid controls for goingfrom play to rewind, or from rewind tofast forward, without hitting the stopbutton. And without jamming the tape.

There's also the convenience of frontloading. A door over the cassette com-partment to help keep the tape headsclean. And a light behind the cassette

that lets you see where you are on the tape.Go slip a cassette into a Pioneer 9191 at

your local Pioneer dealer.You'll find it hard to believe such a little thing

could come out sounding so big.

CT -F9191 Specifications:Frequency Response: Standard, LH tape: 25-16,000 Hi

( 35- 13,000 Hi 3dB); Cr0_, tape: 20- 17,000 Hz( 30-14,000 Hi 3dB)

Signal -to-Noise Ratio: Dolby OFF: More than 52dB.Dolby ON: More than 62dB (Over 5,000 Hi,Standard and LH tapes/When chromium dioxidetape is used, signal-to-noise ratio is furtherimproved by 4.5dB over 5k Hz)

Harmonic Distortion: No more than 1.7% (OdB)Wow and Flutter: No more than 0.07% (WRMS)Motor: Electronically -controlled DC motor (built-in

oenerator)xl;(4.8cm/s speed drive), DC torquemotor xl; ( Fast forward and rewind drive)

OPIONEEITU.S. Pioneer Electronics Corp., 75 Oxford Drive, Moonachie, New Jersey 07074

*u "". "." CIRCLE 29 ON READER -SERVICE CARD

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A BEAUTIFUL BIG THIN I

inaxell C90

CYCJOF.,c,EN

The recording tapein a cassette s only an eighth of an inch wide.

Crammed into that eighth of an inch maybe as many as 64 original tracks mixed downto two. A hundred musicians. Countlessoverdubbings. Not to mention the entireaudible frequency range.

Any cassette deck can reproduce part ofwhat's been put down on that eighth of an inch.

The Pioneer 9191 was designed to repro-duce al I of it. Superlatively. Without dropouts,

unacceptable tape hiss, ornoticeable wow and flutter.

Take our tape transport system.Since the tape in a cassette moves at only

1-7/8 inches per second, even the most minus-cule variation in tape speed will make a ma iorvariation in sound. To guard against this, wheremost cassette decks give you ore motor, the9191 comes with two. The first is used only forfast forward and rewind, so the second can bedesigned exclusively for maintaining a constantspeed for play and record.

All of our tape drive components-thecapstan, belt, and flywheel - are finishes to

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WHAT DOES IT TAKETO GET THE MOST

BEAUTIFUL MUSIC OUTOFA LITTLE THING

LIKE THIS?

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1

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The importance of precision in quality controland accurate playback for analysis

of sound, are the reasons MCA states..."Stanton is totally reliable,we depend on it" .

MCA (Music Corporation of America) is one of the trulybig ones in record production. Quality control in everyaspect of their manufacturing, plating and printing is ofcrucial importance. That is why they use Stanton's Cali-brated 681 Series, both in their quality control operationand in their playback for' analysis of audio quality.

They even go so far as to "use the needle to test theMother (Nickel) . . . and it stands the wear"

Throughout the recording industry, both the large and

For further information write to: Stanton Magnetics,

nect,ng a metal meaner in the Plating Department.

the small depend on Stanton for every aspect of the record-produc ng operation. Each of the 681 Calibration Series isguaranteed to meet its specifications within exacting limitsand the most meaningful warranty possible . . . individualcalibration test results comes packed with each unit.

Wheter your usage involves recording,broadcast, or hcme entertainment, yourchote should be the choice of the profes-sionals ... the Stanton 681.

Terminal Drive. Plainview, N. Y. 11803CIRCLE 41 ON READER-SEPVICE CARD

© 1977 STANTON MAGNETICS

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HIGHFIDELITYSEPTEMBER 1977 VOLUME 27, NUMBER 9

MUSIC AND MUSICIANS

23 The Britten Legacy John Culshaw

24 Music U.S.A.: The Big Bands Gene Lees

28 Recordings '78: A Preview of Industry Lists

86 Regine Crespin: Quintessentially FrenchG. S. 13ourcluin

92 RCA's Theater -Wise Porgy and Bess David Hamilton

94 Weingartner, Kleiber, De Sabata on RecordHarris Goldsmith

121 Herbie Hancock's Fifth Incarnation Len Lyons

54 Too Hot to Handle

56 News and Views

63 Equipment ReportsCrown EQ-2 equalization systemSansui BA -2000 power amplifierSatin M -18X phono cartridgeToshiba SA -420 receiverCelestion Ditton 66 loudspeaker system

72 Pathfinder: Ampex' Poniatoff Norman Eisenberg

74 Audio '78: Bigger and BetterHarold A. Rodgers/Robert Long

124 Automated Radio: The Future Is Upon UsTodd Everett

128 Instruments and Accessories

130 A Brief for Binaural Recording John Worarn

REVIEWS

50 BooksThe Fabulous Phonograph 0 A Matter of Records

92 Featured RecordingsPorgy and Bess 0 Three conductors

98 Classical RecordsHNH/Quintessence debuts 0 Offenbach operettas

99 Critics' Choice

116 Theater and FilmThief of Baghdad

119 The Tape Beck R. D. Darrell

136 Popular RecordsJames Taylor 0 Keith Jarrett p Aretha Franklin

148 FoliosABBA 0 Peter Frampton 0 ZZ Top

BACKNEAT

121 Herbie Hancock 0 Insights: Automated Radio 0Studio Circuit: Binaural Recording 0Input Output 0 Record Reviews 0Breakaway: Steve Winwood 0Spinoffs: Pop/Rock/Jazz 0 Folios

ET CETERA

8 Letters

61 HiFi-Crostic William Petersen

116 Advertising Index

117 Reader -Service Cards

High Fidelity is published monthly by ABC Leisure Magazines. Inc . The Publishing House. Great Barrington. Mats 01230. a subsidiary of American Broad-casting Companies. Inc Copyright 1977 by ABC Leisure Magazines. Inc The design and contents are fully orotected by copyright and must not be repro-duced in any manner Second-class postage paid at New York. New York. and at additional mailing offices. Authorized as scond-class mail by the Post OfficeDepartment. Ottawa. and for payment of postage in cash Yearly subscription in U S A and possessions. 98 95. Canada. $10 95. elsewhere $11 95 Singlecopies $1 00 Subscribers Send subscriptions. Inquiries. and address changes to High Fidelity. 1 Sound Ave . Marion. Onio 43302 Change of address Giveold and new addresses including ZIP code Enclose address label from last issue and allow five weeks for change to become effective Postmaster Send FormForm 3579 to High Fidelity. 1 Sound Ave.. Marion. Ohio 43302 Postal Identification N amber 243820

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Introducing NewQuantum by Memorex.Four ReasonsIt Sounds So Good.1. Quing of any type of music at high output, with virtuallyno distortion.

2. Quantum has very high sensitivity. This maximizesoutput and allows you to effectively capture all signalsat a greater level.

3. Quantum provides an excellent signal-to-noise ratiobecause its high sensitivity is obtained with no increasein noise level. This means a pure, brilliant sound.

4. Quantum gives you high saturation, resulting in awide dynamic range and broad recording flexibility.

Quantum achieves improved recording performancewhile maintaining a high degree of mechanicalexcellence. With long life, durability, precision edgequality and excellent oxide adhesion.

The best way to hear the Quantum difference is to try itout for yourself. Available in 7" x 1800'. 7" x 2400' and101/2 " x 3600' reels.

MEMOREX Recording Tape.Is it live or is it Memorex?

Q1977, Memorex Corporation. Santa Clara, California 95052. U S.A.

HERRN 110.01.14 PO W PRAM OR .00040'

HIGHFIDELITYAudio '78

Recordings '78

L -- -3

Cover: Roy Lindstrom

LEONARD MARCUSEditor

ROBERT S. CLARKExecutive Editor

KENNETH FURIEMusic Editor

ROBERT LONGAudio -Video Editor

HAROLD A. RODGERSAssociate Audio -Video Editor

SHIRLEY FLEMINGEditor. Musical America

SUSAN ELLIOTTPopular Music EditorWAYNE ARMENTROUTDirector of Production

REBECCA ABBOTTCopy Editor

LYNDA CARLOTTACYNTHIA PEASEAssistant Editors

GAIL KOOKOOLISEditorial Assistant

ROY LINDSTROMGraphics Director

EDWARD GREENFIELDEuropean Editor

ROYAL S. BROWNJOHN CULSHAWR. D. DARRELLNORMAN EISENBERGEDWARD J. FOSTERALFRED FRANKENSTEINHARRIS GOLDSMITHDAVID HAMILTONDALE HARRISPAUL HENRY LANGGENE LEESIRVING LOWENSROBERT C. MARSHH. C. ROBBINS LANDONContributing EditorsDAVID LEECirculation Director

PETER MICHAELSONCirculation Manager

WARREN B. SYERPublisher

CIRCLE 28 ON READER -SERVICE CARD4 HIGH FIDELITY MAGAZINE

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Not exactlyahousehold word.

Yet.Ultralinear. It's got a nice sound to it.Still not a name on everybody's lips, but we're

getting there. Fast.Against some 200 competitors, Ultralinear now

ranks within the Top Twenty! And any loudspeakerline that can grow 83% in twenty-four months,certainly bears checking into.

Sound out your options. Pick any Ultralinearsystem from our broad variety of bookshelf andbig -system floor units. And play it against any simi-lar competing speakers-comparably priced andmore expensive.

We'll trustyour own hear-ing to sortthings out.We've foundUltralinear isbuyer -pre-ferred: for thesuperb price/performance

package our "value engineering" delivers. At a morereasonable cost. Our resources are concentrated onsound values the human ear can appreciate-whichleaves room for some pretty classy styling in thebargain. Like in the tempting models pictured here:

Ultralinear 77. A small but mighty 10" 3 -waysystem. With the resettable circuit breaker we buildinto every speaker for overload protection.

Ultralinear 225. Serious competition to themost ambitious bookshelf units. A stunning listen-ing experience in a 12" 3 -way monitor system.

Ultralinear 260. Our powerful 15" DiscoMonitor: a d-arnatic 4 -way floorstanding system,with cur exclusNe Dual Aperture Tuned Port.

For a closer look at our complete line, writefor our color bro-chure and localdealer locations:Ultralinear,3228 East 50 St.,Los Angeles, CA90058.

Ultralineart I Ilealmrar 1...dyeaktt. eroducts.

SEPTEMBER 1977 5

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-

7/

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Now theworld's finest tonearmstarts at less than $135.

Complete with drive system.You don't have to wait till someday to play yourrecords with the world's finest tonearm. A gimbal -mounted Dual tonearm. You can afford one right now.

We have designed into our lowest -priced turntable,the new 1237, the very same tonearm (and drivesystem) formerly available only on our highest -pricedmodels.Advantages of the four -point gimbal suspension.

If you're not familiar with the gimbal, it's understand-able. Few other tonearms, at any price, have one-despite its widely acknowledged superiority.

A true four -point gimbal centers, balances andpivots the tonearm mass at the precise intersectionof the vertical and horizontal axes. The tonearm main-tains the perfect balance in all planes essentialfor optimum tracking.

The Dual gimbal employs identical pairs of tem-pered and finely -honed needle -point bearings, eachset in miniature ball -bearings. During assembly, eachgimbal is individually tested and adjusted to assurethat bearing friction will be no more than 0.008 gramvertically and 0.016 gram horizontally. (If there werea cartridge that could track at forces as low as 0.25gram, this tonearm would do full justice to it.)

Further, the straight-line tubular design (for maxi-mum rigidity and lowest mass) and the settings forzero balance, tracking force and anti-skating are, likethe gimbal, identical in every Dual tonearm. The tone -arm establishes and maintains the correct cartridge -to -groove geometry, and allows the stylus to tracethe groove contours freely, precisely and with the low-est practical force. In short, flawless tracking.

Advantages of the Vario-belt drive system.Another important inheritance is the Vario-belt drive

system. This drive system comprises a high -torquesynchronous motor, a precision -machined Vario-

pulley, a precision -ground belt and a machine -balanced, die-cast platter. The Vario-pulley simplyexpands and contracts for reliable fine -speedadjustments. There we no complicated mechanics orelectronic circuitry, which add nothing but cost.

Versatility and reliability too.We've just described the qualities of the new Dual

fully automatic I,ne that will make your records soundbetter and last longer. But there's more. For versatility,you nave fully automatic and manual start and stop,plus provision for multiple play. And cue -controldamped in both directions. Plus pitch -control, rotatingsingle -play spindle and multi -scale anti -skating.

Everything we've described applies to the 1237,which is, incredibly enough, our lowest -priced model.And where the 1237 ends, the 1241 and 1245 begin.With an even higher degree of performance. Andvery handsome, contemporary, low -profile bases.

One further point, all Dual turntables are ruggedlybuilt. They need not be babied, by you or anyone elsein your family. As any Dual owner can tell you, theyare designed to last for years and years and years.

Now we suggest that you visit your favorite audiodea'er and see first hand what Dual engineering is allabout. You may then wonder why no other manufac-turer puts so much care and precision into a turntable.The answer is simply this. For more than seventy-fiveyears, craftsmanship of the very highest order hasbeen a way of life with the Dual people in theBlack Forest. As nowhere else in the entire world.

Dual 1237: less than $135; base and cover less than $30 additional.Dual 1241: less than $200, including deluxe base and cover.Dual 1245: less than $230, including deluxe base and cover.Other Duals to $400. Actual resale prices are determined byand at the sole discretion of authorized Dual dealers.

Dual

For the life of your recordsUnited Audio, 120 So. Columbus Ave., Mt. Vernon, NY 10553

CIRCLE 17 ON READER -SERVICE CARD

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COMING NEXT MONTH

Early fall brings around a SPEAKERISSUE once again. This year seemsto be the season in the sun for phasecoherence, and Peter Mitchell as-sesses it in What Time Dispersion inLoudspeakers Is All About. Emil Tor-ick, audio systems technology direc-tor for CBS and president-elect of theAudio Engineering Society, takes usInside the Speaker Testing Lab fora look at HF's testing methodology.Continuing our celebrations of therecording centenary, Jim Jonson'scolor acrylic rendering of The LP,Stereo and Beyond completes hisseries of four specially commissionedpaintings, and Faubion Bowers' dra-matic account of The Recording thatEnded World War II complements it.Plus Rosalyn Tureck on Bach and thePiano, lab reports on five speakers,BACKBEAT, and much more.

SOLUTION TO HIFI-CROSTIC NO. 27

[KARL] GEIRINGER: [Johann Sebastian Bach,The] Culmination of an Era

If an attempt were made to characterizethe art of Johann Sebastian Bach in a sin-gle word, it would have to be "unification."The most heterogeneous elements werewelded together by him into a new entity,the gigantic structure of Sebastian's per-sonal idiom.

ADVERTISINGMain Mee: Leonard Levine. Director of AdvertisingSales. The Publishing House, Great Barrington, Mass.01230. Telephone: 413-528-1300.New York: ABC Leisure Magazines, Inc., 130 E. 59thSt., 15th floor, New York, N.Y. 10022. Seymour Res-nick, National Advertising Manager. 212-826-8381.George Dickey, 212-826-8383. Michael Littleford,Classified Advertising Manager, 212-826-8394.New England: The Publishing House, Great Barring-ton. Mass. 01230. Telephone: 413-528-1300. MylesGrossman.Midwest: ABC Leisure Magazines, Inc., 190 N. StateSt., Room 632, Chicago, III. 60601. Telephone: 312-782-1173. William P. Gordon.Los Angeles: ABC Leisure Magazines, Inc., ABC En-tertainment Center, 2040 Avenue of the Stars, Suite270. Century City, Calif. 90067. Telephone: 213-553-2000. Andrew Spanberger, Western Advertising Man-ager. Janet Endrijonas.Tokyo: Japan Advertising Communications, Inc., NewGinza Bldg., 7-3-13 Ginza, Chuo-ku. Tokyo 104, Ja-pan. Telephone: (03) 571-8748, Shigeru Kobayashi,President.

H igh fidelity and High FidolitaiMusical America are pu:monthly by ABC Leisure Magazines Inc a subsidiary of .

B roadcasting Companies Inc Warren B Syer. President Herberpier Vice President Photographic Publishing Division Warren Tuoi,,Vice President Finance Cathleen Alois. Ass,slant to rye PresidentMember Audit Bureau or Circulation Indexed 4. , ..I,.'odical Literature Current and back COP.,dehty Musical America are available on mgt'films Ann Arbor Mich 48106 Microfiche11973 torward) are available through Bell P. Howell Micro PhotoOld Mansfield Road Wooster 0 44691Editorial comrapoodenca Should be addressed to The Editor "deiity. Great Barrington Mass 01230 Editorial contributions w.corned and payment fOr articles accepted will be arranged prof Ication Unsolicited manuscripts should be accompanied by ,e1.,postage

LeitersGood -by RH?

As you note in a recent "News and Views"item [June], radio -frequency interference(RFI) with audio equipment is a rapidly in-creasing problem. It is true, as you suggest,that much of this interference arises fromthe illegal use of amplifiers by CB operatorsand that complaints to the FCC by offendedaudiophiles who have investigated the situ-ation may help in bringing such airwavepolluters to justice.

However, let us also remember that a ma-jority of the 15 million CB radios in the U.S.are using legal power. In addition, there are300,000 licensed amateur radio stations(hams), most of which may legally use up to1,000 watts (or 30 dBW, if you prefer), andmillions of police, fire, and other public-service transmitters. All of these trans-mitters, operating under perfectly legalr.nnditions, may produce unacceptable RFIin nearby audio equipment.

The largest proportion of this RFI can becorrected only at the audio installation it-self by a technically competent audiophileor service technician, and possibly with as-sistance from the radio operator. (It shouldbe pointed out that CB operators, unlikeamateurs, have not had to be examined ontheir technical proficiency.) As a technicaland economic matter, it would be far pref-erable to incorporate interference -rejectionfeatures into the audio equipment at manu-facture; unfortunately, this is unlikely tohappen without legislation such as that towhich you allude-specifically, somethinglike the Goldwater-Vanik bill.

While it is true that some RFI-suppres-sion measures may affect audio system per-formance -in extreme cases, most wouldhave no effect whatever. And there is noreason why the more drastic measurescould not be made switchable, like rumbleand scratch filters. In short, I believe the au-diophile's true interest lies in supportingthe Goldwater-Vanik bill, rather than op-posing it.

Ray SoiferGlen Rock, N.J.

Mr. Soifer's comments are generally welltaken but want some amplification. First,his figures of 15 million CB operators vs. 300thousand ham operators indicate that, ifonly 2% of CB operators use illegal linearamplifiers (and the percentage of illegal op-eration appears to be much higher), theywould equal all the hams in the country.Further, the mobility of CB puts it "closeto"stereo systems on a frequent and unpre-dictable basis; a much smaller proportion(we believe) of hams use mobile trans-mitters, so they pose a far less pesky prob-lem. That is, if you have an BF -susceptiblesystem and live near a ham, the problem ispersistent and when you attempt a cureyou have a reasonable chance of knowingin short order whether or not you've suc-ceeded. The guerrilla attack of a mobile CBlinear leaves you with no idea when thenext will come and whether your efforts tostave it off have any value. (For example,

the bedroom alarm -radio of one of our au-dio editors picked up a passing CBer whenit was turned off!)

Switchable RF traps is a possibility, butone that is not likely to please engineers asmuch as Mr. Soifer seems to suppose. First,if it has to be switchable, it must mean that,when it's on, it does degrade performance.(Else, why switch it off?) Second, puttingswitches into low-level phono or other cir-cuits is almost a guarantee of trouble due toparasitics and the like-to say nothing ofhorrendously amplified switching tran-sients. Let the design engineer solve any RFproblems his own way (meaning, most con-sistent with his other design objectives, forbest possible performance); let the feds notmuddy the waters-as they have done inthe past-by dictating measures whose val-idity they are unprepared (and perhapseven unqualified) to judge.

For more than a year I was intermittentlyblasted by CB interference from both aneighbor's illegally powerful base stationand mobile units. After I changed to theMcIntosh MA -6100 I'd long wanted, I hadmy son (who is an electrician) install in theroom an earth ground to which I could con-nect my sound system. To my delighted sur-prise, I got immediate and total relief.

Six months later I got a Russound QT -1Patching and Switching Center. The fol-lowing paragraph can be found in the QT -1's instruction book: "Stray Signal Pickup:Unwanted sound from radio stations, ama-teur or CB radio operators, and remote -con-trolled traffic systems can be introducedthrough poor or improper grounding of anyof the cables connected to the amplifier orQT -1. Make sure there are no broken con-nections between any of the cables and thegrounding portion of the associated plugs.Inspect all connectors to be sure that theyare clean and bright; a corroded connectioncan act as a diode detector for radio fre-quencies. In severe cases, the situation maybe helped by strapping the QT -1 to the am-plifier chassis ground with hem wire andconnecting the entire system to an earthground."

My son pointed out to me that any con-necting point believed to be making anearth ground should be tested to be sure thegrounding is accomplished. Also, all groundwires from the various sets and the one tothe earth ground should be joined to-gether-well twisted, in fact-for a commonconnection to the grounding wire.

This simple, inexpensive, and effectivemethod does not seem to be known to verymany people.

Mrs. Marge PaulieSpringfield, Ore.

Earth grounding is a good idea and, likechicken soup, can't hurt-but it doesn't al-ways work.

Crostic-Lovers Speak Up

You say in answer to a reader's letter [June]that you have been considering droppingthe HiFi-Crostics. Please do no such thing!

David M. LambertNew Orleans, La.

The HiFi-Crostic is one of the reasons I

8 CIRCLE 24 ON READER -SERVICE CARD -41.

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The newAuditor Series by Koss.Don't buy one unless your system

is ready for it.The pleasure of listening tounadulterated music is reserved forthose who have carefully put together asystem that delivers totally accuratereproduction. Now, for people who wishto explore and expand this realm ofpure sound, Koss has designed theirAuditor Stereo Headphones. Full, stateof the art knowledge of perfectmechanical reproduction of music, andthe psychoacoustics of the way the earand mind respond to sound went intomaking these phones true to the mostintense level of performance possibletoday.

The sound.The Auditor Dynamic/10 features anexpansive frequency response range of10-20,000 Hz, while dazzling any earattuned to the delicate musical balanceof psychoacoustically pleasing sound,in a way no other dynamic phone can

Dynamic/10

duplicate. They are designed to deliverthe full impact of letter perfect soundreproduction characteristic of the finestequipment.

And the fury.On the other hand, for the mostcarefully designed and engineeredexcursion into sound ever, the KossESPTm/10 Electrostatic StereoHeadphone is an unparalleledinstrument of beauty. It is a perfectlyarticulated statement of technologicaland electronic genius so thoroughlysensitive it belongs in a recording studioserving as the last word in monitoringproduction. The ESP/10's almostboundless frequency response lays outthe entire spectrum of sound for yourscrutiny, bringing you every spark oftiming, a deep, rich flood of bass, and asmooth, clear lake of treble, with everynote balanced and defined.

So if you're content to live with theimpurities in second best stereo, the

Koss Auditors aren't for you. Only thehigh -end connoisseur who has taken allthe necessary steps toward puttingtogether a system that is true toperfection will acknowledge andappreciate these precise prcducts asbreakthroughs in scientific musicaldevelopment The personal signatureof John C. Koss says that theseheadphones are for the audophile. So ifyou're ready for the best, and you thinkyour system can measure up to theSound of Koss, hear the headphonesthat are designed to put it to the test at aspecialist in audio products near you.Or write to Fred Forbes, AudiophileProducts Division, for more informationon the new Auditor Series by Koss.

auditor mseriesby Koss

SIIKOSSO Corporation. Audiophile Products Division. 4129 N Port Washington Ave Milwaukee. Wisconsin 53212Koss International/London. Dublin, Pons. Frankfurt Amsterdam Koss Limited/Burlington, Ontario Koss K K /Tokyo

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HOWTO GET THIS

MAXELLTAKE-UP REEL

FREE.Now when you

buy three 7- or 10 -

inch, 1.0 mil, MaxellUltra Dynamic OpenReel Tapes, asidefrom getting the bestrecording tapeanywhere, you'll geta precision metalMaxell take-up reelat the best priceanywhere.

Absolutely free.Offer good whilesupplies last.Maxell Corporation of America,130 WestCommercial Ave . Moonachie, N J. 07074

E

a.

recently resubscribed after a few years offthe list. The monthly puzzle is an aggrava-tion and a delight. I know several sub-scribers who, like myself, assault the puzzlebefore reading the rest of the magazine.

C. W. ChristianWaco, Tex.

I have seldom run across puzzles as chal-lenging yet fair and, incidentally, instruc-tive as the HiFi-Crostic. Please continuethis feature.

Henry SamuelsColumbus, Ohio

You might be interested in knowing that theone item that tipped the scales in favor ofmy continuing my subscription was theHiFi-Crostic, which I find very challengingand most enjoyable.

R. R. ParkmanCarnegie, Pa.

Whatever you do, don't stop the HiFi-Cros-tics. I really enjoy solving them, even if I dohave to look up answers in SCHWANN andmy music encyclopedia.

Robert L. LabrieAuburn, Maine

The HiFi-Crostic is the first thing I look forevery month when my magazine comes in.

Marjorie DiSanoJohnston, R.I.

Drop the HiFi-Crostics? Aaagh!Lelia Loban LeeFalls Church, Va.

All right, stop already! We'll keep them!

Copyright Debate

Congratulations to Leonard Feist for hisgallant attempt to explain an area as com-plex as the new copyright law [June]. How-ever, we must remember that he representsthose people who would benefit most fromstricter copyright protection-the proprie-tors.

Early this year, in the course of my post-graduate studies in the legal field, I did anexhaustive study of the new copyright lawand its implication for the hobbyist. Mr.Feist seems to agree with those who believethe law should be applicable to the generalpublic. Yet the authors of the law are of theopposite inclination. Indeed, they said inthe legislative history that no restrictions ofthe traditional freedom of the hobbyist, asdeveloped for more than twenty years, wasintended by the law. What judicial inter-pretations have been made of the antipi-racy act of 1971 indicate that sound record-ing copyright protection is to prevent unfaircompetition with record manufacturersand composers by "pirates" and does notencompass the single copies made for one'sown use. All but one of the legal scholarswho have addressed themselves to thisproblem agree that nothing in the lawwould change the time-honored privilege ofthe individual to do with his possessions,including his tape machine and records, ashe pleases.

Mr. Feist, being in the business, shouldrealize that the key is "willful infringementfor profit."

Don E. BallardSan Jose, Calif.

It is hard to understand how Mr. Ballardconcluded that Mr. Feist agrees with "thosewho believe the law should be applicableto the general public." In fact Mr. Feistmade no interpretation of the applicabilityof the relevant portions of the law to pri-vate copying. He noted only that "many

. believe that the limitations set down inthe new law on the exclusive right to re-produce a work are specific as to the useand the user and are not applicable to thegeneral public."

Furtwangler's Second

DG's reissue of Furtwangler's Second Sym-phony is a heartening sign of growing pub-lic interest in that great musician's creativework, and I hope David Hamilton's detailedreview [April] will inspire many HF readersto acquaint themselves with Furtwanglerthe composer. For that very reason, how-ever, I feel that Mr. Hamilton's remarks callfor a few additions and corrections.

For one thing, Furtw5ngler composedconsiderably more music than Mr. Hamil-ton indicated, and he wrote it in largely un-interrupted sequence. More than eightyworks spanning the period from 1893-1954are extant, including at least eleven sym-phonies.

What is more important-and what ismost widely ignored-is the paramount po-sition of composition in his life. Unlikeeven the most idealistic of the other per-formers who "also composed" (e.g.,Schnabel, Klemperer, Weingartner, FritzBusch), Furtwangler considered himselffirst and foremost a composer. This wastrue from the beginning of his life to theend. It is stated countless times in his let-ters, Tagebiicher, and published writings,and it is confirmed by his colleagues and in-timate friends. Furtwangler made his con-ducting debut, in fact, in the role of inter-preter of one of his own symphonies(Munich, 1906). Moreover, his decision tomake conducting his career was essentiallya practical one, occasioned by the financialuncertainty in which his family was placedby his father's death shortly after that de-but.

Now, to recognize this fact is not in anyway to demean Furtwangler's extraor-dinary status as a re -creative musician;there can be no doubt of his passion for per-formance or of the obligation under whichhe felt himself placed by his unique inter-pretive powers. Rather, to acknowledge theprimacy of composition in Furtwangler'sview of his mission as a musician is to dis-cover the source of those powers.

It is with regard to the Second Symphonyin particular that I feel Mr. Hamilton's re-marks, however reasoned and sincere, aremost misleading. The impression of aprevailingly gray, turbid texture, for ex-ample, must be attributed entirely to theless -than -top-notch engineering. A fewminutes' study of the score (published in

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1976: ADC CLAIMS THE XLM MK IISHOWS "NO PERCEIVABLE WEAROVER THE LIFE OFA RECORD:AND PROVES IT.

1977: ADC CLAIMS THE NEW ZLMWITH THE ALIPTIC STYLUSHAS EVEN LOWER WEAR ANDBETTER PERFORMANCE.AND PROVES IT AGAIN.

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Because of last year's XLM MK IIrecord wear test results, we confirmedour thinking on how to design the per-fect stylus tip shape. It combines thebetter stereo reproduction of the ellip-tical rA stylus shape with the longer,lower wearing, vertical bearing radius ofthe Shibata / shape. The result is ourrevolutionary new ALIPTIC stylus.

And that's only the beginning.The ALIPTIC shape is polished onto atiny .004" x .008" rectangular nudediamond shank, which has reduced thetip mass of the XLM MK II by an incredi-ble 50%. This tiny stone is mounted onour new, tapered cantilever, whichreduces effective tip mass even further.

The XLM MK II tests also provedthe importance of tip polish in reducingrecord wear. So the ZLM is polishedwith a new, more expensive, moreeffective patented polishing method.

The ADC XLM MK II has longbeen known for its uncolored, truesound reproduction. The ZLM goeseven further. Sound reproduction iscompletely open and spatial. And inch-vidual instrument placement can nowbe identified with even greater ease.

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the Dillon 66 instead.Not all speakers are deliberately designed to be as neutral and uncolored

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Of course. Speakers should not be "spectacular" or even impressive.They should be accurate, precise and faithful to the program material, ratherthan serve some designer's notion of what would impress the unwary oruntutored ear.

If your ear is anything like this reviewer's, you too will hear: "...no thumpor sizzle...just the neutral sound of musicalinstruments playing with nothing addedby the speakers."

Nevertheless, tastes do vary. Thus,we have selected six fine speakersystems priced within the range ofthe Ditton 66. Any of them is likelyto prove acceptable to a reasonablydiscerning listener.

Even against such respectablecompetition, we feel a goodly numberof people will prefer the performanceof the Ditton 66. Once you auditionthem, it's very likely that you'll agree.After all, they're our crowningachievement after fifty years as one ofBritain's major designers andmanufacturers of loudspeakers.

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CIRCLE B ON READER -SERVICE CARD

miniature format by the Brucknerverlag ofWiesbaden) shows Furtwangler's deploy-ment of his orchestral resources to be asclear, concise, and acoustically "effective"as that of any of the other post -Romanticcomposer/conductors from Mahler andStrauss to Pfitzner and Klemperer. It is alsodifficult to accept that the "point" of thesymphony is "victory grasped from de-spair." In view of Furtwangler's lifelongpreoccupation with the great universalconcepts-"Ich bin eben ein Tragiker!"-itseems more reasonable to suppose thatwhat the work is "about" is catharsis andresignation. As for the mysterious "secondconclusion," it presumably lies buried inthe many dozens of pages of sketches leftby Furtwangler.

Finally, I think it ought to be noted thatthe composer numbered among his admir-ers such other, radically different compos-ers as Hindemith, Pfitzner, Marx, and Ho-negger. The last of these left an especiallyappropriate tribute with which to con -dude: "The man who composed a score asmarvelous as the Second Symphony is notsubject to discussion. He is one of the raceof the great musicians, and his passing is agrave loss for the art of music."

John W. BurnettQuebec, Canada

Mr. Hamilton replies: For informationabout the extent of Furtwangler's composi-tions, I relied of necessity on the publishedlists, and on the fact that Furtwangler him-self referred to his final, not -quite -finishedsymphony as his third. Obviously, Mr.Burnett has access to unpublished mate-rial, and I hope the detailed fruits of his re-search will eventually become available,very possibly altering our view ofFurt wangler as composer.

Concerning the revised ending of the Sec-ond Symphony: The published correspond-ence tells us that in September or October1954 Furtwiingler sent a copy to RichardKotz-then musical director in Darmstadt-for a forthcoming performance, thoughwhether Kotz actually used it is not madeclear.

Recordings: Rare andRediscovered

In his review of Mstislav Rostropovich'sperformance of Shostakovich's FourteenthSymphony [June], Royal S. Brown claimsthat "the recording ... is the work's third,and the second to come from the SovietUnion."

According to a recent edition of the Japa-nese equivalent of SCHWANN, there is yetanother performance available in thatcountry, also Russian -derived. It featuresthe Moscow Philharmonic Orchestra underKiril Kondrashin and has been availablesince November 1975 on the SMK label(7882).

Michael QuigleyVancouver, B.C.

In his discussion of Trial by Jury in the Gil-bert & Sullivan discography [May], RichardDyer dismisses Thespis with the traditionalview that the music has been lost except for

12 HIGH FIDELITY MAGAZINE

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The engineers who conceivedthe state-of-the-art DDX 1000are pleased to announcethe MB 15.At less than one fourth the price.

With its three-tonearm capability its$600 nationally advertised value: and itsoptional highly -acclaimed MA 505 tonearms,the Micro Seiki DDX 1000 has been acceptedas one of the unique advances in turntableconcept and design.

Using the same technology, our engineering teamhas crafted the MB 15 to achieve economy while preserving musical accuracy.

Elegant and understated, its economy of design reveals not one extra line-containsnot one unnecessary part.

An electronic sensor controlsshutoff and arm -lift operation:a Hall -effect IC sensor detects achange in tonearm speed at theend of the record and activates aviscous -damped device whichlifts the tonearm and shuts offpower.

Its diecast aluminum platteris driven by a 4 -pole syncronousmotor coupled with a precision -polished belt that effectively actsas a damping device; wow andflutter is less than 0.06%.

A solenoid -activated cueingsystem and an easy -to -adjust anti -skating control are among itsattractions. The MB 15 tonearmheadshell is detachable for ease inmounting cartridges.

At $150 (nationally advertised value)* you can considerablyenhance the enjoyment of your records with Micro Seikipurity of sound.

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Actual resale prices will be determined individually and at the sole discretion of authorized Micro Seiki dealers

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OnlyJVC offers a built-ingraphic equalizer for moreflexible control of theentire audio spectrum..

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itf kit* irem-s 'Pi VOA

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two numbers and that no recording of it isin existence. It should be pointed out, Ithink, for the benefit of those who wouldlike a complete collection of G&S record-ings, that there is an album of what purportsto be Thespis. It is Rare Recorded Editions132/3, performed by the Fulham Light Op-era Society with the Light Opera Orchestraconducted by Roderick Spencer and avail-able from Michael G. Thomas of 54 Lyming-ton Rd., London NW6. According to a letterfrom Mr. Thomas, the music was excerptedfrom some of Sullivan's other works, no-tably Haddon Hall, and put to Gilbert'swords by Terence Rees and Garth Morton,whose names should be familiar to G&Sfans. Both sonically and musically it is notup there with the best, but it is worth hav-ing if only for the sake of completeness.

For those who are interested in the workof either Gilbert or Sullivan without theother, Mr. Thomas has several other RREalbums such as Sullivan's Festival TeDeum and Golden Legend Prologue, his set-ting of Tennyson's song cycle The Windowwith a recital of Shakespeare songs on theother side, and his oratorio The Light of theWorld. Of Gilbert, he has a complete ver-sion of Tom Cobb.

Wallace L. MasonCumberland, R.I.

In Robert P. Morgan's review of DietrichFischer-Dieskau singing Charles Ives'ssongs [April] the statement is made: "In-cluded are five songs not previously avail-able on record."

Although it may not now be available, Ihave owned for several years a collection ofIves songs sung by Helen Boatwright (JohnKirkpatrick on piano) on Overtone Records7. recorded in 1954. Included in the collec-tion are two of those five songs cited in Mr.Morgan's review: "Abide with Me" and"Disclosure."

Mel SchusterNew York, N.Y.

Massenet Society

It appears that the Massenet revival is nowin full swing. The recently released record-ings of Esclarmonde, Le Cid, Thai's, and LaNavarraise and the planned recordings orrevivals of Cendrillon. Herodiade, and LeRoi de Lahore surely support the assump-tion.

I would like to make your readers awareof a venture just undertaken: An Americanbranch of the Massenet Society, founded inLondon by Miss Stella Wright, has beenformed. Members from the tristate area-New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut-recently held their first meeting, and it wasa huge success.

The Massenet Society is a nonprofit cul-tural organization whose purpose is to pro-mote the works of Jules Massenet to musicand opera lovers throughout the world.This will be accomplished in the U.S.through discussions and the distribution ofrecordings of many of his unfamiliar butimportant works. Most of the materialcomes from the private collections of ourmembers. For information please write theMassenet Society, c/o Michael Paul Lund,41 E. Central Ave., Pearl River, N.Y. 10965.

Martin S. LippmanOld Greenwich, Conn.

16 HIGH FIDELITY MAGAZINE

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Free for 10 days:

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KARL RICHTERMasterful choral conductorwhose profound understanding helpsconvey the sacred loveliness ofthe Mass in C Major

SEPTEMBER 1977 19

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You can't beatThe System.

You can only change it.

The System,from Mitsubishi.The only one-name,one-look,high-performance

system with speakers as good as the amplifier. Anamplifier as good as the pre -amp. A pre -amp asgood as the turntable. A turntable as good as thetuner. A tuner as good as the speakers.

And no weak links.So, no matter how much you care to spend on

alternatives, you simply cannot improve TheSystem.You can only make it different.

Consider the loudspeakers, for example.Youcould substitute other legendary names in thespeaker business. But none are so legendary asMitsubishi, whose speakers are noted for superbdesign, meticulous construction and testing,andabsolutely faultless response.

Or amplifiers.You could substitute others. Butnone would give you the 80dB inter -channelseparation of the Mitsubishi dual -monaural ampli-fier in The System.

Or turntables.You could substitute somethingelse.But something else wouldn't give you thebenefit of our 3 years' exhaustive testing-cover-ing all aspects of performance -that gave ourMitsubishi Logic Control Turntable its superb audio

quality and foolproof operation.So,what all other names do for music, the one

Mitsubishi name does for music.Without the timeand trouble of collecting 7 different componentsfrom 7 different manufacturers with 7 differentwarranties to confuse you.

And since The System comes from one com-pany,with one design philosophy and one standardof quality- it has to look better than any diverseassembly of components.(One Mitsubishi equip-ment rack is worth a thousand words.)

Still,The System isn't inflexible.You can tailorone to your needs,and your available funds.Atprices ranging from about $1,600 to about $3,000.

Your audio dealer will be happy to audition allthe possibilities for you.

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SEPTEMBER 1977

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21

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"I've always wanted Bose 901's,but won't I need a100 -watt amplifier?"

The original Direct/Reflecting'Bose 901was one of the mostacclaimed loudspeakersever. But many peoplewho admired the 901'sdidn't buy thembecause they thoughtthey demanded a big,expensive amplifier.

The NewBose 901 Series IIINow comes the newBose 901 Series III. It is arevolutionary speaker thatcombines proven Bose designconcepts with startling newtechnology to achieve per-formance that is superior to theoriginal 901 in every dimension-including even the spatial realismand spectral accuracy for whichthe 901 was justly famous.

Yet the 901 Series III requiresless than one-third the amplifierpower of the original 901. Thatmeans it can produce the samesound volume with a 15 -watts-

per -channel receiver as the orig-inal 901 with 50 watts. In fact, wesuggest that anything over70 watts is simply unnecessary.

No advertise-ment can de-scribe fully the901 Series Illand the technol-ogy behind it.So we've puttogether a compre-hensive literature packagethat includes a detailed16 -page color brochure, a20 -page owner's manual,and a copy of Dr. AmerBose's paper on"Sound Recordingand Reproduction,"reprinted from Technology ReyievkTo receive this literature, send *LW toBose, Dept. HF9, The Mountain,Framingham, Mass. 01701.

The helically -wound, allaluminum voice coll.

The New DriverThe key to the remarkableefficiency of the 901 Series III is atotally new, high performance

The voice coilconsists of flataluminum con-ductor wirewound on -edgeon an aluminumcore, eliminat-ing the ineffi-cient air gapsbetween theround copperwindings of aconventionalvoice coil.

driver-a driver so advanced wehad to build our own state-of-the-

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The PayoffThis efficiency lets you enjoythe spectacular performance ofthe 901 Series Ill without a largeinvestment in something you can'thear pure power. And that mightmake the difference between get-ting just good speakers, and thespeakers you've really wantedall along.

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Cabinets are walnut veneer.Patents issued and pending.

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The Maltings at Snape

Britten's Legacy: To Be"Useful to the Living"

by John Culshaw

ALDEBURGH-I have just returned frommy first visit to Aldeburgh since Ben-jamin Britten died last December. Heis buried in the grounds of the parishchurch. A tree has been planted at thefoot of the small plot, and the stoneis inscribed simply "BENJAMINBRITTEN 1913-1976." The weatheron the day I was there was straight outof Peter Grimes, Act I, Scene 2: Thesea raged, the wind howled, and therain turned unpaved pathways intotroughs of mud. The fishermen did notput to sea that day but took refuge inthe pubs.

I am neither superstitious nor. I

hope, sentimental, but it seems to methat Britten's spirit haunts Aldeburghand the Maltings at Snape in the sameway that Wagner's haunts Bayreuthand the Festspielhaus on the GreenHill. Perhaps it has to do with thesmallness of both Aldeburgh and Bay-reuth, for it is probable that most of uswould never have heard of either hadit not been for the composers whoadopted them. Certainly it is a feelingthat never comes over me in a city. Nomatter how much one loves their mu-sic, the spirits of Schubert and JohannStrauss have little relevance to mod-ern Vienna. We can see where theylived and worked and pay dutiful vis-its to monuments and museums. butthey are simply not present in the un-

nowLcrget

canny way that Wagner seems pres-ent in Bayreuth and Britten in Al-deburgh.

Britten has not left a legacy of un-published music. His very last work(still unperformed at the time of writ-ing) is called A Welcome Ode and iswritten for young voices (SAB) andorchestra. I am told that it lasts onlyabout eight minutes. Apart from thatthere is nothing except a piece calledQuartette, which turned up mysteri-ously in a London salesroom someweeks ago and was bought anony-mously for about $12.000. The manu-script is dated January 1928. whichmeans that he wrote it when he wasfourteen or younger, and the theory isthat he gave it to a local quartet in thehope of getting it performed and thenforgot all about it when the perform-ance didn't materialize: but that'ssomewhat out of character, becauseBritten was meticulous and had a veryclear memory. However, it does seemto be agreed that, whatever its origins.Quartette is not a fake.

Some months before his death Brit-ten bought the empty, ramshackleEast Suffolk Hotel in the middle of Al-deburgh's main street. It has now beenconverted to provide the festival withits first satisfactory offices in thirtyyears. (The old ones were clustered atthe top of a narrow staircase in the lo-

cal cinema.) The bar has been turnedinto a club and restaurant, and a re-ception room overlooking the sea willbecome the art gallery. This is a neces-sary but typically cautious steptoward better organization, for the ac-cessibility of the new offices probablyaccounts for the fact that advancebookings for this year's festival werethe highest on record: and I mentioncaution only because everyone is atsuch pains to preserve the informalityof Aldeburgh. If that is ever lost, thespirit of Britten will no longer prevail.

His monument-although he wouldhave disliked that word as much as Ido-remains the Mailings at Snape. Ifever I have seen a musical "growtharea:' this is it. Apart from the annualfestival in June. a new one under com-mercial sponsorship is starting latethis month and will be devoted tochamber music by Schubert and Brit-ten. (Next year it will be Mozart andDebussy. with maybe Haydn andShostakovich for 1979.) Artists takingpart this year include Richter, Curzon.Bream, the Amadeus Quartet. Baker.Pears. Prey, Hotter, and Schwarzkopf,and the six -day event ends with a vo-cal competition for "mature" singers-i.e., you have to be between twenty-seven and thirty-five to enter.. As I amone of the directors of this new festi-val, I shall say no more, except thatthe sponsors have guaranteed thatany profits will be plowed right backinto the Maltings Foundation Fund.

And that, apart from his music, isthe legacy that meant most to Britten.It is a living, expanding venture, de-voted to advanced training for stringplayers and the voice. At present itsscope is limited to about twenty-fivestudents at any one time, but as thefund accumulates and additionalbuildings are acquired around theMaltings there will be more practicerooms and-a major problem at themoment-more living accommo-dations. I cannot think of a better en-vironment in which to study the finerpoints of musical technique and inter-pretation. because the Maltings is re-mote enough to provide tranquilitywhile being only a few miles awayfrom that rougher world of the fish-ermen and the treacherous North Sea.

Britten was a realist through andthrough. "Our job." he once said ofhimself and his fellow composers. "isto be useful, and to the living.- That iswhy. at the end, his thoughts werestill focused on young people, andwhy his legacy is devoted to helpingfuture talents to develop in a placewhere the realities of music and liferequire to be reconciled. Peter Grimeswas a fisherman, but we should notforget that he was a poet as well.

SEPTEMBER 1977 23

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New ... 100D 3 -WayCurvilinear Enclosure System

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This multi -faceted midrange crossesover at 1.25 KHz to an RTR 12" wooferwhich is so technically excellent thatit will neither destruct nor delaminate.The deep, authoritative bass response isuncolored and precisely defined.Crossing in at 10 KHz, the solid statesupertweeter imparts extendedcrystalline high end reproduction.

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8. The Big Bandsby Gene Lees

THE SWING ERA had such an impacton American music that it is hard tobelieve it lasted only thirteen years-more or less, depending on who isdoing the figuring. Short though itwas, it was a time when a great deal ofpopular music was good and a greatdeal of good music was popular.

The tributaries of this vast river ofsuperior popular music arose in the1920s. although it can be argued thatthe true source was the marchingbands of New Orleans. Certainly theNew Orleans street bands largely de-fined the instrumentation of theSwing Era, for reasons one can appre-ciate on recalling the surrealisticallyfunny scene in Take the Money andRun in which Woody Allen plays thecello in a parade, bowing and advanc-ing his chair, bowing and advancinghis chair. The instruments were thosethat were portable and loud enough tobe heard in the open air.

But by the Twenties, bands weresitting down. Benny Carter, one of themost gifted soloists, composers, andarrangers of the period, recalledrecently that when he played in theCharlie Johnston band it comprised

tory origins did the string bass, a moreflexible and pulsating instrument, be-come the rhythmic and harmonicfooting on which all bands since havebuilt their walls of sound. (An excep-tion is the Guy Lombardo band,which has never abandoned tuba andthus, like an exhibit in a museum,gives us a clearer impression than rec-ords of what 1920s bands soundedlike.)

No one has ever succeeded in defin-ing jazz in universally acceptableterms. As John S. Wilson observedmany years ago, the definition isusually an expression of the prefer-ences and prejudices of the individualoffering it. Whatever the individualdoes not like is ipso facto not jazz; forexample, bebop was not jazz to puristadherents of New Orleans jazz. Thequalification of "explicit rhythm"(Henry Pleasant& term) will not suf-fice, since it is present in many otherforms of music, including the Brazi-three trumpets, two trombones, threesaxophones (two altos and a tenor),and four rhythm instruments, includ-ing the tuba functioning as bass. Notuntil the bands forgot their ambula-

24 Hiciti Y AGAZINE

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Tian samba, which is not jazz eventhough it shares its ancestry and inter-acts with jazz readily. Nor will it do tosay that jazz is an improvised music;one prominent musician stretched thedefinition so far as to state that, if heheard Chopin improvising, he wouldcall that jazz. There are many forms ofimprovised music, including some ofthat produced by church organists,which is clearly not jazz. And thatdefinition collapses in the face of theadventurous experiments in jazz or-chestration that were characteristicof the Swing Era.

These experiments date from the1920s, and the principal figures wereDuke Ellington and a saxophonist/ar-ranger named Don Redman. Redmanis generally credited by musicians ac-tive at the time with dividing thetrumpets, trombones, and saxophonesinto separate choirs working over therhythm section. Ellington, who eventhen was using baritone saxophone toadd color and fortify the bottom of theorchestra, was moving in another di-rection. Whereas Redman maintainedthe integrity of the sections, usingthem as accompaniments to eachother, Ellington was using his instru-ments in unusual combinations, mix-ing them up through the sections, as itwere. And Duke was becoming moreand more daring in explorations ofharmony, eventually voicing the bandwith moving upper -structure triads toproduce an eerie, almost disembodiedand highly idiosyncratic sound.

The thinking of these two men,modified and transmuted to be sure,has dominated nonclassical orches-tral writing in the U.S., and indeedmuch of the world, to this day. Theproblem with embracing Ellington'sapproach is that it sounds so ob-viously Ellingtonesque, although suchwriters as Thad Jones and Clare Fis-cher have been able to use it withoutseeming too conspicuously derivative,partly by using flutes, which Ellingtonnever used. (Nor for that matter didanyone else, except Chick Webb,prior to the 1950s.)

Though Redman is the less cele-brated, he had a wider effect than El-lington, and it was the basis on whichthe Swing Era developed. He seems tohave influenced Fletcher Hendersondirectly and, through Henderson,other writers. Benny Carter, whojoined the band of Henderson'sbrother Horace in 1926, says that Flet-cher's arrangements, which had beencopied and given to the band, were hisfirst real encounter with the Redman -Henderson school of thought. Hender-son had his own band at one time, andafter it failed Benny Goodman boughtmany of its arrangements and hiredHenderson to write more. When

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Page 28: HERBIE HANCOCK: NEW PHASE OR FADEOUT? GIIII · 121 Herbie Hancock's Fifth Incarnation Len Lyons 54 Too Hot to Handle 56 News and Views 63 Equipment Reports Crown EQ-2 equalization

New Phase Linear 1111'srestore the

missing third dimension.The third dimension of a live perfor-mance, that open airy feeling of "beingthere:' has been missing from recordedmusic. Until now. The new Phase IIILoudspeakers create a sense of acousticspace never before achievedin a home stereo system.Phase III is a four- ernfaeway, four -piece The Powerful Differencesystem consisting of20 drivers. The twinfive foot panelsutilize a precisegeometric arrangementof the mid -range andhigh -frequencydrivers designed togenerate an ideal

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Goodman became a success-indeed,one of the most remarkable commer-cial phenomena of the period-othersformed bands or else found thatbands already organized were sud-denly in demand. The instrumenta-tion and approach to orchestrationwas modeled on that of Goodman,which is to say Henderson.

By the early 1940s, the orchestraswere expanding in size from foursaxophones to five, with the welcomeaddition of the baritone, which con-tributed ballast and removed a slightsoupiness from the sound of the sec-t ion; from three to four and sometimeseven five trumpets; and from two tothree or four trombones. At least afew of the bands-like those of ArtieShaw, Tommy Dorsey, Gene Krupa,Harry James, and Stan Kenton-ex-perimented with string sections. Theeffect left much to be desired, sincefive trumpets and four trombonesplayed in a jazz forte can drown out afull symphony string section.

But the main area of experi-mentation was harmonic. For yearsthe thinking of arrangers had been farin advance of that of the players andthe public. Redman, born in 1900,graduated from the Boston Conserva-tory and thus was well aware of theworks of classical composers. So wasBix Beiderbecke, evidence for whichis found not so much in his recordedcornet solos as in his piano composi-tions. Big -band harmony became in-creasingly complex, chromatic, anddissonant. Experiments with polyto-nality were underway, and Kentonpushed his band close to symphonicmusic.

The big -band era reached its fullestflowering after World War II.Whereas many of the prewar arrange-ments and recordings now soundthin-even archaic-the best of thepostwar records retain their fresh-ness, validity, and vitality. They donot sound naive; they do not soundlike music seeking its maturity. Themusic is mature. The rhythm sectionshave lost their awkwardness, and theforward motion of the music is strong,unimpeded, and natural.

But no sooner had it achieved matu-rity and international popularity thanit began to wither. And soon it was allover.

Why did it happen? One reason isthat the bands carried the seeds oftheir own destruction within them.namely the band singers. The best ofthese was a young man named FrankSinatra, who developed the deliveryof a small thirty -two -bar popular songinto art. So influential was Sinatra inthe evolution of postwar music that Iwill devote the entire next column tohim.

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AND MANY OTHERS.

There's been a quiet revolution going on in the cassette world. 0 Leading makers of qualitycassette decks have adopted TDK SA as their reference standard tape for high (Cr02) bias andequalization settings.Why TDK SA? Because TDK SA's advanced tape formulation and superprecision cassette mechanism let them (and you) take full advantage of today's advancedcassette deck technology. 0 In addition, a growing number of other companies are recommend-ing SA for use with their machines. 0 So for the ultimate in cassette sound and performance,load your deck with SA and switch to the "High" or "Cr02" bias/EQ settings. You'll consistentlyget less noise, highest saturation and output levels, lowest distortion and the widest dynamicrange to let you get the best performance from any quality TDK.machine. 0 But you needn't believe all this just because wesay so. All you have to do is check our references.TDK Electronics Corp., 755 Eastgate Blvd., Garden City, N.Y. 11530.

In Canada: Superior Electronics Industries, Ltd.The machine for your machine.

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A Preview of Industry Releases

Recordings '78QUESTION: What do Rafael Kubelik, the New York Philharmonic, JamesLevine, Bernard Haitink, Leonard Bernstein, and the Tokyo Quartet havein common? Answer: These former company stalwarts all turn up in un-expected places in this year's survey of planned releases (respectivelyLondon, RCA, Columbia, London, Angel and DG, and Vanguard andRCA). It's a bit startling even in this jaded era of nonexclusivity, and wecan expect more of the same, Kubelik, for example, also has Hindemith'sMathis der Maier in the works for EMI, and the Philadelphia Orchestra isabout to begin recording for EMI (under music director Eugene Ormandyas well as principal guest conductor Riccardo Muti) in addition to RCA.

As you dive into the lists, remember that they are tentative. Most of therecords listed will appear before next year's preview, but not all-andsome will disappear without a trace. Nor are these lists in any way com-plete; many in fact cover only the fall, and it is difficult to project eventhat far ahead with certainty in time for our June deadline. You mightbear in mind the description that Nonesuch's Tracey Sterne applied toher list: "A Sampling" of fall/winter releases.

We indicate reissues () and quad issues MO where that information isknown. Again, quad plans often aren't settled by our deadline, so quadri-philes can look forward to some surprises. Finally, some space -saving ab-breviations have been used for orchestra names: 0 for Orchestra appearsalone and in appropriate combination with S (Symphony), P (Philhar-monic), R (Radio), and C (Chamber).

ABC ClassicsBach: Brandenburg Concertos. Bruggen,

Leonhardt; Leonhardt Consort.Bach: Flute Sonatas and Partita. Bruggen,

Leonhardt, et al.Duphly: Harpsichord Works. Leonhardt. Gagliano: La Dafne. White et al.; Musica

Pacifica, Vorwerk.Haydn: Divertimentos and Serenades. Con-

sortium Classicum, Klocker.Josquin: Vocal and Instrumental Works.

Munich Capella Antigua, Ruhland.Mamiya, Bartok: Solo -Violin Sonatas. Mat-

suda.Mendelssohn: Piano Trios (2). Mirecourt Trio.Baroque Lute. Vol. 2 (works by Bach, Conradi,

Weiss). Dombois.Cantata da Camera (works by Porpora, Cal-

dara, Handel). Jacobs (ct); Kuijken, Leon-hardt, Bylsma.

Gregorian Chant I: Holy Week. Capella An-tigua Choralschola, Ruhland.

Marriage of Landshut. Landshuter Hofmusik,Watch; Capella Antigua, Ruhland.

Montagnana Trio: Spell. Works by Nor-gaard, Childs, Lentz.

Pieces for Flute -Clock (by Haydn, Mozart,Beethoven, Danzi; arr. Vester for windquintet). Danzi Quintet.

Jeffrey Solow: Romantic Cello (works byTchaikovsky, Weber, et al.). With Steven-son.

AdventON CASSETTE ONLY:

Beethoven: Piano Sonatas Nos. 4, 17. Sher-man.

Beethoven: Piano Sonatas Nos. 21, 23. Sher-man.

Handel: Messiah. Hoagland, Wallace, Gore,Livings, Evitts; Handel and Haydn Society(Boston), Dunn.

Roots of American Music. Boston Camerata,Cohen.

Angela Bach: Christmas Oratorio. Ameling, Baker,

Tear, Fischer-Diesk au; King's CollegeChoir, Academy St. Martin, Ledger.

Bach: Harpsichord Partitas Nos. 3, 4. Kipnis.Bach: Lute Works. Romero, guitar.a Berlioz: Harold in Italy. McInnes; 0 Na-

tional de France, Bernstein.12 Berlioz: Symphonie fantastique. 0 Na-

tional de France, Bernstein.Bloch: Sacred Service. D. Lawrence; UtahChorale, Utah SO, Abravanel.Brahms: Symphonies (4). London PO, Jo -chum.a Brahms: Violin Concerto. Perlman; CM-cago SO, Giulini.

0 Bruckner Symphony No. 9. Chicago SO,Giulini.

Charpentier: Louise. Sills, Carreras, Dunn,Van Dam; Paris Opera, Rudel.Chausson: Poeme de l'amour et de la mer.Duparc: Orchestral Songs. Baker; LondonSO, Previn.a Goldmark: Violin Concerto. Sarasate:Zigeunerweisen. Perlman; Pittsburgh SO,Previn.

CI Handel: Royal Fireworks Music; DoubleConcertos. London SO, Mackerras.

a Holst: Hymn of Jesus. St. Paul Choir, Lon-don SO, Groves.

CS Kern: Songs. Sills; Los Angeles PO, Kos-telanetz.a Mendelssohn: A Midsummer Night'sDream. Watson, Wallis; London SO,Previn.

CI Mendelssohn: St. Paul. Donath, Schwarz,Hollweg, Fischer-Dieskau; Dusseldorf SO,Friihbeck de Burgos.

Q Milhaud: Creation du monde: Boeuf sur letoit. 0 National de France, Bernstein.

a Mozart: Coronation Mass. Moser, Hamari,Gedda, Fischer-Dieskau; Bavarian Radio,Jochum.

CI Mussorgsky: Boris Godunov (composer'stext). Talvela, Gedda, Kinasz, Haugland,Mroz; Polish Radio, Semkow.

Puccini: II Trittioo. De los Angeles, Gobbi,et al.; Rome Opera, Bellezza, Serafin, andSantini.

a Rodrigo: Concierto de Aranjuez; Fantasiapara un gentilhombre. Romero; LondonSO, Previn.Shostakovich: Symphonies Nos. 4, 5. Chi-cago SO, Previn.Sibelius: Finlandia; En Saga; Tapiola;Swan of Tuonela. Berlin PO, Karajan.Sibelius: Symphony No. 2. Pittsburgh SO,Previn.

a Strauss, R.: Salome. Behrens, Van Dam,K. -W. &Atm, Baltsa, Ochman, Angervo;Vienna PO, Karajan.

U Verdi: Overtures. New Philharmonia, Muti.a Villa -Lobos: Morrie precoce; Bachianasbrasileiras No. 3. Ortiz; New Philharmonia0, Ashkenazy.

Vivaldi: Four Seasons. Koto New Ensemble. Mirella Freni: Operatic Recital. Votto, Fer-

raris, and Magiera, cond.

ArchlyBach: Flute/Harpsichord Sonatas. Nicolet,

Richter.Gagliano: La Dafne. Lerer, Schlick, Kollecker,

Rogers, Partridge, Thomas, Possemeyer;Hamburg Monteverdi Choir, Jargens.

Mozart, L.: Musical Sleigh Ride; PeasantWedding. Eduard Melkus Ensemble.

Rameau: Harpsichord Works (complete). Gil-

bVivaelrdli: Kyrie; Gloria. Regensburg CathedralChoir, Schneidt.

Dance Music Through the Ages (six discs).Triumphs of Oriana (Madrigals). Pro Can-

tione Antique, Partridge.

CandideG Bartok: Concerto for Orchestra; Dance

Suite. Minnesota 0, Skrowaczewski.a Bartok: Miraculous Mandarin and

Wooden Prince Suites. Minnesota 0, Skro-waczewski.a Prokofiev: Alexander Nevsky. C. Carlson;St. Louis SO, Slatkin.

GI Rachmaninoff: Symphony No. 1. St. LouisSO, Slatkin.a Stravinsky: Petrushka Suite. Prokofiev:Love for Three Oranges Suite. Minnesota0, Skrowaczewski.

Club 99(distributed by German News Co.) Offenbach: Operetta excerpts. Recordings

by Hahn, Bjoerling, Berthon, Nash, Ar-noult, Musy, Vix, Printemps, Cernay, et al.

28 HIGH FIDELITY MAGAZINE

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It's time for everybody elseto start playing catch-up. Again.

Front the very beginning, experts have acclaimed theperformance and feature innovations of Yamaha receiversas nothing less than spectacular.

But now, we've outdone ourselves.Yamaha is introducing a new line of receivers with such

unprecedented performance, it's already changing thecourse of audio history.Real Life Rated?" While traditional laboratory measure-ments provide a good relative indication of receiverperformance, they simply don't tell you how a receiverwill sound in your living room in actual operation. SoYamaha developed a new standard for evaluating overallreceiver performance under real life conditions. It'scalled Noise -Distortion Clearance Range (NDCR).No other manufacturer specifies anything like it, becauseno other manufacturer can measure up to it.

We connect our test equipment to the phono input andspeaker output terminals, so we can measure the per-formance of the entire receiver, not just individual com-ponent sections like others do. We set the volume controlat -20dB, a level you're more likely to listen to than fullvolume. We measure noise and distortion together, theway you hear them.

On each of our new receivers, Yamaha's Noise -Distortion Clearance Range assures no more than a mere0.1% combined noise and distortion from 20Hz to 20kHzat any power output from 1/10th watt to full -rated power.Four receivers, one standard. On each of our four newreceivers, Yamaha reduces both THD and IM distortionto new lows-a mere 0.05% from 20Hz to 20kHz into8 ohms. This is the kind of performance that's hard tocome by in even the finest separate components. But it'sa single standard of quality that you'llfind in each and every new Yamaha re-ceiver. From our CR-620 and CR-820up to our CR-1020 and CR-2020.

What's more, we challenge youto compare the performance and fea-tures of our least expensive model, theCR-620, with anybody else's most

expensive receiver. You'll discover that nobody butYamaha gives you our incredibly low 0.05% distortionand -92dB phono S/N ratio (from moving magnetphono input to speaker output).

You'll also discover that nobody else starts out withsuch a variety of unique features. Independent Input andOutput Selectors that let you record one source whilelistening to another. A Signal Quality Meter that indicatesboth signal strength and multipath. The extra conven-ience of Twin Headphone Jacks. Or the accurate tonalbalance provided at all listening levels by Yamaha's specialVariable Loudness Control.More flexibility. It's consistent with Yamaha'sdesign philosophy that you'll find the same low distor-tion throughout our new receiver line. Of course, asyou look at Yamaha's more expensive models, it's onlylogical that you'll find the additional flexibility of morepower, more functions, and more exclusive Yamahafeatures.

For example, there's a sophisticated tuner, with uniquenegative feedback and pilot signal cancellation circuits(patents pending), that makes FM reception up to 18kHzpossible for the first time on a receiver. Plus other refine-ments like a Built -In Moving Coil Head Amp, Fast -Rise/Slow -Decay Power Meters, and Yamaha's own OptimumTuning System.Now's the time to eive us a listen. Our new receiverline is another example of the technical innovation andproduct integrity that is uniquely Yamaha. And yourYamaha Audio Specialty Dealer is an example of uncom-mon dedication to faithful music reproduction and genu-ine customer service. It's time you heard them both.

If your Yamaha Audio SpecialtyDealer is not listed in the local YellowPages, just drop us a line.

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K1977 YAMAHA INTERNATIONAL CORP

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lli... laillILL.-- - - "_ ...: ..i:-_-__---____ i ;

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CR-620 0 . ,I;-`120 0.05% THD 0.05% 1M

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CR-1020 0.05% THD 0.05% IM

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CR-2020 0 05% THD 0.05% IM

SEP I EMBER 1977 29

Page 32: HERBIE HANCOCK: NEW PHASE OR FADEOUT? GIIII · 121 Herbie Hancock's Fifth Incarnation Len Lyons 54 Too Hot to Handle 56 News and Views 63 Equipment Reports Crown EQ-2 equalization

Germaine Cernay: Recital. Arias byGanne, Massenet, Faure, Debussy, Lalo.Delibes; duets by Bach; songs by Berlioz.Leroux. Saint -Satins.

ColumbiaQ Berg: Lulu Suite; Der Wein. J. Norman; N.Y.

PSO, Boulez.Q Berlioz: Harold in Italy. Zukerman; 0 de

Paris, Barenboim.Berlioz: Nuits 'fete; Mort de Cleopotre. Min-

ton, Burrows; BBC SO. Boulez.Borodin: Symphonies (3) et al. Toronto SO, A.

Davis.O Brahms: German Requiem; Alto Rhapsody.

Cotrubas, Prey, Minton; New Philhar-monia 0, Maazel.

Cilea: Adriana Lecouvreur. Scotto, Obraz-tsova, Domingo, Milne% Levine.

Copland: Symphony No. 3. New Philhar-monia 0, Copland.

GI Donizetti: L'Elisir d'amore. Cotrubas, Do-mingo, Wixell, Evans; Covent Garden,Pritchard.

121 Durufle: Requiem. Te Kanawa, Nimsgern;New Philharmonia 0, A. Davis.

Faure: Requiem. Te Kanawa, Prey; A. Davis.Gershwin: Broadway Overtures. Buffalo PO,

Thomas.Handel: Rinaldo. Cotrubas, Watkinson, Sco-

votti, Esswood, Brett, Cold; Grande Ecurie,Malgoire.

Haydn: String Quartets, Op. 20. Juilliard Qt.Hindemith: Das Marienleben. Roslak, Gould.Korngold: Violanta. Schroeder-Feinen, Je-

rusalem, Wixell; Bavarian RSO, Janowski.Mozart: Piano Concertos Nos. 9, 21. Perahia;

English CO.Mozart: Serenades, Marches. English CO,

Zukerman.Mozart: Symphonies Nos. 28, 29. Vienna CO,

Entremont.Mozart: Violin Concertos Nos. 2, 4. Stern;

English CO, Schneider.CI Puccini: Edgar. Scotto, Bergonzi, Kill-

ebrew, Sardinero; Opera 0 of N.Y., Queler.al Puccini: II Tabarro. Scotto, Domingo,

Wixell; New Philharmonia 0, Maazel.Rachmaninoff: Piano Concerto No. 3. Berman;

London SO. Abbado.Rachmaninoff: Piano Works, Vol. 5. R. La-

redo.Ravel: Bolero; Alborado del gracioso; et al. 0

National de France, Bernstein.Ruggles: Complete Works. Buffalo PO,

Thomas.Saint-Saens: Violin Concerto No. 3. Chaus-

son: Poeme. Stern; 0 de Paris, Barenboim.Schumann: Symphonic Etudes: Papillons. Pe-

rahia.Sibelius: Piano Works. Gould.GI Sibelius: Symphony No. 1; Swan of Tuo-

nela. National PO, Stokowski.GI Strauss, R.: Ein Heldenleben. Cleveland 0,

Maazel.Stravinsky: Symphony of Psalms. Poulenc:

Gloria. London SO, N.Y. PSO, Bernstein.Tchaikovsky: Aurora's Wedding. National

PO, Stokowski.Telemann: Suite for Flute and Strings.

Rampal; Stern.G Varese: Arcana; Ionisation; Ameriques.

N.Y. PSO, Boulez.Carlo Bergonzi: Italian Song Recital.Lazar Berman: Piano Encores.E. Power Biggs Memorial Album.Greatest Hits of 1720 (by Albinoni. Bach,

Campra, Corelli, Handel, Pachelbel). Phil-harmonia Virtuosi of N.Y., Kapp.

Mormon Tabernacle Choir: White Christmas.GI Preservation Hall Jazz Band.Gerard Schwarz: Cornet Solos. New England

Conservatory 0, Schuller.Frederica von Stade: Early Italian Arias.Waverly Consort: Medieval, Renaissance,

and Baroque Christmas Music.Pinchas Zukerman: Violin Concertos (by

Nardini, Leclair, Vivaldi). L.A. PO.Pinchas Zukerman: Violin Encores.

COLUMBIA/MELODIYA

Glinka: Russian and Ludmila. Soloists: Bol-shoi, Kondrashin.

Rimsky-Korsakov: Snow Maiden. Soloists;Bolshoi, Svetlanov.

Shostakovich: The Nose. Soloists; MoscowChamber Opera, Rozhdestvensky.

Tchaikovsky: Manta. Sorokina, Arkhipova,Atlantov, Mazurok, Nesterenko; Bolshoi,Ermler.

Boris Shtokolov: Recital.

Composers Recordings,Inc. (CRI)

Argento: Six Elizabethan Songs. B. Martin;Contemporary Chamber Ensemble, Weis-berg. Moryl: Das Lied.

Cooper: String Quartet No. 5. Shepherd Qt.Milburn: String Quartet. Concord Qt.

Fine: Choral Works. Gregg Smith Singer,Smith.

Lerdahl: Eros. B. Morgan (ms); Robison, Nick-renz. Lindquist, Fitz, Gottlieb. Guiazda, Sa-lerni: G. Schwarz, cond. Dogger: Ab-wesenheiten and Wiedersehen; Inter-mezzi. (Naumburg Recording Award.)

Matthews: Letters from Home. Center forNew Music Group (Iowa), Dixon. FieldGuide. Tape. Zupko: Fixations. Sollberger,cond. Plazas I. Tape. (ACA RecordingAward winners.)

Sims: Elegie. Charlston; Boston Musica Viva,Pittman. String Quartet No. 2. Boston Mu-sica Viva, Pittman.

Street: String Quartet. Concord Qt. Lazarof:Cadence V. Galway; tape. Rush: Quartet inC sharp minor. San Francisco Contempo-rary Music Players.

Trythall: Variations on a Theme by Haydn.Dorian Quintet. Salute to the Fifties. Tape.Hudson: Sonare. Dunkel, Schulte, Oppens,Passaro, Flax; Shulman. cond. McClellan:Music of the Spheres; Processional. Tape.

Wernick: Hai -Ku. Pilgrim (s); U. of ChicagoContemporary Chamber Players, Wernick.Moonsongs. Pilgrim. Boros: Anecdote ofthe Jar. Brandeis U. Chorus, Olesen. Wed-ding Music. M. Boykan, piano. Yet OnceAgain. C. Boykan, flute.

COUPLINGS TO BE DETERMINED:

Dlugoszewski: Tender Theatre Flight Na-giere. G. Schwarz, cond.

Hutcheson: Fantaisie-Impromptu. L. Burge,piano.

Lewis. R.H.: Nuances II. Royal PO, Lewis.Perle: String Quartet No. 7. N.Y. Qt.

Connoisseur SocietyBartok: Mikrokosmos (complete). Solchany.GI Bartok: Piano Works. Beroff.GI Beethoven: Violin Sonatas (10). Wilko-

mirska, Barbosa.Chausson: Symphony. 0 du Capitole (Tou-louse), Plasson.

GI Chopin: Mazurkas (complete). Barbosa.Chopin: Piano Concerto No. I. Cziffra; Cziffra

Jr., cond.GI Chopin: Piano Sonatas Nos. 2-3. Weissen-

berg.GI Grainger: Original Works and Transcrip-

tions for Two Pianos. R. and J. Contiguglia.GI Grieg: Piano Works. Laval.Haydn: Piano Sonatas (3). Weissenberg.CI Mussorgsky: Pictures at an Exhibition.

Rachmaninoff: Piano Sonata No. 2. Weiss-enberg.Rachmaninoff: Piano Concertos (4); Page-nini Rhapsody. Collard; 0 du Capitole(Toulouse), Plasson.

G Schumann: Bunte Bliitter. Block.CB Schumann: Humoreske: Fantasia in C.

Beroff.

G Schumann: Symphonic Etudes; AbeggVariations; Romances, Op. 28. Collard.

GI Scriabin: Piano Sonatas (10). Block.

Consortium RecordingsLAURELBernstein, C.H.: Israeli Rhapsody. Nakura.

String Trio. Nakura, Thomas, Brennand.Bernstein, C.H.: Rhapsodic Outline and

Drawings; Three Virtuoso Pieces for Cello.Brennand.

Bernstein, C.H.: String Quartets Nos. 1-2. LosAngeles Qt.

Tufts: Viola Sonata and Suite. McInnes, Siki.Western Arts Trio, Vol. 2. Piano trios by

Baker, Muczynski, Williamson.

LAUREL-PROTONEAmerican Flute Works (by Copland, Dello

Joio, Muczynski, Piston). Padorr, Swear-engin.

20th -Century Cello (works by Nin, Ponce,Cassado. et al.). Munguia, Hrynkiv, Bond.

GSC RECORDINGSPaul Hindemith Anthology, Vols. 6-11:Vol. 6. Double -Bass Sonata. Karr. Lewis.

Pieces for Five Instruments. Spear, McNab,Baker, Neidlinger, Carno. 1922 Suite for Pi-ano. Carno.

Vol. 7. Das Marienleben (original version).Bonini, Dahl.

Vol. 8. Trombone Sonata. Peebles, Carno.Oboe Sonata. Ellis, Carno.

Vols. 9-11. String Quartets Nos. 3-4, Nos. 1-2,Nos. 5-6. Los Angeles Qt.

CRD(distributed by HNH Records)Beethoven: Clarinet Trio, Op. 11. Nash En-

semble.Brahms: String Sextet No. 2. Alberni Qt, Best,

Welsh.Granados: Piano Works, Vol. 7 (completion of

series). Rajna.Grieg: Holberg Suite. Sibelius: Rakastava;

Suite mignonne; Canzonetta. Scottish Ba-roque Ensemble, L. Friedman.

Hummel: Septet. Op. 74. Berwald: Septet.Nash Ensemble.

Medtner: Piano Works. Milne (two discs).Mozart: Serenades, K. 239, 525; Symphony No.

29. New London Soloists Ensemble, R.Thomas.

Mozart: Violin Concertos Nos. 3, 4. R.Thomas; New London Soloists Ensemble.

Shostakovich: Piano Quintet. Britten: StringQuartet No. 1. Benson, Alberni Qt.

Vivaldi: Cello Concerto; Flute Concerto. Eng-lish Concert, Pinnock.

Vivaldi: Concerti Grossi, Op. 8, Nos. 5-12.English Concert, Pinnock.

Baroque Orchestral Works (by Albinoni,Lully, Pachelbel, Barsanti, Roman). Scot-tish Baroque Ensemble, L. Friedman.

English Harpsichord Music, 16th Century.Pinnock.

English Harpsichord Music, 17th -18th Cen-turies. Pinnock.

CrystalNilovic: Double Concerto; Suite balkanique.

Paris Trombone Ensemble.Camerata /Canada. Works by Fanny Men-

delssohn, Saint -Satins, Paganini-Taussig.Mario Guarneri and David Breidenthal:

Trumpet/Bassoon Recital. Works by Hin-demith, Chihara (written especially for thisrecording), Wolpe.

David Hickman: Trumpet Recital. Works byStevens. Presser. Britten, Bennett.

Metropolitan Brass Quintet. Works by Ga-briel Liadov-Glazunov, Maurer. A. Harris,Horovitz.

Brian Minor: Saxophone Recital. Works byPersichetti, Lunde, et al.

30 HIGH FIDELITY MAGAZINE

Page 33: HERBIE HANCOCK: NEW PHASE OR FADEOUT? GIIII · 121 Herbie Hancock's Fifth Incarnation Len Lyons 54 Too Hot to Handle 56 News and Views 63 Equipment Reports Crown EQ-2 equalization

Eyerythingyou 11 ever need.

The Scott R 376 Receiver.

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The Scott R 376 provides a full 75 watts minimum continuous RMSpower output per channel. Power enough to drive even low efficiency speakersto room -filling volume. Both channels are driven into 8 ohms from 20 Hz to20 kHz with an incredibly low 0.1% total harmonic distortion.

The Scott R 376 has every performance feature you'll ever need, too. Separatechannel bass, treble and midrange controls allow you to adjust response to bestmatch your speaker locations, room acoustics and listening taste. Dual tape moni-tors allow you to operate two tape machines simultaneously. You can record liveperformances or even copy tape -to -tape while another source is playing.

For three decades, Scott has been satisfying the needs of discerning listenerswith the very finest in high fidelity. Today, the R 376, like every Scott receiver,continues this tradition of excellence.

For specifications on our complete line of audio components, contact yournearest Scott dealer, or write H.H. Scott, Inc. Corporate Headquarters, 20 Com-merce Way, Woburn, MA 01801. In Canada: Paco Electronics, Ltd., Quebec.

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IM distortion (lower than 0.1% I.Provides cleaner sound and eliminates listeningfatigue.Individual low and high filters.Minimizes turntable rumble, tape hiss, record andbroadcast noise.Center channel and signal strength tuning metersProvides precise tuning and indicates optimumsignai strength.Phase locked loop multiplex section.Maintains superior stereo separation.Three position FM de -emphasis switch.Peim:ts proper reception of domestic, Dolbyized'or European broadcasts.FM Muting.Silences interstation hiss and prevents thereceiver from picking up weak stations.Loudness switch.Boosts treble and bass at low volume levels.Log -linear volume control with detents.Spreads out the volume levels over a greaterportion of the knob rotation to provide finer con-trol at low to moderate listening levels.'Dolby is a registered trademark of Dolby Laboratories

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Page 34: HERBIE HANCOCK: NEW PHASE OR FADEOUT? GIIII · 121 Herbie Hancock's Fifth Incarnation Len Lyons 54 Too Hot to Handle 56 News and Views 63 Equipment Reports Crown EQ-2 equalization

Sansui establishesof excellence:

The widest frequency response of any

The c can and extremely pure tonal q JJ rtyaf he new Sansui AU -717 and AU -517 DC integratedcmplifiets is distinctly superio- to that of all otteramplifiers available today. Stereo perspective sspacious, musical presence s strong and dis-ort onhas been v rually eliminatec. Sansui has achieved thisaudible excellence by sophisticated researct andprecision engineering. When you listen to the newSansui amp' fiers and tuners, you will know that themost excellent specifications and the most aavancedcesign dc, in tact, produce the most pleasing ancaccurate musical reproduction

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Page 35: HERBIE HANCOCK: NEW PHASE OR FADEOUT? GIIII · 121 Herbie Hancock's Fifth Incarnation Len Lyons 54 Too Hot to Handle 56 News and Views 63 Equipment Reports Crown EQ-2 equalization

a new standardZero Hz to 200kHz:DC integrated amplifier available today.

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Page 36: HERBIE HANCOCK: NEW PHASE OR FADEOUT? GIIII · 121 Herbie Hancock's Fifth Incarnation Len Lyons 54 Too Hot to Handle 56 News and Views 63 Equipment Reports Crown EQ-2 equalization

Unidentical twins.

A -170SWe couldn't leave wellenough alone. So whenthe A-170 was rated a"best buy" we made iteven better. Now it's theA -170S.

It's easy to understandwhat makes it a bestbuy; if it were our onlydeck, the A -170S wouldcost much more. In-stead, we were able totake advantage of thesame technology andcomputerized equip-ment we use in makingdecks that cost three timesas much as the A -170S.Which means the differ-ence between our low-est priced deck and ourheavy duty decks is fea-tures, and not tolerances.And speaking of heavyduty, the A -170S even hasa built-in Dolby* noisereduction system, to vir-tually eliminate annoyingtape hiss.

So if you're looking for abest buy in a top -load-ing deck for less than$200, ** your choice issimple; TEAC A -170S.

SPECIFICATIONSWow & Flutter (NAB Weig0.09% WRMS

Signal-to-noise ratio:Without Dolby50 dB (VVTD 3% THD)With Dolby@ 1 kHz55 dBWith Dolby over 5 kHz60 dB

Frequency response:Cr02/FeCr tape30-14,000 HzHi -energy30-11,

'Dolby is a trademark of DolbyLaboratories, Inc."Nationally advertised value. Atual resale prices will be ceter-mined individually and a- the solediscretion of authorized TEACdealers.

The A -I00 is shown with an op-tional simulated wood cabinet.

And for you front -load-ing fans, the TEAC "bestbliy" deck comes thatway, too.

The A-100, alsoless than $200,**boaststhe same features andspecs as the A -170S; thesame precise transportsystem; same capstandriveshaft, ground to atolerance of one micronor less. You can stillchange from fast for-ward to rewind withouth:tting the STOP button.There's even a special

If

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So whether you like yourdeck up like the A -170S,or up front like the A-100,we have a best buy foryou; one of the unidenti-cal twins from the TEACfine family oftape decks.

TEAC.The leader. Always has been.

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Page 37: HERBIE HANCOCK: NEW PHASE OR FADEOUT? GIIII · 121 Herbie Hancock's Fifth Incarnation Len Lyons 54 Too Hot to Handle 56 News and Views 63 Equipment Reports Crown EQ-2 equalization

Mel Warner: Clarinet Recital. Works by We -her. Spohr, W. 0. Smith.

DelosDelius: Hassan (incidental music). Soloists:

English Sinfonia 0.Gershwin: Porgy and Bess Suite. C. Porter:

Within the Quota et al. Bennett, Bradshaw.Gruneward. Langlais: Organ Works. Britton.Hindemith: Four Temperaments: Nobilissima

Visione. Rosenberger: Royal PO. De Preist.Honegger: Jeanne d'Arc au blither. Chaney.

Cuny: Nice PO. J. -M. Cochereau.Mussorgsky: Pictures at an Exhibition el al.

Browning.Schumann: Organ Works (complete). Le-

febvre.Szymanowski: Piano Works, Vol. 3. Ros-

enberger.Szymanowski: Symphonic concertante.

Rosenberger: Royal PO, De Preist.Vierne: Symphonies for Organ (6). Coche-

reau.Walton: Facade. Soloists: City of Birming-

ham SO.Pierre Cochereau: Organ Improvisations.Malcolm Hamilton: Dances for Harpsichord.Sunday Service at Notre Dame.Virtuoso Plays the Theremin. Rochmore,

Re isen berg.

DesmarCharpentier, M.A.: Midnight Mass. Boston

Camerata, Cohen.Chopin: Cello/Piano Works (complete). N.

Rosen. D. Stevenson.Frescobaldi: Toccatas and Capriccios. Party,

harpsichord and spinettino (instrumentsfrom the Metropolitan Museum of Art).

Haydn, Schoenberg: String Trios. Los AngelesString Trio.

Schumann: Cello/Piano Works (complete).N. Rosen. D. Stevenson.

!alias Baker: Flute Recital (works by Pou-lenc, Dutilleux, Reinecke). With Vallecillo.

German Music of the Middle Ages and Ren-aissance. Boston Camerata, Cohen.

Masterpieces of the High Baroque (by Tele-mann. Leclair, Handel, Boismortier). AulosEnsemble.

Roots of American Music. Boston Camerata,Cohen.

Stokowski String Sound (works by VaughanWilliams, Purcell-Stokowski. Dvotak).Royal PO.

Richard Stoltzman: Clarinet Recital (worksby Saint -Sans, Honegger, Poulenc, De-bussy). With Vallecillo.

Benito Valente: Lieder Recital (songs by Mo-zart. Schubert, Brahms, Wolf). WithGoode.

Note: Desmar releases will be pressed by Tel-dec in Germany and imported, to insure thehighest quality of sound.

Deutsche GrammophonBach: Brandenburg Concertos. L.A. PO mem-

bers, Zukerman.BartOk: Music for Strings. Percussion, and Ce-

lesta; Miraculous Mandarin Suite. BostonSO, Ozawa.

Bartok: Piano Concertos Nos. 1, 2. Pollini;Chicago SO, Abbado.

Bartok: String Quartets Nos. 2. 6. Tokyo Qt.Beethoven: Piano Sonatas Nos. 27-32. Pollini.Beethoven: String Quartets Nos. 12-16. La-

Salle Qt.Brahms: Symphony No. 1. Boston SO. Ozawa.Bruckner: Symphony No. 9. Berlin PO, Kara -

Ian.Dvotak: Stabat Mater. Mathis. Reynolds,

Ochman, Shirley -Quirk: Bavarian Radio.Kubelik.

Liszt: Annees de pelerinage (complete). Ber-man.

Liszt: Faust Symphony. Riegel: Boston SO.Bernstein.

Rachmaninoff: Piano Concerto No. 4; Pogo-nini Rhapsody. Vasary: London SO. Ara-novich.

Schumann: Symphonies (4). Chicago SO.Barenboim.

Tchaikovsky: Queen of Spades. Vish-nevskaya, H. Schwarz, Resnik, Popp,Gougaloff. Weikl; 0 National de France.Rost ropo v i ch.

Tchaikovsky: Symphony No. 5. Boston SO,Ozawa.

Vaughan Williams: Tuba Concerto. ChicagoSO, Barenboim.

Verdi: Simon Boccanegra. Cappuccilli. Freni.Carreras, Ghiaurov. Van Dam; La Scala,Abbado.

American Choral Works. Tanglewood Festi-val Chorus. Oliver.

Everest Bach: Keyboard Concertos (2). Richter, Ve-

dernikov: Moscow CO, Barshai. Bach: Violin Concerto in E; Two -Violin

Concerto. D. and I. Oistrakh; Moscow CO,Barshai.

Bach family: Flute Duets. Rampal, Baron,Fuller.

Beethoven: Young Prometheus. CBC Festival0. Brott.

Gilbert and Sullivan: Mikado. Troxell,Green. Pease: N.W. German RSO. Korn(one disc).Lipatti: Concertino; Sonatina. Enesco: Vio-lin Sonatas Nos. 2. 3. Lipatti, Enesco.

Mozart: Violin Concerto No. 4. Kreisler;London SO, Ronald. Bach: Two -ViolinConcerto. Kreisler. Zimbalist, et al.

Schubert: Symphonies Nos. 5, 8. GeorgesEnesco SO (Romania). Barbirolli.

Tchaikovsky: Serenade for Strings (plusworks by Vivaldi. Britten). Solisti di Zagreb.

Vaughan Williams: Wasps Overture; OldKing Cole. Vaughan Williams. On Wen -lock Edge. Elwes.

Wagner: Ring excerpts. Flagstad; La Scala,Furtwangler.

Aldo Ciccolini: French Romantic PianoWorks. By Franck, Debussy, Chabrier.

lean -Pierre Rampal: 18th -Century FrenchFlute Sonatas. With Veyron-Lacroix.

Jean-Pierre Rampal and Rene Bartoli: TheArt of Flute and Guitar.

Paul Robeson: American Balladeer.Maria Livia Soo Marcos: Works for Guitar

and Strings (by Vivaldi, Kohaut. Brouwer.Martin). Solisti di Zagreb.

Sousa Band in Concert. Leopold Stokowski: Painter of Orchestral

Colors (works by Chopin. R. Strauss, Wag-ner) Houston SO.

FinnadarMiaskovsky: Cello Sonatas (2). Hanani.Prokofiev: Piano Sonatas Nos. 2, 7. Biret (di-

rect -to -disc recording).Electronic Music for Dance. Works by Arel,

Semegen.Piano Music of Beiderbecke. Ellington.

Gershwin. . P. Johnson. Werner.

FolkwaysJeff Ampotsk: God, Guts & Guns.Black American History in Ballad, Song, and

Prose.Cajun Fiddle Tunes.Cajun Social Music, Vol. 2.Richard Carlin: In Come a Bumblebee. Tradi-

tional songs and tunes on English concer-tina.

Alastair Clayre: Adam and the Beast. Con-temporary songs from England.

Gina Clemmens: We All Have a Song.Ruby Dee: Accomplishment of Mack Women.Dred Scott Decision. Frederick Douglass

speeches read by Ossie Davis.Ebeneezer Electronic. Retelling of Dickens'

"A Christmas Carol."England's Vietnam: Irish Songs of Resist -

once.Sarah Webster Fabio: Together. Poems "to

the tune of Coltrane's 'Equinox.' "Folk Music of Kenya and Ethiopia, Vol. 5.French African Poems. Read by Paul Mankin.Frontier and Cowboy Songs. Reed.Funky Doodle. "A lively and unorthodox ap-

proach to country dancing."Carhss Lamont: Old Favorites from Ameri-

can Musicals.John Masefield. Reading his poetry.Mountain Dulcimer Instrumental Album.

Roth.Sacred and Profane Music of the Ika (Co-

lombia).Sacred Guitar and Violin Music of the Mod-

ern Aztecs.Songs, Rhythms, and Chants for the Dance

(two discs).Sweet Thunder. Poems by Nancy Dupree.

FredoniaLa Montaine: Conversations for Violin and

Piano. Chicago Duo.La Montaine: Flute Works. Dwyer.La Montaine: Incantation for Jazz Bond. East-

man Jazz Ensemble, Wright.La Montaine: Nine Lessons of Christmas.

Soloists, chorus, harp, percussion.La Montaine: Piano Works.La Montaine: Recitative, Aria, and Finale for

Strings; Colloquy for Strings.La Montaine: Viola Works.La Montaine: Wonder Tidings. Soloists,

chorus, harp. percussion.Sifter: Seven Last Words of Christ. Organ.Sifter. La Montaine: Marimba Works.Sifler, La Montaine: Teaching Pieces for Bud-

ding Pianists.

Golden CrestPaul Brodie: Unaccompanied Alto and So-

prano Saxophone.Paul Brodie Saxophone Quartet: Tour de

Force.Frances Cole: Harpsichord for the People.Fight Songs of the South. U. of Tennessee Vol-

unteer Band, Julian.Fun with Recorders. Hammond.Donal Knaub: Bass -Trombone Recital. With

Snyder.Rohert Levy: Trumpet Recital.Memphis Nighthawks: A Hot Skiffle Band.Music of Fisher Tull -Sam Houston Band.

Mills. cond.Paul Price Percussion Ensemble.Eugene Rousseau Saxophone Quartet. With

McCoy. trumpet.U. of Illinois Jazz Band: World of jazz. Vol. 1.

Garvey. leader.

Grenadine RecordsCaatelnuovo-Tedesco: Clarinet Sonata. Col -

grass: Rhapsody. Ludewig-Verdehr.Jergenson: Requiem for a City; Tanka Pieces.

Gregg Smith Singers.Kay: Five Portraits for Violin and Piano.

Baker: (new work). Ricci.Naiera: Secundum Lucam. Gregg Smith Sing-

ers.Rochberg: Carnival Music. Starer: Evanes-

cents. Siegmeister: Theme and VariationsNo. 2. A. Mandel.

Saticedo: Run I.X. Kramer: Renascence. Hor-vit: Antiphon II. Rehfeldt. clarinet andtape.

Schickele: Cantata-The Lowest Trees HaveTops. jolles: Songs from Wadsworth.Mamlok: Haiku. Jubal Trio.

Schubert: Male Choruses (4): Mirjams Sieg-esgesang. Gregg Smith Singers.

Siegmeister: Violin Sonatas Nos. 1. 5. N. Man-del.

Singer. A.: Piano Works. ). and K. Wentworth.George Bennette: American Romantic Piano

Works. By MacDowell, Foote, Mason.University of Redlands Faculty Woodwind

Quintet. Works by Moore. Childs. et al.

Sec I EMBER 1977 35

Page 38: HERBIE HANCOCK: NEW PHASE OR FADEOUT? GIIII · 121 Herbie Hancock's Fifth Incarnation Len Lyons 54 Too Hot to Handle 56 News and Views 63 Equipment Reports Crown EQ-2 equalization

..

"r.g-,

250 watts per channel(minimum RMS at 8 Ohms, 20-20,000 Hz)with no more than 0.05% THD

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Page 39: HERBIE HANCOCK: NEW PHASE OR FADEOUT? GIIII · 121 Herbie Hancock's Fifth Incarnation Len Lyons 54 Too Hot to Handle 56 News and Views 63 Equipment Reports Crown EQ-2 equalization

The Marantz 2500is the most powerful

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Page 40: HERBIE HANCOCK: NEW PHASE OR FADEOUT? GIIII · 121 Herbie Hancock's Fifth Incarnation Len Lyons 54 Too Hot to Handle 56 News and Views 63 Equipment Reports Crown EQ-2 equalization

The Marantz 2500 handles tremendouspower effortlessly. Its Toroidal PowerTransformer has been especiallydesigned to give you two independentpower supply sections, allowing eachchannel to perform at maximum effi-ciency and remain unaf-fected by the power 1,demands of the other chan-nel. The super -efficient tun-nel "pin -fin" heat sinkdesign was originallydevel-oped for the Marantz 510M

Built-in oscilloscopea Marantz "first" and the most precise signaldisplay device ever developed.

Plug-in optional Dolby**FM Noise Reduction Circuitryassures you the lowest noise possible with FMreception. Works in tandem with a 25 micro-second de -emphasis circuit for proper recep-tion of Dolby FM, the new generation in stereobroadcasting.

18 dB per octaveBessel-derived high filtera superior linear phase filter design-the mostadvanced in audio. It reduces high frequencynoise-and does the job with a more natural,less colored sound because it eliminates theovershoot and "ringing" common to otherfilters.

18 dB per octave 15 Hzsub -sonic Butterworth low filtercuts sub -sonic transients and rumble that robsyou of the amplifier power vital for accuratereproduction of low -frequency signals. TheButterworth low filter assures that all your poweris used to reproduce only actual program ma-terial. Not wasted on unwanted noise or rumble.

2 LED peak power indicatorscontinuously monitor the amplifier section andinstantly let you know when transients aredriving the amplifier to full output.

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Professional Amplifier. All this power isgenerated by virtually the most sophis-ticated amplifier section on the markettoday: a full complementary symmetrydirect -coupled output. Even more, itutilizes a quadruple -paralleled transis-

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5 -gang FM tuning capacitor anddual -gate MOS FET FM front endensure superior linearity and rejection ofspurious signals with an IHF usable sensitivityof '1.5 microvolts and a 50 dB "quieting sensi-tivity" figure in stereo of 25 microvolts-thefinest such specification ever obtained in areceiver-or even a separate tuner. The quietingslope measures signal-to-noise performanceunder actual operating conditions. The graphshows complete stereo and mono quietingspecifications for the Model 2500.

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Page 41: HERBIE HANCOCK: NEW PHASE OR FADEOUT? GIIII · 121 Herbie Hancock's Fifth Incarnation Len Lyons 54 Too Hot to Handle 56 News and Views 63 Equipment Reports Crown EQ-2 equalization

3PL AYUN I NG

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Not everyone can afford the Marantz 2500, bul thosewho can will possess the world's most outstandingstereo receiver. The Marantz 2500 is our most signifi-cant achievement to date. The first and only stereoreceiver to harness such tremendous power. And yeithe size and weight is sc practical it fits convenientlyonto shelves or into cabinets. The Marantz 2500 offersthe most impressive performance feature packageand specs ever engineered into one stereo receiver.

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Page 42: HERBIE HANCOCK: NEW PHASE OR FADEOUT? GIIII · 121 Herbie Hancock's Fifth Incarnation Len Lyons 54 Too Hot to Handle 56 News and Views 63 Equipment Reports Crown EQ-2 equalization

Jean and Kenneth Wentworth: Four -Hand Pi-ano Works. By Persichetti. Starer, Mayer.

HNH RecordsAlwyn: Symphony No. 2; Sin fon ietta. London

PO. Alwyn.Bax: Orchestral Works. London PO. Boult.Bax, Hoist, Moeran: Orchestral Works. Lon-

don PO, Boult.Berkeley: Symphony No. 1; Two -Piano Con-

certo. Beckett. McDonald; London PO, DelMar.

Cooke: Symphony No. 3; Jabez and the DevilSuite. London PO, Braithwaite.

Dufay: Missa Caput. Clemencic Consort.Dufay: Misso Ecce ancilla. Clemencic Con-

sort.Finzi: Nocturne; Fall of Leaf; Introit; Prelude.

Friend; London PO. Boult.Marcello: Recorder Sonatas (12). Clemencic

Consort (three discs).Monteverdi: Madrigals. Clemencic Consort.Morgan: Violin Concerto; Contrasts. Gruen -

berg; Royal PO. Handley.Mozart: Divertimentos, K. 136-38; Symphony

No. 13. English CO, Lopez-Cobos.Obrecht: Missa Fortuna desperate. Clemen-

cic Consort.Ockeghem: Requiem. Clemencic Consort.Pettersson: Vox Humana. MelInas. Rodin. Al-

exandersson, E. Hagegfird; Swedish Radio,Westerberg.

Purcell: Catches: Luudate Ceciliam; If ever Imore riches did desire. Deller Consort.

Purcell: Indian Queen; Timon of Athens.Deller Consort.

Rubhra: Symphony No. 2; Festival Overture.New Philharmonia 0. Handley.

Sallinen: Symphonies Nos. 1,3. Finnish RSO.Kamu. Choreli. Helsinki PO, Berglund.

Scott: Piano Concerto No. 1. Ogdon: LondonPO, Herrmann.

Cantiges de Santa Maria. Vols. 1-2. Clemen-cic Consort.

French Orchestral Works (by Debussy. Rous-sel. Faure, Salle. Poulenc). English CO. Ein-horn.

finkan Hagegeird: Lieder Recital. With Schu-back.

Le Roman de Fauvel. Clemencic Consort.Elisabeth Soderstrtim and Kerstin Meyer:

Duets (by Kodaly. Tchaikovsky. Dvorak,Purcell, et al.). With Eyron.

Troubadours, Vols. 1-2. Clemencic Consort.

Note: HNH Records will now he licensing for-eign material for domestic issue rather thanimporting records directly. CRD and Uni-corn recordings (listed separately), also li-censed for domestic issue by HNH, will re-tain the original label names.

Hungaroton(distributed by Qualiton Records)Bach: Orchestral Suites. L. Kovacs; Liszt CO.

Sander.Beethoven: Piano Sonatas Nos. 1, 17. 19. Ba-

cher.Beethoven: String Trios (complete). Kovacs.

Nemeth. Banda.Berg. Ligeti: Chamber Concertos. Kate. Szucs;

Budapest Chamber Ensemble. Mihaly.Chopin: Piano Concerto No. 2; Krukowiak.

FaIvan Budapest PO, Korody.Dohnanyi: String Quartets. Opp. 7, 15/2. Ko-

daly Qt.Haydn: Piano Works, Vol. 3. Falvai. Szeged i.Haydn: String Quartets, Op. 64. Tatrai Qt.D'Indy: Symphony on a French Mountain

Air. Ravel: Piano Concerto in D. Torma:Budapest PO. Pal.

Kochily: Songs (complete).Kurtag: Vocal Works. Sziklay. Ceti. Sz(ics.

Mihaly.Liszt: Choral Works (continuation of series).Liszt: Four -Hand Piano Works. Tusa, Lantos.Lutoslawski, Petrovics: String Quartets. New

Budapest Qt.

Mozart: Horn Quintet; Clarinet Quintet. Tar-Orli. B. Kovacs. Kochily Qt.

Paganini: Violin Concerto No. I. Chausson:Poem°. !Mint: Budapest SO. Lehel.

Scheidt: Tabulatura nova excerpts. A. Hor-vath.

Schumann: Intermezzos, Op. 4; Fantasie-stiicke, Op. 12. Rohmann.

Strauss. J.: Eine Nacht in Venedig (in Ger-man).

Contemporary Choral Works for Women (byBardos, Lang, Petrovics. Jeney). KodalyGirls' Choir. I. Andor.

Musica Mundane (six discs).Singing Youth, 1975. Works by Morley. Brit-

ten. Kocily. Bardos, et al.20th -Century Choral Works (by Messiaen.

Milhaud. Hindemith, Schmitt). Sass: Acad-emy Chamber Chorus. Parkai.

International PianoArchives

Jose( Hofmann: Complete BrunswickRecordings.

Josef Hofmann: Golden Jubilee Concert,11/28/37 (works by Brahms, Rubinstein.Chopin, Hofmann, Mendelssohn. Rach-maninoff, Moszkowski). With Curtis Stu-dent O. Reiner.

Nina Koshetz: Russian Romances. ByRachmaninoff. Tchaikovsky, et al.

Landmarks of Recorded Pianism, Vol. I.Recordings by Brahms. Eibenschiitz, Grieg.Saint -Satins, Debussy, Friedheim, Grain-ger. Hofmann. Michalowski. Pachmann.Paderewski. Godowsky, Lhevinne.

Rosita Renard: Carnegie Hall Recital,1/19/49. Works by Bach, Mozart. Men-delssohn. Chopin. Ravel, Debussy.

David Saperton. Complete Chopin etudes.Godowsky studies on Chopin etudes. J.

Strauss-Godowsky metamorphoses.

Note: All releases are newly mastered, withsound substantially improved over previ-ous issues of this material.

LondonBartdk: Violin Concerto No. 2. Chung: London

PO, Solti.Beethoven: Missa Solemnis. Popp. Minton.

M. Walker. Howell: Chicago SO. Solti.Beethoven: Piano Sonatas. Ashkenazy (con-

tinuation of cycle).Beethoven: Violin Sonatas (10). Perlman,

Ashkenazy.Berg: Lulu. Silja. Fassbaender, T. Schmidt,

Hopferweiser, Lauhenthal, Krenn, Berry.Hotter. Moll: Vienna PO. Dohnanyi.

Brahms: Symphonies (4). Cleveland 0. Maa-zel.

Bruckner: 're Deum; Mass No. 2. Blegen:Vienna PO, Mehta.

Chopin: Piano Works. Ashkenazy (contin-uation of series).

Elgar: Violin Concerto. Chung: London PO.Solti.

Gilbert and Sullivan: The Gondoliers. D'OylyCarte soloists: Royal PO, Nash.

Haydn: The Creation. Popp. Dose. Hollweg,Moll. Luxon: Royal PO, Dorati.

Mahler: Symphony No. 5: Symphony No. 10:Adagio. Los Angeles PO. Mehta.

Nicelai: Merry Wives of Windsor. Rid-derbusch. Donath, et al.: Bavarian Radio.Kuhelik.

Purcell: Dido and Aeneas (ed. Britten). Baker.Pears. Reynolds. Palmer, Hodgson. Bur-rowes, Tear: Bedford.

Rachmaninoff: Songs, Vol. 3. Sederstrem.Ashkenazy.

Schubert: Symphonies (8). Israel PO, Mehta.Schumann: Fantasia in C. Liszt: Sonata in B

minor. Dc Larrocha.Shostakovich: Symphony No. 10. London PO.

Haitink.Stravinsky: Oedipus Rex. Pears. Meyer. et al.:

London PO. Solti.

Tchaikovsky: Manfred. New Philharmonia O.Ashkenazy.

Tchaikovsky: Swan Lake. National PO, Bon-ynge.

Tchaikovsky: Symphony No. 6. Chicago SO.SoIli.

Tchaikovsky: Violin Concerto; Valse-Scherzo. Belkin: New Philharmonia 0,Ashkenazy.

Walton: Belshazzar's Feast. London PO.Solti.

Note: Release lists for the London import la-bels (Argo, Oiseau-Lyre, Telefunken) andfor London Treasury were not available atpresst ime.

Louisville First EditionBalada: Homage to Surma le. Mester.Barber: Prayers of Kierkegaard. Mester.Dorati: Cello Concerto. Starker; Mester.Druckman: Lamle. DeGaetani: Mester.Galindo: Symphony No. 2. Mester.Johnson, H.: Past the Evening Sun. Mester.McLean: Variations and Mosaics on a Theme

of Stravinsky. Mester.Nin: Diferencias. Mester.Ranki: King Pomade's New Clothes Suite.

Mester.Stokes: Continental Harp and Band Report.

D. R. Davies.Villa -Lobos: Bachianas brasileiras No. 4.

Mester.Welcher: Dervishes: Ritual Dance -Scene for

Full Orchestra. Mester.(Couplings to be determined; all feature the

Louisville Orchestra.)

LyrichordMessiaen: Choral Works. Vol. 5. Krigbaum.Sowerhy: Symphony for Organ. Mulberry.Bert Lucarelli: Sweet Oboe.South American Baroque Composers. Pro

Musica de Rosario.Plus discs devoted to Jamaican reggae, cere-

monial music of Brazil. Ecuadorian curingrituals, music from Crete, ritual music ofGhana. sounds of West Africa. street musicof central Java, African initiation music.African chants, central African dances.

Mercury Golden ImportsBeethoven: Symphonies (9). Royal PO. Dural i. Grainger: Country Gardens. Eastman -

Rochester Pops, Fennell. Herrmann: Vertigo (soundtrack). Sinfonia

of London, Mathieson.Eastman Marimba Band: Songs of the '20s

and '30s.

Monitor13ralns: Violin Sonatas (3): Horn Trio. S.

Milanova, D. Milanova. Grigorov.Chopin: Ballades et al. Olshansky.Mendelssohn: Violin Concerto in E minor.

Bach: Concerto in A minor: Double Con-certo. S. Milanova, Badev (in Bach double);Bulgarian TVRSO, Stefanov; Sofia SoloistsCO. Kazandjiev.

Mussorgsky: Boris Godunov. Ghiuselev,Damianov. Milcheva-Nonova. Tchavda-rov: Sofia Opera. Naydenov.

Music Group, Inc.MUSIC MINUS ONEThe 750 -record MMO catalog of participation

records (ranging from classical to contem-porary to instructional) will he expandedto include sing -along records of songs inthe style of Elton John, Stevie Wonder, andFleetwood Mac.

GUITAR WORLDNew releases will feature the French guitarist

Marcel Dadi, including two all-star Nash-ville sessions with Charlie McCoy. Bill

40 CIRCLE 6 ON READER -SERVICE CARD -3.

Page 43: HERBIE HANCOCK: NEW PHASE OR FADEOUT? GIIII · 121 Herbie Hancock's Fifth Incarnation Len Lyons 54 Too Hot to Handle 56 News and Views 63 Equipment Reports Crown EQ-2 equalization

BRAInsAS WELL AS BEAUTY.

AFTER YEARS OF THINKING,DESIGNING AND TESTING, BSRPRESENTS TWO BRAND NEW IDEAS.TURNTABLES THAT COMBINE THELATEST TECHNOLOGICAL ADVANCESWITH SPACE-AGE STYLING.QUANTA.

AS WELL AS THE RELIABILITYAND CONVENIENCE YOU'VE COME TOEXPECT FROM EVERY BSR PRODUCT,THE QUANTA 550 TURNTABLEINCORPORATES FUNCTIONS THATREQUIRE NOTHING MORE THAN THETOUCH OF YOUR HAND AND OFCOURSE THE RECORDS YOU WANTTO HEAR.FUNCTIONS LIKE SMOOTH, QUIETBELT DRIVE, A PRESSED ALUMINUMPLATTER WITH STROBE LIGHTMARKINGS THAT ASSURE YOU OF

ACCURATE RECORD SPEEDS, ANAUTOGLIDErm UMBRELLA SFINDLE, A24 POLE MOTOR WITH ELECTRONICOSCILLATOR SPEED CONTROL, A BI-DIRECTIONAL VISCOUS CUEING, ANADC INDUCED MAGNET CARTRIDGE,AN ALUMINUM CHANNELED TONEARM,DUST COVER, BASE AND MORE.

QUANTA TURNTABLES ARE MORETHAN JUST EASY ON YOUR EARS.THEY ARE FUNCTIONALLY DESIGNEDTO PLEASE YOUR EYES, TOO.

QUANTA BY BSR.BRAINS AS WELL AS BEAUTY.

WHERE YOU CAN HEARTHE FUTURE TODAY

BBSR CONSUMERPRODUCTS GROUPRT. 303, BLAUVELT, NY 10913

Page 44: HERBIE HANCOCK: NEW PHASE OR FADEOUT? GIIII · 121 Herbie Hancock's Fifth Incarnation Len Lyons 54 Too Hot to Handle 56 News and Views 63 Equipment Reports Crown EQ-2 equalization

Keith, Buddy Spicher, et al.

INNER CITY

New jazz releases will come from both Eu-rope and the U.S., including recordings byDavid Friesen, Ted Curson, Harvie Swartz,Jeff Lorber, and Ernie Krivda, plus a rarelive recording by the late Eric Dolphy.

CLASSIC JAZZNew releases "will continue to feature some

of the great recordings in a pre -1960 feel,"including a bebop reunion with Dizzy Gil-lespie, John Lewis, and Sonny Stitt; aTeddy Wilson trio; and a Dixieland seriesby Jim Cullum.

Muza(distributed by Qualiton Records)Handel: Organ Concertos. Bucher, Grubich;

Warsaw PCO, Teutsch.

New WorldBeach, Foote: Violin Sonatas. Silverstein,

Kalish.Buck: Haymakers, Part 2. Heinrich: Ode to

Philanthropy. Carr: Ballads from Lady ofthe Lake. Carno; Los Angeles PO, Sim-mons.

Farwell: Indian Songs, Op. 32, et al. Orem:American Indian Rhapsody. Cadman:American Indian Songs, Op. 45. Parker (b);Huckaby, piano; New World Singers,Miner.

Ford: Works for small jazz ensemble.Griffes: Songs. Milnes, Stapp, Bryn-Julson.

Pleasure Dome of Kubla Khan. Boston SO,Ozawa. Tone Pictures. Chamber ensemble.

Martirano: Mass. U. of Illinois, London. Mar-tino: Seven Pious Pieces. John Oliver Cho-rale.

Paine: Mass in D. St. Louis SO, Schuller.Reynolds: From Behind the Unreasoning

Mask. Chou Wen -Chung: Suite for Harpand Wind Quintet. Chihara: Ceremony II.Kim: Earthlight.

Riegger: Wind Quintet. Becker: The Abongo.Crawford Seeger: Three Songs.

Schuman: String Quartet No. 4. Schuller:String Quartet No. 2.

Sessions: When Lilacs Last in the DooryardBloom 'd. Hinds, Quivar, Cossa; Boston SO,Ozawa.

Shepherd: Triptych. Cowell: Quartet Eupho-metric. Harris: Three Variations. Norden(s); Emerson Qt.

Shifrin: Odes of Shang. Carter: Defense ofCorinth. Thompson: Americana. Chorus etal.

Taylor, C: Work for large jazz ensemble.Weiss: American Life. Powell: Rapsodie

negre. Gilbert: Dance in Place Congo. Car-penter: Krazy Kat. Carno; Los Angeles PO,Simmons.

American Piano Works. By MacDowell,Paine, Parker, Foote, et al.

American Wind -Ensemble Works,1950s -1970s (by Persichetti, Smith, Brant,Finney, Barnett). Northwestern U. Sym-phonic Wind Ensemble, Paynter.

Baptist Hymns and White Spirituals from theSouthern Mountains.

Blues. Various performers.Contemporary American Works. By Erick-

son, Imbrie, Lewis, Sollberger.Georgia Sea Island Songs.Golden Age of the American March. Goldman

Band, R. F. Goldman and Cox.Mighty Wurlitzer: Music for Movie -Palace

Organs. Leaf, Carter.Music of Life in 19th -Century Cincinnati. Bas-

quin, C. Jackson, Aler.Music of the American Revolution. McCoy,

Milnes, et al.Music of the Yurok and Totowa Indians.New England Folk Traditions.New Music for Virtuosos. By Babbitt, W. 0.

Smith, Bassett, Wuorinen.Roots of the Blues.Songs of the American Indian.Songs of the Civil War. T. Randall, Aler, A.

Baker, et al.Sound Forms for Piano (works by Cowell,

Cage, Johnston, Nancarrow). Miller.White Spirituals from the Sacred Harp. Ala-

bama Sacred Harp Convention.The Wind Demon (piano works by Heinrich,

Gottschalk, Bristow, et al.). I. Davis.

NonesuchBach: Violin Sonatas and Partitas (6). Luca

(first complete recording using baroque in-strument).

Debussy: Preludes, Books Jacobs.Haydn: Piano Music, Vol. 3. Kalish.Leiber and Stoller: Cabaret Songs. Morris,

Bolcom.Purcell: Airs and Duets. Dooley (ct); Crook (t);

Brewer, Springfels, Shulman, Reed, God -burn, and Carp, instrumentalists.

Stravinsky: Music for Two Pianos and PianoFour -Hands. Jacobs, Oppens.

Willaert: Motets. Motet Choir of the BostonCamerata, Rifkin.

Nonesuch Explorer Series: Music of Africa,Java, Ireland, et al.

TO BE RECORDED FALL 1977:

Telemann: Suites, Sonatas, etc. Baron, Rose-man, Weisberg, Brewer.

Ravel: Chansons madecasses. DeGaetani,Kalish, et al.

Janacek, Dvotak, Suk: Violin/Piano Works.Luca, Schonfeld.

Odyssey Beethoven: String Quartets Nos. 12-16.

Budapest Qt. Brahms: Double Concerto. Wagner: Sieg-

fried Idyll. Stern, Rose; N.Y. PSO, Walter. Mozart: Requiem. Seefried, Tourel, Si-

moneau, Warfield; N.Y. PSO, Walter.Budapest Quartet: Historic Recordings

1936-69. Works by Bartok, Beethoven,Brahms, Mendelssohn, Mozart, Schubert,Wolf.

OrionBach: Solo Harpsichord Concertos, Vol. 2.

Parmentier.Bazelon, Danzi, Ropartz: Woodwind Quin-

tets. Boehm Quintette.Beethoven: Piano Trio arr. from Symphony

No. 2. Steiner-Berfield Trio. Piano/WindsQuintet. Glazer, N.Y. Woodwind Qn

Brahms: Cello Sonatas (2). Rejto, Bailer.Brahms, Schumann: Piano Works. Starr.Brahms, Weber: Clarinet Works. Pino, Webb.Clementi, Castaldo, Beethoven: Piano So-

natas. Hinderas.Clerambault, Marchand, Scheidt: Organ

Works. McVey.Downey: Adagio Lyrico; A Dolphin; Wind

Octet; What If? Various performers.Enesco: Piano Works. Musafia.Faure: Violin Sonatas (2). Edinger, Puchelt.Gershwin: Rhapsody in Blue; Porgy and Bess

excerpts. Abadi, piano.Godfrey: String Quartet. Rowe Qt. Progres-

sion. Godfrey (synthesizer).Grantham: Piano Trio; Caprichos de Goya.Griffes: Piano Works. Ravel: Tombeau de

Couperin. Starr.Griffes, Carpenter, MacDowell: Songs. Hunt,

Benoit.Grigny: Organ Works. Fesperman.Handel: Harpsichord Works. Parmentier.Hiller: Jesse James; Appalachian Ballads.

Various performers, Hiller. Kosins: Shad-ows of the Harp. Gordon; Detroit SO, Ko-sins.

Klughardt, Foerster: Woodwind Quintets.Boehm Quintette.

Liszt-Busoni, Moscheles: Etudes. Pleshakov.

Martin: Preludes. Copland: Piano Variations;Night Thoughts. Silverman.

Mompou: Cantons i danses (12). Huybregts.Mozart: Songs. Corbett, Lurwick.Reger, Liszt, Thalberg: Piano Works. Trenk-

ner.Respighi: II Tramonto. Vivaldi: Operatic

Arias. Ballinger; Virtuosi di Los Angeles,Cajati.

Rhodes: On the Morning of Christ's Nativity.Carleton College Chamber Singers and 0.Wells. Mountain Songs. Bryn-Julson,Mayer.

Saint-Saens, Reger: Beethoven Variations.Trenkner, Pleshakov.

Sarasate: Violin Works. Edinger, Puchelt.Schumann: Romances, Op. 94. Spohr: Songs,

Op. 103. Mendelssohn: Songs WithoutWords (3). J. Russo, Cirsinski (s), L. Russo.

Tchaikovsky: The Months. Fardink. Vivaldi: Violin Concertos. Kaufman, Dart;

Vivaldi Festival CO.Armenian Art Songs. Agbabian, Guzelimian.Andrew Cordle: Virtuoso Bassoon. With

Schrock, Daxelhofer.Sonia Essin (a): Recital. With A. Sandor.Thomas Harmon: Three Centuries of Ameri-

can Music for Organ.Arthur Hoberman: Flute Recital. With Stan-

nard.Leopold LaFosse: Violin Recital (works by

Saint-Saens, Szymanowski, et al.). WithSimms.

James Nightingale: New Music for ElectricAccordion.

David Pino: Clarinet Recital. With Webb.John Russo: Clarinet Recital. With L. Russo.

PandoraBach: Music for Keyboard Lute. Goldstein

(played on re-creation of Bach's instru-ment).

Chopin, Liszt: Piano Works. Goldstein(played on a contemporary instrument).

Telemann: Methodical Sonatas (12). Skowro-nek, wooden flute (two discs).

Contest Pieces for Flute. Murray.Contest Pieces for Trombone. Smith.Albert Tipton: The Louis Lot Flute.Albert Tipton: The Platinum Flute, Vols. 2-6.

Pearl(distributed by Qualiton Records)Bridge: Violin and Cello Sonatas. Chilingi-

rian, Benson; R. and D. de Sanam.Glazunov: Piano Works. Howard.Glazunov: String Quartets Nos. 3,5. Darting -

ton Qt.Haydn: English Canzonettas. Griffett, Vick-

ers.Medtner: Piano Sonatas (2). Binns.Quilter: Songs. Keyte, Johnston.James Griffett and Timothy Walker: Shake-

speare Song Settings.Immortal Venice (in Poetry and Prose).

Simpson, Westbrook. Paderewski: 1911-12, 1924 Recordings.Thomas Round: Songs You Love.Victorian Flute Works. Bennette, Wye, Ben-

son.

PelicanDuke: Song Cycles (4). K. Duke, Berfield.Gaylord Carter, Theater Organist.Eugene Conley: Recital. From radio broad-

casts of the '40s and '50s.Mona and Renee Golabek: Duo -Pianists.

Works by Ravel, Dohnanyi, Bizet.Dorothy Kirsten: Operatic Recital. From ra-

dio broadcasts of the late '40s.Lotte Lehmann: Town Hall Farewell Concert.Maralin Niska: Operatic Recital.Operetta Favorites. Rhodus, Dickison.The Rogue Song. 1930 film soundtrack star-

ring Tibbett with Laurel and Hardy.Mme. Schumann-Heink on the Air. From 1934

radio broadcasts.

42 HIGH FIDELITY MAGAZINE

Page 45: HERBIE HANCOCK: NEW PHASE OR FADEOUT? GIIII · 121 Herbie Hancock's Fifth Incarnation Len Lyons 54 Too Hot to Handle 56 News and Views 63 Equipment Reports Crown EQ-2 equalization

We are proud of the speafications on our equipment. Wehave plenty of indE pendent expert audio testimony that tney'regooc. But all you want is the best sound you can get

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Onkyo has stayed a step ahead of state-of-the-art by build-ing audio equipment for the 11,3tener not the reader of specifica-tions. When you have pure, faithful, rich, transparent sound,the specs have lobe right.

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A-7 Solid State IntegratedAmplifier 65 watts per channel mini-mum RMS at 8 ohms. bo h channels [riven from20 Hz to 20 kHz with nc more than 0.1% THD.Phono SIN 80 dB, Class t Preamp.

A-5 Solid State IntegratedAmplifier 45 watts per chalnelmum RMS at 8 ohms, Ocit-i channels driven from20 Hz to 20 kHz with nc more than 0 1% THD.Phono SIN 75 dB.

T-9 Quartz -LockedSolid State TunerThe only Quartz.Locked component tuner, featuring pinooint, drift.free tuning. Dual gate MOSFET front end; 1.7f1Vusable sensitivity; 3µV 50 dB quieting SIN 73 dB

(mono), 65 dB (stereo)40 dB separation

uncolored electronic transla:on of everything that was put intothe program material. If you want to change it to suit youprefere -ices you lave the facilities built in. But hat's youchange, not our;.

When you're bLying audit equipment, bok at specs if yoJwant. Eut your best bet is sti Ito play it by ear. And if we didn thave good specs to start wit-. we couldn't say this.

But specs ar3 :he same whoever reads them Only youknow what you I ke to hear _isten. You II I ke us.

Artistry in SoundoNKyo

T-4 Servo -Locked

Eastern Office:12-07 20th Ae Long NY It <12 4i39Midwest Office: 935 Sloan Dnve. Mood Dale. III 601SI. 512 595-2370

Sole Distroutor, Tri-Til Associates Ltd.. 06 Sparks Are..00taro, Canada M2H 2S5. 416 499-5(44

Solid State Tuner The or iy com-ponent tuner featuring Servo -Locked for drittlessperformance. 1.91/V usable sensitivity; 3 5 50d3 quieting. SIN 70 dB (mono). 60 dB (stereo). 40dB separation,

P-303 Solid State StereoPreamplifierDual hne construction featuring Class A push-pullcircuitry with no more than 0.006% THD: requen-cy response 3.5 Hz to 200 kHz. +0. - 1.5 dB

(tuner). 5/N 70 dB(MC). 83 dB IMM)Built-in MC -lead Amp.

M-505 Solid State Stereophonic Power Amplifier105 watts per channel, minimum RMS at 8 ohms.both channe s driven from 20 Hz to 20 kHz with nomore than 0 J5% THD. Frequency response 0-150kHz, + 0. - 1.5 dB. S/14110 dE. Protective relay cir-cuitry.

CIRCLE 33 ON READER -SERVICE CARD

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ALLISON: THREEPress comment:

.2

SNo

10

pring1977

"The overall sound quality of theAllison: Three was exceptionallyclean and clear, with excellent defi-nition. There were no signs ofstrain; distortion was very low, evenat substantial power levels.

"On our pure -tone tests, the Alli-son: Three proved to be one of thelowest -distortion bass reproducersthat we've come across. There wasno evidence of midrange or tweeterbuzzing either.

"In its price range, we'd matchthe Allison: Three with the bestsystems we've auditioned, andwe wouldn't hesitate to compareit favorably with many loudspeak-ers that are considerably moreexpensive.

"All drivers are of Allison manu-facture and appear exceptionallyrugged.

"We'd like to digress for amoment and comment on this man-ufacturer's literature. Simply stated,it's the best we've seen. Loud-speakers generally come with apaucity of information, and whatthere is of it is frequently "hyped."This is hardly the case with Allison... If we were to give a "consumer -protection" award to a speakermanufacturer, our candidate wouldbe Allison Acoustics."

A reprint of the entire review and ourinformative product catalog are avail-able on request.

ALLISON ACOUSTICS7 'I&ch Circle, Natick, Massachusetts 01760

CIRCLE 2 ON READER -SERVICE CARD

Jeffrey Solow and Albert Dominguez: Cello/Piano Recital. Works by Barber, Kodaly,Dello Joio.

J. Strauss Ensemble of the Vienna SO.Brian Sullivan: Operatic Recital. From radio

broadcasts of the late '40s and early '50s.

Peters InternationalDebussy: Sonata No. 2; Danses sacree etprofane. Ravel: Introduction and Allegro.Mildonian, Larrieu, B. Pasquier, Paris Oc-tet members; Ensemble Instrumental deFrance, Wallez.

G Lalo: Violin Concerto; Concerto russe.Wallez; OP de Radio France, Koizumi.

G Locatelli: Concerti Grossi, Op. 4 (4). En-semble Instrumental de France, Wallez.

G Schumann: Violin Concerto; Fantasy, Op.131. Fontanarosa; ORTF SO, Capolongo.

G Vivaldi: Four Seasons. Wallez; EnsembleInstrumental de France.Weber: Clarinet Concerto No. 1; ClarinetConcertino. Rossini: Introduction, Theme,and Variations. Deplus; ORTF SO (NorthPicardy), Talmi.Andre Bernard: Works for Trumpet andStrings (by Telemann, Purcell, ToreIli,Stolzel). Ensemble Instrumental de France,Wallez.

0 Daniel Bourgue: Two Centuries of FrenchWorks for Horn (by Dukas, D'Indy, Cor-rette, Saint -Satins, Chabrier). Monte CarloOpera 0, Freccia.

0 Patrice Fontanarosa: Works for Violin andOrchestra (by Chausson, Saint -Satins, Ber-lioz, Vieuxtemps). Luxemburg RO, Fro-ment.

Gregorian Chant: Christmas (Mass for Mid-night; Mass for the Day). Solesmes Abbey,Gajard.

Gregorian Chant: Feast of St. Michael (Mass;Office). Solesmes Abbey, Gajard.

Gregorian Chant: Mass for the Dead; Officesfor the Dead. Solesmes Abbey, Gajard.

0 Max en ce Larrieu and Pierre Pierlot:Works with Flute and Oboe (by'Cimarosa,Vivaldi, Salieri, Albinoni). Luxemburg RO,Froment.

Noel Provencal (Christmas Music of the16th -18th Centuries from Provence). LesMusiciens de Provence.

Note: Quad releases are compatible QS discs.

PhilipsBach: Violin Concertos. Szeryng; Academy

St. Martin, Marriner.Beethoven: Piano Concertos (5); Choral Fan-

tasia. Brendel: London PO, Haitink.Beethoven: Piano Sonatas Nos. 8, 14, 23. Dich-

ter.Beethoven: Symphonies (9). Concertgebouw

0, Mengel berg. Beethoven: Symphonies (9). London PO,

Haitink (individual issues from set).Beethoven: Symphony No. 2; Leonore Over-

ture No. 3. BBC SO, C. Davis.Berlioz: L'Enfance du Christ. Baker, Tappy,

Langridge, Allen, Rouleau, Bastin; LondonSO, C. Davis.

Boccherini: String Quartets. Qtto Italiano.Donizetti: Lucia di Lammermoor. Cobalt&

Carreras. Sardinero, Ramey, Ahnsjii; NewPhilharmonia 0, Lopez-Cobos.

Handel: Oboe Concertos. Holliger; EnglishCO, Leppard.

Haydn: Piano Trios Nos. 17, 19, 21; Nos. 20, 22,25; Nos. 18, 23, 24. Beaux Arts Trio.

Haydn: String Quartets, Op. 76, Nos. 3-4. QttoItaliano.

Haydn: Symphonies Nos. 22, 55; Nos. 43, 59;Nos. 44, 49; Nos. 48, 85. Academy St. Martin,Marriner.

Haydn: Symphonies Nos. 88, 99. Concertge-bouw 0, C. Davis.

Liszt: Transcendental Etudes. Arrau.Mahler: Des Knaben Wunderhorn. J. Norman.

Shirley -Quirk; Concertgebouw 0, Haitink.

Monteverdi: Madrigals, Book VII. Armstrong,Burrowes, Kern, S. Browne, A. Collins,Hodgson, Davies, Oliver, Luzon, Lloyd;English CO, Leppard.

Mozart: Piano Concerto No. 22; Rondos, K.382, 386. Brendel; Academy St. Martin,Marriner.

Orff: Trionfo di Afrodite. Nawe, Buchner,Krahmer, Hiestermann, Suss, Werner,Stryczek; Leipzig Radio. Kegel.

Ravel: Orchestral Works. Concertgebouw 0,Haitink (two discs).

Saint -Satins: Symphony No. 3. Chorzempa;Rotterdam PO, De Waart.

Schubert, Beethoven: Arias. Baker; EnglishCO, Leppard.

Sibelius: Symphonies Nos. 3, 6. SymphonyNo. 4; Tapiola. Boston SO, C. Davis.

Verdi: I due Foscari. Ricciarelli, Carreras,Cappuccilli, Ramey; Austrian RSO, Gar-delli.

QuintessenceBerlioz: Romeo et Juliette excerpts. Royal PO,

Dorati. Tchaikovsky: Romeo and Juliet.London PO, Boult.

Bizet: Symphony. Tchaikovsky: Francesca daRimini. Royal PO, Munch.

Franck: Symphony. Liszt: Les Preludes. NewSO of London, Boult.

Grieg: Piano Concerto. Liszt: Concerto No. 1.Wild; Royal PO, Leibowitz and Sargent.

Grofe: Grand Canyon Suite. Ravel: Bolero.SO, Gould.

Rachmaninoff: Piano Concerto No. 3. Wild:Royal PO, Horenstein.

Ravel: Orchestral Works. Chicago SO,Martinon; SO, Gould.

Rimsky-Korsakov: Scheherazade. SO,Gould.

Rodgers -Bennett: Victory at Sea. Cinema SOof London, Gerhardt.

Sousa: Marches (14). Symphonic Band,Gould.

Strauss, J.: Waltzes. Vienna State Opera 0,Horenstein.

Tchaikovsky: Greatest Hits, Vol. I. Tchaikovsky: Waltzes. Chicago SO, Gould. Vaughan Williams, Coates: Orchestral

Works. SO, Gould.Wagner, Korngold: Orchestral Works. Royal

PO, Horenstein.Colin Davis Concert (works by Beethoven,

Brahms, Mendelssohn, Wagner). Sinfoniaof London.

Fiedler's Favorite Concertos.Virgil Fox Organ Book.

Russian Showpieces (by Mussorgsky,Borodin, Rimsky-Korsakov, Gliere). SO,Stokowski.

2001: Classic Themes from Classic Films. Ger-hardt, Horenstein, Boult, Leibowitz, cond.

RCA Red SealRCA RED SEALBartOk: Orchestral Works. Paillard.Bartok: String Quartets (6). Guarneri Qt.Beethoven, Schumann: FantasiestOcke. Ru-

binstein.Berlioz: Symphonie fantastique. Philadelphia

0, Ormandy.Brahms: String Quintets (2). Guarneri Qt, Zu-

kerman.Brahms: Symphonies Nos. 2-4. Chicago SO,

Levine.Chopin: Piano Concerto No. 2. Ax; Phila-

delphia 0, Ormandy.Doppler, Romberg: Flute Works. Rampal.Elgar, Schumann: Cello Concertos. Harrell;

Levine.Counod: Faust. Caballe, Aragall, Plishka,

Huttenlocher, Terzian, Taillon; StrasbourgPO. Lombard.

Ibert, Reinecke: Flute Works. Rampal.Mahler: Symphony No. 5. Philadelphia 0. Le-

vine.Mahler: Symphony No. 6. London SO, Levine.

44 HIGH FIDELITY MAGAZINE

Page 47: HERBIE HANCOCK: NEW PHASE OR FADEOUT? GIIII · 121 Herbie Hancock's Fifth Incarnation Len Lyons 54 Too Hot to Handle 56 News and Views 63 Equipment Reports Crown EQ-2 equalization

Discover musicyou've neverheard before.

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CIRCLE 9 ON READER -SERVICE CARD

45

Page 48: HERBIE HANCOCK: NEW PHASE OR FADEOUT? GIIII · 121 Herbie Hancock's Fifth Incarnation Len Lyons 54 Too Hot to Handle 56 News and Views 63 Equipment Reports Crown EQ-2 equalization

THEWORLD'SMOSTIMITATEDHEAD-PHONES.

When we introduced ourOpen -Aire® headphones, wecreated something of an audiorevolution. Because our patented*transducers surprised engineersand audiophiles alike... settingnew standards for wide, smoothresponse. Superior transientcapabilities. Sheer comfort. Andfreedom from listening fatigue.

Recording studios, broadcaststations and film crews-nostrangers to our professionalmicrophones-quickly adoptedSennheiser headphones for mon-itoring. Research laboratoriespurchased them for psycho -acoustic testing. NASA used themfor critical applications aboardSkylab. And audio critics wereunusually generous with praise.

After trying to duplicate ourperformance with alternativesystems, a number of major manu-facturers are using Sennheisertechnology under license. But twothings keep us ahead: Experience.And the electroacoustic researchthat's earned us a leadershipposition in microphones, head-phones and other professionalequipment.

But don't take our word for it.Visit your dealer and try theoriginals for yourself.

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SENINHEISERELECTRONIC CORPORATION

10 West 37th Street. New York 10018 (212) 239-0190

Manufacturing Plant Bissenclorf/Hannover. West Germany1977. Sennheiser Electronic Corporation (N Y )

Mendelssohn: A Midsummer Night's Dream.Philadelphia 0, Ormandy.

Mendelssohn: Octet. Cleveland and TokyoQts.

Monteverdi: Orfeo. Tappy et al.; LausanneEnsemble, Corboz.

Offenbach: La Perichole. Crespin, Vanzo,Bastin; Strasbourg PO, Lombard.

Prokofiev: Symphony No. 5. Philadelphia 0,Ormandy.

Rachmaninoff: Piano Concerto No. 3. Horo-witz; N.Y. PSO, Ormandy.

Ravel: Piano Works. Ax.Sibelius: Symphonies Nos. 5, 7. Philadelphia

0, Ormandy.Sibelius: Tone Poems. Philadelphia 0, Or-

mandy.Stravinsky: Chamber Works. Tashi.Stravinsky: Petrushka. Chicago SO, Levine.Tchaikovsky: Romeo and Juliet; Francesca

da Rimini: Philadelphia 0, Ormandy. Tchaikovsky: Waltzes. Philadelphia 0, Or-

mandy.Verdi: Otello. Domingo, L. Price, Milnes; Le-

vine.Verdi: Requiem. L. Price, Baker, Luchetti, Van

Dam; Chicago SO, Solti.Villa -Lobos: Guitar Studies (12). Bream.Wagner: Orchestral excerpts. Philadelphia 0,

Ormandy.Maurice Andre: Baroque Trumpet Concertos

(two discs).Eugene Fodor: Violin Recital. Kreisler reper-

toire.King's Singers.Joan Morris, William Bolcom, Max Morath:

Show Duets. By Gershwin, Kern, et al.Music from Ravinia. Chamber works featur-

ing Levine, Harrell, Chicago SO members.Leontyne Price: Prima Donna, Album 4.Jean-Pierre Rampal and Alexandre Lagoya:

Live at Lincoln Center.Robert White: Recital.Plus Bach by Lynn Harrell, Chopin by Van

Cliburn, the Liszt sonata by Vladimir Hor-owitz, Prokofiev piano sonatas by Tedd Jo-selson, and additional recordings by To-mita, Cleveland Qt, conductor EduardoMata, Eugene Fodor, James Galway, JulianBream, Tashi, Arthur Rubinstein, and Rob-ert White.

Note: Quad releases to be determined.

RCA GOLD SEALBach: Goldberg Variations. Marlowe. Beethoven: Symphony No. 6. Boston SO,

Munch. Handel: Messiah. Vyvyan, Sinclair, Vick-

ers, Tozzi; Royal PO, Beecham. Milhaud, Poulenc: Orchestral Works. Bos-

ton SO, Munch. Arthur Fiedler Evening at Pops (two discs).Plus additional releases to be determined.

RCA VICTROLA Saint-Saens: Samson et Dalila excerpts.

Stevens, Peerce, Merrill; NBC SO, Sto-kowski.Verdi: Ballo in maschera excerpts. Mila-nov, Anderson, Peters, Peerce, Warren;Metropolitan Opera, Mitropoulos.

Lotte Lehmann: Recital.Plus additional releases to be determined.

Repertoire RecordingSociety

Poulenc: Organ Concerto (solo version).Reubke: Organ Sonata in C minor; Trio.Vierne: Complete Organ Works, Vols. 1-4.Widor: Symphonie gothique; Symphonie ro-

mane.(All played by Rollin Smith.)

SeraphimBeethoven: Cello Sonata No. 2. Brahms:Cello Sonata No. 1. Piatigorsky, Schnabel,Rubinstein.

Beethoven: Piano Concerto No. 5. Solo-man; Philharmonia 0, Menges.

Britten: St. Nicolas. Tear, Russell; King'sCollege Choir, Academy St. Martin, Will -cocks.

Donizetti: Don Pasquale. Saraceni, Schipa,Poli, Badini; La Scala, Sabajno.

Gilbert and Sullivan: Pirates of Penzance;lolanthe; Gondoliers. Morison, Thomas,Sinclair, Lewis, Baker, et al.; Pro Arte 0,Sargent.

Haydn: Harpsichord Concertos, Album 2.Veyron-Lacroix; Toulouse CO, Auria-combe.

Rimsky-Korsakov, Prokofiev, Borodin: Or-chestral Works. Pittsburgh SO, Steinberg.

GI Strauss, R.: Tod and Verklarung; Till Eu-lenspiegel; Salome's Dance. Dresden State0. Kempe.

Conchita Supervia: Operatic Arias andSpanish Songs.

SerenusCastelnuovo-Tedesco: Music of, Vol. 1.Feld: Flute Concerto. Rampal. Piano Con-

certo. Czech PO.Hanus: Music of, Vol. 4.Lobel: Trip-Tych (sound paintings of) Syn-

thesizer.Nieman, A.: Music of, Vol. 1. Chamber Works.Ornstein: Music of, Vol. I.Ribary: Music of, Vol. 3.Rudhyar, Weigl: Piano works. Peltzer.Walker, G.: Music of, Vol. I.Karel Gott: Pop Star! Czech star sings in Eng-

lish.Music by Friends of Meyer Kupferman.Dwight Peltzer: Contemporary Piano Project

(three discs).Piano in London circa 1815. E. Marshall.

1750 Arch RecordsBrahms: Vocal Duets, Opp. 20, til. 66. Grant -

Williams, Barnhouse.Debussy: Preludes, Book I. J. Stark.Dowland: Lute Fantasies and Dances. Bacon.Machaut: Music and poetry. Music for a

While.Nancarrow: Complete rhythm studies for

player piano, Vol. I. Nancarrow.Prokofiev: Violin Sonata No. I et al. (includes

works "rarely, if ever, recorded"). Ko-bialka.

New Music for Electronic and RecordedMedia by Women. By Beyer. Oliveros,Greenham, et al.

Martial Singher: French Song Album. Songsby Duparc, De Lara, Chausson, et al.

Wandering in This Place (Elizabethan airsand lute works). Buckner, Bacon.

Sine Qua Non Bach: Brandenburg Concertos; Orchestral

Suites. Saar CO, Ristenpart. Bach: Well -Tempered Clavier (complete).

Hamilton. Chopin: Piano Works. Various (three

discs). Mozart: Symphonies Nos. 31, 36, 38, 40, 41.

Philharmonia Hungarica, Maag. Stravinsky: Firebird; Petrushka; Sacre du

printemps. Ansermet. Tchaikovsky: Nutcracker excerpts. PSO of

London, Rodzinski. Russian Orchestral Works (three discs).

SON SUPERBA

Handel: Messiah. Hoagland, Gore, Livings,Evitts; Handel and Haydn Society (Bos-ton), Dunn.

American Brass Band Journal Revisited. Em-pire Brass Quintet et al.

Baroque Trumpet. Empire Brass Quintet.Renaissance Dances. Banchetto Musicale,

Pearlman.Russian Brass (works by Ewald). Empire

Brass Quintet.

46 HIGH FIDELITY MAGAZINE

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THE WAY WE PUT OUR RECEIVER TOGETHER, IT SOUNIS LIKE SEPARATES.

The goal of mos-. receivers is to sound like a goodreceiver. But when we set out to build the Toshiba 3A620,we set our .ls a little higher :

To sound like a separate tuner and amplifier.We started at the bottom.

We began by building an amplifier. An a-np1ifierstrorg enough to drive even the biggest speakers. Withoutstrain. Yet clean enough to keep distortion to a mimmuri.

An amplifier with 50 wattsminimum R MS per channel (both driveninto 3 ohms speakers, from 20Hz to20kHz, and only 0.3% total harmonicdistortion).

And when we were through wehad a sound quality that virtuallyachieves the sound of separates.But we were still only half way there.

Our engineers toppedthemselves.

Using the latest advances inaudio technology, Toshiba engineersdeveloped a tuner with specs andfeatures good enough to stand up toseparates.

A special high density ToshibaPCT -type IC ensures high IF stageperformance and reliability. While ourthree, two -element ceramic filters

SA 420

SA 320

Muummi"Inimm

14'.ititieftwi-, wIriv 4

lialigiumSA 520

and s..x stages c f airdificat.o7: give razonslarb selectivitnIHF sensitivity is rated at 1.13IN Conservatively.

Selectivity an Am. pressive f..5rIB And signal to noise rat .0

a super deal 70d3.IF we dAmet tell you it was one unit,

yoi wouldn't know -1Since our -eceiver didn't sound Ike most other

receivers, we oeci.lei it shbu.dn't look them either.So worlcinE closely w.th our

engineers, Toshiba designers createdour unique "double-decker" look.

Giving our receiver thelook of a separate tuner andamplifier. To match its sound.

You can afforda Toshiba Tuner/ Amplifier.

Since every music loverhas different needs, we took every-thing we learned from the 620and applied it to a whole line ofTuner/Amplifiers.

So now everyone can havea receiver that looks and soundslike separate units. Without havingto pay for separate units.

TOSHIBA, ,CIRCLE 45 ON READER -SERVICE CARD

Page 50: HERBIE HANCOCK: NEW PHASE OR FADEOUT? GIIII · 121 Herbie Hancock's Fifth Incarnation Len Lyons 54 Too Hot to Handle 56 News and Views 63 Equipment Reports Crown EQ-2 equalization

SON MEET THE CLASSICSLives and Music of Bach, Beethoven, Chopin,

and Mozart.Life and Music of Joplin.

Supraphon(distributed by Qualiton Records)Bach, C.P.E.: Trio Sonatas. Ars Rediviva.0 Beethoven: Archduke Trio. Suk Trio.Blodek: Orchestral Works. Prague SO, Hlavi-

cek.Brahms: Variations. Petermandl.

Brahms: Violin Concerto. Suk; Czech PO.Neumann.

0 Dvotak: Overtures (4). Prague RSOKrombholc.

Dvofak: Piano Works (complete). Kvapil.Dvotak, Janacek: Suites. Sluka: In the Name

of Life.Ernst, Wieniawski: Violin Concertos. David;

Prague SO, Hlavatek.Flosman: Symphony No. 2. Matej: Symphony

No. 4. Prague RSO, Konvalinka.0 Futik: Marches. Czechoslovak Military

Band, Urbanec.Handel: Flute Sonatas. Valek, Hala, Slama.Haydn: Piano Concertos. Kamenikova;

Prague Virtuosi, Hlavatek (two discs).0 Honegger: Jeanne d'Arc au bOcher. Bor-

geaud, Favory, Brun, Loup, Chateau,Rodde, Brachet; Czech PO, Baudo.

Janacek: Taros Bulba. Dvotak: Golden Spin-ning Wheel. Ostrava Janaeek PO, Trhlik.

Liszt: Annees de pelerinage excerpts. Klicnik.Martina: Orchestral excerpts from operas.

Brno State PO, Jilek.Martint): Rhapsody -Concerto; Two -Violin

Concerto. Simatek, Brot, Pospigil; PragueSO, Slovak and Konvalinka.

Martinet: Rhapsody -Concerto; Two -ViolinWorks. Snitil, Zichova.

Matej: Trumpet Concerto. Domailicky: Over-ture; Horn Concerto. Prague PCO, PragueSO, Belohlavek.

Mozart: Piano Concertos Nos. 14, 23. Mora-vec; Czech CO.

Mozart: Piano Sonatas, K. 333, 494, 533. Ruiz-Pip6.

0 Palestrina: Missa Hodie Christus natus est;Stabat Mater; Improperia. Czech Philhar-monic Chorus. Veselka.

Rachmaninoff: Cello Works. Vedtomov, Halo.Seiber: Fantasia concertante. Casella: Violin

Concerto. Gertler; Prague SO, Smetatek.Smetana: Czech Dances and Polkas. No-

votny.0 Smetana: Ma Vlast. Czech PO, Neumann.Smetana: Two Widows. Sormova, Mahot-

kova, Zahradnitek, Horadek, Svehla, Soun-ova; Prague National Theater, Jilek.

0 Tchaikovsky: Symphony No. 4. Czech PO,Slovak.

0 Vivaldi: Four Seasons. Suk; Prague CO.Hlavatek.

Ysaye: Solo Violin Works. Grumlikova.Czech Nonet. Works by Pauer, Jaroch.German Romantic Songs. Novak, Zeller.Italian Baroque Instrumental Works. Os-

trava Janacek CO.Musical Treasures from Jaromefice Castle.

Soloists; Prague Chamber Soloists.Frantigek Pogta: Double -Bass Recital.Prague Collegium Musicum. Works by Dru-

zecky, Magek, Jirovec, VranickY.Prague Madrigal Singers. Works by Martinft,

Eben.Spanish Music for Vihuela. Witoszynskyj,

Lukas.Jaroslav Vodrb±ka: Organ Recital. Works by

Bach, Froberger.

TelarcBach: Gamba Sonatas. Meints, Ornstein.Bach: Well -Tempered Clavier (complete).

Loesser (recorded 1964).Bartdk, Szymanowski: Violin Works. Lachert.Beethoven: Piano Sonatas Nos. 30, 31. Podis.

Cleveland Baroque Soloists. Works by Tele- .mann, Handel, Scarlatti.

John Mack: Oboe Recital. Works by Schu-mann, Britten, Saint-Saens, Paladilhe.

Michael Murray: Organ Recital. Direct -to -disc recording.

San Antonio Mastersingers. Works byThompson, Wolf, Byrd, Corigliano, et al.

Note: Telarc is the new classical label of Ad-vent Recording Corp. of Cleveland, Ohio.all previous Advent releases will remainavailable, but under the new name.

TurnaboutBeethoven: Piano/Winds Quintet; Serenade,

Op. 25. Simon, St. Louis SO members.Berlioz: Les Troyens, Damnation: orches-tral excerpts; King Lear Overture. Philhar.mania Hungarica, Kapp.

13 Borodin, Glinka: Orchestral Works. Phil.harmonia Hungarica, Kohler.

Brahms: Clarinet Quintet. Silfies, Korman,Beiler, Barnes, Sant'Ambrogio (St. LouisSO members).

Chihara: Symphony in Celebration. HoustonSO, Foster. Missa Carminum. Roger Wag-ner Chorale, Wagner.

Chopin: Etudes. Simon.Dvotak: Symphony No. 9. Royal PO, Dorati.Epstein: Night Voices. Walton: Facade. ).

Bookspan, narrator; MIT SO, Epstein.Gutche: Icarus. Rochester PO, Zinman. Persi-

chetti: The Hollow Men. T. Parker, trum-pet; Philharmonia Virtuosi of New York,Kapp.Haydn: Cello Concertos. Varga; BambergSO, Dorati.

Haydn: Organ Concertos. Lehrndorfer; Wurt-temberg CO, Faerber.

0 Lalo: Namouna excerpts. Luxemburg RO,Froment.

O Lalo, Pierne: Piano Concertos. DossStuttgart PO, Kuntzsch.

Liszt: Piano Works. Ruskin.O Liszt: Works for piano and orchestra

based on Schubert, Beethoven, Weber.Rose; Philharmonia Hungarica, Kapp.

Moscheles: Concerto for Piano and FiveStrings, Op. 87. Kalkbrenner: EffusioGrande Fantaisie, Op. 68. M. L. Boehm etal.

Mozart: Symphonies Nos. 35, 39. North Ger-man RSO, Monteux.

O Rachmaninoff: Piano Concerto No. 3. Si-mon; St. Louis SO, Slatkin.

Ravel: Piano Trio; Violin Sonata. O'Reilly,Lauridsen, Petit.

O Rimsky-Korsakov: Kitezh, Mlada, MayNight excerpts. Philharmonia Hungarica,Kapp.

0 Rossini: Overtures. Cincinnati SO, Schip-pers.

GI Schubert: Symphony No. 9. Cincinnati SO,Schippers.

Weill: Mahagonny Songspiel; Dreigrosch-enmusik. Jerusalem SO, Foss; Music forWestchester SO, Landau.

Ernesto Bitetti: Guitar Recital.Roger Shields: Piano Recital. Works by

Gould, Gershwin, R6zsa, Grofe.

TURNABOUT HISTORICAL SERIES

Bach: Concerto No. 1. Chopin: Piano Works.Lipatti (with Concertgebouw, Van Bei-num).

Beethoven: Symphony No. 2; Ruins ofAthens. Royal PO, Beecham.Berlioz: Symphonie fan tastique. ParisConservatory 0, Walter.

Brahms: Piano Concerto No. 1. Solomon;Philharmonia 0, Kubelik.

Rossini: William Tell. Carteri, Filippeschi,Taddei, Tozzi, Corena; RAI Turin, Rossi.

Sibelius: Orchestral Works. Halle 0, Barbi-rolli.

Strauss, R.: Don Juan; Tod and Verkleirung.

Vienna PO, Strauss. Tchaikovsky: Piano Concerto No. 1. Liszt:

Hungarian Fantasia. Solomon; Philhar-monia, Dobrowen and Susskind.

Maria Callas and Renato Tebaldi: Oper-atic Arias.

Unicorn(distributed by HNH Records)Barber: Violin Concerto; Knoxville: Summer

of 1915; Music for a Scene from Shelley. R.Thomas, violin; W. Australian SO, Mea-sham.

Miaskovsky: Symphony No. 21. Kabalevsky:Symphony No. 2. New Philharmonia 0,Measham.

Mozart: Serenade, K. 361. Vienna PO WindSoloists, Furtwangler.

Nielsen: Maskarade (sung in Danish). I. Han-sen, Plesner, Landy, Johansen, Serensen,Bastian, Brodersen, Hyldgaard, Klint,Haugland, 0. V. Hansen; Danish Radio,Frandsen.Nielsen: Symphonies Nos. 1, 4, 5. LondonSO, Schmidt (from set).

Schoenberg: Chamber Symphony No. 1. We-bern: Five Pieces, Op. 10. Danish RSO, Hor-enstein. G. Berg: For Piano and Orchestra.B. Berg; Danish RSO, Caridis.

American Songs and Piano Music (by Gersh-win, Copland, Carter, Thomson, Cage). M.and P. Dickinson.

Contrasts in Brass, Vol. 2 (works by Alwyn,Carr, et al.) Locke Brass Consort, Stobart.

VanguardBach: St. Matthew Passion. Ameling,

Hafliger, McDaniel, McCoy, Luzon; Am-brosian Singers, English CO, Somary.

Brahms: Piano Quartets (3). A. Schneider,Trampler, Parnas, S. Brown.

Elgar: Music Makers. Parry: Blest Pair of Si-rens. Baker; London PO, Boult.

Handel: Flute Sonatas. Robison, Cooper.Handel: Theater and Outdoor Music. Cooper.Mozart: Flute Quartets. Robison; Tokyo Qt.Musica Reservata: In Concert.Portrait of P.D.Q. Bach.

VANGUARD TWOFERS Art of Alfred Deller.

VANGUARD CARDINAL SERIES Bloch: String Quartet No. 2. Musical Art

Qt. Cavalli, Monteverdi: Vocal Works. Harper,

Cuenod, English; Bath Festival, Leppard. Chopin: Piano Concerto No. I. Schumann:

Overture, Scherzo, and Finale. R. Lhe-vinne; National 0 Assn. Alumni. Barnett.

Haydn: Piano Sonatas, L. 31-33. C. Rosen. Janacek: Concertino; Youth; In the Mist.

Melos Ensemble.Sibelius: Symphonies (7). Utah SO, Abra-

vanel.

VANGUARD EVERYMAN CLASSICS Beethoven: Creatures of Prometheus. Utah

SO, Abravanel. Beethoven: Egmont. Davrath; Utah SO,

Abravanel. Haydn: Symphonies Nos. 44-49. Zagreb

RSO, Janigro. Mozart: Flute Concertos (2); Andante.

Baker; Solisti di Zagreb, Janigro; ViennaState Opera O. Prohaska.

Saint-Saens: Introduction and Rondocapriccioso. Khachaturian: Violin Con-certo. Elman; Vienna State Opera 0,Golschmann.

Sibelius: Tone Poems. PhilharmonicPromenade 0 of London, Boult.

Alirio Diaz: Classic Spanish Guitar (twodiscs).

48 HIGH FIDELITY MAGAZINE

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Mischa Elman Plays Fritz Kreisler Favor-ites.

HISTORICAL ANTHOLOGY OF MUSIC Mozart: String Quintets, K. 406, 593, 614;

Adagio and Fugue, K. 546. Griller Qt, Prim-rose.

Alfred Deller: Flemish, French, and ItalianMadrigals (two discs).

Alfred Deller: Tavern Songs (Catches andGlees).

Deller Consort: English Madrigal School(two discs).

Helmut Wobisch: Virtuoso Trumpet, Vol2. Solisti di Zagreb, janigro.

Varese InternationalBeethoven: Clarinet/Bassoon Duos, WoO. 27.

Mozart: Bassoon/Cello Sonata, K. 292.Norwegian Chamber Soloists.

Glinka: Trio pathetique. Naumann: Oboe/Bassoon Duet. Reinecke: Trio, Op. 88. Nor-wegian Chamber Soloists.

Mozart: Horn Quintet. Suk: Oboe Trio No. 9.Ravel: Violin Sonata; Serenade grotesque;

Quatre Chansons.Stamitz: Flute Quartet, Op. 14/3. Vanhal:

Oboe Quartet, Op. 7/6. Reicha: Wind Quin-tet, Op. 91/1.

Stockhausen: Kontakte; Refrain. Stock-hausen and ensemble.

Stockhausen: Prozession (1967 version).Stockhausen and ensemble.

Chamber Works for Winds (by Vivaldi,Klughardt, Haydn, Damase). NorwegianChamber Soloists.

Electronic Music and Musique Concrete.Works by Carlos, Cage, Berio, et al.

French Chamber Music for Winds (works byAuric, lbert, Francaix). Norwegian Cham-ber Soloists.

French Music for Horn and Flute. By Gaubert,Chopin, Caplet, Bornet, et al.

Musique Concrete. Works by Schaeffer,Ferrari, Bayle, et al.

Oboe and Bassoon Music. By Schumann,Nielsen, Beethoven. Bordeaux, Ravel, et al.

Trumpet and Organ Music. By Hovhaness,Lindberg, Sommerfeldt, et al.

Trumpet Music. By Hindemith. Savernd, et al.

VOXRachmaninoff: Piano Concerto No. 2. Grieg:

Piano Concerto. List; Westphalian SO.Landau; Stuttgart PO, Kuntzsch.

Tchaikovsky: Piano Concerto No. I. Liszt: Pi-ano Concerto No. 1. List; Vienna Tonklinst-ler 0, Topolski; Stuttgart PO, Kuntzsch.

Marylene Dosse: French Piano Works.

VOX BOXHaydn: Nocturnes; Scherzandos. Piedmont

CO. Harsanyi.Liszt: Piano Works. Rose.G Me ndelsso hn: String Symphonies (12).

Wurttemberg CO, Faerber.Mozart: Serenades. Philharmonia Virtuosi of

N.Y., Kapp.Prokofiev: Concertante Works. Ricci, Varga,

Tacchino; Luxemburg RO, Froment.Rachmaninoff: Piano Works. Ponti, Leo -

nerdy.Schubert: Piano Works. Frankl.G Schumann: Concertante Works. Ricci,

Varga, Lautenbacher, et al. Furst, Cao, Ma-sur, and Landau, cond.

Schumann: Piano Works, Vol. 4. Frankl.G Schumann: Symphonies (4); Manfred

Overture. St. Louis SO, Semkow.America Sings Series (vols. devoted to 20th -

century choral works). Gregg Smith Sing-ers.

GI German Organ Works (vols. devoted topost -Romantic and modern works). Lehrn-dorfer.

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SEPTEMBER 1977 49

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100f ears`36Itcortng

Closing the Gaps in Phonograph HistoriographyA New Edition and a Fresh Addition

Two book reviews by Robert Long

The Fabulous Phonograph, 1877-1977,by Roland Gelatt. 337 pages plusplates. Third edition, Macmillan Pub-lishing Company, Inc. (New York)/Collier Macmillan Publishers (Lon-don); $10.95 hardcover, $6.95 soft-cover.

Were it not that the second edition isseveral years out of print, one wouldassume that most readers of HIGHFIDELITY own-or at least have read-this delightful and important historyof the phonograph industry. In itsown terms, and despite rumors ofother works being readied to cele-brate the current centennial, it re-mains unchallenged.

Not that it is without flaws or with-out companions. From Tin Foil toStereo by Oliver Read and Walter L.Welch (whose second edition was re-viewed in the October 1976 issue) issometimes taken as competition, andpartisans have debated hotly the rela-tive merits of the two books. They are,in fact, entirely different in scale, in-tent, method, and-to a large extent-coverage. R&W deal in technology;Gelatt explores a medium for the dis-semination of musical art and enter-tainment. R&W examine devices inelaborately documented detail; Gelatttells the story of an industry, with thefacts and figures to give it flesh but aminimum of the fussier trappings ofresearch. R&W barely mention music;for Gelatt, music is at once the raisond'être and the apotheosis of thephonograph.

This corner of history, in which cul-ture and enterprise are made partners,is one to which Gelatt seems passion-ately attached. He savors its story inthe telling like an epicure recallingvanished vintages. Yet-and this israre for such specialized histories-hisdiscipline as a raconteur keeps the ba-sic thrust of his narrative always inview: never obscured by waywardanecdote, always judged and bal-anced in its handling of parallel orconflicting developments.

On this point, in particular, therehas been argument on the ground thatEdison's role in the story is brushedaside all too lightly. A Gelatt apologistmight point out that, when the firstedition appeared, a corrective wasrequired by the overweening, pre-emptive shadow that the Edison Leg-end had cast across this subject,among others. Such apology is neces-sary, however, only if one conceivesof the book as a technical history ofthe phonograph-which, again, it isnot. Edison's leadership was techni-cal; for the artistic and business lead-ership to which we owe the presentimportance of the phonograph recordwe-and Gelatt-must look elsewhere.

But the technical elements in hisstory remain the least successful. Theknowledgeable reader must, for ex-ample, exercise some charity when hecomes to the "explanation" of stereo.Neither it nor the one -page expositionof quadriphony (Gelatt prefers "quad-raphony," which is surprising in so lit-erate an author) even hints how mul-tiple channels are captured on disc ina single groove. To him, the means areirrelevant; that it can be done-that itwas done-is enough.

These passages are included in the"new" part of the third edition. Forthe Postscript added in the second,Gelatt has substituted three chapterscovering the introduction of stereo,the rise of rock, the sporadic chal-lenges of tape to disc, and the conver-sion of the phonograph record from aspecialty product to a mass -marketone. The plates have been expanded,there are some changes in the illus-trations within the text, and there aresome rewordings-mostly to correctstatements that have become ana-chronistic, though one change am-plifies (still not entirely successfully;see notes at the end of "RecordingsBefore Edison," HF, January 1977) theknotty matter of Edison's "original"sketches for the phonograph.

It is a sad comment on our timesthat the price of the volume has risen

more than 50% since the second edi-tion, twelve years ago. We can onlywince, consider what the cost will beby the time it reaches the fourth edi-tion (it will; it must), and hurry to buythis one.

A Matter of Records: Fred Gaisbergand the Golden Era of the Gramo-phone, by Jerrold Northrop Moore. 248pages plus 16 pages of plates. Tap -linger (New York), $10.95.

The "master" of His Master's Voicewas, in a sense, Fred Gaisberg. Tiny offrame, unprepossessing ofAmerican in a world used to lookingdown its collective nose, both sociallyand culturally, at Americans, he wasan unlikely candidate for herohood inhis chosen field. But hero he is to any-one for whom phonographic achieve-ment is a route to honor.

I hope I need not recount how hemade his way up from unpromisingbeginnings as a boy, hammering outpiano accompaniments (as "ProfessorGaisberg") for early cylinder record-ings in Washington, D.C.-via a periodas ad hoc assistant to Emile Berliner-to become the world's first a&r man ofnote and the holder of a string of"firsts" that belongs in Guinness: firstto record a genuine opera excerpt(with tenor Ferruccio Giannini); firstto record Caruso, Patti, Chaliapin,and many other opera stars; first tomake worldwide use of the recordinghorn in what we now call ethnomu-sicology; first, and perhaps the last, topublish a really significant memoir ofthe early years of recording (pace JoeBatten).

That memoir appeared in the earlyForties, in England as Music onRecord and in this country as The Mu-sic Goes Round. (One does not won-der that the American title's referenceto a particularly banal popular songof the era was not duplicated abroad.)It was-and is-fascinating, but it also

50 HIGH FIDELITY MAGAZINE

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is very frustrating to the would-bephonographic historian on twocounts. First, Gaisberg was writingmany years after the most importantfacts (albeit with the aid of contempo-rary diaries) and often jumped aboutin time in a way that, while not neces-sarily inappropriate for individualanecdotes or overviews, obscures thesequence of events. Second, he was soconcerned with the phonograph andwith the stars he recorded on it thatthe reader seldom has much of aglimpse of Gaisberg himself, particu-larly the protagonist, as opposed tothe author.

Certain traits do come through. Aman who was nothing if not politic-even slick, when occasion de-manded-Gaisberg obviously had thefinesse to manipulate the great andthe proud without appearing to do so.His love of music and his fascinationwith mechanics both were deep-rooted. But he was, if anything, evenmore fascinated by people. He was in-quisitive, bold, and resourceful. Hewas, to put it succinctly, the right manfor his job.

That he applied these qualities withhumanity as well as flair can only beguessed at in his memoir, whoseshortcomings have, at last, been setright by A Matter of Records. JerroldNorthrop Moore not only knows pho-nographic history (as, among otherthings, a contributor on the subject toGramophone), but he has had accessto Gaisberg's diaries, to other unpub-lished manuscripts, and to survivingmembers of Gaisberg's family.

Rather than write a conventionalthird -person narrative, Moore hashelped Gaisberg to succeed where,left to his own devices, Gaisberg hadfailed: in telling his story with person-ality and a strong sense of organiza-tion. Page after page is taken up morewith direct quotation (often from thememoir itself) than with Moore's con-nective fabric. But the net impressionon the reader is one of having experi-enced these scenes with Gaisberg,rather than-as in the earlier volume-of having listened in while an agingand rather garrulous man reminiscesabout things long past. So successfulis Moore in this that he invites criti-cism on the ground that he did not domore of it. Now that we begin to seewhat sort of man Gaisberg really was,it only whets our appetite; instead ofthis delightful supper, we wish that hecould have served up a banquet. Howungrateful we are!

Nor is A Matter of Records a replace-ment for Gaisberg's own book. De-spite all the quotations, the biographyis so profoundly different in methodthat it drastically rearranges Gais-berg's emphases. While that is some-times to the good (occasional passages

At the opening of the Gramophone Company's new recording studios in Hayes, Middlesex,England, in 1913, Fred Gaisberg (far left) and his brother Will (next to Fred) posed withthe Russian basso Feodor Chaliapin (in his familiar gray top hat) and company officials.

in the original are, for example, littlemore than orgies of name-dropping),something does get lost.

Take the matter of the switch fromBerliner's original etched zinc mastersto the vastly superior wax process.Gaisberg's Chapter 3 is titled "FromZinc to Wax." Typically-and ana-chronistically-he manages to workthe names of Patti, Melba, Caruso,and Paderewski into the first sen-tence. He then goes on, through fre-quent digressions, to end the chapterwith his account of the famous Ca-ruso session in the Grande Hotel, Mi-lan. But the thrust of the chapter isclear: Providence had dropped thewax technique and the great tenorinto Gaisberg's lap almost simulta-neously; only together could the twohave achieved their sudden glory.

Moore, by contrast, is four chaptersand twenty-two pages farther into hisnarrative before he comes to the Ca-ruso story. His account of it-again,largely in Gaisberg's words, but quot-ing from both the published text andthe family cache of manuscripts-makes much more sense of what hap-pened. For one thing, he shows thatGaisberg's negotiations with Carusodid not lead immediately to therecordings. In between, Giisberg re-corded the Sistine Chapel Choir, and,with it, the only castrato (Moreschi)by which modern ears can judge themale soprano voice for which so muchimportant music was once written.

At the final Sistine Chapel session abattery that Gaisberg used (to drivethe lathe?) ignited some cotton woolpacking for the wax masters, whichpanicked the choir and resulted in

burns for the recording crew (consist-ing at minimum of Gaisberg, hisbrother Will, and one of their Italianagents) before the flames werequelled. In a previously unpublishedaside, Gaisberg remarks wryly: "Reu-ter's cabled the incident over theworld, featuring two Americans in-volved in the destruction of the Vati-can by fire." There is no hint of thisRoman sojourn in his published ver-sion of the Caruso episode.

Nor does it include many of the de-tails that Moore quotes from a manu-script entitled I Recorded Caruso.among them, "... Dressed like adandy, twirling a cane, Caruso saun-tered down Via Manzoni and-to thedelight of those worshippers of tenors,the waiters-entered the Grande Hotel... where we were waiting for him," isfar more graphic and colorful than theoriginal volume's "... One sunny af-ternoon Caruso, debonaire and fresh,sauntered into our studio...."

Yet when the account is over,Moore has barely mentioned the ad-vent of wax masters. So it is only bycomparing the two versions that thereader can adequately appreciate ei-ther if his purpose is to come by his-torical understanding. Still, as a nar-rative the Moore is clearly preferable.It is more self-sufficient, more com-plete, and more zestful. Paradox-ically, it also is more representative ofGaisberg; we seem to hear his voice-the voice of a master in this curiousprofession that he created-for thefirst time unburdened of the self-con-sciousness and the faulty techniquethat can muffle some records of eventhe greatest recordist. 0

52 CIRCLE 34 ON READER -SERVICE CARD -9.

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Page 56: HERBIE HANCOCK: NEW PHASE OR FADEOUT? GIIII · 121 Herbie Hancock's Fifth Incarnation Len Lyons 54 Too Hot to Handle 56 News and Views 63 Equipment Reports Crown EQ-2 equalization

My components include a McIntosh tuner -preamplifier, Model MX -112, and a McIntoshamplifier, Model MC -250. Several of the FMstations I like are within twenty-five miles,but one that I particularly like is about 100miles away. For TV reception I use an antennawith an antenna amplifier and a four-waysplitter. I get good reception from TV stationsnear the distant FM station. I would like touse one of my four antenna outputs for mytuner -preamplifier.

The MX -112 has an appreciable voltage(enough to give one a slight jolt) at the an-tenna taps; McIntosh informs me that this isnormal. My antenna installer, however, is ofthe opinion that this may damage the an-tenna components. Is this so?

I believe that with the antenna amplifica-tion I am using, my tuner -preamplifier isbeing overloaded by the local stations, eventhough there does not seem to be any over-load problem with my TV sets. Without thisamplification I cannot receive distant FM sta-tions. Would you please comment on the in-herent capability of my tuner -preamplifier tocope with this overload problem?

Because of the problems I am experi-encing, I am considering replacing my equip-ment (now seven years old). Since my ampli-fier continues to perform well, a replacementfor the MX -112 might be the answer. Alter-natively, I might go to a separate tuner and aseparate preamplifier or replace bothMcIntosh units with a receiver.-Frank A.Weck, Punta Gorda, Fla.It is probably best that you accept the adviceof your antenna installer, who presumablyknows the equipment with which he works.According to McIntosh, the voltage at thetuner's antenna connections can be elimi-nated by simply grounding the chassis of theMX -112. (Sometimes just reversing thepower -line plug will reduce the voltage appre-ciably.) To prevent ground loops, only asingle ground connection should be made.This should protect the antenna compo-nents.

In general, overload of an FM tuner is un-mistakable. The most usual symptom is ap-pearance of a strong station at severalplaces on the dial. If your problem is of thistype and is confined to the FM tuner, an at-tenuator switched into its antenna leadswhen the antenna is aimed at or near astrong station should cure the difficulty. Ifthese are the only factors that are promptingyour consideration of new equipment, wesay that such consideration is premature..

I own a Technics SL -1500 turntable and tonearm. Although the turntable is a state -of -the-art unit, the arm seems too massive for light-

weight tracking with a superior cartridge. Is itpossible to replace the Technics arm with alighter one?-D. L. Fournerat, New Iberia, La.If you want to use a non -Technics tone arm,you will be best off with one of the turntablesthat the company sells without arms. Tech-nics informs us that it knows of no way for aconsumer to replace the arm of the SL -1500.

On the basis of experience we have hadwith this model, we are surprised that you arehaving any difficulty. When we used that armwith the Shure V-15 Type III (a very compliantcartridge), the low -frequency resonance waswell located and well damped (10 Hz, 1'/2 dBrise). However, should you wish to experi-ment with methods of lowering the mass ofthe arm/cartridge system, the following let-ter may be of interest.

I stumbled across something that you mayfind interesting. A local audio dealer recentlyplaced the Sony 8750 turntable on sale. I nowown a 4750 and compared the specs on thetwo to see if the 8750 was worth the $600 dif-ference in price. I found three differences:The 8750 is quartz -controlled and has a car-bon -fiber tone arm and a carbon -fiber head -shell. The carbon shell weighs 2 grams lessthan my shell.

The shell cost only $8.00, so I bought it, in-stalled my Sonus Blue Label cartridge in it,and set it up on my 4750 turntable. The im-provement was overwhelming. I noticed adefinite improvement in separation, tighterbass, and a cleaner top end. I tried the shell ina friend's Technics turntable and got similarresults.

The rest of my system consists of an ESSpreamp, Phase Linear 100B amp, and Speak-erlab 7 speakers. I'm sure that anyone withequipment of this caliber will find the $8.00well spent.-Paul E. Houston, Cincinnati,Ohio.What you have done seems reasonable. The"universal" headshells used by Sony, Tech-nics, and other manufacturers are in fact in-terchangeable, but certain of these compan-ies caution that their headshells have been"fine-tuned" for their particular arms andthat random combinations may not give op-timum results.

I have a pair of Pioneer CS -77 speakers thatwere purchased in 1969. Would installationof acoustic lining into the cabinet be of anybenefit?

Also, a local record store that sells albumsat prices at least $2.00 below those of otherstores seems to have a disproportionate num-ber of warped albums. Do major record labelssell such discs as seconds?-Steve Askew,Kirksville, Mo.

It is likely that adding acoustic lining mate-rial to the enclosures of your Pioneer speak-ers would further damp the bass responseand lower the efficiency of the system. Toevaluate whether these changes would be de-sirable or even tolerable would require de-tailed knowledge of driver and system per-formance-not to mention considerableengineering expertise. If you decide to try thechange, be sure you can return the system toits original condition in case you don't likethe result.

Assuming that the record dealer is usingnormal sources of supply, he does not haveseconds, which are not, to our knowledge,sold by the industry.

I own a Marantz Model 2270 stereo receiverand an old Knight -Kit tuner that incorporatestubes in its construction. While listening toan FM broadcast at 101 MHz on the Marantzand with the Knight -Kit tuned to about 91MHz, I get severely impaired reception fromthe Marantz but the signal strength remainsthe same. The Knight isn't tied in to theMarantz. Can you offer some explanation asto what might be causing this phenomenon,and can it be harmful to the receiver?-M. J.Markovich, Whiting, Ind.The local oscillator of the Knight is probablyradiating (101.7 MHz is a likely operating fre-quency for the tuning you specify) and beingpicked up by the Marantz, which apparentlyconsiders this spurious radiation to be multi -path and acts accordingly. Radio waves can,of course, travel between the units without adirect connection. Unless, for some reason,you want to hear two different FM programsat once, we'd suggest you turn off the Knightwhen listening to the Marantz. The problemis not dangerous-just irritating.

In your June issue I read of someone who hadfeedback problems with a Dual 1229 turn-table. I own a 1229 (used with a Sony STR-6800SD and Bose 501 speakers) and had asimilar problem. I considered the Audio-Tech-nica Insulators but was reluctant to spend$25 more until other methods were explored.I had no success until I came up with thesimple plan of suspending the turntable fromthe ceiling.

A wooden platform, such as a shelf or ta-bletop with an eyebolt at each corner, formsthe support and is connected to eyebolts inthe ceiling by strands of piano wire. (I guessany wire or cord will do.) The hardest part isleveling the support, but once this is donefeedback problems should disappear ut-terly-even when the system is played veryloudly.-C. R. Thacker Sr., Bon Aqua, Tenn.We get the impression that, strictly speaking,your problem was not with the Dual, but thequality of support you were able to provide.Nonetheless, your method appears to haveits virtues. We wonder, however, if a shelf rig-idly connected to a solid wall away from theloudspeakers and with no direct connectionto the floor would not provide equal isolationwith better horizontal stability than yourmethod does. It is possible that the choice ofwire or cord is more critical than you suspectand that you have been lucky. The mass ofthe platform and turntable, together with thespringiness of the suspension wires, form aresonant system that could cause problemsif its characteristic frequency falls in thewrong place.

S4 CIRCLE 25 ON READER -SERVICE CARD

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WHY MOST CRITICS USEMAXELL TAPE TO EVALUATE

TAPE RECORDERS.Any critic who wants to

do a completely fair andimpartial test of a tape re-ccrder is very fussy aboutthe tape he uses.

Beccuse a flowed tapeccn lead to some very mis-leDdinc results

A tape that can't coverthe full audio soectrumccn keep a recorder f-omever reaching its fullpotential.

A tape that's noisymakes t hard to measurehow quiet the recorder is.

A tape that doesn'thave a wide enough biaslatitude can make youquestion the bias settings.

And a tape that doesn'-sound consistently thesame, from end to end,from tape to tape, canmake you question thestability of the electronics.

If a cassette or 8 -trackjams, it can suggest somenasty, but erroneous com-ments about the drivemechanism.

And if a cassette or8 -track introduces wowand flutter, it's apt to pro-duce some test results thatanyone can argue with.

Fortunately, we testMaxell cassette,8-track andreel-to-reel tape to makesure it doesn't have the

minims!1111111111111111111 11111,

problems tnat plague othertapes.

So its not suro-ising thatmost critics end up with ourtape in their tare recorders.

It's one way to gucran-tee the equipment will geta fair hearing.

MAXELL. THE TAPE THAT'S TOO GOOD FOR MOST EQUIPMENTO West Coy Aa 'Ocx.tritichit.

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Digits on the IvoriesIt evidently represented the dream of a lifetime. Joe Tu-shinsky-collector extraordinaire of piano rolls, one of thefew musicians among today's chief executives in the audioindustry (Superscope, Inc.), son of a musician (NBC Sym-phony, among other things), and the original U.S. im-porter of Sony tape equipment-unveiled the Pianocorderin Chicago's Playboy Mansion with a relish we doubt HughHefner himself could have summoned up even for a Ma -non or a Cleopatra. Under the beaming eye of its benefac-tor, the Pianocorder, a small cassette deck plus a longblack box that mates with the keyboard, sat down at theconcert grand and played Paderewski's reading of theChopin Military Polonaise. It then proceeded to reproducethe pianism of an amateur to whose playing it had beenprivy only the day before. Fifty years after its demise as amechanical marvel, the player piano was back as a digitalelectromechanical one-with some significant new twists.

At the Pianocorder's commercial introduction, sched-uled for early 1978, there will be two home versions: onewith the separate "box" (or Vorsetzer, similar to the piano -playing mechanism that Welte and others offered in theearly years of the century) to be placed over the keyboard,one with all the mechanics-a series of solenoids, one foreach note and two for the pedals-built into the piano. Ei-ther can be attached to anything from the family upright tothe grandest of grands. The built-in version (which will cost$1,250) includes two-way mechanics: Digital recordingscan be made, as well as played, on the piano. The "box"version ($1,500), since it is not permanently affixed to thekeyboard, will record only with additional attachments.

Both work in conjunction with a cassette transport (at-tached beneath the upper end of the keyboard), operatingat 33/4 ips-a speed that can be varied by ± 20% to altertempo without affecting pitch or other musical properties.(Remember, the recordings are digitally encoded "cues"for the various solenoids, not conventional analogue re-cordings.) With C-90 cassettes, the longest Superscoperecommends with the Pianocorder, playing time thereforeruns up to 22'/2 minutes per side.

Installation plus a library of 100 cassettes will be in-cluded in the purchase price of the Pianocorder. Tushinskyis planning to transfer his entire library-more than15,000 piano rolls-to Pianocorder tapes. Thus Schnabelor Hofmann or Rachmaninoff or Gershwin will be able toplay your own piano, "live" in your living room. In addition,Superscope plans a major recording project built aroundtoday's pianists, using very sophisticated, precise MasterRecording Pianos. (Imagine: Glenn Gould might play Bachon your Steinway with no grunted obbligato!)

Presumably the sophistication of the Master RecordingPianos will be proof against further development in thehome models. For example, the home models control dy-namics on an instant -by -instant basis, treating the lowerand upper halves of the keyboard independently (follow.ing the model of the finest piano -roll players). Keys playedsimultaneously in either half, however, are reproduced at asingle volume level, which may be at any one of thirty-twosteps in its dynamic range. The Master model, by contrast,

keeps a record of the force with which each individual noteis played, no matter how many are played simultaneously;it thus is capable of preserving dynamic subtleties that arebeyond the reproduction capabilities of the present homemodels.

This suggests that future home models may answer thequestions we raised when experimenting with the pro-totype, which seemed somewhat limited in dynamic rangeby comparison to, say, the live performances of a Horowitzand which offered no gradations of pedaling-only on andoff. But this was a prototype, and an exciting one. Asidefrom the ability to let pianists of any era play "live" at anytime (and we hear rumors of a project to digitalize fromconventional recordings as well as piano rolls), and thatof making your own instant "piano rolls," the advantagesto students are obvious. Most important, however, this isthe first electrical recording scheme we know of that iswithout any waveform distortion, noise, or wow and flutter:our dynamic and pedaling qualms aside, perfect fidelity.

FM Quad and the FCCThe FCC has voted to hold a public inquiry into the feasi-bility of setting a standard for quadriphonic broadcasting.Readers interested in seeing a standard set should writeto: Docket 21310, Federal Communications Commission,1919 M St. N.W., Washington, D.C. 20554. Letters mustbe received by September 15, 1977. Though CBS has pe-titioned the FCC on behalf of its SQ system and the Na-tional Quadriphonic Radio Committee of the EIA has putforward its discrete system for consideration, two others,H -Matrix and Sansui's QS, will be evaluated by the Com-mission as well.

IHfExec DirectorNamed

U.S. Pioneer's Bernie Mitchell, president of the Instituteof High Fidelity, has announced the appointment ofRobert L. Gur-Arie as executive director of the IHF. Gur-Arie most recently was director of marketing programsand trade shows for the International Council of ShoppingCenters and has been associated with the trade industryfor seventeen years. At a luncheon at the summer Con-sumer Electronics Show, Mitchell officially introducedGur-Arie to members of the audio industry.

56 HIGH FIDELITY MAGAZINE

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NIKKOMDIOFOR THOSE WHO

TAKE THEIRSTEREO SERIOUSLY

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AStriking Change in a FamiliarNameA pretty picture -Seven new AM/FMstereo receivers.

However, there is more than meets theeye. The proof is in the sound.Each Nikko Audio receiver hos AM/FMtuner, amplifier and preamplifier

sectionswith advanced circuitry to keep signalscrisp, clean, strong and steady. Eachreceiver is built to providemaximum relia-bility and dependability, too.Take the NR 1415 for example. It's averitable powerhouse -175 watts perchannel (minimum RMS) both channelsdriven with an amazingly low THD of0.045% at a rated power bandwidth of

15Hz to 20kHz into 8 ohms.Among the features of the NR 1415 oreNikko's own dual VU meters, two phonoinputs, auxiliary, tope and adapter inputsmic mixing, normal and narrow IF bandswitching, triple tone controls, LED functionindicator lights with circuit protection indi-cator, audio muting and three speakerswitching

The excitement continues through theline clear down to the NR 315, a superbefficient unit that's an ideal basic receiverfor a smallstereo system, with 10 wattsminimum RMS per channel, both channelsdriven into 8 ohms (40Hz to 20kHz), with

no more than 0.08% THD.In addition to providingsufficient cleanpower, all Nikko

receivers hove circuitrythat includes PLL multiplexing,quadraturedetectors and phase -linear ceramic filters.So whether you wont a big, powerful'top -of -the-line receiver or a small depend-able unit for casual enjoyment -or something in between with the right featuresand the correct amount of power -checkout the seven new Nikko

Audio receivers.The face of Nikko hos changed, but itsreputation for performance continues. Inthe meantime, if you're interested in 'pro-fessional components- read on.

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In a Class by ThemselvesThe Nikko Audio professional group ofstereo power amplifiers, preamps andremarkable new FM thin -line tuner oretruly in a class by themselves.

The Alpha I basic power amplifier andBeta I all FET preamplifier are classics ofpower and operational ease. Althoughthey hove been available for only o fewmonths, they have already garnered"rove comments from critics and con-sumers alike.

Following in this tradition is the newAlpha II power amp with o continuouspower output of 110 worts* per channel,with no more than 0.00% THD: it even hos

o variable VU meter control for matchingspeaker efficiency. The matching Beta II

preomp hos four inputs, subsonic filteraudio muting, and extremely low THD andsignal-to-noise ratio.

The "rock -steady" Alpha V "Class A" lob -oratory standard amplifier is shown inmatte black. It delivers 100 watts* perchannel, with no more than 0.06% TI -IDPerformance is so pure that the Alpha Vis the touchstone by which all other ampli-fiers will be tested.

The matching Beta V high voltage ETpreamp, atop the Alpha V, is the last wo-din performance and reliability It features

3 -position mode switching, 5 -tope posi-tion controls, adjustable impedance/capacitance controls and subsonic filter.THD is a low 0.01% at 1 volt.

Rounding out the expanded profes-sional I ne is the thin -line Gamma I FMtuner. Its accuracy (1 8mV usable sensitiv-ity) and features like IF bold selectivity,enchance o product virtually unmatchedby any other manufacturer.

The professional group from NikkoAudio-each product crafted to providethe utmost in performance and reliability.

*Minimum RMS, per channel, driven into8 ohms from 20Hz to 20kHz.

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Mdi 111.

iy Or

I

tw

Nikko's Mix and Match Components The separate components series from

Nikko Audio features two well -designed tuners and three integrated amps. New

this year is the NA 550 integrated ampli- fier with 45 watts* per channel with less

than 0.05% THD. Also new in the Nikko line is the NA 850

with 60 watts* per channel, and less than 0.05% THD. Both the NA 550 and NA 850

integrated amps hove myriad features like responsive VU meters with variable

control 5 -position tope control switch (for dubbing) speaker protection circuitry. and

Nikko s exclusive circuit breakers. The NA 850 also features a subsonic filter and

tone defeat. The TRM 750 integrated amp. like oil

Nikko products, is a superb performer, from its quality features to its built-in reliability.

The TRM 750 delivers 55 watts* per chan- nel, and no more than 0.15% THD.

Nikko's NT 850 AM/FM tuner is uncannily quiet and station grabbing. Normal and

narrow IF circuitry provide high selectivity and low distortion while a front mounted

multipath switch aids in reducing noise. Last, but not least, is the FAM 450 AM/

FM tuner. It's an established performer with excellent specifications and a typically

modest Nikko price. Now that you've read about our excit-

ing receivers, professional products and components, write to us for complete

product information and the name of a

Nikko Audio dealer near you. Once you hove seen and heard Nikko

Audio products, we think you'll make this

your year of Nikko. *Minimum RMS per channel, both chan-

nels driven into 8 ohms from 20Hz to 20kHz.

Nikko Audio For those who take their stereo seriously

Nikko Electric Corp. of America 16270 Roymer St., Von Nuys, Calif. 91406

(213) 988-0105(c)Nikko Audio, 1977

In Canada Superior Electronics. Monrreol. Quebec

Page 63: HERBIE HANCOCK: NEW PHASE OR FADEOUT? GIIII · 121 Herbie Hancock's Fifth Incarnation Len Lyons 54 Too Hot to Handle 56 News and Views 63 Equipment Reports Crown EQ-2 equalization

HiFi-Crostic No. 28 by William Petersen

tit- N 3 R 4 M 5 Z 6 S 7 H 6 0 9 F 10 V 11 N T2 L 13

X 14 G 15 T 16 A 17 R 18 1 19 F 20 0 21 Z 22 E 23 X 24 I 25 J 26 U 27

N 28 R 29 K 30 P 31 W 32 0 33 F 34 R 35 L 36 V 37 Y 38 N 39 X 40 P 41

Z 42 N 43 R 44 A 45 X 46 V 47 NI 48 G 49 R 50 0 51 V 52 T nx 54

W 55 A 56 G 57 L 58 N 59 S 60 Z 61 0 62 C 63 R 64 J 65 V 66 I 67 X S

V 69 N 70 S 71 Z 72 A 73 P 74 H 75 R 76 T 77 V 78 0 79 D 80

N 81 U 82 M 83 X 84 V 85 Z 86 L 97 A 88 R 89 I 90 V 91 0 92 Z 93 N 94

C 95 X 96 T 97 V 98 B 99 0 100 E 101 C 102 G 103 N 104 Z 1135 D 106 G 1C7 R 109

Y 109 K 110 N 111 I 112 R 113 V 114 V 115 A 116 Z 117 G 118 X 119 R 120

0 121 1.1 122 1' 123 X 124 P 125 U 126 G 127 F 128 J 129 N 130 S 131 C 132 Z 133

o 134 N 135 T 136 E 137 R 138 S4 139 X 140 K 141 Y 142 B 143 C 144 W 145 I 146 0 147

A 148 Z 149 X 150 G 151 J 152 H 153 A 154 N 155 V 156 M 157 Z 158 0 1;9

C 160 T 161 W 162 U 163 G 164 R 165 S 166 N 167 Z 168 V 169 R 170 L 171 I 172

U 173 C 174 F 175 X 176 N 177 R 178 B 179 Z 180 G 181 E 182 V 183 H 184 K 1E6 U 185

M 187 A 188 N 189 R 190 M 191 C 192 T 193 S 194 H 195 X 196 G 197 N 196 L 199

R 200 V 201 V 202 D 203 2 204 R 205 E 206 X 207 N 208 0 209 T 210 P 211 V 212

DIRECTIONSTo solve these puzzles-and theyaren't as tough as they first seem -supply as many of the Output wordsas you can in the numbered dashesfollowing the Input. Unless otherwisespecified in the Input, the Output con-sists of one English word. "Comp."means compound, or hyphenated,word.

Transfer each letter to the squarein the diagram that bears the corre-sponding number. After only a fewcorrect guesses you should begin tosee words and phrases emerging inthe diagram, which when filled in willcontain a quotation related to music,recordings, or audio.

The words in the quotation areseparated by darkened squares anddo not necessarily end at the end ofa row.

Try to guess at these words andtransfer each newly decoded letterback to its appropriate dash in theOutput. This will supply you withfurther clues.

A final clue. The source of thequotation - the author and his work- will be spelled out by the first lettersin Output, reading down

The answer to HiFF-Crostic No. 28will appear in next month's issue ofHIGH FIDEUTY.

INPUT OUTPUT INPUT OUTPUT

A English composer (b1942) African Sanctus re-corded by Philips

17 88 116 45 154 73 188 56P Liszt symphony

0 Stringed instrument

41

147

125

121

211

92

74

33

31

159 51 134 100B. Groove 143 179 99

C. Leonard Bernstein's 1944musical (3 wds.) 144 2 102 132 174 95 160 192

63

R. Handel's Chandos An-them No. 2 (7 wds.) 205 89 178 120 35

62

170

9

18

79

190

D. James Fenimore Cooper'sHarvey Birch

80 106 203 138 50 76 148 29 200 4

E. Device to adjust an or-gan's volume

206 137 101 23 182 165 113 44 64 108

S. Edison, jazz 60 166 71 7 131 194F. Variations by D'Indy 10 175 20 128 34 trumpeter

G. Blues singer and guitarist(full professional name) 197 57 15 118 107 151 181 49

T Of a musical passage. hur-ried, agitated (It.)

77 161 123 193 16 97 210 53

127 164 103 136

H. Country of Aida's pre-miere 195 75 184 8 153

U. Popular songwriter I'mm the Mood ior Love 27 126 163 82 173 186

I. Of a performance. uneven.poorly rehearsed

67 112 146 25 172 90 V. The Duke 37 183 202 85 11 98 69 169

115d'Archambeau 152 65 26 129

(1879-1955). Belgian cel- W. German composerlist. member of Stradi-varius Quartet

(1739-96) piano sonatasrecorded by Orion

55 145 32 162

K Enormous 30 110 141 185 X. Nielsen's Fourth Sym-phony

96 150 68 196 14 46 176 119

*L Popular ensemble *Des-

perado ' recorded by Asy-lum

199 58 87 171 13 3654 1 207 84 140 124 24

M Tchaikovsky ballet (2wds)

83 139 5 157 122 48 191 187

V. Amsterdam rail

40

a 52 156 38 47 201 78 212 91N. See Word Z (3 wds.) 177 104 39 70 208 135 155 3

66 142 19 114 10994 130 12 189 43 81 167

Z. With Word N., successor 22 105 133 180 117 168 42 86

O. Pay particular attention tothis (abbr.)

209 21

111 28 198 59 to the Songwriters Protec-tive Association (3 wds.)

158 93 149 6 204 61 72

Solution to last month's HIFI CrostIc appears on page 8.

SIT I 1977 61

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dfr. S he_x7pEP ENO4

real thing-±1

"Phono-cartridge perfor-mance has come a long wayin recent years, as can bejudged from the 2000Z's mea-sured frequency response. In-cluding the effect of arm reso-nance in a typical tone arm,and combining the measure-ments from a couple of rec-ords, the response couldhonestly be described as ± 1dB from 15 to 20,000 Hz.This is comparable to the flat-ness of most amplifiers, es-pecially if the tone controlsc:11111nt be bypassed:.

StereoReview

"Finally the light dawned:This is a neutral cartridge -it's supposed to sound thatway. The highs are not sub-dued: they are just smooth,rather than peaky and shrill.Instrumental timbres are re-produced in fine detail, butwithout being artificiallypointed up. Thus one is ableto hear soft inner voices andpastel shadings that are allbut obscured by the bravuraof some of the competition.

"The Empire 2000Z is trulyimpressive. It is well worthauditioning, even though thatcan't be done in a hurry ifyou are to hear - and savorits quality."

FILITY

10

I - IS

-20

-25

3520Hz

"The Empire 2000Z offersextremely smooth response inthe audible range and, evenat the light tracking force(1.0 grams) at which our lis-tening tests were conducted,never failed to track thegrooves of even our mostdynamically recorded musicaltest passages. Highs weresilky smooth, never 'edgy' orraspy and there was not evena hint of 'peakiness' in theimportant 12,000 to 16,000Hz range where so manyother pickups often add dis-tinct and easily identifiablecoloration:'

Radio -

Electronics

30 40 50Hz Hz Hz

100Hz

500Hz MHz

Requeney 14. (cycles On second)

20

"Frequency response wasamong the smoothest we haveever recorded for a stereocartridge and actually did notdeviate more than the plusor minus 1 dB specified overthe entire audio spectrum.Resonance has been pushedway out beyond the audiorange and we suspect thatsome of the stylus engineer-ing developed for Empire'sCD -4 (4000 series) cartridgeshas been brought to bear inthis design to accomplish thatfeat"

audiotradenews

In the graph frequency response was measured using the CBS 100 lest Record, which sweeps from 20-20,000 I lz. The vertical (rackingforce was set at one gram. Nominal system capacitance was calibrated to be 300 picofarads and the standard 47K ohm resistance wasmaintained throughout testing. The upper curves represent the frequency response of the right ( black land left (grey) channels. The distancebetween the upper and lower curves represents separation between the channels in decibels. The inset oscilloscope photo exhibits thecartridge's response to a recorded 1000 Hz square wave indicating its resonant and transient response.

For more information on the Empire 2000Z. and our free brochure "How to Get the Most Out of YourRecords:' write: Empire Scientific Corp., Department -171 dB. 1055 Stewart Avenue. Garden Ci(y. N.Y. 11530.

62CIRCLE 12 ON READER -SERVICE CARD Iiit.rt r wri M ,\/I\1

EIVPIFE

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A CONSUMER'S GUIDE

CH I l)

TREBLE TURNOVER

TREBLE LEVEL

OCTAVE -BAND LEVELS

BASS LEVEL 111111:1111:111

BASS TURNOVER

OCTAVE -BAND CENTER FRED S

MI 11111111111

EO IN/OUT

TONE/FLAT

11111111

AC POWER

-Ea IN/OU;TONE/FLA1

Preparation supervised byRobert Long, Harold A. Rodgers,

and Edward J. FosterLaboratory data (unless otherwise noted)

supplied by CBS Technology Center

CH .2 CONTROLS

Crown's "Synergistic" Equalizer

The Equipment: Crown EQ-2 equalization system in metalcase. Dimensions: 19 by 71/2 inches (front panel, including2 inches for rack -mount "ears"); 14 inches deep plusclearance for controls and connections. Price: $995; op-tional Model 7RD wood enclosure, $65. Warranty: "full,"three years parts and labor. Manufacturer: Crown Inter-national, 1718 W. Mishawaka Rd., Elkhart, Ind. 46514.

Comment: The Crown EQ2 provides a novel approach totruly effective room and speaker equalization. It is aneleven -band equalizer with a nominal center every octavefrom 20 Hz to 20 kHz. The filters are one-half octave wide(rather than the more common full octave), and the centerfrequency of each filter is separately adjustable over arange approaching one octave. This delivers finer controlover individual portions of the band and less interactionbetween the filters than one usually gets in such a unit.Each slider provides up to 15 dB of boost or cut (adjustedwith a calibrated, switched attenuator) at its center fre-quency. For even finer resolution, the two channels of theEQ-2 can be interconnected on the rear panel to produce a

TREBLE TURNOVER

TREBLE LEVEL

OCTAVE -BAND LEVELS

BASS LEVEL

BASS TURNOVER

OCTAVE -BAND CENTER FREO.S

twenty -two -band mono equalizer.In addition to the individual equalizer sections, the sys-

tem incorporates shelving -type bass and treble tone con-trols (with slopes of 6 dB per octave) for each of the stereochannels. The inclusion of these controls in the samepackage with the equalizer gives rise to the "synergistic"description of the Crown EQ-2. Each of the tone controlscan be set for up to 20 dB of boost or cut on the shelf, andthe turnover point of each is continuously adjustable: be-tween 180 and 1,800 Hz for the bass controls, between 1and 10 kHz for the treble.

REPORT POLICY Equipment iepods are based on laboratory measurementsand cont,olled listening tests Unless otherwrse noted, test data and measurements areobtained by CBS Technology Center. Stamford. Connecticut. a division of Columbia Broad-casting System. Inc.. one of the nation s leading research organizations. The choice ofequipment to be tested rests with the editors of HIGH FIDELITY Manufacturers are notpermitted to reed reports in advance of publication. and no report, or portion thereof.may be reproduced for any purpose or in any form without written permission of thepublisher. All reports should be construed as applying to the specific sampies tested:neither HIGH FIDELITy nor CBS Technology Center assumes responsibiiity for productperformance or quality

SEPTEMBER 1977 63

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Front -panel LEDs (one per channel) flash whenever anoverload condition occurs at any of four critical points inthe circuitry. Either a unity or a 10 -dB gain can be selectedby a rear -panel switch, with additional screwdriver adjust-ments for finer settings. Both unbalanced (pin) and bal-anced (phone) inputs and outputs are provided to inter-face with either audiophile or professional gear. Thegraphic equalizer and tone control circuits can be sepa-rately bypassed on each channel for A/B comparison ofequalized with unequalized sound.

There should be no difficulty whatsoever interfacing theCrown with other equipment. Output clipping does not oc-cur below the 10 volt level, and even then total harmonicdistortion is minuscule. At 2.5 volts output-all we'd everexpect to need-the highest level of THD is on the order of0.005%. In a worst case test, with the 40 Hz control setflat and all others fully boosted. THD jumps all the way to0.006%; clearly there's no need to worry here. Inter -modulation distortion is a mere 0.002%.

One point on which we are adamant: An equalizer mustchange only what it is told to change; it must have no mindof its own. Here the Crown rates superlatives. Frequencyresponse is flat from 10 Hz to beyond 40 kHz-and only 1/2dB down at 100 kHz! When it is set for flat response, wefind no audible difference when the EQ-2 is switched inand out of the system. The CBS data show that the avail.able boost and cut are just as claimed and that the calibra-tion of the tone control turnover points is reasonably accu-rate. Adjusting the center of an octave band to an extremeof its frequency range, however, diminishes its boost or cutrange by 3 to 4 dB.

The essence of an equalizer is elusive. Unlike most com-ponents. it is expected to change the signal passingthrough it in a fairly radical way. We put the EQ-2 throughits paces taking the rough edges off a speaker-a relativelyflat one, at that-in our listening room. Using a sound -levelmeter. set up at our normal listening position, and theCrown Equalization Test Record provided with the EQ-2,we plotted the response of one of the speakers on thegraph paper (also included). Over-all, the response waswithin ±6'/2 dB from 25 Hz to 12.5 kHz. exhibiting a verygradual slope above 2.5 kHz and a more rapid drop above10 kHz. On the low end, the response sloped off graduallybelow 150 Hz with relative standing -wave peaks at 40 and80 Hz and a trough in between. There was a slight (3 -dB)prominence at 1 kHz.

As a first corrective measure. we used the bass tone control to bring up the low end. We set the bass turnover aslow as we could (180 Hz) and cranked the extreme low endup by about 10 dB. The average low end was now even withthe midband, but the standing wave pattern was stillapparent and the high end still sloped off. This brought usto within ±3 dB from 23 Hz to 4 kHz. We next set the filterswitches as follows. -4 dB at 40 Hz. + 2 dB at 80 Hz, -3 dBat 160 Hz. 0 dB at 320 and 640 Hz, -3 dB at 1.25 kHz. + 1dB at 2.5 kHz, and +4 dB at 5 kHz. We shifted the 10 kHzfilter down a bit in frequency and set it for + 4 dB. Then wemoved the frequency of the 20 -kHz filter down throughabout half of its range and set it for +3 dB. (We concurwith Crown's observation that realistic evocation of a lis-tening position part way back in a concert hall requires aresponse that slopes off somewhat above 9 kHz.)

We were then within ±2'/2 dB from 24 Hz to 9'/2 kHz,and the appearance of the curve was much smoother,. Still,there was a slight dip in the 63 Hz region. a prominence at80 Hz. and another at 4 kHz. We moved the 80 Hz filterdown to the 60 Hz area and cut its boost from + 2 to + 1.Then we moved the 5 kHz filter out toward 10 kHz and cutits boost from +4 to +3 A final check indicated that we

0.01

0.007

0.005

0.003

-0.002

)11-1 0.001

Square wave response

HARMONIC DISTORTION CURVES(for 2.5 volts output)

Left channel: <0.0051%, 20 Hz to 20 kHzRight channel: <0.0050%, 20 Hz to 20 kHz

EQ 2

20 50 100 200 500 1K 2K 5K 10K 20K

FREQUENCY IN HZ

were within ± 1'/2 dB from 24 Hz to 9.5 kHz with the desired rolloff above that point. We repeated our procedureon the other channel.

The results were extremely gratifying Although the system gave little cause for complaint before equalization. theimprovement in bass response was outstanding Therewas no sign of boom or -mushy" bass-just utter realismin the reproduction of bass drum, organ. bass viol. andsuch. The improvement in the high end was less obvious.but there was a definite increase in clarity. and it was easierto distinguish between instruments, no doubt because ofthe more accurate reproduction of each instrument'sspectrum.

We hesitate to say that the Crown EQ-2 is a panacea. butwe could not have achieved the results we did with an ordinary graphic equalizer. (We couldn't have done without thesound -level meter either, but Crown dealers who carry theEQ-2 can make one available for setup.) Had our speakers'response really been ragged. it's doubtful we would havehad a final outcome quite as good. And. without a speakerthat can take the extra power in the boost regions withoutdistorting. and an amplifier that can deliver that power. wewould have been stymied.

Note that we were not able to extend the bandpass ofthe speaker very far below its natural rolloff point, for thisis just where a woofer-any woofer-begins to run out ofpower -handling capacity. The EQ.2 will not make a tinybookshelf job sound like a disco monster: to try to make itdo so can send a driver to an early demise It also can getyou into trouble with rumble (for which a subsonic filtermay be useful in any case).

Interestingly. we find that we listen to the equalized systern at a lower sound pressure level than we had prior toequalization. Evidently. we had a tendency to crank up thevolume to make the bass more audible. Equalized. there'sno need to do so-and this probably helps us with respectto rumble as well.

CIRCLE 135 ON READER -SERVICE CARD

64 Huai f-ini 1 11

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PROTECTION PILOT

AC POWER

L CH. LEVEL R CH LEVEL

METER RANGE 00/X0.1/X0.01)

A Superb Amplifier from Sansui

The Equipment: Sansui BA -2000 power amplifier in metalcase. Dimensions: 181/4 by 61/4 inches (front panel); 15inches deep plus clearance for controls and connections.Price: $850. Warranty: "limited," two years parts andlabor. Manufacturer: Sansui Electric Co., Japan; U.S. dis-tributor: Sansui Electronics Corp., 55.11 Queens Blvd.,Woodside, N.Y. 11377.

Comment: Power amps are rarely birds of beauty. Theyhave few (or no) controls to engross the eye and just sitthere as unadorned hulks of potential power waiting to beunleashed into your speakers. Sansui's BA -2000 certainlycreates the visual image of latent energy-an image accen-tuated by the eerie green glow emanating from its large(31/2 -inch) output meters.

Dual scales, calibrated in watts and dB, indicate the ef-fective power being delivered to an 8 -ohm load. Calibra-tions run from a low of 0.05 watt (-13 dBW) to the rated110 watts (201/2 dBW), with levels above that shown in red.The corresponding dB range runs from -34 to + 3 with thezero reference at 110 watts. A set of three buttons controlsthe meter sensitivity in 10:1 steps, giving effective calibra-tion down to 0.0005 watt (-33 dBW).

The front panel also holds a dual -color POWER PROTECTORindicator, which glows red for a few seconds after thepower is applied-or whenever the internal protective cir-cuitry is activated. In normal operation the color is a com-forting green. A pair of pin -type input jacks, one set ofspring -loaded speaker outputs (accepting bared or tinnedwires), a fuse, and a ground plug make up the rear panelcomplement.

Readers occasionally appear to consider lab data a sub-stitute for critical listening. This hardly is the case. Equip-ment-particularly an amplifier-that fares poorly in thelaboratory almost invariably reveals its imperfections inthe listening room if you know what to listen for. Indeed,that is one of the major reasons for conducting technicaltests. But occasionally critical listening tests do show upsonic imperfections that were not uncovered in the labora-tory-a good reason for audition. The human ear and braintogether are a marvelous critical tool. We may react to

subtle differences in sound character without ever beingable to put our finger on just what they are.

As for the Sansui BA -2000, the data from CBS Tech-nology Center reveal extraordinarily fine performance. Thedistortion components at any power level are practicallynonexistent. It is hard to imagine how any human couldhear 0.003% THD-harmonics some 90 dB below the fun-damental. The noise floor is even further down, at some110 dB below full output, or barely over a billionth of awatt. The frequency response is virtually ruler -flat overwhat is generally considered to be the range of humanhearing: a mere 'A dB down at 20 Hz and 20 kHz and only11/2 dB down at 100 kHz. The square -wave response ap-proaches perfection, which testifies to excellent phaselinearity, and the damping factor is sufficiently high; tohave it higher would be to gild the lily (and perhaps to in-crease the transient intermodulation).

Clearly, the Sansui BA -2000 is about as close to the idealas one can measure. Do these technological "virtues"show up in listening? You bet they do! This amplifier is ut-terly clean, transparent, and quiet. It just isn't there. As faras we can tell, it is like an optically perfect magnifying lens.The lower registers are extremely tight-indicating goodspeaker damping-while the transient response is ex -

Square -wave response

SI l' I I iii i14 1977 65

Page 68: HERBIE HANCOCK: NEW PHASE OR FADEOUT? GIIII · 121 Herbie Hancock's Fifth Incarnation Len Lyons 54 Too Hot to Handle 56 News and Views 63 Equipment Reports Crown EQ-2 equalization

traordinary. To what can we attribute this sonic excel-lence? The Sansui literature would lead us to believe that itis the three -stage Darlington -configuration output stage,driven by a high -gain, high -slew -rate front end using a two -transistor "current mirror." Well, perhaps. Frankly, wedon't care: The excellence is there.

CIRCLE 133 ON READER -SERVICE CARD

0.20

0.1

0.07

0.05

0 0.030.1

HARMONIC DISTORTION CURVES0.07

(17,

0.02

0.050.01

L6I0.03 f'd, 0.007

0.02 a.0.005

,m 0.0030.01

20.007 ...-- , 0.002

'-,j, 0.-------...,005---- --- --'i.,_

------------ '10 003------- ---:.----- '-"-

0.002201/2 DOW (110 WATTS) OUTPUT

Left channel: <0.0225%, 20 Hz to 20 kHz

0.001 Right channel: <0.0260%, 20 Hz to 20 kHz10 DOW (10 WATTS) OUTPUT- Left channel: <0.015%, 20 Hz to 20 kHz- Right channel: <0.015%, 20 Hz to 20 kHz

0.05

0.03

0.02

0.01

0.007 ---------0.005

1/2 DOW (1.1 WATT) OUTPUTLeft channel: <0.010%, 20 Hz to 20 kHz

0.003 Right channel: <0.011%, 20 Hz to 20 kHz

0.002

0.0012050 100 200 500 1K 2K

FREQUENCY IN HZ

BA -2000 (1)

5K 10K 20K

3

OUTPUT IN DBW

7 10 13 17 20 23 27 30

INTERMODULATION CURVES

8 -ohm load: <0.031%to 21 dOW (123 watts)4 -ohm load: <0.145%to 2244 dBW (190 watts)16 -ohm load: <0.0016%from 0 dOW (1 watt)to 191/4 dBW (82 watts)

-------

-JBA -2000 (2)

2 5 10 20 50 100 200 500 1K

OUTPUT IN WATTS

Sansui BA -2000 Amp Additional Data

Power output at clipping (channels driven simultaneously)L ch 201/4 dBW (120 watts) for 0.25% THDR ch 201/4 dBW (122 watts) for 0.27% THD

Frequency response + 0, -1/4 dB, 10 Hz to 25 kHz

Input characteristics (for rated output at full gain)Sensitivity Noise S/N ratio

1 V -891/2 dBW 110 dB

Damping factor at 1 kHz 67

One of Satin's Super Pickups

The Equipment: Satin M- 18X moving -coil phono cartridge.Price: $240. Warranty: "limited," one year parts and la-bor. Manufacturer: Satin Corp. of Japan; U.S. distributor:Osawa & Co. (U.S.A.), Inc., 521 Fifth Ave., New York, N.Y.10017.

Comment: When we reviewed our first Satin cartridge, theAA -1 1 7X (November 1976), and became acquainted withthe "new breed" of moving -coil designs, we were a bit sur-prised and curious on learning that Satin has an even moresophisticated series of cartridges with still higher prices.(These new -breed designs have solved most of the prob-lems traditionally associated with moving -coil pickups-

with the exception of price, which is still up there.) TheM -18X, which feeds a normal phono input directly, is thenext -to -top member of this super -series and has an im-proved electromechanical assembly and a replaceable Shi-bata stylus.

One characteristic of Satin cartridges that tends to dis-tinguish them from similar competing designs is their un-usually low range of tracking forces. The M- 18X is rated at0.5 to 1.5 grams, which the data from CBS labs show to bejust a trifle optimistic. On the basis of the "obstaclecourse" test, we would call 1 gram, -0.1, +0.5 gram, amore realistic rating. The lab was able to carry out the bal-ance of the test at 1.0 gram-low enough for any practical

66 HIGH FIDELITY MAGAZINE

Page 69: HERBIE HANCOCK: NEW PHASE OR FADEOUT? GIIII · 121 Herbie Hancock's Fifth Incarnation Len Lyons 54 Too Hot to Handle 56 News and Views 63 Equipment Reports Crown EQ-2 equalization

necessity and extremely low for a moving -coil cartridge.Somehow, the physical parameters responsible for the

extraordinary sound of moving -coil designs continue toelude detection by laboratory instruments, for, while themeasurements of the Satin M -18X are nothing to sneezeat, they are not at all unusual. Second harmonic distortionis a little better than average, and IM distortion, somewhatsurprisingly, measures higher than in the M -117X. Fre-quency response is commendably flat through the mid-range, shelving downward by 1 dB between 30 and 40 Hzand showing evidence of a high -frequency peak thatreaches +6 dB at 20 kHz. Since this peak apparently re-sults from the mass of the stylus tip resonating with thecompliance of the disc vinyl, its measure depends also onthe test disc and is somewhat equivocal. As we shall see, itcan be dealt with rather easily.

Interchannel crosstalk is low enough that the effect ofthe M -18X on the separation of program material is negli-gible. From one end of the audio band to the other, separa-tion is on the order of 20 dB or better. The low -frequencyresonance in the SME arm is 7.7 Hz, which is unusually lowfor a moving -coil pickup and indicative of high compliancein the cantilever suspension. It also suggests that the car-tridge will perform best with a fairly light tone arm. In thetracking -level tests, the maximum levels were negotiatedwithout difficulty. The stylus tip, which meets the disc at a19 -degree angle, is excellent in polish, shape, and ori-entation. Output voltage is a bit on the low side but wellwithin the range of normal preamps; channel balance isexcellent.

We began our listening tests a bit skeptically, wonderingwhat possible difference this unit could make in the soundof a system in order to justify its price. But the differencesare there, even if they are subtle. The reputed clarity ofmoving -coil cartridges is here taken for granted ratherthan flaunted, resulting in a sound that is extremelysmooth -satin, if you will. This is done without sacrificingdetails; it is simply that they are not given undue emphasiseither.

If the over-all smoothness is disturbed in any way, it is bya slight high -frequency overemphasis that lurks in thebackground like the subliminal leer of a Cheshire cat. It isto the credit of the Satin that this is disturbing at all; theinherent roughness of most cartridges usually obscures aneffect of this type. Best of all, however, when the cartridgeis played through the Satin damping adapter (available forabout $25), the brightness seems rather benevolent.

The adapter contains a switched network that loads thecartridge with 100 ohms per channel, reducing output byabout 21/2 dB (which is easily spared) and significantly re-ducing the excess brightness. Once again the lab data tendto becloud the issue, for even when loaded with 30 ohmsper channel the pickup shows no frequency -response dif-ference that would account for the improved sound. Be-yond the obvious effect on the highs, the damping makesthe smoothness of the midrange yet more apparent, prob-ably through the attenuation of spurious components thattend to mask that region. It would overstate the case to saythat the pickup needs the damping, but to pay a premiumprice and give up any smidgen of performance for thewant of an inexpensive accessory seems like false econ-omy to us.

Clearly, the M -18X will appeal chiefly to perfectionistswho have equipment capable of preserving the improve-ment that the pickup makes. And without a doubt, itmakes an improvement. Whether the difference is worththe cost is an individual decision. For us the cartridgemakes music sound just beautiful.

CIRCLE 131 ON READER -SERVICE CARD

1 KHZ

+10

+5

0

-5 Left chennel: +3, -1 dB, 20 lb to 13 kHzal -10 Right channel: +3, -1 dI3, 20 Hz to 12.5 kHz

Lo -15z -20% CHANNEL SEPARATION

a3-25

- 30

-35 Left channel: >20 d3, 20 Hz to &5 kHzRight channel: >20 dB, 24 Hz to 16 kHz M -18X

20 50 100 200 500 I K 2K 5K 10K 20K

FREQUENCY IN HZ

Square -wave response

FREQUENCY RESPONSE

Satin M -18X Cartridge Additional Data

Maximum tracking levels (1 gram VTF: re RIAA 0 VU)300 Hz +12 dB1 kHz + 6 dB10-20 kHz >-5 dB

Output per cm/sec of groove velocity (at 1 kHz)0.362 mV

Channel balance (at 1 kHz) approx. 1/4 dB

Manufacturer's Comment

We invite rebuttal from those who producethe equipment we review. The comments printedhere are culled from those responses.

Jennings Research Vector I (June 1977): Your observationsascribing the exceptional stereo imaging to the fact that theloudspeaker is linear phase coherent are correct, but an in-depth look can provide insights as to why.

The woofer and tweeter are aligned so that, from the front,their acoustic position in space is the same. This allows identi-cal arrival times from both drivers. Ordinary cabinet diffrac-tions can, in most cases, cause additional late signal arrivals.i.e., the diffracted signal reaches the listener sometime afterthe original signal, which causes poor stereo imaging. Byplacing the high -frequency driver in a shallow well of acousti-cally absorbent foam, we mirimize such cabinet diffractions.

ROBERT YOUNG

Director of EngineeringJennings Research, Inc.

SEPTEN114FR 1977 67

Page 70: HERBIE HANCOCK: NEW PHASE OR FADEOUT? GIIII · 121 Herbie Hancock's Fifth Incarnation Len Lyons 54 Too Hot to Handle 56 News and Views 63 Equipment Reports Crown EQ-2 equalization

AC/SPEAKERS

(POWER OFF/A/

SPKRS. OFF/

B/A+B)

HEADPHONES

BASS

TREBLE

BALANCE

MONO/STER 0

TAPE MONITORS

SELECT,-

FILTERS.

HIGH

LOW

LOUDNESS

FM MUTING

A "Separate -Looking" Receiver from Toshiba

The Equipment: Toshiba SA -420 stereo FM /AM receiver inwood case. Dimensions: 193/4 by 6'/4 inches (front panel);14 inches deep plus clearance for controls and connec-tions. Price: $250. Warranty: "limited," two years partsand labor. Manufacturer: Tokyo Shibaura Electric Co.,Ltd., Japan; U.S. distributor: Toshiba America, Inc., 280Park Ave., New York, N.Y. 10017.

Comment: The Toshiba SA -420 gives the appearance of alow -profile FM tuner perched comfortably atop an inte-grated amplifier of similar dimensions, the two sharing abrushed -gold styling of sophisticated luxury. But a quickpeek through the vent in the top of the case dispels the vi-sion: Inside is a receiver of fairly standard construction. Inproviding such a showy exterior for a relatively low-pricedreceiver, Toshiba has added a decided plus. Is too muchperformance traded away to achieve it? As the lab datashow, some compromises have been made, and your ap-preciation of the total package will depend to some extenton how excited you can get over a pretty face.

Toshiba recently revised the power rating of the SA -420upward from 13 to 14 dBW (20 to 25 watts). The data sup-plied to the CBS Technology Center gave the lower rating,which therefore was used as the basis for testing. Totalharmonic distortion data taken 1 dB below the new "fulloutput" plus the intermodulation data suggest jointly thatthis receiver will indeed produce its rated power without ex-cess distortion.

The damping factor of 27, which is somewhat low, isequivalent to an output impedance of 0.3 ohm at 1 kHzwith an 8 -ohm load. Speaker designers usually assumethat amplifiers have negligible output impedance, and thisvalue, while small, is enough to affect the behavior of atleast some woofers. The most accurate results will prob-ably be had by using the Toshiba to drive a somewhat over -damped speaker system to which it is connected by heavy -gauge wire-though the screw -type speaker terminals onthe back panel appear to be engineered with lighter -gaugewire in mind. (Similar terminals are used for antenna con-nections: 300 -ohm and 75 -ohm FM, long-wire AM. Thesingle back -panel AC outlet is not switched by the POWER/SPEAKERS knob.)

With a signal-to-noise ratio equivalent to 791/2 dB re anominal 10 -millivolt input, the phono section displays per-formance that is unusually good in a receiver of this class.

The overload point, 150 millivolts at 1 kHz, is perfectly ade-quate. The RIAA equalization departs from flat by 1 to 11/2dB in our test sample, which does seem to color the sounda bit, although some of the slightly tubby midbass (roughly100 to 700 Hz) that we heard in our listening tests prob-ably can be attributed to the low damping factor inter-acting with our speakers.

The control section sports a solid array of features, in-cluding dual tape monitors with dubbing capability in onedirection. The characteristics of the tone controls seemquite reasonable, and the maximum treble boost seemsintentionally limited to avoid stability problems at high andultrasonic frequencies. (Oddly, Toshiba has seen fit tomount the balance control next to the tone controls ratherthan near the VOLUME, where it would seem to belong.) Fil-ter slopes (at 6 dB per octave) are not as steep as some,but they are modestly effective. The loudness responseseems well judged. The POWER switch is forced to sharea knob with the speaker selector, which means thatthe "A" output terminals (to which most users would con-nect their main speakers) are on line as soon as the unit isturned on-of no consequence unless the switch is flippedon, then off, then on again. That sequence will sock thespeakers with an appreciable pulse of energy.

The tuner section is, in its design and manufacture,complementary to the other functional blocks. As withmost FM sections these days, its 30 -dB quieting point iswithin a few dB of the theoretical minimum. The curvesslope impressively from there, reaching 50 dB of noise qui-eting at just beyond 13 dBf in mono and at 38 dBf instereo. At levels of 65 dBf and above, there is evidence ofrising distortion, suggesting that the front end might ben-efit from the use of an antenna attenuator in really strong -signal areas.

Of the remaining tuner specifications, capture ratio andtotal harmonic distortion can be characterized as excel-lent; alternate -channel selectivity is adequate for most sig-nal environments. Suppression of the 19 -kHz stereo pilot(and 38 -kHz subcarrier) is not a strong point, so the filterprovided in Doloy-equipped cassette decks should be usedwhen recording off the air. The frequency response has ob-vious departures from flat, resulting in a sound that isquite acceptable but not particularly accurate. Separationis adequate or better all across the band.

Though the styling makes a promise the electronics do

68 HIGH FIDELITY MAGAZINE

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INPUT IN MICROVOLTS

0 55 1.7 5 5 17 55 170 550 1.7K 5.5K 17K 55K

0

-20

FM SENSITIVITY & QUIETING CHARACTERISTICS

MONO SENSITIVITY

(for 30 dB quieting)II dBf (1.9 NV) at 90 MHz10% dBf (I.8 Nn at 98 MHz101/2 dB1 (1.8 Nn at 106 MHz

i= -30 STEREO SENSITIVITYcc

(for 30 d8 quieting)17 d8f (3.9 pV) at90, 98, & 106 MHz

U,6 -40oa

CL-) -50

-60

-700 10 20 30 40 50 60

INPUT IN DBF

MONO NOISE & DISTORTION-30 dB for 101/2 d8f

STEREO NOISE & DISTORTION-30 dB for 17 dBf

-- STEREO NOISE ONLY.

-50 dB for 38 dBf

1.0

0.7

0.5

0.3

0.2

0.1

0.07

0.05

0 03

0.02

0.01

8

05

MONO NOISE ONLY:-50-50 dB for 13% def

STEREO S/N RATIO. 62 dB --I SA.420m

70 80 90 100

HARMONIC DISTORTION CURVES

-----------

13 DBW (20 WATTS) OUTPUT

Left channel: <0.195%. 20 Hz to 20 kHzRight channel: <0210%. 20 Hz to 20 kHz

10 DBW (10 WATTS) OUTPUT

Left channel: <0.160%. 20 Hz to 20 kHzRight channel: <0.145%. 20 Hz to 20 kHz

0.3

02_____________________

0]__

0.07

0 05

-7 DBW (0.2 WATT) OUTPUT

0.03 Left channel: <0.130%. 20 Hz to 20 kHzRight channel .TO 165%. 20 Hz to 20 kHz

0.02

0.01

SA420 (3)

20 50 100 200 500 1K 2K 5K 10K 20K

FREQUENCY IN HZ

01.0

3

0.7

0.5

03

0.2

gng 0.07

'it 0.05

LT, 0.03

0.02

0.01

OUTPUT IN DBW

7 10 13 17 20

INTERMODULATION CURVES

23 27 30

&ohm load: <0.38% to 1551 del', (32 watts)4 -ohm load: <0.37% to 1231 dBW (19 watts)16 -ohm load, <0.30% to 13% dBW (22.5 watts)

SA -420M

1 2 5 10 20 50 100 200 500 1K

OUTPUT IN WATTS

not quite redeem, this is not at all a bad receiver. It represents far better value than most of what is available on thecompact market, for example. It is not as good as it mighthave been, given the resourcefulness of Toshiba's engineers-but that is judging by what they have accomplishedon an obviously limited budget.

cillculuomimmumcEomo

wawa

4Toshiba SA -420 Receiver Additional Data

Capture ratio

Tuner Section

1 1 dB

Alternate -channel selectivity 61 dB

S/N ratio (mono. for 65 dBf) 70 dB

THD Mono L ch R ch80 Hz 0 30% 041% 041%1 kHz 0 22% 0 38% 040%10 kHz 0 24% 0 44% 0 46%

IM distortion 0 27%

19 -kHz pilot -401/2 dB

38 -kHz subcarrier -30 dB

Frequency responsemonoL ch

ch

+21/2. -1'/7 dB. 20 Hz to 15 kHz+21/2. -1'// dB. 20 Hz to 15 kHz+2, -21/2 dB. 20 Hz to 15 kHz

Channel separation >35 dB. 230 Hz to 5 kHz>25 dB. 25 Hz to 15 kHz

Amplifier Section

Power output at clipping (channels driven simultaneously)L ch 15 dBW (31 watts) for 0 60% THDR ch 15 dBW (32 watts) for 0 65% THD

Frequency response 92 dB. 30 Hz to 20 kHz±1'/. dB, 10 Hz to 50 kHz

RIAA equalization + 11/2. -2 dB. 20 Hz to 20 kHz± 1 dB. 30 Hz to 15 kHz

Input characteristics (for 20 watts at full gain)Se,sitivity Noise S/N ratio

phono 2 8 mV -55 dBW 68 dBaux 160 mV -69 dBW 82 dBtape 1. 2 160 mV -69 dBW 82 dB

Phono overload (clipping point) 150 mV at 1 kHz

Damping factor at 1 kHz 27

High filter -3 dB at 7 kHz. 6 dB/ oct

Low filter -3 dB at 75 Hz. 6 dB/oct

Sirl-FN1RF111977 69

Page 72: HERBIE HANCOCK: NEW PHASE OR FADEOUT? GIIII · 121 Herbie Hancock's Fifth Incarnation Len Lyons 54 Too Hot to Handle 56 News and Views 63 Equipment Reports Crown EQ-2 equalization

Ditton 66: A Sweet -Sounding Speaker

The Equipment: Celestion Ditton 66 loudspeaker system inwood cabinet. Dimensions: 40 by 15 inches (front panel),111/4 inches deep. Price: $499.50 each (sold in pairs only).Warranty: "limited," five years parts and labor. Manufac-turer: Celestion Industries, Ltd., England; U.S. distributor:Celestion Industries, Inc., P.O. Box 521, Holliston, Mass.01716.

Comment: As an eminent engineer once commented:"Don't confuse me with the facts. Does it sound good?" If"good" be "musical," the Celestion Ditton 66 does soundgood, at least to our ears. It is an eminently sweet, cleanspeaker with a rich, warm bass and an extended (but notbrash) treble. Driven with sufficient power, it will produce aprodigious sound level-especially in the lower depths-and do it cleanly, as tests at CBS Technology Center bearwitness.

Although the efficiency of the Ditton 66 is about 31/2 dBbelow what we have come to consider average-CBS re-ports an on -axis sound pressure level of 833/4 dB at 1 meterfrom a 0-dBW noise input, 250 Hz to 6 kHz-it is an easyspeaker to drive. The impedance curve is relatively smoothand well contained. Except for a 22.5 -ohm peak at reso-nance (49 Hz), the load stays between 4 and 10.5 ohmsthroughout the audio band. We rate the impedance as 4.6ohms (the minimum reached just above resonance), butover the important midrange the curve averages about 2ohms higher: low, but not so low as to be dangerous.

Power is the staff of life for the Ditton, which easily han-dles a full 20 dBW (100 watts) at 300 Hz, producing a veryhigh 108 dB SPL at 1 meter with a mere 2.3% combinedsecond and third harmonic content. On a pulsed basis, theDitton 66 swallowed the full drive capability of the lab'spower amp without signs of overload, producing a whop-ping 116'/2 dB SPL. At more reasonable levels-say, 85 dBand below-distortion is less than 0.3% for 80 -Hz signalsand less than 0.4% at 300 Hz. Even at 95 dB SPL, 80 -Hzdistortion is less than 0.4%; at 300 Hz, the harmonic con-tent is less than 0.8%. In short, it is one of the cleanesthigh-level bass reproducers we've come across.

Measurements in the anechoic chamber indicate anover-all average omnidirectional response within ±6 dBfrom 40 Hz to 16 kHz except for a trough in the octave cen-tered on 4 kHz. (In that region the level is 10 dB belownominal.) Below 48 Hz the response falls off rapidly: at

about 18 dB per octave. (The Ditton 66 uses a 12 -inchwoofer and 12 inch flat passive radiator in its tuned -cabi-net design.) But there is another way to interpret the data.The response in the "fundamental" region between 50and 800 Hz is quite uniform (within ±4 dB), as is that inthe "overtone" region between 2.5 and 16 kHz (within±2'/2 dB). Between the two areas the curves shelve off sothat the overtone region averages, perhaps, about 9 dB be-low the fundamental region. This interpretation corre-sponds more closely to what our ears tell us is happening.

Triangles, bells, and such, which have their energy con-centrated almost exclusively at the higher frequencies, arereproduced very well, albeit perhaps not quite in perfectloudness balance with the rest of the orchestra. In listen-ing tests, the reduced relative high -end response shows upmainly as a lack of sparkle and a transient response that,though fairly good, is not up to the best we've heard. Onthe other hand, that same characteristic lends a sweetnessto the sound that is quite appealing. There is no trace ofharshness or hiss, and yet the highs are indeed there-right out to at least 16 kHz.

There are no controls for the midrange or tweeter, soequalizing the system comes down to touchups with thepreamp's tone controls. We found that a slight boost in thetreble helps to restore the sparkle to the high end and im-proves the apparent transient response. A slight cut in thebass also helps the balance, but we achieved a greater im-provement by moving the speakers away from reflectingwalls and out irto the room.

The dispersion of the midrange and tweeter is especiallygood. They are both mounted high enough above the floorto clear typical furniture, so a good fraction of the soundyou hear is the so-called "direct wave." This probablyhelps create the outstanding stereo imagery of the Dittonsystem. The image has excellent depth and width, andwith a good disc it is hard to tell that the sound is emanat-ing from the speaker itself. Very satisfying.

Although a 17-dBW (50 watts per channel) amp will pro-duce a sound level that will satisfy most listeners, the Dit-ton 66s will easily handle much more. When suitablydriven, we expect they are capable of producing realisticlistening levels in even the largest rooms. One caution,however: At subsonic frequencies, generated by recordwarps and lead-in grooves, the woofer and drone cone mo-tion become quite violent-to the point of introducingchirps into the sound. So to get the low -distortion perform-ance of which the system is capable, a subsonic filter is amust, especially if you're using a powerful amp.

The speaker projects its personality into the music, butthat personality is restrained-even a little somber and se-rious. If warmth and sweetness of sound are, for you,among the cardinal musical virtues, you will probably enjoythe Ditton 66.

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V-15 Type Ill . . . critics coiled theType III the finest cartridge everwhen it was introduced. The ulti-mate test, however, hos beentime. The V -15's engineering inno-vations, the uniform quality, andsuperb performance remain unsur-passed by any other cartridge onthe market today. 3/4 to 1-1/4gram tracking force.

M75ED Type 2 . . . excellent rrack-ability at a lesser price. The M75EDType 2 features o built-in snop-down stylus guard and a smooth20 to 20,000 Hz frequency re-sponse. 3/4 to 1-1/2 gram trackingforce.

M24H . . . the cartridge tha- doesnot compromise stereo reproduc-tion to odd four -channel capability.Superb stereo trockobility andquadriphonic carrier signal retrieval.New hyperbolic stylus tip, highenergy magnet, and low -losslaminated electromagnetic struc-ture. 1 to 1-1/2 gram tracking force.

M7011 . . the easiest way to up-grade your hi-fi stereo system with-out straining your budget. Dosicollyflat response is comparable toother brand cartridges costing twiceos much. 1-1/2 to 3 gram trackingforce.

M95ED . . second only to theV-15 Type III in stereo reproduction.A thinner, uninterrupted pole pieceminimizes magnetic losses. Its 20 to20,000 Hz response remains essen-tially flat across the entire frequencyrange for excellent sound quality.3/4 to 1-1/2 gram tracking force.

M3D . . . the original famous ShureStereo Dynetie Cartridge. The M3Dprovides extremely musical andtransparent sound of a rock bottomprice. 3 to 6 gram tracking force.

The People's Choice -World-wide.From Singapore to London to New York, Shure hi-fi pickup cartridges outsell every other brand - according to independentsurveys. And for good reason: Shure cartridges, no matter where they're purchased, ore guaranteed to meet the exactingpublished specifications that hove made them the Critics Choice in every price category.

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by Norman Eisenberg

h Fdeliyfhfirdcrs

The Men Who Made an Industry

ALEXANDER M. PONIATOFFSixteenth in a series

REGARDLESS OF WHAT you may haveheard, neither the amplifier nor theampere had anything to do with thenaming of the Ampex Corporation.Rather, the name was coined by Alex-ander M. Poniatoff, who combined hisown initials with ex to symbolize thephilosophy of excellence behind hisproducts.

When he founded Ampex, Ponia-toff was fifty-two and far removedfrom his beginnings in Russia. He hadbeen educated in mechanical andelectrical engineering in his home-land. Further studies in Karlsruhewere interrupted when the Russiansdeclared war on Germany in 1914; af-ter managing to get back home, he sawaction as a pilot. In 1920, as the civilwar drew to a close, he left Russia per-manently.

For a time he worked in Shanghaidesigning electrical power stations,and finally he came to the U.S., land-ing in San Francisco in 1927. He hadbeen given a $2,000 bonus by theShanghai Power Company for his fiveyears of service, and he considered us-ing the nest egg to go into farming. But,disenchanted by the economic condi-tions of grape growers and other farm-ers in the area, Poniatoff decided in-stead to spend his money on a tour ofthe country.

The tour ended in Schenectady,New York, where-armed with a letterof introduction to General Electric-he was hired by GE as an engineer. Ayear later, by then with two patents inhis name, he was assigned as projectengineer on the development of a newtype of circuit breaker. Hesitant be-cause the job seemed too difficult forhim, he asked his department headwhy he had been chosen rather thansomeone with more experience. Hewas told, "Experienced engineers al-

Poniatoff (r.) in a recent photo with Harold Lindsay and an Ampex 200

ready know that it cannot be done.You are not smart enough yet to knowit is impossible." And Poniatoff pro-ceeded to prove that the project waspossible.

In 1930, ready to return to the WestCoast, he joined the Pacific Gas andElectric Company. His real interestwas in the development of new prod-ucts, but the Great Depression madebudgets for research and develop-ment sparse. Then, in 1940, he met Ir-ving Moseley, who ran Dalmo Victor,a company developing small electricalappliances. Heartened by Moseley'sattitude, Poniatoff went to work forhim-offering his first three months'service without pay. He succeeded inimproving the company's permanent -

wave machine by eliminating its in-terference with the air waves andmaking its hair waves more perma-nent. This earned him another patentand additional income.

When Dalmo Victor lost a patentsuit over an electric razor it had mar-keted, it cut back on its developmentalwork to reduce expenses, and Ponia-toff left. He served brief stints withPacific Gas again and with West-inghouse in Sunnyvale, but in 1942 hewas invited to return to Dalmo Victor.The company had received a wartimecontract to develop Navy airborne ra-dar scanners. A prototype had to beready in a hundred days. This was thekind of challenge he liked. "The proj-ect group went without shaving fordays," he recalls. "The working hourswere from 7 in the morning until 11 atnight."

Moseley suggested that Poniatoffform his own manufacturing com-pany to supply the hard -to -find so-phisticated motors and generatorsneeded for the radar system. And soon November 1, 1944, the Ampex Elec-

tric and Manufacturing Companystarted operations in an abandonedfurniture loft above the Dalmo Victorplant in San Carlos. Ampex thriveduntil, at the war's end, the Navy can-celed all of its contracts. Despite ad-vice to dissolve the company, Ponia-toff kept it together and found a majorcustomer for high -quality motors tobe used in furnaces.

What happened soon after repre-sents one of those historical con-fluences that prompt ruminationsabout fate. Poniatoff, a longtime clas-sical music lover, was growing inter-ested in the possibility of developingand manufacturing amplifiers andspeakers. His enthusiasm for high fi-delity sound was shared by one of hisstaff members, G. Forrest Smith, andthe smoldering interest was fannedinto flame by a young engineer namedJack Mullin.

At the end of World War II, Mullin,a Signal Corps officer, discovered aMagnetophon tape recorder (made byTelefunken) in an occupied Germanradio station. He managed to trans-port two of the recorders home, and in1946 he demonstrated one at a meetingof the Institute of Radio Engineers inSan Francisco, his home town. [See"Creating the Craft of Tape Record-ing" by Mullin, HF, April 1976.]Present at the meeting was a friend ofSmith's, engineer Harold Lindsay ofDalmo Victor, who was fascinated bythe tape machine. The two men dis-cussed, rather dreamily, the potentialof the device.

By the end of the year Lindsay hadbeen hired by Poniatoff; his assign-ment was to design a magnetic headfor an Ampex tape recorder. Mullinhimself was working with a former of-ficer, Colonel Richard Ranger, whoalso had brought a Magnetophon back

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from Europe and had decided to pro-duce his own recorders. Despite theseeming competition, there was an ob-vious pooling of technical talents.Mullin was not available to work forAmpex, but when Lindsay had fin-ished his new tape head it was testedon Mullin's Magnetophon.

The head worked perfectly, andPoniatoff and Ampex were in thetape -recorder business. Lindsay wasput in charge of designing the firstrecorder, the Model 200. Early set-backs included financial as well astechnical problems and a good deal ofskepticism about the whole idea. Am-pex seemed to be living on borrowedtime and bank loans.

Then an unexpected challengecame from Bing Crosby, whose half-hour radio show was, in 1947, losingits formerly high Hooper rating. Anal-ysis of the problem traced the fault tothe poor quality of the disc transcrip-tions used on the air and pieced to-gether from an hour's studio work.And Crosby refused to do a live pro-gram. To get a smoothly edited,cleanly spliced, high quality show, heordered twenty Ampex recorders (at$4,000 each).

From then on, Ampex' star rosesteadily as it extended its influenceand that of the tape medium. TheModel 200 was superseded by theModel 300, whose design configura-tions became the NAB standard. Thedisc -recording industry underwent aprofound change; within five yearsediting and the LP had supplantedendless recuts of wax -mastered 78s,and consumer versions of tape equip-ment were produced.

Poniatoff presided over the com-pany until 1955, when he becamechairman of the board. He went intofull retirement only seven years ago.He lives with his wife, Helen, in thehome he designed himself-consultingwith and receiving approval fromFrank Lloyd Wright.

His early interest in agriculture be-came a favorite pastime, and thePoniatoffs have conducted serious ex-periments with soil conditioning toimprove the nutritional value of thefruits and vegetables they grow. As acontributor to technological advancehimself, Poniatoff recognizes and ap-preciates its benefits, but he is equallyconcerned about its adverse effects.His focus has been on preventivemedicine. He has been involved inmany organizations-among them theFoundation for Nutrition and StressResearch, which he sponsored-de-voted to the study of ways of living ashealthfully as one can in an increas-ingly unhealthful environment. Theman who insisted on quality of prod-uct also insists on quality of life. 0

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CIRCLE 11 ON READER -SERVICE CARD

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CIRCLE 27 ON READER -SERVICE CARD

SI P II SHIER 1977 71

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Audio '78Bigger and Better- and Then Some

More powerful amps and receivers, more efficient speakers. lowernoise and distortion in electronics and tape equipment- these are among

the current prospects and promises of the audio industry.

by Harold A. Rodgers and Robert Long

THE FALL OF 1977 and beginning of 1978 are shap-ing up as periods of evolution more than revolu-tion in high fidelity gear. While last year's equip-ment has not been rendered obsolete, the softerglint that characterizes this year's new offerings isnot to be squinted at. Continued increase in valuefor the dollar at the middle and lower price pointsrepresents a real and worthy gain for the buyer,and the year is not altogether without glamor.

Perhaps the keynote of the season was strucklast spring when Yamaha announced that its newline would offer improved performance in somerespects (not that its previous line was any slouch)at significantly reduced prices. Pioneer and othershad made similar announcements, but Yamaha'sintentionally limited distribution ("selected deal-ers" is the advertising term) makes it something ofa specialty line and creates the expectation ofwhat the British call "pricey goods." Its reductionstherefore are all the more dramatic. Similarly,companies like Technics and Sansui have been in-troducing perfectionist -fringe superunits at sur-prisingly modest prices. And the features and per-formance of $200 cassette decks from Aiwa,Hitachi, and others often outdo those of $300 "pro-fessional" decks of only two or three years ago. Awelcome trend-perhaps the most welcome of thetrends discerned in the industry's spring and sum-mer announcements and at the Chicago ConsumerElectronics Show in June, and reported on here-with.

Electronics

Better semiconductor devices and integrated cir-cuit "op amps"-operational amplifiers'-opti-mized for use in audio circuits rather than ana-logue computers are becoming available, givingthe engineer more flexibility than ever before. Yet,while circuits are getting better all the time, thepace of improvement seems staid and deliberate.Also, since the problems under attack are gener-ally of limited scope and well defined, there islittle in the way of long-term trends.

There are, however, what could be called mini -

trends. These arise when one problem capturesthe imagination of a sizable fraction of the engi-neering community or when marketing considera-tions-"XYZ got his distortion down anothercouple of tenths; we'd better try to beat that"-putsimilar constraints on many manufacturers at thesame time. Most often these problems are readilysolved and not heard about again, which suggestsfaddishness and instills in some observers a bored"what will it he this year?" attitude.

A view as jaundiced as this is not really justifiedby the facts. however. For a large percentage ofnew developments in electronics become stand-ard despite the suggestion of ephemerality createdby their brief time in the spotlight. It would seem

'An operational amplifier is a device originally developed for use in analogue com-puters. It can he connected (yid feedback) so that its gain is equal to the ratio of twoimpedances. and thus can be used as an audio gain stage.

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I .61

that once everyone in the industry knows how todo something right, no one wants to say muchabout it anymore. And maybe that is as it shouldbe.

Preamplifiers

In the eighteen months or so since Tomlinson Hol-man (then of Advent Corporation) established thata phono cartridge can interact with its load in anundesirable way, especially if the load varies non -linearly with frequency (as it does in many phonostages), the question "Do your pickup and phonostage love each other?" has been at least implicitlyasked in most literature describing preamps. Somenew designs, like the BGW 203, feature dazzlinglyinnovative circuitry, while others, like the Haflerpreamplifier (yes, Dave Hafler of Dynaco and Or-tofon fame), use more conventional circuitry thathas been exhaustively tested, often by very sophis-ticated methods. Hafler, whose preamps areamong the few available as a kit, has also takenpains to minimize IM distortion of ultrasonic sig-nals. whose products may nonetheless contami-nate the audio band.

But if a prize for preamp razzle-dazzle is to beawarded for 1977, the Crown DL -2 SynergisticsSeries Controller seems the likely winner. Crown'sengineers approached its design with a blank sheetof paper. They have put the phono stage in an out-board module that can be located near the turn-table (to eliminate the routing of the cartridge out-put through long cables) and have housed thepower supply in a case separate from that of theamplification and control circuitry. Digital switch-ing and readout, apart from their basic utility, adda space-age touch to the total package.

The new Jennings preamp also uses solid-stateswitching that is triggered (rather than accom-plished) by the front -panel knobs and buttons. Inits auto -select mode it plays FM unless and until asignal appears at another input, in which case itplays the source in which a signal appeared mostrecently, reverting to FM when that input has had no signal for approximately 30 seconds. The plug-in phono section currently is available in two ver-sions, for conventional pickups and moving -coilmodels, respectively; other versions are projectedwhen available cartridges dictate special needs.

Pioneer, apparently making a fresh commitmentto meticulously engineered separates with itsSeries Twenty, uses a low -interaction, high -gainphono stage in the C-21, the preamp of the series.The load impedance is adjustable to suit a varietyof cartridges, including moving -coil types. (Thegain is sufficient for all but those with flea -poweroutputs.) Sharing the "back -to -basics" approachof the rest of the series, the preamp has relativelyfew inputs and outputs, but a companion switch-ing unit, the U-24, can expand these to a numberthat will satisfy almost anyone.

Mitsubishi, a relative newcomer to the U.S. au-dio marketplace, uses a differential amp input inthe phono stage of the DA -P10 preamp, as do manyJapanese manufacturers in their better designs.The stable input impedance of this configurationshould help to terminate the phono cartridge prop-erly. More prominently, however, this unit, whichbears a retail price that belies its sophistication,features dual monaural construction (two inde-pendent mono preamps on a single chassis) withits attendant benefit of low crosstalk.

The Harman-Kardon Citation 17s is designed tointerface well with cartridges and to hold RIAAequalization to unusually low tolerances. Whilelow- and high -cut filters have been included in thisnew model, the company's traditional concernwith wide bandwidth remains in evidence. TheModel 17 is similar but, like its predecessor, the Ci-tation 11, incorporates a five -band graphic equal-izer. (The 17s has no tone controls at all.)

Since bringing the cartridge -interface problemto light, Tom Holman has left Advent and joinedApt Corporation, a new Boston -area manufac-turer. His first project has been, naturally enough,a preamp incorporating a good many of his some-what unorthodox ideas. Besides offering thepickup a highly accurate termination, the phonostage is able to accommodate a pre-preamp mod-ule (to be offered later) for moving -coil cartridges.The bass control can be switched to provide accu-rate loudness contours based on the work of thelate Harvard professor S. S. Stevens; to preventtransient intermodulation, high -frequency re-sponse has been rolled off at 40 kHz.

12

10

9

8

L

4

7

1

3

5

6

NEW EQUIPMENT ON OUR COVER

1) Koss Pro 4/AAA headset; 2) Jennings preamp; 3) MarantzDS -940 speaker; 4) Technics SL -1000 Mk. II turntable; 5) AkaiMM -62 mixer; 6) Crown DL -2 Synergistics Series Controller;7) Rotel RB-5000 amplifier; 8) Yamaha CA -2010 amplifier; 9)U.S. Pioneer RT-707 open -reel deck; 10) Powered AdventLoudspeaker; 11) Lux R-1050 tuner/amplifier (receiver); 12)ADC LMF-2 tone arm.

SEPTEMBER 1977 75

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New preamps range from the simple and familiar (by DavidHafler. founder of Dynaco) to the complex and exotic (a

digital control center from Setton, based in France)

Other specialty manufacturers have not beenidle. Hegeman Laboratories is following up the In-put Probe, its first effort to isolate a cartridge froman undesirable load, with a new preamp. The unitwill use an external power supply and passiveRIAA equalization. Like the new Harman-Kardon.the Hegeman eschews tone controls. An advancedpreamp of aerospace -style construction fromAnalog Engineering Associates, the Model 520.features circuitry designed with computer aid forminimum transient distortion, which the companyhas developed sophisticated means for measuring.

Similar in appearance to the C-1000 preampfrom Luxman, the new C-1010 also offers com-parable performance while dispensing with only afew convenience features. As the leading advocateof vacuum tubes in high-performance audioequipment. Lux has added a vacuum -tubepreamp, Model CL -32. whose specs are said to becomparable with those of the company's solid-state units.

The Model 10 preamp from Dunlap Clarke in-cludes a high -gain phono section for moving -coilphono cartridges, although it can be ordered with-out this feature at a moderate saving in cost. Thenew model shares the "bulletproof" design andconstruction for which Dunlap Clarke'sDreadnought series of power amplifiers is noted.

Current interest in moving -coil cartridges hasprompted quite a number of manufacturers to pro-vide for them in their preamps. One such unit isthe state-of-the-art RAM -200 offered by RAM Au-dio Systems, Inc. Provisions are made for loadingcartridges of moving -coil and moving -field typeswith the impedances they require for best per-formance.

What may have been the most elaborate tour deforce in disc -playback electronics is the Accu-phase C-220 stereo disc equalizer. The $900 sys-tem, which contains a moving -coil head amp. is a"no -compromise" design and even bypasses theuser's preamp and control center, feeding thepower amp directly when in use.

The PAT -5. long a standby of the Dynaco line,has been upgraded as the PAT-5/FET Improvedand now uses a high quality op amp with field-ef-fect transistor inputs in the tone -control and out-put sections. Besides improving basic perform-ance. the change allows for the switching in of 6dB more gain for the phono sections, which willaccommodate some moving -coil cartridges with-out the use of a transformer or separate pre-preamp.

The SAE 2100 preamp has low -distortion phonocircuitry. with special attention paid to the avoid-ance of slew -rate limitation (signals changingmore quickly than the amplifier stage can respondto them). It also encompasses a parametric equal-izer in lieu of conventional tone controls plusequalization of dynamic range through linearcompression and expansion. or optional peak lim-iting. The latter two are situated in the circuit sothat they can be applied to signals going to or com-ing from a tape recorder.

Power Amplifiers

For a while now the trend in separate power am-plifiers has been to bigger and better. The "bigger"part seems to have abated at its outer fringes. asthe magic level of 30 dBW (1.000 watts) per chan-nel into 8 ohms. with which the industry has beenflirting. remains a mirage. On the other hand. thelevel of 23 to 24 dBW (200 to 250 watts) has neverbeen more crowded. And choice is available evenat 27 dBW (500 watts).

"Better" would apply to the ever -diminishingfigures for harmonic and intermodulation distor-tion, a great many of which have fallen into therarefied territory on the low side of 0.1%. Signal-to-noise ratios of 100 dB or more are commonplace.as are monitoring facilties such as output metersand clipping indiCators. Although no consensus asto the exact nature of the beast yet exists. a gooddeal of engineering effort has been expended onthe suppression of transient distortion (often

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known as TIM, or transient intermodulation), bothin power amps and preamps.

Moving in oddly contradictory directions, onesegment of the industry has become enamored ofClass A output stages, while another is looking forhigher efficiency. Threshold, interested in both,has realized a Class A 23-dBW (200 -watt) designthat, by means of special dynamic biasing, holdsquiescent dissipation equal to rated output powerrather than four times that amount, as would usu-ally be required. Pioneer, a company whose imagegrows ever more protean, surprised us with itsModel M-22, a massive amp with Class A outputcapable of 143/4 dBW (30 watts) per channel.

Bucking the trend in yet another way. Pioneerintroduced the Spec -4 power amp as a companionto the Spec -2. The new unit has a smaller output -213/4 dBW (150 watts) per channel as comparedwith 24 dBW (250 watts)-hut the rated distortionhas been reduced an order of magnitude to 0.01%.

The largest amps we saw at CES were the ruggedand now familiar Dunlap Clarke Dreadnought1000 at 27 dBW per side and the new Rotel RB-5000of like measure. The Rotel claims an astonishing0.009% THD at full output and at 0 dBW (1 watt).IM distortion is similarly rated, and the signal-to-noise ratio (IHF A -weighted) is said to be 120 dB.

Hitachi, already the leader in the efficiency racewith the 183/4-dBW (75 -watt) Class G power ampsection of the SR -903 receiver, issued a challengewith a Class G amp rated at 23 dBW on a contin-uous basis and 3 dB more (400 watts) on a short-term basis. Using more conventional circuitry(Class B), Hitachi has put a glamorous semicon-ductor power device, the MOSFET, to work in asuper -low -distortion amplifier rated at 20 dBW.Total harmonic distortion is said to be less than orequal to 0.005% from 5 Hz to 20 kHz and no morethan 0.01% even at 100 kHz.

But Soundcraftsmen has joined Hitachi in theworld of exotic amplifier design dedicated to in-creased efficiency. Whereas Hitachi's Class G usesan additional set of power devices that rescues theefficient (low -power) set when signals exceed itscapacity, the Soundcraftsmen version, dubbedClass H, uses the same set of output devices andswitches to a power supply with a higher voltage.The switchover is made when a module that moni-tors the input signal "decides" that clipping islikely to occur if that signal is passed to the outputstage while it is energized from the low -voltagesupply (set at about 2/6 of the upper voltage limit).At that point the supply voltage is adjusted auto-matically to provide sufficient margin for the out-

.. put signal. The controller has more gain than thesignal channel, so that the output swing is less thanthe supply voltage at all times-until the largersupply bumps against its limit. Run at 17 dBW (50watts) per channel, a third of its rated power, thenew unit should dissipate about 200 watts less heatthan a conventional (Class B or AB) design.

IIII0111111111

Amplifier circuit designations dig ever deeper into the al-phabet. This year Soundcraftsmen has added Class H.

Dual power supplies have been retained in theCitation 19, which, true to Harman-Kardon tradi-tion, has a very wide handpass. The manufacturercites this characteristic as being effective in pre-venting transient distortion and has investigatedthe sonic effects of different biasing in the outputstage, including a circuit in the new amplifier tomaintain optimum bias automatically.

Mitsubishi, too, uses separate power suppliesfor the two channels in its new series of poweramps. Most notable in this line is the ability of thepower amps to "dock" with either the modularpreamp to form an integrated amp or with a powermeter. Joining the heat (literally) of the high -powerClass A contest, Nikko is offering a unit rated at 20dBW (100 watts) per channel with THD of 0.06% orless. The massively constructed amp is fan -cooled.

Integrated Amps

Integrated amps, although not in general charac-terized by the kinds of technological strides thatbasic power amps show, are becoming more so-phisticated and tend to offer a striking range ofcontrol features-often at surprisingly modestprices. Integrateds are not in the forefront of thepower race, but most product lines offer one ortwo units at or near the 20-dBW point. As in sepa-rates, the preamp sections often have phono sec-tions designed to work well with real -world pick-ups, and a number of models feature widebandwidth-sometimes with response down toDC. (Fortunately, most contain subsonic filters orat least switchable blocking capacitors that can in-duce some low -frequency rolloff.) And tone con-trols with variable turnover points are much inevidence, especially in the higher price brackets.

The Kenwood KA-7100, introduced at the Con-sumer Electronics Show, is direct -coupled, likethe slightly earlier K-9100. It lacks the phone gainadjustment (and the ability to handle moving -coilcartridges) of the top model, as well as the separatepower supply for the preamp section, but it doeshave separate power supplies for each of the twochannels.

Sansui's approach to avoiding transient distor-

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tion in its integrated amps is to use bandwidth ex-tending to 200 kHz along with its direct -coupledpower sections. Special attention to the phonostages has resulted in RIAA equalization (ex-tended, 20 Hz to 20 kHz) that is said to be accurateto ±0.2 dB.

Marantz has introduced five integrated amps, allwith response down to DC, with the top modelboasting a power output of 211/4 dBW (130 watts).Featured throughout this line are very sharp (18 dBper octave) high- and low-cut filters and separatefilter capacitors for each channel.

Two new models from Technics are more mod-est in power output (and price) than many and es-chew the fashionable DC response, but they in-clude a well-chosen array of controls. Both modelsclaim extremely accurate phono equalization; thehigher -priced unit has a subsonic filter in thephono section, where it is effective in protectingsubsequent circuitry from overload by recordwarps and other spurious low -frequency signals.

Like the receiver line, introduced shortly beforeCES, the new Yamaha integrated line is character-ized by a "noise and distortion clearance range," aparameter that specifies a degree of freedom fromdistortion and noise for a signal injected at thephono input and sampled at the output terminalsof the power amp. The phono section of the topmodel includes switchable load impedances andaccommodation for moving -coil cartridges.

Onkyo's A-10, which will top out the company'sintegrated line, likewise has an input for moving -

coil pickups. Dual power supplies and groundingvia a heavy-duty bus bar are used to minimize anyundesired internal coupling. JVC has taken a dif-ferent approach to the dual power -supply featureand used one for the preamp circuitry and anotherfor the power amp. The result is said to be elimina-tion of intra- and inter -channel crosstalk.

Lux Audio has expanded its Laboratory Refer-ence Series, one addition being the 5L-15, a direct-coupled integrated amp rated at 19 dBW (80 watts)per channel. In addition to its high-performancecircuitry, the unit features two protective mod-ules: one by which the amp assures its own secu-rity, and one to safeguard the loudspeakers.

Tuners

The race for FM -tuner sensitivity seems to havereached a standoff now that practically any budgetmodel is able to claim a 30 -dB quieting point thatapproaches the theoretical limit of roughly 1.4 mi-crovolts (8 dBf). Furthermore, the new IHF/ IEEEstandard, which is growing in popularity, has ban-ished the microvolt and substituted the dBf, a unitof measure that is more reflective of reality andthat has erased the familiar signposts in the com-petitive arena. Most important, however, is the in-dustry's apparent acceptance of the fact that the

30 -dB quieting standard is itself a far cry from highfidelity.

Attention has shifted, therefore, to the amountof RF power a tuner must receive at its antennaterminals to deliver a noise suppression of 50 dB.This level of performance, which is not consideredan exacting demand for most other components,assures at least reasonably noise -free listening.Most of the new tuners achieve this with almoststunningly low signal levels in mono, but it is arare unit that can suppress noise by 60 dB in stereowithout a fairly substantial input signal.

With the adoption of the 50 -dB S/N spec, theemphasis has shifted from the attempt to captureand read marginal signals to an effort to squeezethe last drops of enjoyment from any good signalsaround. Some tuners use a wide/narrow IF band-width option that allows the user to reduce selec-tivity (when that is possible) in order to reduce dis-tortion. New circuits that cancel the 19 -kHz pilottone instead of filtering it out have made a modest

Among new high -spec rack -mount tuners: Nikko Gamma 1.

improvement in high -frequency bandpass pos-sible along with improved freedom from phaseshift. Although stations broadcasting Dolby-en-coded signals do not yet abound, practically alltuners include the 25 -microsecond de -emphasisneeded for Dolby reception in addition to the con-ventional 75 -microsecond de -emphasis.

Yet, all things considered, new activity in FMtuners was surprisingly sparse at the CES. How-ever, Marantz introduced three new designs.Model 2140, at the top of the line, includes variableIF and accommodates an optional Dolby plug-inmodule as well as provides the required de -em-phasis.

Sansui's TU-717 also offers selectable IF band-width and an unusually good stereo signal-to-noise ratio. Each new model from Onkyo and Op-tonica features a sophisticated automatic tuningsystem (a quantum leap beyond the unlamentedautomatic frequency control of earlier days) thatkeeps the unit centered at the point of minimumdistortion. In an interesting variation of this tech-nique, the new Mitsubishi tuner will "pull in" astation only when it is within 50 kHz of correcttuning but will keep a station locked despite vari-ations of up to ± 200 kHz, either on the part of theunit itself or of the broadcasting station.

Harman-Kardon, in its Citation 18 tuner, ap-

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proaches the problem of optimum tuning some-what differently-by including a meter that indi-cates not necessarily center -channel tuning, butthe tuning at which the audio output has the bestS/N ratio. The more sophisticated of Fisher's twonew models offers a meter that shows multipathand carrier deviation (an indication of the degreeof modulation). Nikko's Gamma 1 tuner incorpo-rates switchable IF and features professional styl-ing and rack-mountability. The latest model fromTechnics eschews frills and costly conveniencefeatures in favor of solid performance.

If a really strong trend in FM tuners will beapparent this coming season, it is the one we notedat the outset of this survey. The performance ofyesterday's supertuners is available at popularprices today.

Receivers

At one time, the state of the art in receivers wouldhave been defined by that of preamps, tuners, andpower amps. After all, what was there to making areceiver but combining all of these on a singlechassis? Things have changed a good deal over thelast ten years, as the synergism of the various sec-tions has been better understood, and the receiverhas achieved status-and popularity-as a compo-nent in its own right, not just as a hybrid.

It should, therefore, come as not too much of ashock to learn that the new Marantz 2500, thereigning champion (at least for the nonce) of thereceiver power war at 24 dBW (250 watts) per side,has properties that cannot precisely be had bycombining the company's separates. Thus whilethe top tuner, the Model 150, has oscilloscope tun-ing, it lacks the Dolby module option provided forthis year's tuners. The 2500 has both.

Lux, long a holdout devoted to "separates only"purism, has entered the receiver market with threemidpriced models. The two top members of theline include a built-in Dolby option, which ap-pears to be derived from Lux's exotic (and high-priced) Laboratory Reference Series. Nikko,whose seven -model line of new receivers isheaded by the NR -1415 rated at 221/2 dBW (175

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watts) per side, includes a variable IF bandpass inthis top unit as well. Hitachi, bidding for the toppower spot on a transient basis, has built a Class Gpower amp section rated at 23 dBW continuousand 26 dBW short-term into its top Series E re-ceiver, Model SR -2004.

Technics, an erstwhile leader in the power racewith 22% dBW (165 watts) per channel, has stoodpat with respect to power in the top model of itsnew seven -member receiver line. Concentrationhas been more on total performance, including im-pedance -selectable phono inputs in the Model SA -5770. Kenwood, apparently finding its own top re-ceivers a tough act to follow, has decided to staywith success and beef up the budget end of its line.Its new KR -4070 is 16 dBW (40 watts) per side, andKenwood calls it one of the best stereo values, fea-ture for feature and dollar for dollar, that the com-pany has ever offered.

Bang & Olufsen, a company from which uncon-ventional components can be expected, has doneit again with the Beomaster 2400. The new receiverresembles the Beomaster 1900 in styling and oper-ation and offers somewhat better performance.But adding convenience to convenience, B&O hasintroduced a companion remote -control modulethat allows the listener to adjust volume, selectprogram sources, or switch the unit on or off, allwithout leaving his listening position.

The new members of the Sansui two -channel re-ceiver line (the company is one of the few that stilloffers four -channel models) share built-in Dolbydecoding and output meters. Power ratings are 21and 19% dBW (125 and 85 watts). The top modelfrom JVC not only retains the five -band graphicequalizer tone -control section and the cosmeticsalready used in the line, but raises rated power to20% dBW (120 watts) per channel. Setton Inter-national, new to the U.S., is introducing a receiverrated (conservatively, according to the company)at 20 dBW per channel.

Fisher's latest addition to its receiver line is alow-cost unit designed for new audiophiles. Har-man-Kardon has also introduced a budget unit,but the star of its receiver line is the new, no -com-promise Citation. Akai has announced the debut

This year's top receivers include massive power and proportions of Marantz 2500, sleek and subtly flexible Yamaha CR-2020

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of an entire six -model line topped off by the AA -1200, with dual output meters and a power capa-bility of 2034 dBW per channel. Rated at a modest143/4 dBW (30 watts) per channel, Aiwa's new re-ceiver aims for balanced performance and flauntsits strikingly attractive styling. Optonica's SA -5151, at 19% dBW per side, sports a control panel(with FM dial angled for easy legibility) that showsconcern for the convenience of the owner whowill put the product to use.

Introducing a bit of advanced technology in alow -powered receiver, Sherwood is featuring adigital detector, which avoids tuned circuits, in itsS-35CP, which claims 13 dBW (20 watts) per chan-nel. Wintec, a new company introducing a budget -to mid -priced receiver line, has included an ad-vanced phono preamp among the elements of its17-dBW top model.

Electronic Accessories

Rounding out the field of electronics, several newadd-on signal -processing devices will be on deal-ers' shelves. Sound Concepts, already manufac-turing a time -delay system, has announced a sec-ond -generation model that is said to be simple tooperate, realistic in its effect, and adjustable so asto harmonize with both the listening room inwhich it is used and the reverberation present inthe program material. SAE has begun to competein this new area of consumer products with theModel 4100 Time Delay Ambience System. PhaseLinear's long -rumored ambience unit also is beingreadied for introduction this autumn. Burwen Re-search is demonstrating the Transient Noise Elimi-nator THE -7000, meant to eliminate scratches,ticks, and pops during disc playback. The MXRDynamic Processor, also a disc "depopper," con-tains a linear expander capable of adding up to 20dB of dynamic range enhancement to a programsource as well.

The Sound Shaper, a budget -priced five -bandgraphic equalizer, has been introduced by ADC,and a battery -operated mixer featuring six micro-phone channels, two phono channels, and fourline channels, with pan pots and a master volumecontrol, is available from Akai at a surprisinglylow price. As part of its sophisticated SeriesTwenty, Pioneer has brought to light a four-wayelectronic crossover that offers attenuation slopesof 6, 12, and 18 dB per octave in addition to a widechoice of crossover frequencies. High- and low-pass slopes are separately adjustable.

CBS Records has demonstrated a Tate SQ de-coder built around the long-awaited integratedcircuits from National Semiconductor. The chipswill be available to other manufacturers. The newdecoder compares favorably with the elaborateunit introduced by Peter Scheiber some monthsago. Peter Scheiber Sonics, a new company

Among new old speakers: direct/reflecting Bose 601

formed to manufacture the $2,000 high -end unit,has established itself in Indianapolis.

Loudspeakers and Headphones

Prominent in the loudspeaker news from CES thisyear is the entry of two major companies into thedynamic speaker market. Koss Corporation is wellknown as a maker of headphones and has beenmarketing electrostatic speakers for some time.Bolivar Speaker Works is a new offshoot of Har-man International that apparently will concen-trate on moderately priced speakers and leave thehigh end to sister company JBL. By using vented -box designs, both of these entrants typify in theirproducts the concern for efficiency now sweepingthrough the industry.

Also of technical interest is the still controver-sial matter of phase coherency. Is it important forall of the frequency components of a transient toreach the ear at the same time or with negligibledelay? John Bowers of Bowers & Wilkinson says itis and cites research data showing that stereoimaging is thereby improved. Companies as di-verse as KEF, Leak, Dynaco, and Ultralinear, toname a few. seem to agree that simultaneous ar-rival of frequency components is important. Atleast they were all exhibiting models with stag-gered drivers (or, sometimes, sloping front panels)and specially tweaked crossover networks thatmake it possible.

At the root of the new technological spurt inspeakers is, we suspect, computer -aided design, atechnique that gives ready. answers to questionsthat once would have required insurmountablequantities of calculation. Designing phase -cor-rected crossovers is such a problem, as is the de-sign of vented (and therefore efficient) woofer/box systems. Interestingly, the theorists A. N.Thiele and R. Small have shown that this too is aproblem in filter theory.

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and ported -bass horn loaded Alter; Model 19.

Some engineers have arrived at character-izations of the low -frequency behavior of loud-speakers independent of the work of Thiele andSmall. Ed May of Marantz describes the problemas "relatively simple... The new 900 series from

'Marantz lets the listener remove a plug from theenclosure and convert the system from a sealed toa vented one. The vent enhances low bass at theexpense of a slight peak that adds "punch" to rockmusic. The Koss CM 1010 allows the listener toadd mass to or subtract mass from the passiveradiator (vent substitute. in engineering parlance)in order to effect a similar tuning. Ultralinear usesan arrangement similar to that of Marantz in bothof its time -compensated speakers.

The JBL L-212. beyond its unique and sophis-ticated design. shows another trend in loud-speakers: separate amplified subwoofers. The onein the L-212 is said to extend the lows to 25 Hz andcombine the amplifier output of both channelsfrom 70 Hz to that point. The drivers that make upthe stereo radiators form a quasi -panel array in-tended for maximum dispersion

An amplified subwoofer is also offered by 3A. aFrench company making its CES debut. Alongwith more conventonal designs. the company of-fers models in which a sensor delivers a feedbacksignal to the internal amplifier. which can thencorrect nonlinearities in the speaker. Philips hashad a similar system in its line for some time. usinga different sort of feedback transducer. Now athree-way triamplified-system feedback modelhas been added to the top of Philips' line.

Self -powered loudspeakers can better match theamplifie: and its load, not to mention the potentialbenefits of incorporating a second amp andbiamping the drivers. Advent has used such a sys-tem in a variant of the New Advent Loudspeaker -the Powered Advent Loudspeaker. ADS's topmodel (ADS -910) will be available with conven-tional crossover. "program cards" for external hi -

or tri-amplification, or built-in triamplifier; an LEDpower meter is also offered as an option.

Related to the self -powered speaker is the equal-ized speaker. This type of design-described byThiele-places an equalizer ahead of the poweramp to tailor the response of the low -frequencydriver and can be used with vented or nonventedsystems. Flectro-Voice employed this technique inits Interface A and B, and is now applying equal-ization to larger systems with extended lows. In-terface D. the largest addition to this series, uses avented midrange as well. Thiel Audio (not con-nected with the Australian theorist-note the ab-sence of the final e) is a new company also makingequalized systems. Producing spinoffs from the su-persophisticated Quantum Line Source. InfinitySystems has introduced the Quantum line, whicheven includes a replacement for the redoubtableMonitor Jr.

The number of vented speakers appearing onthe market might suggest that sealed systems arepassé. Nothing could be further from the truth. De-spite the penalty extracted in efficiency, the acous-tic -suspension speaker is alive and kicking. Acous-tic Research, also designing via computer. hasbroadened its line to include the AR -15, 17, and 18,all moderately priced systems. The ADS 200 intro-duced by Analog and Digital Systems not too longago is a truly minuscule acoustic -suspension de-sign. This model holds a little corner of the marketfor itself but is being elbowed about by similarcompeting designs from Visonik. Braun. Tamon (aJapanese company new to the U.S.). and Canton (aGerman manufacturer). ADS has, for its part, goneon to improve the 200 (now the 200A) and producederivatives optimized for automotive applicationsas well as a slightly larger Model 300.

Yamaha. also committed to sealed systems suit-able for bookshelf placement. seems to have con-centrated on driver and crossover network designand massive cabinetry in the NS -690, which claimsamong its various attributes exceptional transientresponse and freedom from harmonic distortion.Mitsubishi introduces a four-way monitor systemof monstrous proportions. using a 15 -inch wooferand a passive radiator of the same size (both of anewly developed plastic) and maintaining solidbass response right down to 20 Hz.

Pioneer has carried its HPM series forward withthe HPM-150. which aims for superior dispersionby placing a horn -loaded high polymer tweeterdirectly on top of the cabinet. And BIC has dividedits line into a Standard Series and a System Moni-tor Series. The latter. consisting of three models, isprotected against damage from high-powered am-plifiers and is said to be capable of monitoring amusic system.

It is possible to trade away some of the effi-ciency of a vented system in return for a smallercabinet and be sure that the system has been

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"tweaked" for the best over-all compromise. Ex-amples are the new Ohm L, whose sound is said tobelie its size, and the Micro Spectrum, the latestentry from SAS.

Altec-Lansing has developed a new radial -phaseplug (nicknamed the "Tangerine" because of itscolor and shape) that makes possible a compres-sion driver with upgraded performance. Model 19,a system that uses the new driver in coordinationwith a 15 -inch woofer, claims wide bandwidthand extraordinarily high efficiency. Jensen'sLifestyle series continues the company's practiceof making its systems adjustable for an extremelywide variety of conditions.

The Transar/atd from ESS is close enough to fi-nal form to have received a Design and Engineer-ing Award at summer CES-and has moved closerto availability. And Dayton -Wright has produceda fourth generation of its XG-8 Mk. 3 Series 3 elec-trostatic. Wharfedale, a well-known British manu-facturer whose products have been absent fromthese shores for a time, has reappeared with twolines. The XP line is an acoustic -suspension seriesof moderate efficiency, while the two -member Eline is designed for high efficiency.

Bose has filled the gap between its 901 Series IIIand its Model 501 with Model 601, which also em-bodies the direct/reflecting principle. The newsystem is basically asymmetric in its radiation pat-tern and is supplied in matching pairs. Maximumflexibility of placement is one of the main aims ofthe design.

Though the intense competition makes it aboutas difficult to distinguish technological advancesfrom marketing ploys, mathematics and scienceseem to be banishing witchcraft and trial -and -er-ror from loudspeaker design. And the computer issolving problems that could not even be ap-.proached a few years ago. This phenomenon willbe examined in next month's issue in the article"Computer Technology Comes to Loudspeaker De-sign." This can be seen as part of the larger trend-more value available for the consumer's audio dol-lar each year.

The activity in headphones at this year's CESwas sparse. As far as we could see, most manufac-turers are standing with their existing lines. Onenewcomer of note was the Pro/4 AAA from Koss,meant to provide the user with comfort and con-venience as well as an enjoyable listening experi-ence. Burwen Research has entered the head-phone market with six dynamic models coveringprice points from $40 to $100.

Record -Playing Equipment

The "directness" of direct drive in turntables pre-sumably has contributed to the success of thegenre; whatever the reason, the success is resound-ing-if not unchallenged. Technics, whose claim to

being the direct -drive producer has some merit,has added both single -play turntables andchangers to its line and (thanks in part to single -ICmotor -controlled circuitry) brought minimumprices even lower. Other Japanese companiesseem to consider direct drive obligatory in at leastone deluxe unit; the new Visonik line, for instance,has one direct -drive model, followed by four em-ploying belts. The direct -drive list is endless. Some(from Pioneer, Sansui, and JVC, for example) havequartz control. Dual has introduced one model(the 604 automatic single -play system with digitalcontrol) into its direct -drive line. Fisher, in a novelapproach to the problem of integrating the platterand the rotor of the drive motor, has "bent" alinear motor with 120 magnetic poles into a closedloop and attached it to the underside of the platter.

But the Europeans seem to be the leaders in beltdrive. Thorens, which continues a long tradition inthe field, sums up the case: "No matter how low therumble spec on a direct -drive system, it can al-ways be lowered still further by adding a belt."Dual does, of course, offer belt -drive models (inthree changers and two single -play units), as doElac (the new 870), Garrard (with DC -servo drivemotor), and BSR in its new Quanta changer line.The Garrard GT line (there are six new models inall) uses Delglide, an automatic -function assemblyemploying self-lubricating Delrin parts, for easeand gentleness of record handling; styling of someof the new units is refreshingly un-British.

Also refreshingly un-British is the Accutrac.series from BSR/ADC. (Though BSR, the parentcompany, is British, ADC-which produces Accu-trac-is based in Connecticut.) The super -automation system for playing records this yearoutdoes itself by adding, in the Accutrac +6, theability to handle-and program-up to six recordssimultaneously. The +6 is available in three ver-sions, from $300 (no remote controls) to $400 (bothvolume and sequencing can be altered from acrossthe room).

Several models are traditionally British in somerespects-certainly in providing only single -playoperation, which, whatever its overseas sales, isthe basis for Garrard's fame at home. Among themare Sugden's BD -103, available with or withoutunipivot arm; the new Monitor ET -1000 (as-tonishingly, with a direct -drive system and binaryspeed readout) with its ET -100 auto -liftoff devicefor the supplied SME Series II arm; and Environ-mental Sound EST -4 (also direct drive!), whose ul-tralight arm has mercury signal contacts to pre-vent drag from lead wires-long a favorite idea inBritish audio circles, but one that is difficult to re-alize in production.

Somewhat similar in first appearances to theEST -4 is the Audio Retroflex LT -76, a handsomebelt -drive unit. (Both have circular "satellite" sup-ports revolving around the spindle.) The company,

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Accutrac, with + 6, now programs a stack of up to six discs.

which is new to us. is based in Illinois. AnotherAmerican manufacturer new to the turntable fieldis Infinity: its $400 Black Widow Air -Table (which,naturally, incorporates the Black Widow ul-tralight arm) rides on an air suspension and is belt -coupled to a servo drive -motor system. A pump-said to be noiseless-provides the necessary airstream, preventing bearing -induced rumble. Addi-tional isolation is provided by mounting the entireplatter -and -drive system on a separate sprungsubassembly.

Speaking of ultralight arms, ADC has enteredthe lists with its LMF-1 (integrated) and LMF-2 (re-movable cartridge mount) models, using taperedcarbon -fiber tubes in the construction. We expectother companies to add carbon -fiber arms, too: itsstrength -vs. -mass advantages are obvious, and atrend toward this sort of construction in top mod-els seems to be shaping up.

ADC also figures among those companies offer-ing new pickups. The ZLM and ZLM Deluxe, thetop of the Professional series, use a stylus configu-ration termed Aliptic. Its geometry is calculated tospread the bearing force of the tip upward anddownward along the groove wall. keeping the sur-face along the wall as small as possible for max-imum high -frequency resolution with minimumtracking force. This approach was, of course, be-gun with the elliptical design and carried furtherby the Shibata, upon which the Aliptic is said torepresent still more improvement. Stanton has re-fined the Stereohedron tip, also introduced as animprovement over the Shibata with a longer, nar-rower contact patch, and is offering the 881 Spickup featuring the new stylus shape. The 681EEE (S -type) represents the retrofit of a Ster-eohedron stylus to the 681 EEE cartridge. Empirehas a new model, the 20001. which (at $90) is beingdropped into the middle of the 2000 line. Audio-Technica has two new series: the rugged profes-sional models with an ATP prefix and three Com-pass models intended for replacement and up-grading in existing home -entertainment systems.Prices in both lines range from $35 to $75.

All of the foregoing are what might be calledconventional magnetic pickups. There are new

moving -coil models, of course, since this type ofdesign has achieved a sudden popularity in thelast few years, and Ortofon-which for years wasalmost alone in pursuing the virtues of moving -coil design-has a full line of both types. MicroAcoustics has a new top model for its series ofelectret cartridges. The 530-mp has stylus geome-try analogous to that of the company's cuttingstyli. RAM Audio Systems has taken another tack:Its semiconductor strain -gauge cartridge is part ofthe $300 RAM 9210SG Record Transducer System.which also includes the necessary current source.The RIAA equalization is carried out mechani-cally, and the output is suitable for AUX or similarinputs.

Disc Traker, an air -cushion damping device thatattaches to the tone -arm headshell, is availablefrom Discwasher. The device is said to reduce theeffects of tone -arm resonance and record warp.

Tape and Tape Equipment

New cassette tapes include TDK's AD, successor tothat firm's Audua, with an improved high end eventhough it uses the same bias and equalization, andthe three -member Scotch Master series. Master I isan improved ferric that replaces the earlier Mas-ter. while Master II is a ferricobalt similar to TDKSA and Maxell UDXL-2 and designed for use with"chrome" bias and equalization. Master III is a fer-richrome. The entire line features newly designedtranslucent cassette shells with low internal dragalong the tape path. Memorex has recently an-nounced distribution of its new Quantum, an ad-vanced tape for open -reel machines.

The Sunday -duffer sort of open -reel equipmentseems to be dead: all the new products we haveseen in this format are, at minimum, elaborate andquasi -professional. Pioneer's RT series, for ex-ample. is intended for rack mounting. Teac's newsis in the Tascam semipro line. Grundig's latest is aforest of controls that might faze Captain Kirk.We're not complaining, mind. But the message isclear: If you're not committed to open -reel equip-ment, you might better look elsewhere.

Cassette -equipment lineups are quite different.Everybody seems to have new models-even H. H.Scott. which has entered the tape field with two-and most of them (including both of Scott's) arefront -loaders. Some manufacturers tell us that top -loaders are difficult to sell these days, suggestingthat some bargains may he available in that for-mat. There is a good deal of emphasis on high -endmodels: Pioneer. for example. has introduced themonitor -head CT -F1000. with styling that suggestssome Eicaset models.

Fisher. committed to three -head decks through-out its cassette line, has extended its high end withModel CR-5120. Akai introduced two new models.one with three heads. The latter has adjustable

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Dolby calibration and, of course, permits monitor-ing from the tape. The new Dual C-939 has, in addi-tion to its auto -reverse feature, the capability of al-lowing recorded errors to be faded or edited outelectronically during playback. JVC's new high-performance model contains the company'sproprietary Super ANRS (automatic noise -reduc-tion system) and Sen-Alloy heads.

A three -head deck is available at the top of theMarantz line as well. The Model 5030 includesDolby for simultaneous record and playback andan adjustable peak limiter to prevent over -recording. Teac has reinforced the lower end of itscassette equipment with Model A-103, which hasan impressive array of features and claims excel-lent performance for its modest price. Uher'snew-and first-cassette deck (as opposed torecorder) features a three -motor transport anddigital logic controls and can accommodate ferric,

Super cassette decks for '7Fl include the Pioneer CT -F1000

chrome, or ferrichrome tapes. A cassette changercapable of playing continuously for up to tenhours is available from Lenco, now being distrib-uted by Neosonic.

The future of the Elcaset, meanwhile, remains indoubt although decks are available from Teac,Technics, and Sony. Advances in cassette -headtechnology, noise reduction, and tape oxides sug-gest still further improvement in that format and apossible undercutting of the Elcaset's touted ad-vantages-at least for the consumer market. In par-ticular, it appears a foregone conclusion amongsome manufacturers that 1978 will see the intro-duction of metal -particle (sometimes called alloy)tape formulations from several manufacturersthat will put the cassette a giant step ahead of thepresent state of the art. Nakamichi, for example,plans to be ready when the tape is, with masteringdecks (and perhaps consumer models in short or-der) designed to use the new "pigments," whichappear to be beyond the reach of current decks.

Whether digital recording also can make a sig-nificant difference to consumer recording is muchless clear. Though there has been a great deal ofbuzz over the subject in recent years and Mitsu-bishi this year demonstrated a prototype of a con-

sumer model, the path to consumer prices andquality comparable to similarly priced analoguerecording equipment does not seem altogethersmooth. Home digital recording might be as longin coming as home video taping-which, we weretold ten years ago, was about to take over home en-tertainment.

Curiously, the hardest evidence that digitals aremoving into consumer equipment comes fromADS, which is introducing astonishing digitalelectronics (including an FM tuner) for automotiveuse. The design makes many a fancy home digitaltuner look more than a little old hat. This may be aharbinger of the next generation in home corn-ponentry.

Digital audio has also come to video tape: Sony'ssystem-for its Betamax or competing formats-recognizes that video tape is more like data proc-essing than like analogue audio and that digital au-dio therefore makes particular sense when usedwith video tape. Sony is not, in fact, proposing itsdigital system for pure audio at present. And sinceNakamichi is projecting S/N ratios of around 95dB for metal -particle cassettes in the next gener-ation of its mastering decks (equipped with thenew Telefunken noise -reduction system), whileSony is claiming only 65 dB for its digital system,the theoretical advantages of the digital techniquestill seem far off.

So does the development of a large-scale marketin home video tape, thanks to the continued sys-tems competition. Matsushita, for example, has in-troduced VHS, which is being licensed to othercompanies. One is Magnavox, but its announce-ment of the fact was all but lost in its announce-ment of fall availability for a Philips -type videodisc player. The conclusion seems inescapablethat the Philips format is shaping up as a clearleader in video discs, while video tape has noleader-only a tangle of bandwagons on which po-tential licensees place tentative feet in the hopethat they may go somewhere.

The immediate news in video therefore seemsconfined to games (a rapidly growing field) andlarge screens (with somewhat less frantic growth).Advent has added a third projection system, itssmallest to date: ESS, in conjunction with TinsleyLaboratories, is working on a rear -projection sys-tem that derives its image from a conventionalcolor tube and is expected to sell at about $4,000for a 52 -inch diagonal screen that can be viewedin bright ambient light.

All of this contrasts sharply with the rather staid(and solid) advancement in audio componentry.Its manufacturers are to be congratulated foravoiding (at least at present) the faddist and blue-sky excesses that have plagued other areas of con-sumer electronics in recent years: notably CB.video tape, and digital watches. Perhaps the an-archy of early quad has taught us all a lesson,

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AtBASF

ourworldhas alwaysbeen flat.

STUDIO SERIESA HIGH DENSITY FERRIC .DXIDE ,ASSETTE TAPE

POLISHED FOR EXCEPTIONALLY CLEAR SOUND REPRODUCTIONAL'_ C1

Flat as we can make it

Absolutely flat frequency response. Because whatyou should hear on a cassette is nothing more than yourecord and nothing less. Others talk about it. With us,it's an obsession. It s a vital part of the goal we set 45years ago when we invented recording tape . . . thepurest, most accurate sound that tape can reproduce.

Straightening out the frequency curve requires anobsessive concern with detail. We start with the bestquality 'erric oxide and mill it by a patented process.After coating, our tape rides on a heated cushion of air,filtered to NASA standards to avoid contamination andabrasion. Polishing and slitting are accomplished byexclusive BASF -developed techniques and equipment.And even our cassette cases are different, incorporat-ing our patented Special Mechanism, for years ofsmooth and dependable tape feed. The result is acassette that will match the performance of the

, finest decks on the market.At BASF, we're purists. We want what comes

out of our cassettes to be identical to what goes in.Not hyped and not muted. And that's a flat statementof truth.

BASF The Purist.Nothing less than total accuracy will ever satisfy us.

SI I'll NMI R 1977 85

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by G. S. Bourdain

To the question,What singer now active

combines queenly dignity,earthy sexiness, and

quintessential Frenchness,there can be but

one answer: R6gine CrespinTHERE'S SOMETHING DELICIOUS about a primadonna who whistles on her way to open the doorto a visitor. Regine Crespin, one day last spring,whistled a tune, opened the door of her borrowedapartment near the Metropolitan Opera, scoldedher dog-a French poodle, of course-for barking,and asked her visitor in mock fear, "You didn'tbring a camera, did you? I have to have my hairdone." Reassured, she sat on a sofa and answeredquestions, frankly and unhesitatingly, in French -accented English.

One of the greatest sources of pleasure in a Cres-pin performance in the opera house, in the concerthall, or on records is her diction. When she sangthe First Prioress in the Met's English version ofPoulenc's Dialogues of the Carmelites early thisyear, she was the only foreigner in an otherwiseAmerican cast. Yet, as most reviewers remarked,she was the only one who could be understood.

"I worked very hard on that part," she said. "Atfirst I thought it would be very easy to do in Eng-lish-that my French accent would go away when Isang. Then I started rehearsing, and I found out--agh!"

G. S. Bourdain, whose byline is appearing for the first timein HF, is a writer and editor for a daily newspaper in theNew York metropolitan area and a lifelong opera buff.

It was pointed out that she sang only a fewwords with an accent. "Daughters," for example,came out "doughters."

"That's because my English teacher was Englishand not American," Crespin said. "What I reallyfound difficult was to say 'it is' and not 'eet eese,'and anything with a `th' since there's no suchsound in French. I don't know how many days ittook me to be able to say 'Mother Superior.' Andwhen a `th' was followed by an `s,' I was really lost.

"You know, when I was offered the part of theFirst Prioress, I was sure it wasn't for me-that itwas a mezzo role. Then when I read the score, Idiscovered that many mezzos who sang the partdidn't sing any top notes but transposed them. So Idecided to do it because it's so dramatic. And I re-membered I once told Poulenc [he created the roleof the Second Prioress for Crespin] that I wishedhe had written a part like the First Prioress for me,and he said, 'Listen, in ten years you are going tosing it.'

"I said, 'Never, are you mad? It's not for me.'And Poulenc said, 'Wait and see. You will do it.'

"I've always been careful with diction because Iremember going to the opera when I was twelve,when everything in France was sung in French,and often wondering what they were saying and

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MN .1110-41.111.

trying to catch words. This stuck in my head-to beunderstood as much as you can."

Crespin, whose father was French and motherItalian, was born in Marseilles and grew up inNimes. The first opera she saw was Lohengrin,and (the force of destiny?) it was the work inwhich she made her debut, as Elsa in 1950.

"I fell in love with opera right away," she recalls."I went once a week, and it was very difficult forme because my father was very strict and I wasallowed to go out only once a week, so I had tomake a choice between a movie with Jean Marais,or someone like that, and an opera.

"I'm glad my father was strict about it, though.Because even now, knowing what's going on back-stage at an opera or a play or musical, if I'm in theaudience I get a feeling of impatience for the cur-tain to go up, of excitement-'Ah, I'm really goingto see something'-even if it's Tosca or Lohengrin,which I know by heart."

Crespin has a rich, deep speaking voice, andaside from occasionally placing the accent on thewrong syllable, her English is enviable. When shefirst came to this country, in 1962, she hardly spokethe language, but talking with people and watch-ing television, her schooling in English came backto her.

She was learning German at the time. "I met myhusband when someone introduced us with theidea he could improve my German [Lou Bruder,from whom Crespin is separated, is a Frenchmanfrom Strasbourg and an authority on German liter-ature]. Now I cannot speak it any more; each time Iwant to, I speak English. Like Italian: I was speak-ing Italian quite fluently, then I learned Spanishbecause I have a house in Majorca and I had a loveaffair with a man from Caracas. He spoke Spanishto me, and I learned it, and now when I want tospeak Italian, it comes out Spanish."

Crespin plans to learn some Spanish songs andinclude them in a recital some time soon. At thebeginning of the year, she began work on the roleof Marina in Boris Godunov, with which she'llopen the Metropolitan Opera next month. Al-though she has sung the role in French, she hasnever sung Russian at all. "I'm scared to death tolearn something I cannot really read or under-stand," she admitted. "But I'll do it."

At the May festival in Cincinnati, Crespin gave aluminous performance as Dido in a concert ver-sion of Les Troyens a Carthage, the second part ofBerlioz' Les Troyens. She would love to sing therole at the Met, and anyone who heard her in Cin-cinnati would petition the opera house to let herdo it, for her interpretation of the lovestruck,heartbroken, vengeful, and ultimately suicidalqueen was vocally magnificent and rich innuances undisclosed by other singers.

Crespin is set to record Chausson's Poeme del'amour et de la mer this year. "I was supposed to

record it in March 1976," she said, "but I had toleave Europe for more Carmens in New York.When you skip a recording date, it's a nightmare toschedule another one. Probably on the back I willput some Duparc with orchestra-nobody reallyhas done that. I think Chausson and Duparc are agood combination. [A good combination indeed:Unbeknownst to Crespin, Andre Previn and JanetBaker have just recorded precisely this couplingfor EMI.-Ed.] I have to learn also a cycle by Mes-siaen-a fantastic but difficult cycle called Na-ra wi. It's rather modern music but very beautiful.

"I never, never use recordings to learn a role. Ithink it is a bad way. I'm against it, to copy. Youmay not want to copy, but the records influenceyou. I think you have to learn the work yourself,rehearse it, sing it, and then if you want to checkon something, okay. But otherwise, no records. Tolearn a role I take the score and study it and sing itfor a while, then I let it sleep for a while, then I goback again. I think about my interpretation con-stantly."

Crespin is one of the most elegant singers on theconcert stage, and the taste that is apparent inher attire is matched by her intellectual andemotional comprehension of what she sings. Styl-ish phrasing is always a hallmark of her work. Arecent comparison of recordings of Berlioz' song"Le Spectre de la rose" from Nuits d'ete, for ex-ample, showed that Eleanor Steber, SuzanneDanco, Victoria de los Angeles, Leontyne Price,and Janet Baker all sing the line "et sur l'albatre Oilje repose..." from the last verse so that "je" fallson the third beat of the 9/8 measure and is elidedacross two eighth notes. It sounds fine-until youlisten to Crespin's recording and discover that shemakes magic of it by stretching out "Palbeitre" sothat "je" falls on a single unstressed eighth note.

"I didn't learn that from anybody or work withanybody on it," Crespin said. "I just felt it. I mustsay I don't like, really, most of my recordings, be-cause I hear only the faults. But Nuits d'et6 I love.It's the recording I really prefer.

"It's funny-several years ago I went to Londonfor a big program when England joined the Com-mon Market. The Queen and Prince Philip werethere, and representatives from all the countries.Schwarzkopf was there, and Janet Baker. Bakerand I had never met, so as we were both backstageI went to her and said, 'Listen, I have really to tellsomething to you. No one can touch Mahler'sSongs of a Wayfarer any more because yourrecording of it-that's it! I wanted so much torecord it, but after you, it's not possible.' Baker wasso sweet. She took my hand and kissed it and said,'I should have said the same after your Nuits d'ete,but I made the mistake of recording it.' "

Singers say nice things to and of each other, butCrespin thinks sopranos can't really be friends. "Icould be friends with a contralto or a high color -

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Crespin's versatility has enabled her,at the Metropolitan Opera alone over the past few years,to go from the role of Charlotte in Massenet's Wertherto the title role in Carmen and, finally, just lastseason, to that of the First Prioress inFrancis Poulenc's Dialogues of the Carmelites.

atura," she said, "but two sopranos who sing thesame role? It would be a facade. If you sing thesame parts, it's always a kind of competition. Ihave good colleagues in the opera, but not reallyfriends."

Crespin has acquaintances almost everywhereshe sings. "I meet people through mutual friends,"she said. "Well, I have not so many friends, be-cause what we really mean by friends you cancount on two hands-even one, maybe."

The subject of friends led to that of a phenom-enon of the opera world. "Once, four or five yearsago, I met Birgit Nilsson at the Met," Crespin re-lated, "and we chatted for a few minutes, and shesaid, `By the way, how long have you been here?' Itold her two weeks, and she asked, 'Have you met aman lately?' At that time I was separating from myhusband, and I thought she was asking me if 1 hadmet somebody else, so I said, 'No, why are you ask-ing me this?' Nilsson said, 'It's a simple question.Have you met a man since you've been here?' 1 an-swered, 'Yes, a lot of friends, of course.' And Nils-son said, 'But real men? I've been here for threemonths, and I count up, and I haven't met one.' "

"I have a lot of friends who are homosexual,"Crespin continued, "and they're nice-like mybrothers, like my sons some of them. I really lovethem. We have a lot of sympathie, rapport. We talkseriously, or we laugh. Prima donnas represent forthem both mother and a kind of superwoman youcan't touch. She's a goddess, a diva, and the morewe are sophisticated, with big hats and big jewelsand furs, the more they are fascinated. But therecomes a point where you say-and my women col-leagues feel the same way-'Enough.'

"I must say, in the States it's more obvious. Ofcourse they are present in Europe too, but thereseems such a negation of masculinity and feminin-ity here. In France, you walk along and, if you havea little hat or something, a man who passes or a cabdriver will whistle or say 'Hi, hi.' But here, never."

As for the masculine in her own life, Crespinwould say only, "Oh, you are very curious. Maybethere is a romantic involvement, maybe several. Ifone is not enough, take two."

My comment that the life of a diva seemed morehard work than glamor and romance remindedCrespin of "some singers who think only of thetrappings, of being a celebrity. I'm really en colere[passionately] against these attitudes. If you mustbe a prima donna on-stage, all right, but why be aprima donna off-stage? Be an artiste first; the mostimportant thing is the stage. Then maybe thatmakes you a prima donna in life too. You have tohave a kind of humility. You have to ask yourselfeach morning if what you're doing is all right.

"I think about the time when I will have to re -

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tire, and I know it's going to be difficult. I havethought about it for a long time because four orfive years ago I had a big crisis. I was in a badmood, I had a lot of problems in my private life, Iwas depressed and ready to jump out the win-dow-really, I was suicidaire-and I knew thevoice was not going well.

"One day, finally, after some analysis, I told my-self, 'Now you stop for a while and take care ofyour voice and your health, or you are going to bereally in trouble.' So I did. I stopped for a year [Oc-tober 1973 to October 1974] just before learningCarmen to sing it in Strasbourg. I thought, 'If I singCarmen well, if I have success, if it goes like I wantit to go-okay, I go on. If not, I stop, because I can-not fight with myself, my voice.' It was a night-mare.

"I became like a student. I went to my teacher inGermany every week with my little bunch of mu-sic, to his little room, and during all that time I wasthinking, 'What are you going to do if you have tostop?' So it's not new for me.

"I was very unhappy because, if I had stopped atthat time, it would have been on a failure. Now Iknow when the time comes to stop it will be a nor-mal ending of a career. That, for instance, is theproblem with Callas. She stopped at a bad period,and that's why she's unhappy.

"I know it's going to be difficult. I know I'm go-ing to be unhappy for one or two years, probably.That's why I've started to teach. I have a class inParis, at the Conservatoire National de Musique,since last year. I didn't want to take it, but some-body was retiring and the woman insisted somuch. She said, 'You should start now, when youare still in good shape and singing. Then the transi-tion will be easier.' And she's right.

"I'm fascinated by the teaching. The studentstell me, 'It's exciting to have you here. between go-ing to New York and all over to sing.' They areyoung people, and for me it's very interesting tohave a rapport with young singers. I'm sure I willbe interested in the future I have in mind, becauseit will be my business-the singing business."

Meanwhile, before that day arrives, Crespin'scalendar is full of singing and recording dates.And lovers of French operetta can rejoice that shehasn't waited-as several former prima donnashave-for high notes to fade before turning to thatdelightful repertoire.

Singers of international stature have recordedworks from the German/Viennese repertoire, butFrench operetta recordings available here don'ttake up much shelf space in stores. The reason istwofold: The tongue -twisting spoken dialogue cantrip up even the most fluent foreigner, making aFrench cast a necessity. And-unfortunately-agreat voice, an international career, and quintes-sential Frenchness are not often combined in oneperson.

Crespin, who has included operetta arias inmany of her recital programs, has started to fill thegap. Within the past few months she has had threeOffenbach recordings released: Lu Vie parisienne,conducted by Michel Plasson, on Angel [reviewedin June], La Grande Duchesse de Gerolstein,also with Plasson, on Columbia and La Perichole,conducted by Alain Lombard, on Erato [bothreviewed in this issue]. The recordings, with all -French casts including Mady Mesple, bring out theexquisite Frenchness and fun of the librettos anddisplay the marvelous Crespin combination of re-gality and earthy sexiness. She likes the repertoireso much that she's considering doing GrandeDuchesse on the stage or on film.

Crespin is looking forward to more travel too."I've been to Japan once and would like to goback," she said. "It's a fantastic public. I've beenall over Europe, of course, but not in Australia, notin China-not on the moon, not yet!" Another thingshe wants very much to do is to be a guest on theMuppets' TV program. "I want to sing 'Tu n'es pasbeau' to Kermit the Frog. I love that show!"

Asked what she does when she's not singing, shecouldn't think of much more than, "I'm busy,really, preparing or recording.

"The thing I miss most is to have my friends tomy house-it is on a little treelined street in Pariswhere cars don't go-to have a dinner and talk andso on. But that I can't do, because I talk, I drink, I

Bearing up undera bear hug from Jules Bastinwhile recording Perichole

smoke, and that is bad. I don't smoke usually, butin the summer, after bathing or a cocktail, it's sonice."

"In Majorca, I just rest, with the sun and waterand beach and my swimming pool, and the dayspass like this," she said, snapping her fingers. "Intwo months of vacation in the summer, maybeonce or twice I listen to an opera or a concert onthe radio or on records. Most of the time I listen topop music, I dance, go out with friends, but I don'tthink about opera at all. The body, the brain, needto forget all the work and to relax completely."

As Crespin said good -by, I had occasion again toobserve that decidedly French slant to her charac-ter. 1 admired a tiny gold figurine the singer wearson a chain around her neck. She slid the figure toone side, revealing another tiny figure beneath.

"One is a man and one a woman," Crespin said."You can draw your own conclusions."

SEP I LMBLR 1977 89

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After learnweve done,

no onewill heckleour speakers.

We're as close to the impossibleas possible.

Our new speakers color sound.Anybody's speakers do.Should someone tell you otherwise,

they speak with forked frequencyresponse.

We at Sony approached the develop-ment of our new speaker line with thisgrim reality in mind.

Thus our goal was to create speakerswith a minimum of coloration. With afrequency response flat and wide. Withlow distortion. And with repeatability.Which is critical. Which means thateach speaker we turn out will sound likethe one before and the one after.

Searching and researching.Our basic dilemma was that speaker

specs don't specify much.You can build two speakers with iden-

tical specs, and find they'll sound non-identical.

That's because your sophisticated earcan pick up differences our clumsymeasurements can't.

Some examples:You can hear how pure water is. The

purity of the water in which the pulp forthe speaker cone is pressed will influ-ence the sound. (Spring water is the best.)

But water purity would hardly changethe frequency response-or any othermeasureable characteristic.

Nor would the dye used to color thecone-or the glue used in gluing thecabinet.

But you'd hear the dye and the glue.And there are dozens and dozens of

elements that interact this way.So our job was mammoth. To corre-

late these factors in order to reach thegoal we outlined earlier. Changing one

changes the other and almost changedour minds about going into the speakerbusiness.

But we stuck it out. And found the an-swer to the juggling of these variablesthanks to a major technological innova-tion.

Trial and error.That's why we labored for three years

to bring you our speakers. While othermanufacturers rushed frantically tomarket with theirs.

We keep the whole worldin our hands.

Once we understood how to contro'the sound of our speakers, we realizedwe had to control what went into ourspeakers.

So we did the only logical thing.We built a plant.And pursuing that logic, we built it at

a place called Kofu. Which is at the baseof Mt. Fuji. Where we can get all thespring water we want.

This factory does nothing but pro-duce -under outrageously close con-trol -the components for our speakers.

Whatever we do buy, we specify socarefully that our vendors have night-mares about us..(It's unfortunate thatwe can't make everything ourselves,but only God can make a tree, and onlywood can make a fine cabinet.)

Few companies make this effort.So it's safe to say that when it comes

to exercising this kind of control, ourspeakers are a voice in the dark.

Improvements that areheard and not seen.

As you can see, there's a lot that goesinto producing a speaker that's not eas-ily seen. (One beautiful exception -thehandsome finish on our cabinets.)

Suggested retail prices: SSU-3000, $300 each; SSU-4000, $400 each.CIRCLE 40 ON READER -SERVICE CARD

That includes the carbon fiber thatwe mix into the speaker cone paper.

Carbon fiber is light and strong.(Why they don't use it in girdles we'llnever know.)

Light, so our speaker is more effi-cient. Meaning you need less power tooperate it. Meaning you are closer tothe ideal of converting electrical en-ergy to mechanical energy without aloss of power.

Light, so our speaker cone reactsquickly to stops and starts in the sig-nal. The result: improved transientresponse.

Strong, to prevent the cone frombending out of shape in the high fre-quency range.

Moreover, carbon fiber doesn't re-sonate much. It has what's called alow Q, and it took someone with ahigh IQ to realize it would absorb theunwanted vibration rather than trans-mit it down the cone.

We also cut down on unwanted vibra-tion (as opposed to the wanted vibra-tion, which is music), by using a castaluminum basket rather than astamped, shoddy cheap metal one.

We could go on, but at this point thebest thing would be for you to move onto your nearest Sony dealer. And listen.

Because the results of our threeyears of labor will be clear after threeminutes of listening.

At which point, far from hecklingour speakers, you'll be tempted to givethem a standing ovation.

© 1977 Sony Corp of America. Sony, 9 W. 57 St., NY, N.Y. 10019SONY is a trademark of Sony Corp

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The SSU-3000 and SSU-4000.Great speakers like these deserve an audience.

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The bones roil in the Sherwin M Goldman /Houston Grand Opera production of Porgy and Bess

Catfish Row Springs to LifeRCA's theater -wise yet musically fit Porgy and Bess is supplemented

by a Turnabout disc that includes Gershwin's "pre-opera" Blue Monday.

by David Hamilton

LAST YEAR, when London's Cleveland recording ofGershwin's Porgy and Bess appeared, it seemed un-likely that we would soon have an alternate com-plete version, let alone one that would succeed injust the ways that the London set failed. Yet that isprecisely what has now appeared: a lively, moving,theatrically vivid re-creation of Catfish Row thatmakes a rather better case for the validity of Gersh-win's problematic opera, without sacrificing any ofthe undoubted musical probity that distinguishedMaazel's recording.

The RCA set stems from the stage production thatopened in Houston on July 1, 1976, came to New Yorkthe following September for sixteen weeks, and thenembarked on a national tour. That stage experience

shows in the recording, and it's important. GivenPorgy's various structural and musical flaws (which Idiscussed at some length in HF, May 1976), if the full-length version is to convince, it needs a lot of color,character, and dramatic punch going for it: the musicby itself isn't always strong enough to carry us fromone high point to the next. It isn't, say, Tristan, ofwhich a musically expert performance can be en-thralling even though it may fail to convey the full di-mensionality of the characters and is thereby an in-complete rendering of the opera's maximumpotential impact.

The London recording, I felt, was short on color,character, and dramatic punch. A small but tellingcase in point: In the last scene, when Porgy returns

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from prison, he is greeted by the neighbors, who, inthat performance, sounded for all the world like theCatfish Row Madrigal Society, freshly scrubbed andpolished to present the greeting for the Queen's Ju-bilee visit. In the new RCA set, they are casual, re-laxed, like the spontaneous group they are supposedto be. And this pattern carries throughout the RCArecording: the musical pacing, the give-and-take ofdialogue, the skillful use of sound effects-all reflectwhat has been learned from actually enacting Porgyon stage, rather than simply standing up and singingthe music. (The Cleveland recording, it will be re-called, followed a series of concert performances.)Unlike some of Maazel's singers, all of these peopleare inside their parts-freer, more relaxed, more aliveto the telling line, to the point of each phrase and theshape of each scene. The chorus is less "oratoric," theorchestra less "symphonic." Under the firm and ca-pable direction of John DeMain, they treat therhythms less literally, more stylishly.

Within the framework of this general-and all-im-portant-distinction, there isn't a great deal to gainedby defining subtle distinctions of quality among thevarious singers. In fact, on sheerly vocal grounds onewould be hard put to choose between them; bothcompanies are full of talented people, and the crucialthing is that one group has had the opportunity toput its talents much more fully at the service of theopera's theatrical essence. In the RCA cast, I'm espe-cially impressed with Clamma Dale, who has thatspecial extra gift for matching words to notes, forsinging as naturally as speech, that makes one look toher future with special anticipation. (The same week

Donnie Ray Albert and Clamma Dale in the title roles

that I heard this recording, I managed to catch herprogram of popular songs "for a summer evening";on the basis of that, I'd cheerfully go to hear MissDale sing a laundry list anytime.) The voice has lotsof color, firmness, and focus, and it's used with a realsense of purpose.

Another promising soprano in this cast is WilmaShakesnider, a touching Serena, and Betty Lanesings a luscious, free and easy "Summertime." Don-nie Ray Albert is a strong Porgy, but the other twomale leads bring my only qualms about the singing.Andrew Smith's Crown is a shade free with the mu-sical text (though vocally solid), and Larry Marshalleven more so. I know there's a tradition of such free-dom in interpreting Sportin' Life, and some of whatMarshall does makes sense: The progressively freervariations on "It Ain't Necessarily So" work well be-cause the tune is well established first. But he nevergets the crucial appoggiatura figure on "New York"in "There's a Boat dat's Leavin'," in the right place,and that really spoils the song.

In keeping with the performance's theatrical ori-gin, much use is made of sound effects, with greatsuccess: they all seem natural outgrowths of the ac-tion, not artificial overlays. The action at the end ofthe first two scenes of Act III is altered (and so are thestage directions in the libretto) from the originalscore, so that (respectively) Bess comes out to see thedead Crown and emerges, high on happy dust, to gooff with Sportin' Life-rather obvious effects, I think,but at least not downright contradictory to the mu-sic. (One other textual point: The libretto has been"de -expurgated," so to speak, of the various substitu-tions for the word "nigger" that were made someyears back.)

The recorded sound, if less plangent and analyticthan London's, is nevertheless quite good: a spaciousambience, natural balance, and plenty of impact. Upto now, we've had an old but honorable abridgedperformance of Porgy, full of atmosphere and style(the Odyssey set, produced by the late Goddard Lie-berson) and a shiny, absolutely complete, but some-what stiff version (London). The good news today isthat RCA's version combines all the best points ofboth those recordings.

As a sort of appetizer for Porgy, Turnabout bringsus a recording of Gershwin's first effort in the direc-tion of opera, a twenty -minute treatment of theFrankie-and-Johnnie story that began the second actof George White's Scandals of 1922-but only for theopening night; it was quickly pulled from the showas "too downbeat." Originally called Blue Monday, itwas revived in 1925 by Paul Whiteman as 135thStreet (Will Vodery's original orchestration revisedby Ferde Grad). Since then it has cropped up nowand again: in capsule form in the 1945 film Rhapsodyin Blue, in 1953 on the TV series Omnibus, in a 1968concert performance at Philharmonic Hall led bySkitch Henderson. A sort of ballad opera with ac-companied recitatives, it boasts an absurd libretto,stilted dialogue, and several fine songs, on thestrength of which this recording is surely welcome.The Grad scoring is used (Vodery's is apparentlylost), but the elaborate wind doublings have beensimplified. Neat enough, the performance is some-what short on panache.

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The verso of the Turnabout record digs into sev-eral corners of the Gershwin catalog, for the two"madrigals" from the film A Damsel in Distress, twosongs, and-best of all-a stretch from Let 'em EatCake, the sequel to Of Thee I Sing. Though unsuc-cessful in its day, this was one of Gershwin's most in-genious and highly developed scores, and it's good tohear even this little bit: the hit song, "Mine," pre-ceded by a choral sequence; the orchestration is bySmith, the original (not by Gershwin) having disap-peared. I don't much care for Rosalind Rees's ratheradenoidal, deadpan renditions of the songs-espe-cially the witty "By Strauss," which many will re-member as memorably sung (with a slightly alteredverse) by Georges Guetary and Gene Kelly in the filmAn American in Paris. The other numbers are doneefficiently, if no more. No texts are given, except for afew lines from the Let 'em Eat Cake scene; thoughthe diction is pretty fair, one could have used thetexts now and then.

GEastiwiN: Porgy and Bess.PorgyBessCrownSerenaClaraMariaJakeSportin' LifeMingo

Donnie Ray Albert (b)Clamma Dale (s)

Andrew Smith (b)Wirma Shakesnider (s)

Betty Lane (s)Carol Brice (ms)

Alexander B Smalls (b)Larry Marshall (I)

Bernard Thacker (t)

Robbins Glover Parham (t)Peter Mervin Wallace (t)Frazier Raymond Bazemore (bs)Annie Shirley Baines (ms)Lily Myra Merritt (ms)Strawberry Woman Phyllis Bash (ms)Jim Hartwell Mace (b)Undertaker Cornel Richie (b)Nelson; Crab Man Steven Alex -Cole (t)

Children's Chorus, Orchestra, and Ensemble; John DeMain,cond. [Thomas Z. Shepard, prod.] RCA RED SEAL ARL 3-2109,$23.94 (three discs, automatic sequence).Comparison'Maazel /Cleveland Lon.OSA13116

loll GERs.w. Vocal Works. Soloists; Gregg Smith Sing-ers, orchestra. Gregg Smith. cond. TURNABOUT TV -S

34638. $3.98. Tape CT 2103. $6.95.Blue Monday (135th Street) (Joyce Andrews. soprano: Thomas Bogdan andJeffrey Meyer, tenors; Patrick Mason, baritone; Walter Richardson, bass. or-chestra). A Damsel in Distress: The Jolly Tar and the Milkmaid; Sing of Spring(Singers; Oresta Cybriwski, piano). Ming Toy: In the Mandarin's Orchard Gar-den (Rosalind Rees, soprano: Cybriwski). The Show Is On: By Strauss (Rees.Cybriwski). Let 'em Eat Cake: Orders. Orders

. . . Mine (Bogdan: Priscilla Mag-dam, alto: Singers; orchestra)

Weingartner, Kleiber, De Sabata:A Matter of Record

Noteworthy reissues provide direct evidence of the artistry of threelegendary conductors known to Americans primarily from recordings.

by Harris Goldsmith

JET TRAVEL has homogenized the world of music, andwe tend td forget that until recently performers ofthe first rank could have primarily American or Eu-ropean reputations (and the Orient was consideredan exotic no-man's-land). Thus, while Felix Wein-gartner, Erich Kleiber, and Victor de Sabata-threeprominent conductors heard in impressive recentreissues-appeared before American audiences, allthree belonged generally to the "European" camp.

The Dalmatian -born Weingartner (1863-1942), aonetime pupil of Liszt, appeared with the New YorkPhilharmonic in 1905 and conducted Tristan in Bos-ton in 1912-13. He made his (apparently controver-sial) presence felt in opera, spent most of his lateryears symphonically in the concert halls of London,Vienna, and Paris, was an esteemed pedagogue andfrustrated composer, and died in Switzerland, self -exiled from Nazi Europe. His books on conductingand interpreting the Beethoven symphonies are stillwidely read, and phonographic annals will foreverhonor him as the man who recorded the first cyclesof the Beethoven and Brahms symphonies. '

Kleiber (1890-1956) and De Sabata (1892-1967)were also fine opera conductors, and De Sabata was,like Weingartner, a composer. Both were active inthe U.S. in the 1920s, and though each reappearedhere after the war-Kleiber conducting the NBC

Symphony at Toscanini's invitation, De Sabata lead-ing the Pittsburgh Symphony and the New YorkPhilharmonic-neither remained on the scene longenough to become a superstar along with such Euro-pean transplants as Reiner, Szell, Beecham, Walter,Koussevitzky, Mitropoulos. Ormandy, and Tosca-nini.

Many reputations have, of course, been madethrough phonograph records-Klemperer and Scher-chen are cases in point, and so, for that matter, areFurtwangler and Mengelberg, whose present, largelyposthumous celebrity in this country has little to dowith memories of their live performances. Much thesame could be said of Weingartner. Kleiber's fadingrepute may well be restored by the emergence of hisson Carlos; he left many fine recordings to further thecause. De Sabata, however, was forced by poorhealth to retire early; since he left but a handful ofrecords, he must remain a relatively shadowy figure.

Both in the opera pit and in the concert hall, De Sa-bata had the reputation of a brilliant showman andan enticing sensualist. He was also an erratic inter-preter, as is evident in the reissued performances,which range from incandescent to superficial andperverse.

His 1946 London Philharmonic accounts (in a two -disc London Treasury album) of Sibelius' En Saga,

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Top to bottom:Felix Weingartner, Erich Kleiber,and Victor de Sabata-a chance for reassessmentvia recordings

Berlioz' Roman Carnival Overture, and Wagner's"Ride of the Valkyries" are as supercharged as Tos-canini's and often, as in the supplely molded intro-duction to the Berlioz, more flexible; indeed his EnSaga unleashes an almost orgiastic outburst. By anyreckoning, these performances are masterfully ledand, for their time, remarkably realistic -sounding.The Sibelius Valse triste is also tenderly done, al-though a bit mannered in its rubato.

De Sabata's Eroica from the same sessions is, onthe whole, of the self-indulgent school of Men-gelberg, Koussevitzky, and Furtwangler-but with-out their compensating energy and conviction. Fromthe outset the sonority is inappropriately lush, andvirtually every trace of rhythmic ostinato is given asoft -focus treatment that softens outlines until thewhole first movement resembles the Liebestod. TheMarcia funebre is less listless, but I find the conduc-

tor's chosen sonority inappropriately glossy and su-perficial. The last two movements are better: a livelyenough scherzo (with the trio taken pretty much intempo) and a quite live finale.

A much better case for De Sabata as a Beethoveninterpreter is made by his Pastoral (reissued on Brit-ish EMI's World Records label), recorded in Rome ayear after the items in the London Treasury set. TheAugusteo Orchestra (later renamed the Santa CeciliaOrchestra) doesn't have the easy blend of the LPO,and there are one or two instances of uncertain en-semble. While I question De Sabata's expansions atseveral points-notahly at the end of the finale-thisis a suave, super -intense, Latinized reading, oftensimilar to Toscanini's NBC version and, in the wood-wind department especially, often more bucolic andmore lovingly phrased by the Italian instrumental-ists. The reproduction is a shade less opulent thanthat of the London performances, but there is morefinely etched detail.

Many of Kleiber's Beethoven recordings I had notheard for some years until recently, when I listenedto all of them again, rediscovering just how distin-guished they are. His Eroica, for example, is one ofthe few that can rival Toscanini's for slashing, ner-vous momentum.

The 1955 Vienna recording is Kleiber's secondEroica. The earlier one (with the Concertgebouw),originally on 78s and an early London LP. has neverbeen reissued. Actually one might say that theVienna recording has only been reissued: It first ap-peared several years after the conductor's death, onthe budget Richmond label.

The reason for its delayed appearance has neverbeen clear. Could the exacting Kleiber have been un-happy with the sound of the orchestra, which is clearand incisive but also unpleasantly thin and acerbic?The Concertgebouw recording had a more dated butalso more mellow tone quality, and, judging from theold Richmond reissue of the contemporaneous Con-certgebouw Seventh, London might have gotten amore agreeable sound by restoring the Concertge-bouw rather than the Vienna Eroica. Both perform-ances have their points of interest. The later one,which includes the long exposition repeat (in thenew mastering London has fit the first two move-ments uninterrupted on Side 1; the Marcia funebrehad a side break on Richmond). is perhaps slightlymore unified and intense.

Kleiber's famous 1953 Fifth has survived its com-pression to a single disc side fairly well. The Concert-gebouw strings seem a bit edgier now, but detail re-mains exemplary and the brass sounds full andlustrous. This is remarkably fine engineering for itsperiod and-save for the lack of stereo-sounds nomore antiquated than, say, the reissued Szell/Cleve-land performance on Odyssey.

The first three movements are led with terse conci-

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sion; rhetorical gestures are virtually eliminated, andthe whiplash articulation leaves a smarting sting inits aftermath. The finale still disappoints me some-what; despite its properly majestic beginning, it isstatic and detached compared with the volcanicdrama and energy that Toscanini (in his 1939 record-ing) and Cantelli (in his 1954 NBC Symphony broad-cast) managed at a similar pace.

The coupling for the Fifth, Kleiber's 1949 LondonPhilharmonic version of the Mozart Fortieth Sym-phony (which also turned up recently in Turnabout's"Great Mozart Conductors" set, THS 65033/5), is an-other distinguished albeit controversial inter-pretation-one might call it "astringent" rather than"demonic." Kleiber sets brisk, vehement tempos andseems intent on screwing the tension even tighter, atthe same time eschewing the surging operatic qualitysought by Casals and Toscanini in favor of clipped,detached phrasing and a pure, cool, treble -orientedsonority. The outer movements work best; the min-uet seems rushed and impatient. In line with his clas-sical outlook, Kleiber uses the symphony's originalversion, without clarinets, but his omission of thefirst -movement repeat is surprising. The sound isclear but a shade strident, and there is some scratchfrom the original shellac discs.

With Kleiber's Pastoral and Seventh yet to reap-pear (in the case of the former, I hope we will get thelater Concertgebouw recording rather than the Lon-don Philharmonic one), that brings us to his Ninth,heard in interesting juxtaposition with Turnabout'sreissue of the 1935. Weingartner Ninth, which itstrongly recalls.

The propulsive first movement is taut and intelli-gent, though it lacks the fire and thrust of Tosca-nini's. The scherzo (without repeats, like Weingart-ner's) is clear and a bit prim: the timpani mark theirrhythm neatly but never rise above chamber -musicdimensions. The Adagio (broken at a judicious pointin this single -disc format) has a good sense of motion,and the finale, after a strangely small -scaled, met-ronomic delivery of the instrumental recitatives, isadmirably done. The vocal quartet-Hilde Gueden,Sieglinde Wagner, Anton Dermota, and LudwigWeber-is particularly eloquent. The 1952 recording,though several years older than the Eroica, is muchmore flattering to the Vienna Philharmonic strings.This may not be Kleiber at his greatest, but it is none-theless a distinctive performance.

Weingartner's Ninth was a landmark recording inits day, and it comes out even more impressively inthis splendid reissue. The obtrusive rumbling bass ofthe original 78s and the first Columbia LP transferhas been tamed, and timbres have been solidifiedand brightened considerably-note the rustle of thestrings at the beginning of the first movement and thesolid, compact sound of timpani and woodwinds inthe scherzo.

Notwithstanding some bobbles in the playing andsome strange manhandling of tempos (e.g., the end ofthe otherwise poignantly expressive Adagio and therather tame pace for the "Freude, Tochter ails Ely-sium" section of the finale), the strength and dignityof Weingartner's noble conception remain impres-sively intact forty years later. Indeed this perform-ance has served as a model, not only for the Kleiber

recording, but for those of Schmidt-Isserstedt (Lon-don OSA 1159), Bohm (DC 2707 073), and, most suc-cessfully, Kempe (in Seraphim SIH 6093).

Weingartner's vocal quartet, closely miked, ac-cording to the practice of the day, is magnificent. Theladies (Luise Helletsgruber and Rosette Anday) aresecure; Georg Maikl's woolly German tenor is, I sus-pect, just the sound Beethoven intended for the allamarcia; and Richard Mayr, the original Baron Ochs,contributes a stupendously sonorous and musicianlyopening recitative-he sings the run on "freudenvol-lere" on a single breath without the slightest trace ofstrain. No doubt because of 78 time considerations,all repeats are omitted, but don't hesitate for a min-ute: Here, for less than the price of one mediocre con-cert, is a performance that is indeed for the ages.

I enjoyed Weingartner's Eighth far more than Iused to. His Vienna recordings often fluctuated intempo more than those he made in London and Paris;some of this may have come from the more lingering,less disciplined style of the prewar VPO (is it all thatdifferent today?), and some from the combination ofVienna's reverberant Konzerthaus and the dis-continuity of four -minute 78 sides (the London stu-dios were generally drier, those in Paris positivelycramped).

The Allegretto scherzando of the Eighth, that fa-mous jibe at Malzel's metronome, gets off to a lurch-ing start, giving an ironic twist to Beethoven's humorthat Weingartner undoubtedly never intended.There are other imprecisions and vacillations, butWeingartner brings out quite a bit of relevant detailand mixes fierceness with geniality engagingly.

BEETHOVEN: Symphony No. 3, in E flat, Op. 55ICJ (Eroica). Bawer Roman Carnival Overture, Op. 9.

SisEuus: En Saga, Op. 9; Valse triste, Op. 44. WAG-NER: Die Walkiire: Ride of the Valkyries. London Phil-

harmonic Orchestra, Victor de Sabata, cond. LONDON TREAS-URY 62022, $7.96 (two discs, mono, automatic sequence)[from DECCA/LONDON originals, 1946].

Sermonic Symphony No. 6, in F, Op. 68 (Pastoral).Orchestra dell'Augusteo (Rome), Victor de Sabata,

cond. EMI ODEON SH 235, $5.98 (mono) [from HMV originals,1947] (distributed by Peters International).

BEETHOVEN: Symphony No. 3, in E flat, Op. 55ICI (Eroica). Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra, Erich Kleiber,

cond. LONDON TREASURY R 23202, $3.98 (mono) [fromRICHMOND B 19051, 1959; recorded 1955].

BEETHOVEN: Symphony No. 5, in C minor, Op. 67.*MozaaT: Symphony No. 40, in G minor, K. 550.' Con-certgebouw Orchestra* and London Philharmonic Or-chestra*, Erich Kleiber, cond. LONDON TREASURY R

23232, $3.98 (mono) r from LONDON LL 912, 1953; * fromDEccA/LoNooN originals, c. 1949].

BEETHOVEN: Symphony No. 9, in D minor, Op. 125.Hilde Gueden, soprano; Sieglinde Wagner, alto; Anton

Dermota, tenor; Ludwig Weber, bass; Vienna Sing-verein, Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra, Erich Kleiber,

cond. LONDON TREASURY R 23201, $3.98 (mono) [from LONDONLL 632/3. 1952. and RICHMOND B 19083, 1961]. BEEmovEN: Symphonies: No. 8, in F, Op. 93; No. 9 in

D minor, Op. 125.*. Luise Helletsgruber, soprano*:

n Rosette Anday, alto*, Georg Maikl, tenor*: RichardMayr, bass' ; Vienna State Opera Chorus*, Vienna Phil-

harmonic Orchestra, Felix Weingartner, cond. TURNABOUT THS65076/7, $7.96 (two discs, mono, manual sequence) [fromEuropean COLUMBIA originals, 1935-36].

B

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Creviewed by ROYAL S. BROWN

SCOTT CANTRELL

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BACH: Organ Works, Vols. 1-2. Lionel Rogg,organ. ANGEL S 37264 and 37265, $7.98each SO -encoded disc.vol. 1 (organ of the Sore Monastery Church. Denmark):Fantasies and Fugues: in C minor, S. 537: in G minor. S.542. Fantasies: in C minor, S. 562; in B minor, S. 563; in C.5.570; in G, S. 572; in C minor. Vol. 2 (organ of St. Peter'sCathedral. Geneva). Toccatas and Fugues: in D minor, S.538 (Dorian); in F, S. 540; in D minor, S. 565. Toccata,Adagio, and Fugue, in C. S. 564.

FRBack: Preludes and Fugues for Or-gan (24); Chorale Preludes. Anthony

Newman, organ of the Wooster School, Dan-bury, Conn. [Clifford F. Gilmore and MichaelWhiton, prod.] Vox OSVBX 5479 and 5480,$10.98 each three -disc SO -encoded set(manual sequence).

Anthony Newman caused quite a stir in thelate '60s and early '70s with his somewhaticonoclastic Bach performances, some ofwhich found their way onto Columbia rec-ords. Now, beginning a series of the organworks for Vox, he offers his latest thoughtson most of the larger preludes, toccatas,fantasias. and fugues, along with a few cho-rale settings. (Four selections from thesetwo three -disc sets-the Toccata, Adagio.and Fugue in C. the Passacaglia and Fuguein C minor, the Prelude and Fugue in E flat.and the ubiquitous Toccata and Fugue in Dminor-have also been issued on a Turn-about single disc, QTV-S 34856.)

As in his previous Bach recordings, New-man demonstrates a formidable technique.scurrying through busy passagework atbreakneck speed without the least hint ofimprecision. He still delights in boldlyunorthodox registrations, and he has lostnone of his penchant for liberal applicationof inegalite and additional ornamentation.

Maurizio Pollini-Beautifully played Beethoven

He does little that isn't mentioned in somebaroque treatise on performance practices,but large questions are raised-and scarcelyanswered-by his use in Bach's organ musicof basically foreign conventions (such asthose of the French harpsichord literature).Even allowing for these significant ques-tions. Newman's musical ideas-many ofwhich, taken by themselves, are both crea-tive and eminently supportable-wouldhave been much more persuasive had theybeen applied with more discretion. It is pre-cisely this lack (to my mind) of discretion,of subtlety. of that basic and elusive qualitythe French treatises call merely le bon gofit("good taste"), that made listening to theserecords one of the most trying musical ex-periences I can remember.

First of all, Newman seems often to culti-vate velocity for its own sake: notes fly byat such dizzying speed that the mind cannotperceive even a gestalt of broad melodicand harmonic contours. Some particularlyegregious instances occur in the big F. minor

Explanation of symbolsClassical

Budget1:11 Historical

Reissue

Recorded tape:Open Reel

8 -Track Cartridgese Cassette

Prelude. in which some of the figurativepassages are so rushed as to sound merelytrivial. Far worse than the overdriven tem-pos are Newman's often gross exagger-ations of agogic accents-thereby destroy-ing all sense of an integral Cactus-and thehugely overdone rallentandos at the ends ofpieces. So drastic are the tempo fluctua-tions at the beginning of the A minor Prel-ude that one honestly wonders whetherNewman will make it to the end. Too. hehas a maddening habit of playing differentsections of a work at different tempos thathave no relationship among themselves.

Registrations are often similarly unfortu-nate. We hear too much of a brutal plenumsound that lacks either charm or historicalauthenticity. As a secondary sound to alter-nate directly with the plenum. Newmansometimes resorts to mere flutes at eight -

and four -foot pitches. producing such anextreme dynamic change that whole meas-ures are lost for the hearer as his ears read-just. Withal, there are too many kaleido-scopic stop changes in irrational places.providing anything but illumination of tex-tures. forms, and structures. All this ismade worse by Newman's choice of instru-ment. a two -manual, twenty -three -stop.mechanical -action organ built in 1974-75by Henderson and Wilson. Some of thesofter sounds (which we hear all too rarely)are pleasant enough. but the searing ple-num is dominated by brash, pseudo -Frenchreeds and screaming mixtures. The vividrecording does nothing to flatter the instru-ment's less presentable sonorities, and thediscs are cut at such a high level as to pro-duce distortion on even the best equipment.

After Newman's idiosyncracies, it was a

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real pleasure to turn to Lionel Rogg's newBach recordings on Angel-drawn from hislatest complete Bach cycle (his third), as isthe recent Seraphim disc (S 60245) of the or-gan concertos. For these performances, hehas chosen newish classic -style instru-ments by such present-day builders as Mar-cussen and Metzler.

These performances. which mostly rep-resent the best of contemporary ideas onplaying Bach, will only strengthen Rogg'senviable reputation. He has a particularlycompelling sense of rhythm that, while ad-mitting the most elegantly handled agogicaccents, maintains a strong and steady for-ward motion. In the Fantasia in G minor heprojects just the right degree of freedomwithin an insistent rhythmic impulse, andthe result is singularly exciting. So accom-plished is his handling of rhythm, in fact,that Rogg even makes a persuasive case forthat old warhorse, the D minor Toccata andFugue. What is perhaps most astonishing isthat he can make even monophonic linesand repetitive figurations so interesting, ashe does in the Toccata, Adagio, and Fuguein C and the G major Fantasia. Rogg israther more conservative about registrationthan, say, Michel Chapuis (whose Bach in-tegrale is available here on Telefunken),and one sometimes longs for a bit morecolor, but almost everything is logical andtasteful. My only real disappointments arethat he eschews the manual changes clearlyimplied in the echo effects of the G majorFantasia and that he slaps on the full organfor the grave section at the end of theAdagio in S. 564-how much lovelier it

would have sounded on the eight -footGedeckt and tremulant he uses for the ac-companiment in the Adagio!

In any case, the instruments at Sore(Marcussen) and Geneva (Metzler) are allon Rogg's side, and the recordings capture avery nice spatial perspective. Unfortu-nately, the Angel pressings are mediocre atbest-considerably inferior to the Seraphimdisc-and the generally murky sound givesway to an unpleasant degree of distortionin louder passages. Fm afraid that, failing aremastering from Angel. those for whomsonic quality is important will want tosearch out European pressings. S.C.

BEETHOVEN: Concerto for Piano and Or-chestra, No. 4, in G, Op. 58. Maurizio Polfini,piano; Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra, KarlBohm, cond. [Werner Mayer, prod.]DEUTSCHE GRAMMOPHON 2530 791, $7.98.Tape:19, 3300 791, $7.98.

In certain respects, Pollini's way with theBeethoven G major Concerto recalls that ofWalter Gieseking in the '50s. He doesn't.to be sure, skim over the introductorychords in the flippant manner of the latter'sprewar recording (also, by the way, withKarl Bohm), but he features a rippling,gracefully abstract treatment of passage -work that others have inflected more emo-tionally and-like Gieseking-his coloristicand sonorous inclinations veer to the lightand brilliant. (Some would call it "Mozar-teen.") Another point of similarity is thechoice of the less -heard of Beethoven's twofirst -movement cadenzas (also favored byBrendel, Gilels, and Moravec); it has a cer-

tain wildness and unpredictability, a kindof searing humanity that make it good tohear now and then.

This may not be the deepest inter-pretation currently available, but it is verybeautifully played and wonderfully well re-produced (at. of course, a decidedly pre-mium price). H.G.

BRAHMS: Ein deutsches Requiem, Op 45*;Variations on a Theme by Haydn, Op. 56a;Tragic Overture, Op. 81. Anna Tomova-Sin-tov, soprano*; Jose van Dam, bass -bari-tone*, Vienna Singverein*, Berin Philhar-monic Orchestra, Herbert von Karajan, cond.[Michel Glotz, prod.] ANGEL SB 3838, $15.98(two SO -encoded discs, automatic se-quence). Tape: itif 4X2S 3838, $15.98.Comparisons:Karel/in/Berlin Phil. DO 2707 018Klemperer/ Philharmonia EMI SLS 821 (see text)

Karajan's affinity for the German Requiemhas been evident since his 1948 Viennarecording, and his superlative early -SixtiesDG version remains very much available.His third account complements but by nomeans supersedes the latter.

In general, the new Angel set gives a moreforward but less impeccably detailed per-spective. This may be partly the result ofdisc mastering. (I haven't heard the Britishedition yet, but from past experience thereis often a wider dynamic range and morevivid instrumental detail.) But it should be

noted that the Angel sonics are agreeablybright and much better focused than, say,those of Karajan's recent Missa Solemnis.For my taste the DG set presents a sound ofmore sinew and delicacy; note the harp de-tails so suggestively brought to the fore inthe first movement, the compactly forwardrhythm of the timpani in the dirgelike pro-cessional of the second, the interaction ofstrings, brass, and percussion in the contra-puntal sixth. The string pizzicatos of thefourth movement, though, are as effectivelybrought out in the Angel version as in theDC, and some may argue that the more dif-fused Angel sound gives more of the char-acteristic Brahmsian weight and heft withlittle loss in tonal refinement.

In a way, the new discs are a modernsonic counterpart to the 1948 set, much ad-mired in its day, and in performance termstoo the new reading is subtly closer to the1948 one. Tempos seem a bit slower andmore relaxed than those on the DG. And-partly the result of the more diffusedsound-the feeling is often more expansiveand communicative, phrases are permittedto relax liltingly instead of being held inplace with coiled sinew.

Jose van Dam's lyrical bass -baritonelacks the black weight and expression of Je-rome Hines's true bass (in the Ormandyrecording), but he gives the music withbeautifully resonant, centered tone andexemplary musicality. In the Karajan/DGset Eberhard Wachter was also heard tobest advantage, but to my ears his manner

Cr The best classical records

reviewed in recent months

ALstruz: Iberia. Block. CONNOISSEUR SOCIETY CS 2120 and 2121 (2), June.BACH: Cantatas, Vols. 15-16. Harnoncourt. TELEFUNKEN 26.35305 (2), 26.35306 (2), Aug.BEETHOVEN Symphonies (9). Haitink. PHILIPS 6747 307 (7), July.BRAHMS: Piano Concerto No. 2. Solomon, Dobrowen. TURNABOUT THS 65071, Aug.DEBUSSY: La Mer; Prelude a l'apres-midi. RAVEL: Bolero. Solti. LONDON CS 7033, Aug.FRANCK: Symphony (with Faure: Pelleas). A. Davis. COLUMBIA M 34506. Symphonic Vari-

ations; Les Djinns (with D'Indy: Symphony). Ciccolini, Strauss. ANGEL S 37247. Aug.HANDEL, A. SCARLATTI: Vocal and Instrumental Works. Blegen, Cooper, Schwarz. COLUMBIA

M -4518. Aug.HAYDN: La vera costanza. Norman, AhnsjO, Dorati. PHILIPS 6703 077 (3), Aug.MAHLER: Symphony No. 9. Giulini. DG 2707 097 (2), July.MoNiEmEZZI: L'Amore dei tre re. Siepi et al., Santi. RCA RED SEAL ARL 2-1945 (2), Aug.MoNTEvERoi: Vespro della Beata Vergine. Soloists, Ledger. ANGEL SB 3837 (2), Aug.MUSSORGSKY: Pictures. Giulini (orch. Ravel; with Prokofiev: Symphony No. 1). DG 2530 783.

Joselson (with Prokofiev: Visions fugitives). RCA RED SEAL ARL 1-2158. July.OFFENBACH: La Vie parisienne. Crespin, Mesple, Plasson. ANGEL SBLX 3839 (2), June.PROKOFIEV: Symphonies Nos. 1, 7. Weller. LONDON CS 6897, June.PUCCINI: Suor Angelica. Scotto, Horne, Cotrubas, Maazel. COLUMBIA M 34505, July.PuRCELL: Come ye sons of art; Love's goddess sure. Soloists, Munrow. ANGEL S 37251, Aug.RACHMANINOFF: Piano Concertos Nos. 1, 2. Vasary, Aranovich. DG 2530 717, June.RACHMANINOFF, GLINKA: Songs. Vishnevskaya, Rostropovich. DG 2530 725, July.ScHusERT: Trout Quintet. Tashi, Silverstein, Neidlinger. RCA RED SEAL ARL 1-1882. Beaux

Arts T110. Rhodes, Hortnagel. PHILIPS 9500 071. June.SHOSTAKOVICN: Symphony No. 14. Rostropovich. COLUMBIA /MELODIYA M 34507, June.Simuus: Symphony No. 1; Finlandia. C. Davis. PHILIPS 9500 140, June.THOMSON: The Mother of Us All. Santa Fe Opera, Leppard. NEW WORLD NW 288/9 (2), July.WAGNER: Die Walkiire (in English). Hunter, Bailey, Goodall. ANGEL SELX 3826 (5), Aug.WYNER: Intermedio. SOLLSERGER: Riding the Wind I. CRI SD 352, JulyDAVID MuNitow: Music of the Gothic Era. AacHiv 2710 019 (3), July. Art of the Netherlands.

SERAPHIM SIC 6104 (3). Aug.

SEPTEMBER 1977 99

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was a little pugnacious and the voice lessfreely produced than Van Dam's. Anna To-mova-Sintov gives her fifth -movement solomuch the same flutelike purity that Gun-dula Janowitz brought to the DG recording,but her timbre too seems a trifle warmerand fuller.

In sum, Karajan has done it again: This isas fine a German Requiem as can be foundin the catalog. It should be noted, however,that Klemperer's equally impressive, some-what more toughly stoical performance hasbeen available for some five years in Eng-land in a remastering clearly preferable tothe Angel edition. Klemperer brought outsome uniquely interesting details of brasswriting in the second movement, and thistransfer has unearthed much illuminatingcommentary from the woodwinds; over-allbrightening gives a cleansed, strengthenedreassessment of this muscular and unaf-fected but greatly affecting interpretation.With the Requiem compressed from foursides to three, the English set also includesthe impressively granitic Klemperer ac-counts of the Tragic Overture and AltoRhapsody (with Christ a Ludwig as the finesoloist).

I am less enthusiastic about the fillers inthe new Karajan set. The conductor hasnever had much luck with the Tragic Over-ture. His earlier version, with the ViennaPhilharmonic for London, was hobbled byexaggerations of tempo and accent. Thenew reading, less mannered, is nonethelessbloated in sound and lumbering. Otherrecordings have worked with a similarlyleisurely view (e.g., Klemperer, Walter/Co-lumbia Symphony, Szell, and Toscanini/NBC), but with Karajan's, emphasis centersso oppressively on the grim solidity of thewriting that the equally important tensilequalities of the phrasing simply vanish intogooey amorphousness. The Haydn Vari-ations are far more successful, in fact quiteexquisitely shaped and colored. Yet, ascomparison with the 1962 performance inthe DG set shows, Karajan's tempos havebecome a shade slower, making the alreadyslightly deliberate Variation No. 2 posi-tively angular and sedate, dulling the mer-curial edge and thrust of the scherzandoVariation No. 5 and the festive No. 6, andlending an aura of constraining torpor tothe exultant final peroration. H.G.

DELIUS: Concertos: for Violin and Orches-tra; for Violin, Cello, and Orchestra. YehudiMenuhin, violin; Paul Tortelier, cello; RoyalPhilharmonic Orchestra, Meredith Davies,cond. [John Mordler, prod.] ANGEL S 37262,$7.98 (SO -encoded disc).

The violin concerto (1916) not only is thefinest of Delius' four concertos, but belongsamong the half dozen or so basic master-pieces with which to start a Delius library.Although discernibly subdivided, its singlemovement is a dreamy, ineffably poeticrhapsody that is like the outcry of awounded bird in the midst of sun -drenched,exotically beautiful marshlands. It is notwithout opportunities for pyrotechnic dis-play, but it is one of those works whose ba-sic quality is rarefied, inward, and musing.(Chausson's Poeme and Vaughan Williams'l.ark Ascending would fit nicely as discmates.)

Yehudi MenuhinWinning new adherents for Delius

The violin/cello concerto of the previousyear (1915) isn't quite at that level but hasbreathtakingly lovely moments. It is built inthree interconnected sections (with cyclictreatment of the melodies) and draws on amartial idea (said to be a "tolling bells"comment on the First World War) and someexpressively lyrical subjects. The work'sbig problem is that Delius just wasn't adeptat blending the solo characters of violin andcello, and in fact wrote more effectively forthe latter instrument in the 1917 cello so-nata and the 1920 cello concerto.

Menuhin's leisurely and soulful treat ment of the violin concerto, with discreet,sympathetic support from Meredith Daviesand the Royal Philharmonic, can't help butwin new adherents, at the same time pleas-ing those who've long waited for a modernrecording as authentic in spirit as either ofEMI's Forties recordings-the genteel, old-fashioned Sammons/Sargent on Columbia(currently available on World Records SH224) and the more propulsive Pougnet /Bee-cham on HMV. Close calls there may be attimes, but the soloist's technique does holdup. Menuhin and Tortelier are a well -matedteam in the double concerto, and both per-formance and recording improve substan-tially over the only previous. version, onPye. I did, however, note some sonic fuzzi-ness in the double concerto that wasn't con-spicuous in the violin concerto. A.G.

DUSSEK: Sonatas for Piano, Vols. 1-2. Fred-erick Marvin, piano. [Robert F. Commagere,prod.] GENESIS GS 1068" and 1069', $7.98each.Sonatas: in B flat. Op. 35, No. I*: in C minor, Op. 35, No.3'; in F sharp minor. Op. 61 (Elegie harmonique)'; in F mi-nor. Op. 77 (L'Invocation)° .

These two discs begin a projected series ofall the sonatas by Jan Ladislav Dussek(1760-1812), a fine composer who had themisfortune of being overshadowed byBeethoven, Mozart, and Schubert. Like Cle-menti, he is best known for the sonatinas hecomposed for pupils and wealthy patrons,the more substantial compositions in bothcases having fallen into undeserved limbo.As the four works on these discs-two ofthem early, two later-show, Dussek, al-

ways a fine craftsman, made a rather re-markable transition from a nimbly classi-cal, tidy, but somewhat superficial style tosomething altogether more profound andpersonal. The two mature sonatas are ex-pansive, are full of unexpected colors andharmonic turns, and carry seeds of the Ro-mantic movement soon to take wing in themusic of Weber and Schumann.

Frederick Marvin is a deeply introspec-tive sort of player, and he has been givendistantly miked, low-level reproductionthat adds atmospheric beauty to his manyravishing pianissimos and even mutes theimpact of louder passages. Unfortunately,the potential magic of his performances issometimes marred by noisy pressings-apity, since there is obviously fine sound onthe master tapes.

Comparison with the recent Firkusnyversion of Op. 77 (on Candide CE 31086, acollection of Bohemian classical keyboardmusic) is instructive. Firkusny's timing of22:57 as opposed to Marvin's 35:12 seems al-most too great a difference to believe. Fir-kusny omits the exposition repeat in thefirst movement and takes a considerablytougher, brisker (but by no means insensi-tive) view of the music. Since his swifter,tighter reading also benefits from a closer,more impactive (and impressively so-norous) piano recording, listeners coming"cold" to this music would probably get amore immediately positive impressionfrom this extroverted version. But the im-portance of Marvin's project cannot be de-nied. H.G.

HINDEMITH: Sonatas for Organ (3). GeorgeBaker, organ of St. Maximin, Thionville(France). [Jean -Marc Cochereau andFrangois Carbou, prod.] DELOS FY 026,$7.98.

One of the happiest recent developmentsfor collectors of organ records is the agree-ment whereby the American Delos labelwill be releasing some of the outstandingorgan recordings being made by the FrenchFY label. This arrangement promises thesix organ symphonies of Vierne recorded atNotre Dame by Pierre Cochereau as well asa complete Bach cycle by the brilliantyoung American George Baker, and it hasalready produced some remarkable albumsof organ works by Dupre, Milhaud, and anAmerican -music anthology. These initialreleases are all distinguished by excitingplaying, recorded sound that is at once inci-sive and atmospheric, and immaculatepressings.

Such is emphatically the case with thisHindemith album, which offers one of themost vivid organ recordings in memory.The 1969 Alfred Kern organ in the Churchof St. Maximin at Thionville, France, isexemplary of the very finest contemporaryorgan -building, and its luscious sonoritiesare perfect for the music. "The voicing," asthe program notes rightly observe, "is clear,but not rough; full, but not overpowering."The acoustical setting is most lavish, butthe recording maintains a perfect balancebetween intimacy and spaciousness, andthe bass frequencies have been capturedwith especial solidity.

Baker uses the instrument's resourceswith the utmost sensitivity, and his playing

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0111111111Mary,... m

is both assured and refined. His tempos aresometimes a bit brisk (as in the first move-ment of the Second Sonata) but scarcelymore so than Simon Preston's on Argo(ZRG 663). Indeed, while both Baker andPreston offer superb performances, it is tothe Delos album (and its demonstration -quality sonics) that I expect to be returningregularly. S.C.

B Ins: Sonata for Piano, No. 2 (Con-cord). Gilbert Kalish, piano. [Marc J.

Aubort and Joanna Nickrenz, prod.] NONE-SUCH H 71337, $3.96.

Ives: Piano Works. Nina Deutsch, pi-ano. Vox SVBX 5482, $10.98 (three

discs, manual sequence).Sonatas. No. 1; No. 2 (Concord). Three -Page Sonata.Emerson Transcriptions (4). Variations on 'America"(arr. Deutsch). March in G and D. Waltz -Rondo The Seenand Unseen. The Belle of Vale (err. Deutsch).

Considering the length and backbreakingdifficulty of Ives's Concord Sonata, it is re-markable how many good recordings areavailable. The ones by Kirkpatrick, Man-del, and Kontarsky, for example, all havemuch to offer. And now this new one byGilbert Kalish can take its place among thebest; indeed, in many respects it seems tome superior to all the others.

Kalish's reading differs from any I haveheard, most immediately in the tempos,which are considerably slower than thoseon the other available versions. At first I

found the slow pacing rather distracting.particularly in the first two movements,where a sense of strong forward rhythmicmotion is essential to the underlying musi-cal idea. These are the most complexfour movements, however, and after re-peated listenings it becomes apparent whatKalish is up to. His tempos enable him tobring out the countless textural details-piled together both vertically and horizon-tally in what usually sounds like a complexmass of sound-with surprising clarity. Heunravels Ives's extraordinarily rich poly-phony, enabling the listener to distinguishan unprecedented degree of surface detail.and projects the sequential relationshipsarising from the constantly changing mo-tivic fabric with an unexpected trans-parency.

The real test for such a reading iswhether, despite the slow tempos, thelarger rhythmic flow can be sustained. Kal-ish passes impressively: Rather than sacri-fice the larger view to a kind of microscopicscrutiny of the individual parts, he bal-ances his tempos so that the over-all shapeemerges clearly. And when the music abso-lutely demands a fast and driving motion.as at the end of the second movement(marked "as fast as possible"), he is easilyequal to the task.

Technically, the performance is cleanerand more precise than any I have heard: butit is also deeply thought and very moving.One senses a firm grasp of the meaning ofthe score, something that-despite its elu-siveness-must be communicated if theConcord is to make any sense whatever.Whether dealing with the hymnlike sim-plicity of much of the third movement, thejazz -influenced sections of the second, orthe "transcendental" endings of both outermovements. Kalish lends the music a qual-ity of ease and naturalness that makes his

reading quite special. (This recording, inci-dentally, includes the brief, optional violaand flute parts in the first and last move-ments, played by John Graham and SamuelBaron, respectively.)

The first thing to say about NinaDeutsch's recording of what Vox callsIves's "Complete Works for Solo Piano" isthat it is far from complete. Such works asThe Celestial Railroad, The Anti -Aboli-tionist Riots, and Some Southpaw Pitching,to name only a few, are missing. A more se-rious problem is musical: Since Deutsch(correctly) feels that Ives's compositions donot lend themselves to "set piece inter-pretation" (for that matter, what really in-teresting music does?), she has decided toleave her performances "unedited." Thismeans that there are countless technical

problems throughout, ranging from missednotes, imprecise rhythmic relationships,and unclear textures to the omission ofwhole phrases (one in each of the two so-natas). A recording, after all, is not a liveperformance (these performances were notplayed "in concert"); and such inaccuraciesbecome increasingly irritating with contin-ued listening. Nor, at least in this case, is theproblem offset by a feeling of spontaneityand immediacy. On the whole, Deutsch'sreadings seem rather tentative and in somecases (above all in her arrangement of theVariations on "America" for organ) ratheruncertain. Her performances, it should besaid, are not helped by the recorded sound,which is terribly dull and muddy and fur-ther obscures the already dense fabric ofIves's piano writing.

ROSTRA,A0VICHTCHAIKOVSKYS MPHONIES

Tchaikovsky is inmy blood.I understand hismusic in thedeepest of my heart.- Rostropovich

pet iolly Priced 7 Record Set SGE-31347

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SEPTEMBER 1977 101

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The sonatas come off best. althoughDeutsch's account cannot compare withthe better versions already available. Theyare sluggish (even when tempos are fast)and undisciplined. in regard not only to de-tails. but to the larger shape. To cite onlyone example. the presto section at the endof the fourth movement of the First Sonata.which should sound like the culmination ofa long process of rhythmic and dynamic in-tensification. lacks force and excitement.

Among the shorter works included. themost interesting are the four EmersonTranscriptions. previously unavailable ondisc. Each of these is a sort of spinoff fromthe first movement ("Emerson") of the Con-cord Sonata, taking off from-or graduallyworking toward-an idea from the sonataand developing it in a different way. (Ac-tually. this description really only appliesto the first and third transcription. as theother two are virtually identical to sectionsof the Concord. at least in the basic musicalsubstance.)

There are also a couple of early piecesfrom Ives's Yale days (played in a very per-functory manner), an extremely interestingwaltz (a title that gives little indication ofthe true nature of the piece!). and one of theFive Take -offs. The piano arrangement ofthe Variations on -America." already men-tioned. doesn't work well: Essential parts ofthe original must be omitted, including fre-quently the bass line. which results in acomplete-and fatal-alteration of the un-derlying harmonic structure.

For comparison. I would suggest AlasMandel's Desto recording of the "completepiano works" (DC 6458/61). Although nemore "complete" than the present set (in-terestingly. the only works the two setsshare are the two big sonatas and the shortThree -Page Sonata), it does contain moremusic: and Mandel's performances are verygood. Desto's sound much clearer. R.P.M.

LECOCO: La Fille de Madame Angot-seeOffenbach: La Grande-Duchesse de Gerol-stein.

MozART: Missa Solemnis in C minor, K. 139(Waisenhaus). Gundula Janowitz, soprano.Frederica von Stade, mezzo; Wieslaw Och-man. tenor; Kurt Moll, bass; Rudolf Scholz,organ; Vienna State Opera Chorus, ViennaPhilharmonic Orchestra, Claudio Abbado,cond. [Rainer Brock, prod.] DEUTSCHEGRAMMOPHON 2530 777, $7.98. Tape: 3300 777, $7.98.

Reviewing the Kegel/Leipzig recording ofthis Mass (Philips 6500 866. December 1975),I mentioned the long -held doubt that a boynot yet thirteen could have composed suchan accomplished. highly expressive. anddramatic work. a doubt that had led schol-ars to advance its date from 1768 to 1772.Even so. one could hardly believe that a six-teen -year -old would be capable of such ma-turity and inventiveness. But modern musi-cology has unequivocally established thatthis is indeed the so-called OrphanageMass composed in 1768. and K. 139 waschanged to K. 47a, all of which goes to show(fortunately) that the roots of creativepower are and will remain a mystery evenin the age of psyz:hiatry.

Despite the high artistic quality of mostnumbers in this Mass, the conductor isfaced with a most difficult task because ofthe multiplicity of styles. Mozart. with hisseismographic sensitivity, could absorbany idiom overnight and immediately use itwith natural ease. Thus we have in thisMass pretty nearly everything current inItalian and Austrian music: languid Nea-politan cantilena. coloratura aria, fugue.and startlingly somber drama (as in the"Crucifixus," with its ominous muted trum-pets), each number as an entity represent-ing one prevailing fashion. Moreover, it isquite obvious that the young composerwanted to demonstrate his prowess. andthe festive consecration of the orphanage inthe presence of the empress and her courtoffered a good opportunity for such a dem-onstration. Mozart also welcomed the finelarge orchestra maintained by the orphan-age, using three trombones, four trumpets,and drums in addition to the standard pre -classic orchestra. What the twelve -year -oldcould not do was to compose an entireMass as a stylistic whole: it is the conductorwho must somehow pull together this littlemusical art gallery into a semblance of un-ity. (Curious that this supreme stylist didnot attain a true liturgic -idiomatic unity inhis Masses until the very last one, the Re-quiem.)

Claudio Abbado does a commendablejob. Apparently he decided against achiev-ing homogeneity by toning down the galantelement and emphasizing the serious as-pects of the music, the usual way perform-ers deal with the contradictions of eight-eenth -century symphonic church music.Instead he presents every section of thework faithfully in whatever its style anddoes it so well that our pleasure in hearinggood music well performed considerablylessens the constant surprise at beingtossed from Hasse to Gluck, with Eberlin inbetween. He is assisted by an exceptionallycompatible solo quartet, a solid chorus, andthe Vienna Philharmonic, which needs noencomium.

The sound is good, though there is anecho that affects the choral fortes; the un-needed organ also contributes to this slightthickening of the sound. But this is a fine,interesting, and enjoyable recording. P.H.L.

NICOLAI: Die lustigen Welber von Windsor.Frau FluthAnna ReichFrau ReichFentonSparlichHerr RuthSir John FalstaffHerr ReichDr CatuSNarrator

Edith Mathes (s)Helen Donath (s)

Hanna Schwarz (ms)Peter Schreier (t)

Karl -Ernst Mercker (1)Bernd Weild (b)

Kurt Moll (bs)Siegfried Vogel (bs)

Claude Dormoy (be)Helmuth Strassburger (spkr)

Berlin State Opera Chorus, Berlin State Or-chestra, Bernhard Klee, cond. [EberhardGeiger and Rudolf Werner, prod.] DEUTSCHEGRAMMOPHON 2709 065, $23.94 (three discs,manual sequence). Tape: 3371 026,$23.94.

Of at least nine operas based on Shake-speare's The Merry Wives of Windsor be-fore Verdi's Falstaff only one has survivedinto the modern repertory, and that prima-rily in the German-speaking countries: OttoNicola i's Die Iustigen Weiber von Windsor,

liC HICH FIDELITY MAGAZINE

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first performed at the Berlin Court Opera in1849. Nicolai and his librettist Hermann S.Mosenthal look Shakespeare's potboiler atpretty much its own level of bourgeoisfarce. without importing from Henry IVany deeper aspects of the fat knight's char-acter. In fact. the merry wives (only two ofthem. for Quickly is dropped) are the centerof attention in this version: Sir John re-mains essentially the butt of their practicaljokes. rather than Boilo's and Verdi's richlysympathetic portrait of good-humored ras-cality. The romance of Fenton and AnnePage (Anna Reich. in the German) isprominently and more conventionally dis-played. with Fenton's two rivals. Slender(Sparlich) and Dr. Caius (who in Verdi losthis French background and accent). bothpresent-nothing here of the enchantingway in which Verdi's young lovers flicker inand out of the central imbroglio for barelyseconds at a time.

The action begins with the equivalent ofVerdi's second scene, the wives comparingtheir identical letters from Falstaff. andproceeds rapidly to the laundry -basket epi-sode. Nicolai's second act picks up the in-terview between Ford (Fluth) and Falstaff.shows us Anna and Fenton in love (with therivals eavesdropping), and concludes withFluth hreaking up Falstaff's second visit tohis wife: this time the knight is smuggledout in woman's clothes and suffers a heat-ing on the way. In Act III. the Windsor For-est masquerade is planned and Anna de-vises an exchange of costumes to bringabout the wedding she wants rather thaneither of the two she doesn't. The finalscene, in the forest. corresponds to Verdi's.

There's more of Shakespeare's plot inthis version. and not always to the good.The first two acts end rather similarly. andone can't help feeling that Boito was wise totrim out that second prank. Still. Mosen-thal's libretto provides ample activity andreasonable variety, onto which Nicolai haspoured more than a modicum of really ex-pert music. The most ingenious pages arethose of the final scene-most of the mate-rial introduced in the light-fingered andjustly popular overture and then reservedfor the evening's end: fairy music in thevein of Weber and Mendelssohn. brightlyand elegantly scored. Fenton's bosky sere-nade is another famous number. leading toa gently passionate love duet with obbli-gato solo violin and then to a bouncingscherzando quartet. It is in the lengthy fi-nales. obviously aimed al Mozartean prece-dents, that Nicolai distinguishes himselfmost specifically from less ambitious con-temporaries such as Lortzing, hut through-out the score the level of melodic inventionis tangibly higher. if without the subtlety ofphrasing that Peter Cornelius lavished lateron his Burbler von Bagdnd. It's a resource-ful work, and a charming one if we expectfrom it nothing deeper than a few low Esfor Sir John. whose only solo number is aponderous Trinklied (to a text borrowing afew lines from the Clown's song at the endof Twelfth Night) that strikes me as thescore's only real failure.

As I've noted. the Wives has been firmlyfixed on its native hoards ever since its pre-miere. though like the rest of the non -Wag-nerian German Romantic literature it hasresisted transplantation. A single Metro-

politan Opera performance in 1900. withSembrich and Schumann-Heink as thewives, found little favor. and the New YorkCity Opera's production. about twentyyears ago (using sets for the Verdi opera).didn't make any enduring impression: inAmerica. the work's primary life has prob-ably been in college and workshop produc-tions.

And. of course. on recordings, of whichthere were two in the early days of LP. Awartime radio tape from Berlin found itsway onto Urania: I haven't heard the wholething. but various excerpts have turned upon BASF discs devoted to Irma Beilke (FrauFluth). Walther Ludwig (Fenton). and GeorgHann (Fluth). From these, I should accountits present unavailability no major loss: thesinging solid but often overly vehement. thesound rather congested. Oceanic offered adialogueless Leipzig performance (morerecently listed as Olympic 9102/2. in a quadrechanneling!) with Kurt Bohme as a strongFalstaff but serious weaknesses elsewherein the cast.

For some years now. the item of choicehas been an Electrola set (1C 183 30191/3)from Munich in the early Sixties, led byRobert Heger. with Got llob Frick (Sir John).Ernst Gutstein (Fluth). Kieth Engen (Reich),Fritz Wunderlich (Fenton). Ruth -MargretPutz (Frau Fluth). Gisela Litz (Frau Reich).and Edith Mathis (Anna). Including exten-sive spoken dialogue, this was evidently in-tended primarily for German consumption.though Angel offered a single disc of high-lights for a while. Perhaps with an eye onthe international market. DeutscheGrammophon's new offering trims the dia-logue quite drastically. substituting a

chuckling. lip -smacking narrator who con-fers on the whole affair the tacky aura of aGerman equivalent of Lux Radio Theater.

I sympathize with non -German -speakerswho don't enjoy sitting through longstretches of dialogue, however clever orwell spoken. and I also think it a good ideato have something in between musicalnumbers that weren't intended lo be run on.DC's method, while solving both theseproblems, introduces an alien presence. adistancing intermediary who keeps crop-ping up between us and the illusion of anoperatic performance-besides which thisfellow is particularly annoying. the sort youdon't want in your living room. (He alsoneglects to explain the significance of the'Snip -;"Snap- exchange between Cajusand Sparlich during the big last -act scene:Those are the passwords by which eachthinks he is identifying Anna-but she'sfixed it so that they elope with each otherinstead.) I think abridged dialogue is thebest answer. and the people in this record-ing do so well with the snatches that remain(e.g. the stretch before the Fluths' duet. Nn.8) that I wish they had been given more.

(Thal aside. the major barrier to enimment of the new recording struck me as acertain fierceness, occasionally in the per-formance and rather consistently in the re-corded sound. This last can he made moretolerable with a twist of the treble control,so that every little sibilant doesn't spit atyou. though the sound never matches theclean. compact hut 4)m:ions work of theElectrola engineers. In general. the singersire rather Close upon you. which may have

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omething to do with one aspect of theI erceness: Peter Schreier. in particular.hardly ever sings softly enough, whichrather spoils the effect of his serenade, andBernd Weikl, in the duet with Falstaff. ispersistently vehement in tone, even whenhe ought to be conciliatory.

The DG cast has some definite strengths.The two merry wives are vocally firmerthan their opposite numbers, though alsoless characterful because less rhythmicallyalert. In olden days. there were Frau Fluthswho combined both qualities: Try Marga-rethe Siems on Rococo 20 or Erika Wede-kind on Rococo 5297-both fluent and witty.with some brightly voiced extra cadenzas-or Lotte Lehmann on Electrola 1C 14729116/7, most vivacious of all despite somerough going in the coloratura. Edith Mathisseemed better suited. indeed, to the moreplacid Anna. which she sang for Electrola. abit more smoothly than DG's Helen Do-nath.

Kurt Moll. in splendid voice, couldhardly be bettered as Falstaff; it's a rich.steady. even instrument, and his sense ofhumor is rather lighter than Gottlob Frick's(the latter, by the time of the Electrolarecording, could on occasion sound some-what ossified). In neither performance. cur-iously. do Fluth and Falstaff succeed inmaking much of the lengthy recitative pre-ceding their duet (one of relatively few ex-tended bits of recitative in the opera); tohear how delightful this can be. go hack to1903. when Wilhelm Hesch and LeopoldDemuth went at it with all the variety ofpace and inflection that one expects from,say. Gielgud and Richardson (Court OperaClassics CO 333).

Schreier's deficiencies have been men-tioned, and it must he added that he is incompetition with the late Fritz Wunderlich.who may love his high notes rather morethan he should-but then they are pretty ir-resistible. Wunderlich's recording of Fen -ton's serenade is excerpted domestically onSeraphim S 60043. but an even lovelier ver-sion was made by Peter Anders in 1937:dubbed half a tone too high on TelefunkenHT 25 (now out of print), this displays theideal of liquid German lyric tenor sound.and is phrased with masterly ease and di-rectness.

The smaller roles in both casts are com-petently taken. DG offering the bright ideaof a real Frenchman to sing Dr. Cajus, for anabsolutely authcntic accent. Bernhard Kleekeeps things moving along well, and the or-chestra does good work for him, especiallyin the overture. But Heger's boys are evenbetter, and the old master, taking a more re-laxed view of the score, succeeds in bring-ing it to a bigger. more colorful climax inthe sparkling last scene. Against this, youmight want to weigh the fact that Hegermakes a number of "standard" cuts (not, Ithink, a disastrous loss), and that Electrolagives a libretto only in German (a real prob-lem because of all that dialogue).

But you might also want to consider thefact that still another new recording of theopera is on the stocks, for London. with Ra-fael Kubelik conducting and Karl Rid-derbusch as Falstaff. Perhaps caution is inorder. D.H.

OFFENBACH: La Grande-Duchesse de Ge-rolstein.

Kurt MollUnsurpassed as Nicola, s Falstaff

The Grand -DuchessWandaFritzPrince FaulNepomLcGeneral BournBaron PackBaron Grog(plus smaller roles)

Regine Cresp,Mady Mespie (s)

Alain Vann I t)Charles Bu,

Tibert Ra- .)

Robert Massaro 01Claude Melon, (b)

Francois I. oup ( bs)

Chorus and Orchestra of the Theatre duCapitole (Toulouse), Michel Plasson, cond[Georges Kadar, prod.] COLUMBIA M2 34576.$15 98 (two discs, automatic sequence)

B OFFENBACH: La Penchole.La Penchole

Paquin()Don Pedio de HinoyosaComte de PanatellasDon Andres de Ribrera(plus smaller roles)

Regine Crespin (s)Alain Vanzo (I)

Jacques Trigeau (h)Gerard Friedmann (b)

Jules Basin (bs)

Narratons by Alain Decaux; Chorus of theOpera du Rhin. Strasbourg Philharmonic Or-chestra, Alain Lombard, cond. MUSICAL HER-ITAGE MHS 3518,'9, $9 90 ($7.00 to mem-bers; two discs. automatic sequence). Tape

MHC 5518 9. 513.90 ($9.90 to mem-bers). (Add 95c postage; Musical HeritageSociety, MHS Building. Oakhurst, N.J.07755.)LECOCO: La Fille de Madame Angot.ClairetteMlle LangeAmarantPomponrretTrenitzAnge PitouLarivaudiereLouchard

. 'ay Mespie(s)

Denise Benoit ( msCharles Buries (t)

Jacques Loreau (t)Bernard Sincla,r (b)

Michel Roux (b(Gerard Criapws (bs)

Paris Opera Chorus, Opera-Comique Or-chestra, Jean Doussard, cond. CONNOISSEURSOCIETY CS2 2135, $15.96 (two discs, man-ual sequence).

Given the scarcity of recorded Offenbach. itis perhaps enough to note the arrival of twonew recordings hard on the heels of Angel'sVie porisienne (SBLX 3839. June 1977). Bothare good enough to give pleasure to devo-tees. but neither is good enough to warrantextended discussion-or. I suspect. to per-suade those unconvinced of the composer's

worth. Charles I,ecocq s Kale di. Madam'.Angol. however. rates a plug. timer thecomposer is apt to be unfamiliar to nonspe-cialists. The music is tuneful. spirited. andexpertly crafted. and ConnoisseurSociety's Pathe-derived recording (releasedin France in 1973) is more persuasive thaneither of the new Offenbachs

These works pose a variety of perform-ance problems. not the least of them dra-matic: Much of the creative energy in the librettos is directed toward entwining thecharacters in the most elaborately compro-mising liaisons possible Contemporarydiences seem to lyric found the resultingdiscomfort hilarious (perhaps in accordwith Woody Allen's suggestion that sex isdirty "only if you do it right' ). but it wouldrequire uncommonly skillful direction tomake most of these pieces attract i it to to-day's very different audience.

Recordings might seem a sensible way oflifting the burden of their hooks from theseexpert scores. but good theatrical music-asall of this is-doesn I separate easily fromits context. And the muse in any caseraises serious obstacles of its own. SWIM' ofthem (e.g.. the dearth of decent singers inthe French repertory) are familiar from at-tempts at performing French opera in gen-eral: some of them relate to the general un-willingness to take "light-' opera seriously.As David Hamilton wrote in "The SecretLife of a Waltz- (FIE*. October 1975): "Theenduring fate of so-called 'light music is tobe taken-well. too lightly.... I.ight musicis not merely less well -made 'heavy' muse..but music with an entirely different pur-pose. crafted (at its hest) with equalfinesse."

Of the present conductors. much themost successful is lean Doussard an Ma-dame Angol: only he phrases with the ur-gency and sensuousness to turn tunes intoemotionally important slateinents. and hisorchestra-that of the Opera-Comiqur -ismuch the most responsive of the three. Mi-chel Masson «tines much closer to Dous-sard's level than Alain Lomita' d. and over-all Columbia's Grande- Duchesse seems tome a happier venture than Frato s Peri-chole. (Like Erato's hoist. Perichoir hasbeen issued by Musical Heritage Societybut is also scheduled for domest it. releaseby RCA.) Plasson has the right idea butdoesn't yet project the suer s full etni)-1 iona I variety. Lombards intelligence andmusicianship are never in doubt. hut theperformance is somewhat bloated andoverinflated. There is rarely any real rhyth-mic drive. as can be heard by comparing theold Markevitch recording (currently avail-able as EMI/Pathe 2C 053 1)869/70): the lat-ter. although weakish in the title rule andfaded in sound, seems to me on balancepreferable.

In casting. all three companuts havedrawn from the pool of the better Frenchsingers of recvni ypdrs. It s a small pool. aswitness the substantial overlap: more to thepoint. the level of talent isn't very high. Wecan be grateful for the prevailing minimetense. but there's very hi Ile that risesabove. Mady Mitsplit has !wen France'sforemost lyrec soprano for .1 decade. but itsa smallish mace Attractive only in themiddle (and in one tone color). wth littlereal freedom in its handling. Sad to tell. sheis probably the most accomplished singer

104 HI(.111 WWI) tit ON/INI

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heard on these recordings, and that justisn't good enough. Offenbach requires at-tractive. freely used voices to realize thespecial qualities that underlie the decep-tively simple writing in his operettas. Is itsuch a large leap. after all. from Perk:hide'sletter song to Antonia's "Elie a fui"?

Erato's Perichole. Regine Crespin. is ofcourse an artist of proven sensitivity. huther problem is primarily vocal. That the in-strument is seriously out of balance hasbeen clear for some years. hut the problemhas not been evaded with a run of lower -ly-ing roles. which only highlight the relativeweakness of her chest voice. Indeed I findher more at ease as Perichole. a sopranorole, than as the Grand -Duchess, a mezzorole. Both Alain Vanzo and Charles Buriesare serviceable tenors, the latter's lighter.somewhat smoother sound the more agree-able: I have heard worse than both. but I

would hope for something better than ei-ther. An instructive sign of the times is themiscasting of Robert Massard as GeneralBoum in Grande -Duch asse-one of themore interesting performances in these set,.(especially in the spoken dialogue). but at,.there no basses in France?

Columbia scores highest in presentationGrande-Duchesse is performed with as

much spoken dialogue as the crammed dist.sides will allow-the old Leibowitz record-ing included more of it. but at the expenseof heavy musical cuts-and the bookletcontains text and translation. (The omitteddialogue, however. is not printed. whichmeans that one must refer to the plot syn-opsis to fill in some plot gaps.) ConnoisseurSociety's Modome Angol disc sides too arewell filled. but no printed texts are pro-vided. (There is a detailed plot syn-opsis.) Erato has scrapped the dialogue ofPerichole in favor of narrations by AlainDecaux: since this makes it impossible toperform the work as a dramatic entity any-way. wouldn't the narration do just as wellprinted in the booklet? It doesn't survive re-peated listening well. Musical Heritagedoes provide text and translation, but in anunnecessarily awkward layout. K.F.

PIERNE: Cydalise et le chevre-pied Suites.Ramuntcho. Overture on Basque Themes.Pans Opera Orchestra. Jean -Baptiste Man,cond. [Greco Casadesus, prod I ANGEL S37281. $7.98 (SO -encoded disc).

Gabriel Pierne (1/363-1937) is one of thoseunfortunate composers fated to be known(outside his own country) almost exclu-sively for a Pops -encore trifle. in his casethe Entrance of the Little hums. Yet he wasimportant enough in his own day to sin: -teed Franck as organist at Ste. Clotildit. tosucceed the eponymous founder is conduc-tor of the Concerts Colonne. and. towardthe end of his life. to record many of hisown works. Among these were the first ofthe two suites drawn from his highly suc-cessful pastoral -ballet Cydolise et lechavre-pied (1919-1923). from which theLittle Fauns episode is drawn. and theBasque bilk -theme overture drawn fromthe incidental music to Pierre Lofts no-munichu. good to have them (now aug-mented by the second Cythilise suite) backin the recorded repertory-not only as amore adequate representation of Pierne

than eye' have had lately. but for the dist inctivit balletic grace and theatrical elle(liveness of the ballet music. the breezyfreshness of the Basque airs and dam esand the imaginatively kaleidoscopic orchestral scoring throughout

These still vital and piquant Mira( lumsare all persuasively enhanced by !Ivan-tiliilly transparent Pathe-Marconi arcurdmg (first -vale in stereo -only playback...yenairier in quildriphony) of lean -BaptisteIklari's authentically idiomatic performances Ile s .1 now conductor to init and tomost American listeners no youngster. but

veteran tuhana and cellist turned onto('for with the encouragement of CharlesMunch. The present examples of his oh

sines special affinity with quintessenttallyf;tillic ballet mesh(' are sure io stitniddlemarked interest in his promised hirtherF\II 'Angel riteordings

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May Night is one of the several popularRussian operas (Mussorgsky's Fair at So-rochinsk, Tchaikovsky's Cherivichki, andRimsky's own delightful Christmas Eve areothers) drawn from the youthful Gogol's setof Ukrainian tales. None has ever estab-lished itself in Western repertory, doubtlessbecause literary and stage works based onfolk superstitions and traditions, and oncolloquial rural humor, make cross-culturaltransferences rather badly.

Yet while May Night is by no means oneof Rimsky's major operatic creations, it is apiece of definite theatrical charm and manymusical beauties; I should think that a pro-duction that found some equivalent for thecharacter types and social attitudes of the

work might prove enjoyable to Americanaudiences.

Meanwhile, it is pleasant to have arecording domestically available. As is thecase with so many contemporary Sovietrecordings that replace older mono sets,this performance doesn't have quite the vo-cal expertise, or the sense of something ex-tra -special in the important character roles.to be found on the earlier recording by theBolshoi (MK 05404/9-for some commen-tary on this performance. see Part II of myRussian opera discography. EIF, January1975). But the quality gap is narrower thanin most such instances, and since the setalso offers some of the better Soviet stereosound and fine DG pressings. it is surely

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recommendable.Inasmuch as the heroine rather fades

from the scene after Act I and the severalimportant character roles remain just that,May Night depends for its musical effec-tiveness largely upon quality in the roman-tic tenor lead, Levko, and in the orchestralplaying. These two elements are strong inthis performance, though always in therather foursquare fashion (little attentionto rubato or to dynamic shading) character-istic of the current generation's renditionsof nineteenth-century opera. East or West.The tenor, Konstantin Lisovsky, is new tome. He has a fine, ringing voice of almostheroic contour, but with more spin and flu-idity than is usual in Slavic voices of thesort-it is well centered, has clean vowelformation, and moves fairly smoothlythrough the break. One can hear a splendidDmitri or Ghermann in the voice, and per-haps some of the spinto or dramatic Italianparts as well. He sings with less variety andblandishment than did the more lyrical Ser-gei Lemeshev on the earlier recording, anddoesn't seem able or inclined to deal muchin the softer dynamics. but he sings a firmline, is not clumsy, and has some excite-ment up top-I hope we'll hear more of him.

The orchestral performance is similar:The execution is good, Fedoseyev's ideasare clear and direct, there is plenty of life.and altogether there's nothing to complainof unless one is looking for the extra colorsensitivity, the final flexibility in temposand phrasings, that can impart real magic tosections of such a score.

Ludmilla Sapegina is another singer I

haven't encountered previously. Her me-dium -weight mezzo has some of the sharp-ness and intonational fuzziness so oftenheard from Slavic female singers when sheis singing at full voice, but she isn't reallywobbly or wiry. and when she sings atlower dynamics a steadier movement andprettier timbre are in evidence. Olga Pastu-shenko shows a quite charming lyric so-prano as the maiden finally released fromher watery enchantment by Levko in ActIll; Anna Matushina, on the other hand, isin the most acidulous tradition of Russiancharacter sopranos-as with some of ourmusical -comedy performers, this sort ofsound must convey something to Russianaudiences with respect to a character type,but is just about unlistenable on any othergrounds.

The role of the Mayor is in the hands ofthat expert veteran character bass. AlexeiKrivchenya, and the performance has thecolor and sagacity one might expect of him.along with more vocal solidity than his re-cent recordings had led me to expect. IvanBudrin's Kalennik is another clever, vocallyrobust performance.

Yuri Yelnikov and Gennady Troitsky areboth adequate to their more modest assign-ments, though the former does not equalthe very amusing work of Shevtsov in theolder performance. The choral work is fine,the engineering clean and straightforward,if hardly imaginative. DG's booklet in-cludes a sensible introductory essay in Eng-lish by Martin Cooper, a second essay onRimsky's place in Russian operatic tradi-tion by Dorothee Eberlein (in French and

Continued on page 110

1110 HIGH FIDELITY MAGAZINE

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IT HAPPENED THAT, as the initial releases onthe HNH Records and Quintessence labelsarrived, I was engaged in gathering infor-mation for this month's annual recordingspreview. For me (and, I suspect, for manyreaders as well) each year's preview pro-vides a graphic reminder of how much clas-sical recording activity there is, and ofcourse the preview deals only with recordsissued for general sale in the U.S.

It's a useful reminder, for the classicalrecord business, measured by the salesstandards of the pop world of the Sixtiesand Seventies, sometimes seems like ahobby. It's also worth remembering thatnew releases represent only a tiny part ofthe classical story, and that even if we con-sider the entire current classical catalog weare talking about a mere sampling of the to-tal worldwide output from the more thanseventy-five years of serious recording. Oneof the nicest qualities of classical records istheir durability: Good ones travel well andnever become obsolete; indeed historicalperspective often increases their interest.

The real problem is what to do with allthose records. In quite different ways, thesetwo new labels represent valuable andhighly successful initiatives, building cata-logs out of licensed material that either hasnever been issued domestically or has al-ready been in and out of SCHWANN.

HNH Records is a logical outgrowth ofwhat was formerly HNH Distributors.HNH's Harvey Neil Hunt has made a spe-cialty of seeking out smaller Europeancompanies that have no U.S. dist:ibution-England's Unicorn, CRD, Lyrita, and Vista;Sweden's Bis and Caprice; France's Har-monia Mundi and Decca. Their records, notsurprisingly aimed at distinctly specializedaudiences, have found a responsive follow-ing here, and that success has led to thecreation of the new label, which will offertitles from some of those and from othersources.

In recognition both of the quality of thesource material and of the sophistication ofits market. HNH Records is a deluxe, full -price ($7.98 -per -disc) line. The jackets, stur-dier than those of most American releases,feature attractive and carefully chosencover art, with liner notes of generouslength (variable in quality, but uniformlyserious in intention) and texts and trans-lations for all vocal works. More important,the records themselves are of exceptionalquality. In cases where I have been able tocompare the new discs with previous is-sues, the HNH-mastered disc has been atleast equal-and arguably superior-to theEuropean equivalent in clarity, presence,and dynamic range. And so far, at least.HNH seems to have found a way of gettinghigh -quality domestic pressing; my copiesare about as close to flawless as we haveany right to hope.

Since the HNH material is highly special-ized. the attraction of individual releaseswill vary according to one's interest. I

would certainly accord pride of place, how-ever. to what appears to be Antal Dorati'sfirst Mahler recording, the Fifth Symphonywith the Stockholm Philharmonic (HNH4003/4, two discs), coupled with Allan Pet-

HNH & Quintessence:Impressive Debuts

tersson's Eight Barefoot Songs sung by theveteran baritone Erik Saeden and using or-chestrations by Dorati himself.

To my knowledge the Dorati Fifth hasnot been released anywhere before now.

Dorati's Mahler is of the no-nonsenseschool, which I count to the good, but thisFifth happens to be grander and more pow-erful than I expected on the basis of theequally strong but rather leaner Sixth hedid a couple of years back with the Na-tional Symphony. The second movement issomewhat undercharacterized, but on thewhole this seems to me as good a Fifth asthere is, and the recording (produced byJames Mallinson) is outstanding. I am lesstaken by the folksy melancholia of the Pet-tersson songs, whose primary interest forme is Dorati's vivid orchestration. Saedenis in considerably better form here than hewas as the Speaker in Ingmar Bergman'sMagic Flute film; these performances pre-sumably date back some years.

Even more impressive from a sonicstandpoint are two 1975 Lyrita orchestralrecordings: E. J. Moeran's G minor Sym-phony (1938) played by the New Philhar-mania under Sir Adrian Boult (HNH 4014)and Bax's Seventh Symphony (1939) playedby the London Philharmonic under Ray-mond Leppard (HNH 4010). The engineer-ing style is somewhat more distant than Imight ideally desire, but of its kind it couldhardly be better, especially in the Moeran:Orchestral textures are beautifully regis-tered, with a wealth of detail all very natu-rally in place-a terrific test for cartridges.

I suspect that the recorded sound and SirAdrian's wonderfully sympathetic readingconsiderably enhance the virtues of Moe-ran's only symphony. To his credit, thecomposer had the sense to build the sym-phony out of tiny ideas, and there is no de-nying the attractiveness of the persistentbursts of wind color. The Bax symphony,his last, is also skillfully made, and also, tomy hearing, decidedly modest in inspira-tion -1 would just as soon take my Sibeliusat first hand. Perhaps it's unfair, but whilelistening to these works I am unable to putout of mind the fact that by the time of theirappearance Vaughan Williams' first foursymphonies had been written and played.

Such works unquestionably have a placein the catalog, and so too does Juan Crisos-

by Kenneth Furie

tomo Arriaga's Symphony in D. which.along with his overture to Los Esclavos fe-lices, is performed by the English ChamberOrchestra under Jesus LOpez-Cobos (HNH4001). The symphony was composed notlong before the composer died in 1826, justshy of his twentieth birthday, but I find it sodoggedly classical -conventional as to won-der whether we would bother with it if thecomposer hadn't died so young. The causeis not helped by L6pez-Cobos' somewhatsoggy performance and the rather spongyengineering by Spain's Discos Ensayo.

Ensayo largely redeems itself with apleasant disc of Vivaldi vocal works: Psalm126 (Nisi Dominus) and two motets (lnvictibellate and Longe mala umbrae terrores)sung by mezzo Teresa Berganza, with theECO under Antoni Ros-Marba (HNH 4012).And fans of Carlo Bergonzi will enjoy hisEnsayo collection of arie antiche accom-panied by pianist Felix LeviIla (HNH 4008).The tenor is not, however, in very goodvoice, and his huff -and -swell phrasing is al-most as inappropriate to the music as the.piano accompaniments.

Heartily recommended to baroque afi-cionados, by contrast, is a cleverly pro-

grammed Bis disc by the Stockholm Cham-ber Ensemble (HNH 4011), combining twobaroque and two contemporary works forstring ensemble. The latter pair-Lars-ErikLarsson's Concertino, Op. 45, No. 9 (one of adozen works composed between 1953 and1957), and Aulis Sallinen's KamarimusiikkiI (1975)-are no less ingratiating than the in-vigorating early works, Johan Helmich Ro-,man's Sinfonia No. 20. in E minor, and theTelemann G major Concerto for two violasand strings. Also from Bis come two instru-mental discs featuring cellist Frans Helmer -son, heard alone in the Bach Fifth CelloSuite and Britten's Op. 72 Suite (HNH 4016)and with pianist Hans PSlsson and violinistArve Tellefsen in the Faure and Shost akov-ich piano trios (HNH 4007). All thp. perform-ances are vigorous but tonally and inter-pretively a bit severe; still, both discs can berecommended to those interested in theseunconventional, but effective, couplings.

While the Quintessence list does includematerial new to SCHWANN (of special inter-est are the titles that have existed sub rosain the Reader's Digest Recordings series),

108 HIGH FIDELITY MAGAZINE

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the bulk consists of reissues, and the bulkof those, at least in the first release, comefrom RCA. Quintessence has been twoyears aborning, since the legendary R. PeterMunves joined Pickwick International fol-lowing his years with Columbia and RCA.Munves thinks he can couple his demon-strated marketing savvy with high qualityand budget price ($3.98 per disc) to widenthe classical market, and both Quintes-sence series-"Critic's Choice" and "Clas-sics for Joy"-are designed with special at-tention to groups presently on the fringe ofthe classical market.

The "Critic's Choice" discs contain per-formances of fairly standard repertory byartists of high reputation, packaged withcritical endorsements based on their previ-ous incarnations. Munves sees this as a wayof guiding the newer classical buyerthrough the bewildering array of SCHWANNlistings, but more to the point for HF read-ers is the fact that a large number of inter-esting performances hereby enter (or re-enter) the catalog.

Heading the list are four RD discs by thelate Jascha Horenstein, all reflecting thepowerful integrity of his musicianship. His1962 Dvotak New World Symphony withthe Royal Philharmonic (PMC 7001) is likeno other performance I have heard: almostterrifyingly stark, unrelenting, even tragic.Niceties of tone color are subordinated torigorous rhythm, angular phrasing, andsonic power; I'm not sure whether I ac-tually like it, but it's an awesome, emotion-ally draining experience. Less controver-sial, but of comparahle strength, are the1962 Brahms First with the London Sym-phony (PMC 7028), the 1968 TchaikovskyFifth with the New Philharmonia (PMC7002-coupled with a 1967 Sir AdrianBoult /London Philharmonic Marche slavefrom Columbia House), and the 1965 Rach-maninoff Second Piano Concerto andPaganini Rhapsody with Earl Wild and theRPO (PMC 7006-to be followed by the bal-ance of the Wild/Horenstein Rachmaninoffset). Wild is also represented by a strongcoupling of the Tchaikovsky First Concerto(1962) and the Franck Symphonic Vari-ations (1968), conducted by, respectively,Anatole Fistoulari and Massimo Freccia(PMC 7003).

Two other conductors who recorded ac-tively in the stereo era before their deathsare also heard in noteworthy RD releases.The third of Sir John Barbirolli's fourrecordings of the Sibelius Second Sym-phony, made in 1962 with the RPO (PMC7008), is a resplendent performance that hasbeen judged by more ardent Sibelians thanI (including Gramophone's Robert Layton)the best of the four. And I have never en-joyed Respighi's Pines of Rome more than Idid in Rudolf Kempe's 1964 RPO recording(PMC 7005); the coupled Strauss Don Juanis also first-rate (though his later Dresdenrecording for EMI is better still), and forgood measure a 1962 Dorati/RPO Salome'sDance has been thrown in.

Among the "Critic's Choice" reissues, Iam most taken by the 1954-55 Stokowskirecording of the substantially completemiddle acts of Tchaikovsky's Swan Lake

with members of the NBC Symphony (PMC7007), as passionate as one might expectand sounding surprisingly good in this re -channeling. (There is also a rechanneledStokowski disc of Liszt Hungarian Rhap-sodies and Enesco Romanian Rhapsodies,PMC 7023, for those who like that sort ofthing.) None of the other rechannelingssounds better than listenable to me (allmono records are so "electronically en-hanced"), but Pierre Monteux's excellent1954 Debussy La Mer with the Boston Sym-phony is welcome all the same (PNIC 7027).especially as now coupled, with the 1955Nocturnes (in true stereo). Also welcomeback are Sir Thomas Beecham's 1958 EMI"Favourite Overtures" with the RPO (Ros-sini's Cambiale di matrimonio and Gazzaladra, Mendelssohn's Midsummer Night'sDream and Fair Melusina, and Berlioz'Corsaire; PMC 7004) and Morton Gould's1962 RCA Sibelius miscellany (Swan ofTuonela, Lemminkainen's Return, Fin-landia, Valse triste, and Pohjola's Daugh-ter; PMC 7022).

The "Classics for Joy" series is franklydirected more toward the light -classicalmarket, as reflected in such RCA -deriveditems as "Jalousie: Classics in a LightMood" (PMC 7018), "Clair de Lune: Clas-sics in a Romantic Mood" (PMC 7025)."Hallelujah! The World's Greatest Cho-ruses" (PMC 7019), and collections of Grieg(PMC 7016) and Bizet (PMC 7024). But evenin this series 'here are attractions for moreseasoned collectors, foremost among thema Teldec collection of works by Julius Futik(including, of course, the Entry of theGladiators-you may not know it by name,but you'll know it) in suitably lively per-formances by Vaclav Neumann and theCzech Philharmonic (PMC 7038).

Two rechanneled Fiedler/Boston Pops/RCA discs, though faded in sound, remainquite live in spirit: a collection of overtures(Rossini's William Tell, Harold's Zampa,Thomas's Mignon, Offenbach's Orphee auxenfers, Suppe's Light Cavalry, and Ni-colai's Merry Wives; PMC 7013) and a Jo-hann Strauss assortment (PMC 7015). Thatexpert ballet conductor Fistoulari givescharacteristically lyrical performances of

parisienne and Les Sylphides withthe RPO (PMC 7029), while those willing tosettle for suites from Tchaikovsky's Nut-cracker and Swan Lake ballets could doworse than the Boult performances withthe New Symphony of London (PMC 7010).

Quintessence's packaging is serviceableenough, and the pressings are quite reason-able for a budget label. That the disc mas-tering has been done with some care ismade clear by fine (if, overly brightened)sound of the Reader's Digest recordings.made by the team of producer Charles Ger-hardt and engineer Kenneth Wilkinson.Clearly future Quintessence releases bearclose watching, and there will be a lot ofthem: Unlike those record people who con-centrate on new releases at the expense ofbacklist. Munves plans to market his wholecatalog aggressively, and in order to buildup a catalog he envisions releasing 20-25records three or four times a year for thefirst two years or so.

NEW!

TwoMajorWagner Books!

Richard Wagner in Bayreuthby Hans Mayer

Reflections on Wagner's Ringby John Culshaw

Richard Wagner in Bayreuth is the inti-mate story of the amoral, hedonistic,arrogant megalomaniac who attainedinternational recognition as a musicalgenius-and of Bayreuth, the quiet Ba-varian town he made famous.

Reflections on Wagner's Ring is a com-pilation of John Culshaw's acclaimedSaturday Metropolitan Opera broad-cast intermission talks-a masterpiecethat no opera lover (and certainly nostudent of Wagner) can afford to miss.

These are only two of the wide selec-tion of carefully chosen books madeavailable to HIGH FIDELITY readersthrough Music Listeners' Book Service.Others are listed below.

No.1102 RICKARD WAGNER IN Bantam. Hans Mayer.An enthralling history of Wagner. his family, and the little

Bavarian town he made famous. $16.50

No. 601 RRFLICTONS ON WAGNER'S RING. John CuIslune.An invaluable compilation of information based on Cul-

shaw's Saturday Metropolitan Opera broadcast intermis-sion talks $6.95

No. 512 Season WITH SOLTI. William Barry Furlong.A sustained close-up view of Georg Soin and his Chicago

Symphony. Human and readable 612.50

No. 600 Ourt Two Leas. Hanna RodaInskl.The story of Artur Rodzinski's turbulent career in the

world of music. told by the woman who shared it with him$10.95

No. 34' THE GLORY OF THE VIOLIN. Joseph Wechsberg.Illustrated.

A fidcle fancier's delight from the pen of the famed NewYorker author, who delves into all aspects of the violin in-cluding the fascinating business of buying, selling rindcheating $8.95

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.New Releases from Gremalilla German only), and a translation and trans-literation of the libretto by Cooper. C.L.O.

Three new releases fromGREGG SMITH

Edmund NaJera Secundum Lucam for Chamberorchestra, Organ. Soloists 6 Choir

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THE IUBAL TRIO -First Recording1977 Naumberg Award Winner

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c,-ionlE AN and KENNETH WENTWORTHPiano Rusic of Andre Singer:Three Etudes//Sonata for Two Pianos ANine Parables to Franz Kafka's AMERIKA

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Bred VOX Pulitzer Prize 1960 Pulitzer Prize 1973 Grand Prix du risque, Charles Cros, ParisScores for these recordings available from Associated Music Publishers.Performance rights: Broadcast Music, Inc. 40 West 57th Street, New York 10019

SCHUMANN: Piano Works, Vol. 4. Karl Engel,piano. TELEFUNKEN 46.35287, $31.92 (fourdiscs, manual sequence).Studies After Paganini Caprices, Op. 3; Toccata, Op. 7;Concert Studies on Paganini Caprices. Op. 10: Hu-moreske, Op. 20; Nachtstucke, Op. 23; Pieces, Op. 32:Fugues, Op. 72: Waldszenen. Op. 82: Bunte Blatter. Op.99: Albumblatter, Op. 124; Variations on an OriginalTheme.

Vol. 4 of Engel's Schumann series reprisesboth the good and the less good aspects ofits predecessors. At his best. Engel is asteady and frequently really artistic expo-nent of this problematical composer. Thatbest reappears here in the Bunte Bltitter, theNachtstiicke, the Albumblatter, and theOp. 10 collection of Paganini Studies(which are more creative, less literal andacademic than the Op. 3 studies). TheNachtstiicke, in fact, are interpretivelyrather similar to the splendid Arrau per-formances (Philips 6500178) in their weight,nicety of detail, and conveyance of torturedintrospection. Engel's Bunte flatter maylack the miraculous delicacy of Richter'svery personal readings (Melodiya/AngelSR 40238), but by any other standard he of-fers compassionate, unsentimental, emo-tionally stable sensitivity. (He doesespecially well by the concluding "Ge-schwindmarsch.")

On the other hand, the delicately scentedWaldszenen are bruised by Engel's lumber-ing literalism and heavy finger action. "Jo-ger auf der Lauer" makes one long for theunparalleled swiftness and agility of Rich-ter's unforgettable DG mono performance,and "Einsame Blumen," "Vogel alsProphet," and "Abschied" all lack poetry.The "Jagdlied" has none of Richter's slashand 'vibrancy. Not since Backhaus have Iheard so unimaginative a presentation.

The Toccata, one of the most demandingpieces in the repertory, ought to be reservedfor virtuosos. Engel, a steady pianist, isplainly getting by here only by a hairs-breadth (the performance gives evidence ofhaving been spliced together practicallyphrase by phrase); he simply hasn't the con-trol to separate the essential voices fromthe trivia, and the result is opaque andplodding.

Somewhere in between the extremes isthe Humoreske, which is sensibly phrasedand well projected but lacking the inter-pretive spark of the recordings by Richter(Monitor MC 2022), Arrau (Philips 839 709),and Yves Nat-or even those by Kempff(DC, deleted) and Frankl.

The sound is strong, ringing, and sup-ported by ample bass tone, the processingextremely quiet. H.G.

STRAUSS, R.: Der Rosenkavalier, Op. 59.Tne MarschailinSophieMarianne LegmetzeiA MillinerOctavianAnninaA SingerValzacchiMarschailin sMaior-DomoAn Animal Vendor Faninai

An Innkeeper

Evelyn Lear (s)Ruth Welting (s)

Netly Morpurgo (s)Renee van Haarlem (5)

Frederica von Stade (ms)Sophia van Sante (ms)

Jose Carreras(t)James Atherton (t)

Wouter Goedhardt (t)sMaior-Domo

Matthiis Coppens (t)Adnaan van Limp! (t)

HIGH FIDELITY MAGAZINE

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Faninal Derek Hammond Stroud (b)A Notary. A Police Commissioner Henk Smit (b)Baron Ochs Jules Bastin (bs)

Netherlands Opera Chorus, Rotterdam Phil-harmonic Orchestra, Edo de Waart, cond.PHILIPS 6707 030, $31.92 (four discS, manualsequence). Tape: O. 7699 045, $23.85.Comparisons:Reining. Jurinac, Gueden, Weber, Klaiber /Vienna Phil.

Rich. RS 64001Schwarzkopt, Ludwig, Stich -Randall, Edelmann.

Karajan/Philharmonia Ang. SDL 3563Crespin, Minton, Donath, Jungwirth, Solti/Vienna Phil.

Lon. OSA 1435Ludwig, Jones, Popp. Berry, Bernstein/Vienna Phil.

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Edo de Waart has begun his operaticrecording career boldly. On recordsRosenkavalier has drawn from somemighty good conductors-Erich Kleiber,Herbert von Karajan, Georg Solti, LeonardBernstein-something like their very best;in such company even Karl Biihm's verygood DG recording, now out of the catalog,sounds rather ordinary. And De Waartseems to start with a handicap: The Rotter-dam Philharmonic is a good orchestra buthardly in a class with the Vienna Philhar-monic (Kleiber, Solti, Bernstein), the Phil-harmonia in its glory years (Karajan), or theDresden State Orchestra (Bohm).

As it turns out, De Waart's Rosen-kavalier, made in conjunction with a Hol-land Festival production, is a beautiful job.quite beautifully played. It's a warm andsane performance, moderate in both tempoand temperament. "Moderate" does notmean bland. If De Waart projects neitherthe boisterous vigor of Karajan and Soltinor the audacious (and largely successful)expansiveness of Bernstein, it is not at theexpense of rhythmic firmness; his rhythms,in fact, are uncommonly and unostenta-tiously well defined, and he manages tempotransitions, which in this opera occur on al-most every page, positively and fluently.

This is obviously not a Rosenhavalierawash in sentimentality, but neither is itinexpressive-this is a stronger opera thanthe schmaltz -wallowers realize. What DeWaart doesn't provide, at least not yet, issubtlety of phrasing within his commen-dably firm framework, the shading oftempo, dynamics, and color that illumi-nates individual lines without disruptingthe opera's essential flow. Which is oneway of saying that his reading does notequal Kleiber's incomparable one. It is per-haps most like &ohm's, a performancewhose musicianship and uneccentric integ-rity have worn well; I find on rehearing thatI like it more than I used to, and I expect DeWaart's to hold up well too.

The cast is good enough, but exceptionalonly in the Octavian of Frederica vonStade. Her previous recordings have givengenerous indication of her interesting inten-tions, but the actual singing has too oftenlacked note -to -note continuity. Here hersinging is poised and smoothly knit, thecharacterization ardent, impulsive, and al-together winning. I am startled to find mydevotion to Sena Jurinac (Richmond) chal-lenged, but at least on a preliminary basis Iam tempted to rank Von Stade on Jurinac'slevel, which places her above such excel-lent singers as Irmgard Seefried (DG).Christa Ludwig (Angel), and Yvonne Min-ton (London).

About the others I find it hard to speak

strongly one way or the other. Evelyn Learsings a conscientious and generally unfussyMarschallin, but the voice is reasonably se-cure only in the middle, making for longstretches of discomfort for both singer andlistener, and she lacks the individuality ofthe similarly reduced Maria Reining (Rich-mond) and Marianne Schech (DG). RegineCrespin (London) too was recorded past herbest, but her vocal problem-persistent flut-terwill not be equally bothersome to alllisteners. That leaves two relatively healthyMarschallins, Christa Ludwig (Columbia)and Elisabeth Schwarzkopf (Angel), be-tween whom it is for me no contest.Schwarzkopf's famous interpretation issteeped in an idle narcissism than I find re-volting; others, of course, would have the

opera no other way. I would note that thoseinterested in the Angel recording-which,even apart from Schwarzkopf, has manyadmirable qualities-should seek out thecurrent British edition (SLS 810), which hasa sonic crispness and sheen most appro-priate to Karajan's conducting. The Angeledition, by comparison, decidedly soundsits age.

Much of Ruth Welting's voice is warmand attractive, but like so many coloraturasshe cannot carry that tonal solidity and .

color into the upper reaches, where Sophiehas so much important music. I am hardput to choose among her, Teresa Stich -Ran-dall (Angel), and Helen Donath (London),but have no difficulty preferring Hilde Gue-den (Richmond), Rita Streich (DG), and

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Lucia Popp (Columbia).Ochs is a problem. Does coarseness of

spirit have to take the form of conspic-uously grotesque loutishness? (How oftendoes it in real life?) To iny mind that stand-ard approach hopelessly trivializes thecharacter, substituting comic -strip gro-tesquerie for the really dangerous innerqualities that make him such a tragic mis-match for Sophie. Someday I would love tohear an entire Ochs with the vocal qualityand interpretive control of Alexander Kip-nis' recording of the letter scene (on Sera-phim 60124). Fortunately we have one re-corded Ochs pretty near that level: LudwigWeber (Richmond). Though in his mid -fif-ties at the time, Weber made remarkablyfew concessions to advanced age, and hisrespect for Strauss's writing gives the char-acter a basic dignity I consider essential tothe opera's dramatic sense. The only otherrecording that even casts Ochs as a singingrole is the Columbia, where Walter Berry'ssinging happily reflects very minimally thenasty grubbiness of his stage portrayal.

I had hoped that Jules Bastin, a singerwho has demonstrated some sensitivity,might raise Ochs above stereotype. Hedoesn't, and I frankly don't know what he'sdoing. It's not the gross boorishness of KurtBehme (DG) or the murky, make -do inele-gance of Otto Edelmann (Angel) or thestrained Viennese archness of ManfredJungwirth (London), all carefully and con-sistently executed performances and all, tomy mind, dramatic travesties. (In fairness,Jungwirth does seem to be realizing the mu-sic as faithfully as he can, but the voice isn'tmuch to start with.) What it is is ananonymous and disjointed exercise. Bas -tin's isn't a great voice, but it is capable ofmore than this -Ochs turned into a compri-mario.

An even odder Hosenkovolier tradition isperpetuated here in the casting of Faninal.Surely the requirements of the role are clearenough: a secure high baritone with somereal handling ease. Yet only Angel's Eber-hard Wachter and DC's Fischer-Dieskau fitthat description. (The latter doesn't do allthat well, but that's due to his familiarprissiness, not to vocal unsuitability.) Phil-ips' Derek Hammond Stroud is a worthysinger, but it should have occurred to some-body that Alberich. his most famous role, isa poor recommendation for Faninal. (Atthat, he's better than his Richmond. Lon-don. and Columbia competitors.) No moresuccessful, but for less mysterious reasons.is the casting of the Italian Singer. for JoseCarreras merely joins a distinguished lineof tenors (on records Nicolai Gedda, Lu-ciano Pavarotti. Placid() Domingo) whodon't seem to have realized that Strauss'smusical joke was primarily on the singer,especially if he expects to walk in and tossthe arid off. Carreras. normally a singer ofimpeccable taste, is reduced to bellowingthe whole thing, no doubt praying that eachstanza will end before his respiratory sys-tem collapses.

The supporting cast dues its job, and therecording is unobtrusively first-rate. Theaccompanying materials are lavish but notvery helpful: the German text is in the mainbooklet, but the English -a singing trans-lation --is in a separate one (which also con-tains a French singing translation, if you've

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Frederica von StadeAn Octavian to rival Jurinac's

ever wondered how Rosenkovolier goes inFrench). Over-all, the recording strikes meas an interesting supplement to the Kara-jan, Solti, or Bernstein. if I could have onlyone version, it would certainly be the Klei-ber; then I would be inclined to add the fas-cinating and quite different Bernstein.which also supplies the Kleiber's one seri-ous Lick: a vocally assured Marschallin.

K.F.

R WAGNER: Tristan and Isolde (ex-cerpts).

Isolde Mar Ina Modi (s)Brangane Johanna Blatter (ms)I istan Wolfgang Windgassen (t)

Berlin Municipal Opera Orchestra, ArthurRother, cond. TELEFUNKEN 26.48020, $15.96(two discs, mono, manual sequence) [fromTelefunken originals, recorded c. 1952-53].Prelude. Act I: Weh, ach wehe! dies zu dulden! . .

Welcher Wahn! Kennst du der Mutter Kunste nicht?Act 11. Isolde! Tristan! Geliebter! . . 0 sink' hernieder0 ew'ge Nacht. Act III' Liebestod

One of several Wagnerian ladies prominentduring the interregnum between KirstenFlagstad and Birgit Nilsson. Martha WWI(b. 1912 according to Telefunken's linernotes: 1913 according to Kutzsch/Riemens)began late as a singer, and began as amezzo. Her debut role in 1943 was as Hum-perdinck's Hansel, and she first came to in-ternational attention as Klytainnestra inMitropoulos' 1950 Elektro performances inFlorence (recorded by Cetra and now avail-able on Turnabout THS 65040/1). Eventhen it was a rather special sound, a curiousand compelling combination of brightness.power, and effort (not effortful in gettingaround the notes, but in color, the result ofheavy breath pressure), and obviously at

the service of considerable musical andF dramatic intelligence.

Soon thereafter, she became what Con-ti. rad L. Osborne has aptly described as "aa never -quite -converted mezzo," movinga- from Kundry (Bayreuth 1951, on Richmond)M to Isolde and the Briinnhildes (in Furtwan-

gler's 1953 Rome Hing and 1954 WalkUre,on Seraphim), as well 'as Fidelio (also withFurtwangler. on Seraphim). The voicereached up to high C. the singing was richand creamy, the registers still pretty coher-ent -and the singing now began to be effort-ful in the other sense, with a modicum ofscooping, attacking notes from below, andan incipient tremolo around the break. Thatheavy breath pressure hardly ever let up,and the technique required not only fre-quent breaths, but big ones. A handsomewoman as well as an intelligent one, shefound much favor with Wieland Wagner,and was a Bayreuth regular through the Fif-ties, but the hard use eventually took its tolland she turned to singing character roles.

Madl never recorded a complete Tristan,and the current reissue from Telefunkenconstitutes the complete commercial docu-mentation of her work in the part -an oddlyassorted package. I'm afraid. The LoveDuet comes first, on two sides and startingright after Isolde's extinction of the torch.but with the more -or -less standard "BigCut" (from Tristan's "Dem Tage! dem'roger to Isolde's "Doch es rtichte sich derverscheuchte Tag"). The slow parts of thisare the best. MOW making the consonantscleave into her luscious tone to good effect,Wolfgang Windgassen fresh, clean, andgenerally accurate, Johanna Blatter accept-ably in tune. and conductor Arthur Rotherfollowing Wagner's instructions rathercarefully: I particularly like the way hekeeps the climax of the "So stiirben wir"passage from getting out of control. Butelsewhere the tempos are not really fastenough -or. at least, propulsive enough tocompensate for the slowness that one pre-sumes the singers have imposed (fromRother's Prelude, one would not expect himto harbor excessively Furtwanglerianurges). And while these slower tempos dofacilitate some matters (intonation, for ex-ample), they do complicate Madl's breath-ing problems; at the very end, she is re-duced to three -note ascending glissandogasps rather than proper phrases.

The recorded sound doesn't help much,either, with the singers up close, the orches-tra's dynamic range compressed into thebackground, and the whole business heav-ily monitored (you can hear the engineerssneaking the level down to make headwayfor the final climax). Whatever dynamiccontrast this performance may have had tobegin with was ruthlessly ironed out beforeit got to us.

Next comes Rother's shapely but unre-markable Prelude, recorded with rather apapery edge to the strings, and a Liebestodthat must he chopped up for breath morefrequently than any other in history -untilthe very end, when Miidl takes the finalphrase ("HOchste Lust") in a single breath.by dint of letting up on the pressure andfloating the final note. It's a good effect, andone wishes she had learned to integrate itinto her singing on some sort of regularbasis.

The Narrative and Curse finds her in lessgood voice than the other excerpts: occa-sionally flat, with some pronounced froggi-ness in the tone. With everything so effort-fut, even the simplest phrases, the shape ofthe scene simply vanishes; she's singing all-out all of the time, with nothing left topunch home the final curse. And Blatterhere sounds like a parody of Modl in alower register, which makes the inclusionof Brangane's song a decidedly mixedblessing, except that it does lead to part ofthe scene with the potions, where Modl getsoff a few phrases with really telling inten-zione.

All in all, this makes for a pretty expen-sive souvenir of an Isolde who on other oc-casions (and perhaps in other parts of therole -1 would like to hear her sing "Mir er-koren! Mir verforen!") may have been com-pelling but isn't often so on these discs. Iharbor a thought that the interesting mate-rial here could have been squeezed onto asingle disc; the Prelude aside, there's only abit over an hour here, and given the limiteddynamic range that surely could have beenmanaged.

Connoisseurs of fantasy in liner noteswill perhaps treasure the blurb's assertionabout Modl that "it was not possible to dis-cern that she was thereby taxing herself tothe limits of endurance"; on these discs,alas, it's all too evident. The blurb is givenin English and German, the texts only inGerman, nastily run on rather than set inpoetic lines. D.H.

BAROQUE CONCERTO IN ENGLAND. ThamesChamber Orchestra, Michael Dobson, cond.[Simon Lawman, prod.] CRD 1031, $7.98(distributed by HNH Records).Mom: Concerto for Two Oboes and Strings, in F. SOT=Concertos: for Strings, in E minor; for Two Violins, Cello,and Strings, in B minor. WOODCOCK: Concertos: for Oboeand Strings, in E flat (with Neil Black, oboe); for Flute andStrings, in D (with William Bennett, flute).

Like Neville Marriner's Academy of St.Martin -in -the -Fields, but unlike Christo-pher Hogwood's Academy of Ancient Mu-sic, Michael Dobson's Thames ChamberOrchestra uses modern rather than periodor replica instruments, except of course forCelia Harper's Flemish -styled Adlam Bur-nett harpsichord. Dobson himself, longprincipal oboe with the London Philhar-monic and Menuhin orchestras, proves tobe a skillful if extremely self-effacing con-ductor who is, here at least, an out-standingly imaginative program -maker.Four of his present selections are, if notrecord firsts, most likely new to Americandisc catalogs.

The anonymous work was originallypublished by Walsh in 1734 as the fourth ofHandel's twelve so-called oboe concertos,Op. 3, in a mixup with a batch of Italianconcertos Walsh was simultaneously pre-paring for publication. Handel undoubt-

SIT I EMBER 1977 113

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edly roared in protest and made sure thathis own No. 4, also in F, was properly in-cluded in all later editions, but the music it-self is not entirely unworthy of its Han-delian attribution even if-now that weknow better-it does reveal some signifi-cant stylistic differences and only remotelyapproaches the Old Master's grandeur andinventiveness. It has its own delightful mo-ments, though, not least in its stately Si-ciliano, all of which are enhanced by excep-tionally tangy oboe parts and the vividlydose recording (which, however, is highenough in modulation level to benefit bylowering the playback level).

The Boyce concertos (two of four longforgotten and unpublished) aren't quite upto the best of his "symphonies," but theyadd considerably to our appreciation ofBoyce's creative range. The E minor work isfascinating for its frank use of Messiah mo-tives, given somewhat more homespuntreatment than Handel's own but markedby a distinctive if quite different person-ality. However, the most arresting and un-expectedly delectable works are the fluteand oboe concertos (respectively, Nos. 8and 12 of a set of twelve published byWalsh in 1727) by the flutist/composer Rob-ert Woodcock, who doesn't even rate cita-tion in most reference books and whosebrief entry in Grove's can supply only a "?"for both birth and death dates. Wheneverhe was born and died, Woodcock was oncenot only very much alive, but gifted withboth a sense of puckish humor and poi-gnant songfulness. And he is given belatedjustice by Dobson and the superb soloists,oboist Neil Black and flutist William Ben-nett. R.D.D.

WILHELM KEMPFF: Bach, Handel, and GluckArrangements. Wilhelm Kempff, piano. [Ru-dolf Werner, prod.] DEUTSCHE GRAMMOPHON2530 647, $7.98.

Kempff, who comes from a family of organ-ists, actually began to play that instrumentbefore his legs were long enough to reachthe pedals. This collection of his own ar-rangements reflects that interesting cross-pollination of baroque Lutheran organ tra-dition and secular Romantic pianism. Onerepeatedly hears Kempff's fondness for ripebass tones and sensual harmonic richnessallied to a penchant for penetrating clarityand austere starkness. Whereas DameMyra Hess's more famous version of "Jesubleibet meine Freude" is purely pianistic inits quiet, flowing simplicity, Kempff's ver-sion-more angular and sometimes moredramatic-makes one conscious of reedypipes and ringing ambience. Particularly ef-fective, in terms of both arrangement andperformance, is the "Wir danken Dir, Gott,wir danken Dir," which turns out to benone other than an enriched version of thefamed Preludio of the E major Violin Par-tita. Kempff creates a dazzling array of col-ors and timbres here, and though Roman-ticism runs rampant, it never runs amok (asin Rachmaninoff's far less tasteful bowd-lerization).

Kempff's octogenarian fingers can stillhandle intricate patterns and part-writingwith brilliant precision, and what a won-derful ear he has for color and texture! He

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creates a velvety legato through a combina-tion of digital flexibility and resourcefulpedaling, and he is not loath to show hisbare fists when an assertive phrase dictates.Indeed, some listeners may be slightly putoff by the prominence he gives to the innerchorale voice in "Wachet auf" or the afore-mentioned "Jesu bleibet meine Freude," butI love the mixture of gentility and stubborntoughness.

DG's sound again recalls the deep, solidpickup given Kempff's mono Beethoven so-nata cycle, and the surfaces are flawless.

H.G.

B PIANO MUSIC IN AMERICA: Vol. 2,1900-45. Roger Shields, piano. Vox

SVBX 5305, $10.98 (three discs).ANTHER.: Sonata No 2 (Airplane) B . Sonata. Op.26 Fuga: Nocturne. Op 33 CARPENTER: Impromptu.COPLAND: Variations. Coteau.: Exultation; Invention; Aeo-lian Harp, Advertisement. GERSHWIN: Three Preludes.GRIPPES: Roman Sketches, Op. 7: Nos. 1, 3. HARRIS: So-nata, Op. 1. Ivan: The Anti -Abolitionist Riots; SomeSouthpaw Pitching; Sonata No. 2 (Concord): The Alcotts.MACDOWELL: Woodland Sketches, Op. 51: Nos. 3, 7-10.PisTon: Passacaglia. RIEGOEN: New and Old (six ex-cerpts) Ruocale: Evocations. Scaussatt: Three -ScoreSet. SESSIONS: From My Diary. Twosome: Sonata No. 3;Ten Etudes (two excerpts).

It seems a bit odd to begin a collection ofAmerican piano music written between1900 and 1945 with such way-out pieces asIves's Anti -Abolitionist Riots and SomeSouthpaw Pitching, which, though com-posed in 1908 and before, are more unortho-dox in sound than any of the other pieces inthe album. But they do emphasize the factthat Ives walked alone, and that in achronological sense his career was basi-cally finished by the end of World War I.Following these wild little works with thefar less radical "Alcotts" movement fromthe Concord Sonata makes for a clevertransition back to the miniatures of EdwardMacDowell, the impressionistic essays ofCharles Tomlinson Griffes, and the accom-plished academicism of John Alden Car-penter, the composers chosen (according toLejaren Hiller's program booklet) to repre-sent American music written before WorldWar I.

The 1900-45 period, says Hiller, breaksnaturally into three parts: the years beforethe First World War, the 1920s, and theyears between the Depression and WorldWar II. (This strikes me as an exceedinglystrange-and historically faulty-break-down.) The 1920s are represented here byHenry Cowell, George Antheil, GeorgeGershwin, Roy Harris, and Aaron Copland(some curious choices!), while 1930-45 istypified by Carl Ruggles, Roger Sessions,Virgil Thomson, William Schuman, WalterPiston, Wallingford Riegger, and SamuelBarber.

Among the rarities I found especially in-teresting were Carpenter's 1913 E flat minorImpromptu, Antheil's 1922 Airplane Sonata(it is about time, I think, for an Antheil re-vival), Harris' 1928 Op. 1 Sonata, Thom -son's 1930 Sonata No. 3 and the two sam-ples from his 1943 Ten Etudes, and the sixmovements from Riegger's 1944 New andOld. Roger Shields, currently artist -in -resi-dence for the North Carolina State ArtsCouncil, plays these-and the more familiarpieces-with unusual sensitivity and con-siderable virtuosic bravura.

Both he and Hiller have great difficulty,

however, with the MacDowell WoodlandSketches. First of all, Hiller labors underthe misapprehension that MacDowell gothis idea for poetic titles from Schumann,something that is contradicted by history: ifhe got the idea from anyone, it was fromGrieg. Second. the set is perversely calledOp. 61 throughout: it is Op. 51. Third, no-where are the names or numbers of the cho-sen five Sketches (out of the ten in the set)specified. For those who are curious, theyare (in order of appearance): "A DesertedFarm" (No. 8), "From Uncle Remus" (No. 7),"At an Old Trysting-Place" (No. 3), "By aMeadow -Brook" (No. 9), and "Told at Sun-set" (No. 10).

And the abridgment of the work leads toa strange editorial decision in the finale. Inhis notes Hiller makes much of the fact that"Told at Sunset" quotes "rather exten-sively" from earlier pieces in the set. Thelast seven measures are a (by no means ver-batim) quotation from No. 5, "From an In-dian Lodge," which is omitted in thisrecording-and so too are those final meas-ures of "Told at Sunset"! Hiller blithely ex-plains that they were "cut in this perform-ance, because it [the quotation] would haveintroduced an extraneous element in thisreduced version of the WoodlandSketches."

Nor is the MacDowell the only workgiven here in abbreviated form. Shields of-fers only two of Griffes's four RomanSketches, two of Thomson's Ten Etudes,six of the twelve movements in Riegger'sNew and Old, and the finale from Barber'spiano sonata. Rarely, however. has somuch American music of the first half ofour century been set forth with such clarityand sympathy, and the engineering is excel-lent. I.L.

FREDERiC FinwsKI: Piano Recital. FredericRzewski, piano. [Ilhan Mimaroglu, prod.] FIN-NADAR SR 9011, $6.98.RI=Mt Variations on "No Place to Go but Around."BRAXTOtt P-JOS4K-D-(MIX) EISLER: Sonata No 3

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Page 118: HERBIE HANCOCK: NEW PHASE OR FADEOUT? GIIII · 121 Herbie Hancock's Fifth Incarnation Len Lyons 54 Too Hot to Handle 56 News and Views 63 Equipment Reports Crown EQ-2 equalization

ADVERTISING INDEXKay No. Pap No.

1 Acoustiphase 11249 ADC Phono Cartridge, A Division of

BSR Consumer Products Group 112 Allison Acoustics Inc 443 Angel Records 1014 Audio Discount Warehouse 149

Audio Technica U.S. Inc. 16, 102, 103

BASF 85Bose Corp. 22

6 BSR Consumer Products Group 41

7 Carston Studios 110Carter. Elliott 110

8 Celestion Industries 12Classified Ads 146, 147Component Discounters 114

9 DBX, Inc. 4510 __Discount Music Club 115

Discwasher, Inc 13911 District Sound 7317 Dual 6.7

12 Empire Scientific Corp 62

13 Fried Products Co 149

14 Grenadilla Society Records 110

High Fidelity's Test Reports 14315 Hitachi Sales Corp. 120

16 Icelandic Airlines 14118 Illinois Audio 14919 International Hi-Fi Distributors 112

20 J & R Music World 11221 JVC America, Inc. 14, 15

Kenwood Cover IV22 King Karol Records 11523 Klipsch & Assoc 12924 Koss Corp. 9

Lux Audio of America Ltd. 97

Marantz Co. 36.3925 Maxell Corp. of America 5526 Maxell Corp. of America 1027 McIntosh 7328 Memorex Corp 4

Micro Seiki 1330 Mitsubishi Audio Systems 20, 21

Music Listeners' Book Service 109. 148

50 National Record Plan 10631 Netronics Research & Development ....114

Nikko Electric Corp. of America 57.60

32 Olympus Corp. of America 2533 Onkyo 4334 Optonica Electronics 53

35 Phase Linear Corp 2629 Pioneer High Fidelity Cover II, 1

Radio Shack 51Record Mart 115

36 RTR Industries 24

37 Sansui Electronics Corp. 32, 33Save the Children Federation 107Schwan n Record & Tape Guide 49

38 Scott, H.H., Inc 31Sennheiser Electronic Corp 46

39 Shure Brothers, Inc. 7140 Sony Corp. of America 90.91

Sound Guard 133Speakerlab, Inc. 115

41 Stanton Magnetics 242 Stereo Corp. of America 149

Superscope, Inc. 150, Cover III

43 T DK Electronics 27Teac Corp. 34, 134, 135Time -Life Records 17-19

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Ultralinear 517 United Audio Products 6, 7

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Yamaha Audio 29

Big titles, empty music. Nowhere in hisliner notes does Frederic Rzewski explaineither what "No Place to Go but Around"is, even though his extended composition issupposed to be variations on it (a pre-exist-ing theme? a 1960s catchphrase?), or thecomplete meaning of Braxton's enigmatictitle. At least Rzewski's own composition, abig, chordal crescendo -decrescendo with asmooth rhythmic flow and a pseudo -tran-scendental technique, is pleasant enough tolisten to. But its flashy pianism and militantpretensions (Bandiera Rosso is quoted ex-tensively toward the middle) do not save itfrom sounding like amateurish improvisa-tion not really worth immortalizing on disc.

Anthony Braxton's P-JOS**4K-D-(MIX)is typical of any number of performer -ori-ented pieces: Its various aleatory puzzlesare no doubt fun for the soloist to put to-gether. But to the listener, the music soundslike yet another in a long string of pointless,pointillistic maneuvers with almost nooriginality, save the use of a few interestingchords and clusters here and there.

Unlike Braxton and Rzewski, both ofwhom were born in this country, the lateHanns Eisler (1898-1962) was born in Ger-many, even though he spent eleven years inthe U.S. Probably best known for his filmmusic and a book he wrote on the subject,Eisler was also a devout socialist who oftenbecame involved in the application ofMarxist theory to music. (He did not fail toget blacklisted in the McCarthy years andwas thereafter forced to leave this countryin 1948, just as he had been obliged to seekexile from Nazi Germany in the 1930s.)There is nothing Marxist about his ThirdPiano Sonata (1943), however. The stylestrongly recalls that of the Berg piano so-nata, minus the latter's expressive depthand plus a good deal more vigor. More ad-vanced in style than Rzewski's variations,more listenable than the Braxton doodle,the Eisler sonata bears the mark of sincereand accomplished musicianship, even if itis not apt to find a permanent niche in therepertoire. And, by golly, its title gives aclue to what the music is supposed to do.

As a pianist, Rzewski gives energetic,committed performances that show a big,impressive technique. (It is hard to judgehis interpretive abilities from the music onthis disc.) But this is the second Finnadardisc I have heard on which the piano couldhave stood some tuning. The recordedsound is quite good. R.S.B.

THE THIEF OF BAGHDAD. Original film Scoreby Miklos Rozsa. Royal Philharmonic Or-chestra, Elmer Bernstein, cond. and prod.FILM MUSIC COLLECTION Album 8, $8.00 plus60C handling, to members only (annual mem-bership $5.00; Elmer Bernstein's Film MusicCollection, Box 261, Calabasas, Calif.91302).

Hungarian -born. English -based producerAlexander Korda gave the film world someof its most endearing early romances, ofboth the swashbuckling and the fairy tale -fantasy varieties. Of the latter, The Thief ofBaghdad, begun in 1938 and completed in1940, was one of the most ambitious. It hasalso remained one of the most popularfilms of its kind, thanks in large part to itsspecial effects, to the acting by its young In-dian star. Sabu, and to the music byKorda's compatriot, Miklos R6zsa.

R6zsa's score, his tenth effort for thefilms and his fifth for Korda, was the mostelaborate and developed he had done tothat date. The almost nonstop musical ac-companiment plays such an integral role inthe narrative that The Thief of Baghdadcan almost be classified as a film musical-there are, in fact, several songs that, al-though blended into the music track, are ac-tually a part of the action. More important,however, are the lush, symphonic episodesthat continually manifest Wass's gift forwarm lyricism, spectacle -evoking grand-eur, and exciting, modernistic action music.

Of the ninety -odd minutes of musicRozsa wrote for Thief, something over fortyare contained on this most recent Film Mu-sic Collection release. There are those whowill feel that this milestone score deserveda double -record set. While this sort of filmand its music are not entirely my cup of tea,I regret some of the omissions, in particularthe sinuously sinister "Silvermaid'sDance," which strongly hints (as does the"Blue Rose" sequence that is included) atRozsa's later Spellbound and is an essentialfacet of the musical narrative. On the otherhand, I am irked by some of the things thatare here. The "Sailor's Song," for example,badly sung by Bruce Ogdon, may bringback the movie's opening sequence forsome, but I find it an intrusion. Worse stillis the attempt by one Powell Janes to soundlike Sabu singing a dreadful little ditty en-titled "I Want to Be a Sailor"; the result isthe sort of thing you would expect from aforty -five -year -old TV kiddie -show host.

For all this, most of the disc excellentlydisplays the many sides of Rozsa's skill as afilm composer, and it has been beautifullyrecorded and performed by Elmer Bern-stein and the Royal Philharmonic Orches-tra. Rather foolishly, though, most of themusic was unnecessarily reconstructedfrom a piano score by Christopher Palmerand Anthony Bremner. For although thejacket notes state that the "original fullscores have not survived or at least havenot been traced," they do in fact exist in theSyracuse University library. This informa-tion was given to Bernstein well before thedisc went into production but was ignored.

At any rate, film -music buffs interested inhearing more of the Thief of Baghdad scoreshould try to obtain an English United Art-ists reissue (UAS 29725) of a 1957 RCArecording of suites from both Thief and an-other Korda/Rozsa masterpiece, The JungleBook. In spite of the Leo Genn narrationsthat, although good in their own right,somewhat mask the scores, the music (in-cluding the "Silvermaid's Dance") makesthe disc an excellent complement to thenew release-and the narration on theUnited Artists reissue has been modified forThief so that it does not step on the music.

R.S.B.

116 HIGH FIDELITY MAGAZINE

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Page 121: HERBIE HANCOCK: NEW PHASE OR FADEOUT? GIIII · 121 Herbie Hancock's Fifth Incarnation Len Lyons 54 Too Hot to Handle 56 News and Views 63 Equipment Reports Crown EQ-2 equalization

Bargain -basement musicassettes.Many American connoisseur collec-tors may not know about the mush-rooming numbers of classical musiccassettes selling at budget and evenbargain prices. For generally these ei-ther appear overseas and as a rule arenot brought in by importers like Pe-ters International, or they are pro-duced here primarily for sale via mail-order or special dealers-and hencedenied SCHWANN listings. I'm in-debted to the knowledgeable conduc-tor/connoisseur/critic William Rad-ford -Bennett for calling my attentionto the possibility of privately import-ing cassettes in such British budgetlines as EMI's Musicway, Executive,and Greensleeves series, DG's Privi-lege and Heliodor, Philips' Sonic andFontana, English Decca's Ace of Dia-monds, etc. Their prices range fromaround £1.75 to £2.50, which at currentexchange rates convert to quite rea-sonable dollar costs. But just as I wasconsidering some discussion of thegenerally well -processed examplesRadford -Bennett lent me, it has be-come more urgent to hail both the de-but of a novel American series andnews of expanded domestic activityon the part of several other specialistlabels.

The newcomer is the Sine Qua Nonlabel, some six years old in the discworld, now expanding into cassetteswith more than fifty titles already andforty more coming soon. Marketing ismainly via bookstores plus some, butnot all, record dealers; the repertory isso far confined almost exclusively toreissues of older recordings and somerelatively new ones not previously re-leased in the U.S. I've certainly neverencountered a better bargain than thedouble -play Dolby cassette (SQN 147)of the 1964 Ristenpart/Saar ChamberOrchestra versions of the four Bachsuites for $3.98. (That's the normalselling price; there is a "suggested re-tail price" of $5.98.) And among thesingles (suggested retail price $4.98,but sticker -priced $2.98 each), there'sanother rejuvenated old-timer in theBasch/Reinartz program of familiarbaroque trumpet concertos (SQN7753) and a sonically up-to-date (1975)Stravinsky program (L'Histoire dusoldat, Dumbarton Oaks Concerto,wind octet) crisply played by theNash Ensemble under Elgar Howarth(SQN 2011).

However, another recent issue fromthe EMI Classics for Pleasure series,Rachmaninoff's Second Symphony bythe promising young conductor of theHalle Orchestra, James Loughran, isless satisfactorily processed in SQN2008 than in its British Musicway edi-tion. And while all SQN cassettes areDolby, there are no notes, and some la-bels (like those of the Bach suites) pro -

by R. D. Darrell

vide no movement details. As always,the bargain -buyer must take care, butthe best choices offer fine music andfair to very good sound at what mustbe rock -bottom prices. (For catalogand dealer information, write SineQua Non Productions, 1 West St., FallRiver, Mass. 02720.)

CCC changes. Since my earlier re-ports on tape -pioneer Julius A. Ko-nins' budget mail-order productions,there have been changes in name,prices, and some policies, but none atall in the highest of Dolby processingstandards. What's now the ClassicalCassette Company (no longer Club)has nineteen new releases, includingten normal -length programs drawnfrom earlier extra -long ones; andprices range from $3.95 to $7.95. As be-fore, the recordings are mostlyreissues, but a featured one (CCC BP57, $6.95) hasn't yet appeared in anydisc edition: Delius' rhapsodic, magi-cally haunting cello sonata and thethree fascinating violin sonatas, per-suasively played by the respectiveteams of Alexander Kouguell and Da-vid Hancock and Derry Dean andEleanor Hancock, and superbly re-corded and processed.

Impressive in different ways are thefirst taping of Mussorgsky's Kho-vanshchina in the powerful if roughMargaritov/Sofia National Opera ver-sion (CCC CP 48/49, $15.90; libretto$2.00 additional) and a set of thirteen"Popular Symphonic Marches" (CCCA 58, $3.95) by Winograd and the Vir-tuoso Symphony of London-a 1960Audio Fidelity spectacular still re-markable for its vivid sonic presence.(For the complete 1977 catalog, writethe Classical Cassette Company, 118Route 17, Upper Saddle River, N.J.07458.)

. With more to come. Besides otherSQN and CCC cassettes (and possiblysome of the latest from Everest/Olym-pic), I hope to report soon on the ex-panded production of Musical Heri-tage Society cassettes ($4.95 each toMHS members) and the new series,distributed by Vox itself, of Vox/Can-dide/Turnabout programs ($4.98each). The complete 1977 MHS disccatalog with cassette equivalents isavailable for $1.00 from the MusicalHeritage Society, MHS Building, Oak-hurst, N.J. 07755. And for a leaflet list-ing its first fifty cassette releases, write

Vox Productions, 211 E. 43rd St., NewYork, N.Y. 10017.

Priceless instrumental voices of thepast. For what can be saved throughthe foregoing economy -class tapes,even the most budget -conscious con-noisseur may be able to afford the$23.98 cost of the late David Munrow'scrowning masterpiece, Angel's 4X3S3810 combination of two Dolby XDRcassettes with a sumptuously illus-trated and informative 100 -page book.Together they bring back to ex-hilaratingly pungent life the instru-ments, individually and in ensemble,of the Middle Ages and the Renais-sance. This is without question thefinest -ever achievement of its kind,not only for incredibly expert per-formances on the period and replicainstruments themselves, but for theembodiment of their sounded timbresin appropriate period pieces delec-table fur their own musical-as well asrepresentational-sake.

Busier than ever majors. Along withthe extraordinary Munrow work,there are a number of other currentAngel releases, five ConnoisseurSociety/Advent deluxe CR/70 new-comers, and big batches of new Lon -dons, Philipses, and RCAs clamoringfor attention-all of them nowadays inDolby processings. Of the few I'vebeen able to hear so far (more later),I've particularly relished the follow-ing: Connoisseur Society/Advent E 1052and 1053 ($7.95 each), which demon-strate how a master virtuoso, the Ar-gentinian Bruno Leonardo Gelber,can freshly illuminate even such oftenand well recorded standards as thetwo Brahms piano concertos. Theyare played here with Decker and theMunich Philharmonic (No. 1) andwith Kempe and the Royal Philhar-monic (No. 2) in exceptional, noble re-corded performances and well-nighideal cassette processings. London CS5 6881 and 7032 ($7.95each), respectively Alicia de Lar-rocha's near -definitive survey ofManuel de FaIle's piano works andthe first new recording in some yearsof the lively Meyerbeer-Lambert bal-let Les Patineurs, augmented by Mas-senet's Le Cid ballet suite and Arianeexcerpts, robustly recorded by Bon-ynge and the National Philharmonic. Philips 7300 517/8 ($7.95 each), withColin Davis and the Boston Sym-phony continuing their Sibelius sym-phony series begun with Nos. 5 and 7more than a year ago. Popular favor-ites No. 1 (with Finlandia) and No. 2here are given arrestingly fresh read-ings, magnificent orchestral playing,and warmly lucid recording. Out-standing triumphs all around.

SEP I EMBER 1977 119

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Output shaft (Record guide)

Rotor

Magnet (8 -pole)

Speed control

..41141111Drive coil x 2

Yoke

Ball

Cap

PS -58PHONO MOTOR2 Motor: Unitorque DC servo motor

16 -pole gear motorautomatic mechanism

Wow & flutter: 0.025% W R. M. S.S/N ratio: 74dBCARTRIDGEType: Vertical magnet typeFrequency response: 20Hz-20.000Hz

4

Brushless. Slotless. And Coreless. For flawless direct -drive operation.

Hitachi's Unitorque Motor.Hitachi's Unitorque motor turntable is

unlike any other turntable in the world.Brushless. Slotless. And coreless. It

uses two star -shaped flat coils for bal-ancing and distributing torque evenly.

The unitorque motor is a non -commutator DC servo motor with an8 -pole rotary magnet and flat, squarecoil configuration. The construction iscompletely free from brushes, slots andcores, and free from motor "cogging" or

pulsations. In fact the performance is soperfect...tests show wow and flutter at0.025%, an almost 40% improvementover conventional motors. The torquegenerated is even, balanced, almostflawless.

And when you generate flawlesstorque, you not only get flawless speed.You get what you really want in a turn-table.

Flawless music.

HITACHIWhen a company cares,it shows.

Hitachi Sales Corporation of America, 401 West Artesia Boulevard, Compton, California 90220

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Herbie Hancock'sFifth Incarnationby Len Lyons

uick. throw in another patch!" shouts the en-gineer. Like a kid with a new toy (and look-

ing like a kid with his new hairstyle). Herbie Hancockis bent over an ARP 2600. He strikes a key and yellsback. "Take that, you guys-we'll get 'ern this time!"

The author, a !me -lance writer and contributingeditor to Down Beat. won the 1976 Ralph J. GleasonMemorial Awa.-d for fit:: friticism.

4- CIRCLE 15 ON READER-SERVCE CAME

The ARP signal takes off across the sea of multicoloredlc\ el indicators on the San Francisco Au:omatt's 32 -track hoard.

"We can't lock into the rig it beam anyntore,"en-gineer Fred Catero cautions. :throwing switches withboth hands.

"Fire phaser 1." his assistant advises.Then the phone rings. and it's producer David

Rubinson. the boss. He been listening is on remote

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2

speakers in his office upstairs. The road manager is inthe control room and answers the phone: "Hello, Mis-sion Control. ... No, this is the soundtrack for StarWars." The overdub ends with a round of laughter.

After the playback, Herbie is not so lighthearted."That's hazerei," he decides. "Is that how you say it?"Catero, Herbie's engineer since the "Headhunters" al-bum, assures him that it is. Hazerei is Yiddish for junk.

Herbie is not upset, however, because this is all

"I think music is betterthan it's ever been, not worse."

part of his new process of composition. Keyboards areno longer his only instrument, though they are legion(the Oberheim and Yamaha polyphonic synthesizers,the ARP 2600, Odyssey, and Pro Soloist, ARP's StringEnsemble, Hohner's Clavinet, the Fender Rhodeselectric and Yamaha electric grand pianos, not tooverlook the Baldwin acoustic in the studio for thissession). The newest instrument is the recording stu-dio itself. Herbie improvises his music, which he oftenrefers to as "the finished product," on the Automatt'snew computerized overdubbing system.

"It all began when we were doing 'Crossings' and`Sextant.' " he explains. (These were the Warner al-bums by Herbie's avant-garde octet of the late Sixties,which he eventually disbanded as insolvent.) "PatrickGleeson was playing synthesizers for us, but weweren't doing much with overdubs. Then, during onesession, our equipment manager turned on a randomresonator which picked up and filtered all the noises inthe studio. We really liked parts of the tape and madea loop by stretching it across the desks, file cabinets-everywhere! We spliced together what we wanted andused it as a rhythm track for Rain Dance on 'Sextant.'

"Little by little, things that happened in the stu-dio became more prominent in the shaping of the mu-sic. Now I go in with a basic drum, bass, and pianochart sketch. When it comes to the other instruments,especially synthesizers, I never know what I want untilI hear it. The recording process itself becomes part ofthe composition of the music.

"I even work that way at home with my eight -track recorder and all the keyboards around me. I'llstart off with an idea, do an overdub, and then see howthings are coming out. I'll have to admit it makes mekind of lazy-I don't put too much down on paper any-more. Paper is slow. By the time I'd write some thingsdown, the idea would be lost."

Herbie's "finished product" has come under firein recent years, ever since he deserted pure jazz for anallegedly longstanding desire to play like JamesBrown and Sly Stone. His music was soon known asfunk, or as the aficionados tend to pronounce it,"fonck." Now there is a lingering debate over whetherHancock is a populist hero who communicates withthe masses or simply a sellout to commercial taste. Hisdetractors claim he was making more lasting music inthe Sixties with his sparkling acoustic solos with MilesDavis' band, and in the lush harmonics of his"Maiden Voyage" and "Speak Like a Child" albumson Blue Note, the adventurous Warner LPs, or his in-dividual compositions such as Watermelon Man or theexpansive scores for Blow Up and Fat Albert Rotunda.

"There might have been more happening musi-cally in a technical sense," is Hancock's counter to hiscritics, "but that's not the criterion of good music. Mydefinition of good music is what feels good. I try not tolisten to music from a technical standpoint. I hear mu-sic the way a normal person hears it. Look, it's ob-vious-most people don't respond to the Warners and

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Blue Note music. If they liked it. they'd buy it. Isn'tthat how it works?"

Perhaps. But that argument may ignore the de-gree of promotion he's received from Columbia, hislabel since the 1973 release of "Headhunters," whichturned gold. And what if pop audiences have beensold the simpler and more easily repeatable style? Inany case, one thing about Hancock's argument is cer-

"When you cut, the tendencyis to save all the hot parts.But that doesn't work."

tain: This straightforward, congenial. and articulatemusician believes it steadfastly.

"I think music is better than it's ever been, notworse," he adds. "There's a lot more variety, more in-telligence in the arrangements. more creativity in thestructure. I'm just not very critical of music these daysbecause, for the most part, I like what I hear. I'm nottired of funk either."

Most significantly, he is in the midst of anothermetamorphosis. The album that he was working on atthe Automatt (due out in late fall) may please even hiserstwhile fans. Aside from channeling more creativethought into the recording process, his music seemsto have developed an orderly complexity and depend-ability that give it a sense of constant motion. WhenI described the playbacks as "not funky, but rhythmi-cally baroque," he laughed: "I never thought of it thatway, but I'd have to agree with you. I think it's the waythe different instruments interplay rhythmically."

The arranging also seems to have greater clarityand better definition of the musical voices, a virtuethat Herbie modestly attributes to the Automatt's

technical capabilities. "The sound isn't hyped," hesays. "but it's not dull either. I have to be very carefulnot to get gimmicky because electronics do lend them-selves to it. The only way I know to avoid it is to useyour own musical taste. It's not the nature of synthe-sizers to be gimmicky. so it isn't fair to blame the ma-chines. The machines just do what you tell them to."

As films are made in the cutting room. Hancock'smusic often takes shape in the editing session after allthe playing is done. But there are pitfalls. which he'slearned to avoid. "When you cut, the tendency is tosave all the hot parts. But that doesn't work. If you putall the hot parts together, you lose the contrast. youdon't get the tension and release, and it decreases theheat of the hottest parts."

For a talented composer. there are unavoidableconsequences of cutting. One of them for Herbie isthat his pieces with improvisation usually end uppared down to ... well, AM listening size. "I can writelonger compositions for an album, but nobody's evergoing to hear them. They would be too long for air-play. People's span of attention stretches three to fiveminutes. After that they'll change the station.

"It used to be like cutting off a piece of my body.Now I say. go ahead! Cut out my solo. I don't care. I'mnot married to it as much as I used to be. and I thinkthat's good. You can become self-indulgent if you'renot careful. To think every moment in your music issomething people want to hear! You might want tohear it. but that doesn't mean the guy sitting next toyou wants to hear all that crap. You can become toopersonal about your own music, and I don't want to bethat way."

The fact that Hancock refers to his own music ashazerei and crap, even jokingly, is provocative. Cer-tainly he has no reason to be so self -deprecating. Butthere is an effort to become "egoless." deriving fromhis commitment to Nisherin Shoshu Buddhism. Heclaims that it was while chanting the sect's mantra,"nam myoho renge kyo" (literally translated as devo-tion, mystic law, cause and effect, vibration), that hewas liberated from the "intellectual snobbery" of jazz.Buddhism is still prominent in his life, and he believesthat through chanting he has become more perceptiveabout himself. "My wife [Gigi] isn't a Buddhist -yet.She tells everyone she gets the benefit of my prac-ticing."

Interestingly, Herbie speaks only of practicingBuddhism, not music. "I've been spending more timeon myself as a human being. rather than as a musi-cian. I'm trying to be a better husband and father [hehas one daughter, Jessica, age seven]. I figure if I suc-ceed in that, it will be reflected in my music anyway."

Back in the Automatt's control room. engineer Ca-tero tells Herbie: "Get the sound a little edgier. a littlesawtoothier, a little square -wavier, if you know what Imean. I think the decay is too long."

Herbie has a different idea. and he tries anotherpatch on the synthesizer. "Hmmm. let's see whatwe've got now." he mutters.

The process continues. He improvises anothertrack. a revised composition. and very likely part of hisnew musical identity.

SEPTEMBER 1977 123

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Automated Radio:The Future Is Upon Usby Todd Everett

Does your favorite radio station sound betterlately? Do the announcers sound more profes-

sional, the music brighter and more consistent? Ordon't you pay enough attention to notice any differ-ence? Well, listen closer. Because chances are whatyou're hearing is a result of the biggest revolution inradio since the 30 -record playlist: automated radio.

Automated stations broadcast every type of mu-sic, from country to classical, across this continent, Eu-rope, and Asia. Virtually every one of the 7,500 or sostations in the U.S. is affected by it in varying degrees.A totally automated station can run completely bycomputer -directed hardware for days at a time with-out a human being within shouting distance. In fact,although the process is less than twenty years old,about 20% of this country's stations are currently com-puter -run, including many of the highest -rated in thebiggest markets.

The key to the whole system is the programmingcartridge or "cart," a piece of hardware that lookssomething like a standard 8 -track cartridge and worksin the same, endless -loop way though at 71/2 ips ratherthan the familiar 33/4. Jingles and most commercialcopy have been on tape for years; more recently, pro-gram staffers in tightly formatted stations have beenprerecording their playlist cuts on cartridges. The ben-efits are many. Any sound enhancements-re-equal-ization for a punchier sound, slight speeding up forbrightness, editing to desired playtime-can be madein advance. Also, there's no chance of playing thewrong side or of putting a scratchy copy on the air,and cueing is instantaneous and sure.

Early on, a disc jockey or his engineer wouldmanually insert cartridges into a player and press theON button at the appropriate time to start the prere-corded music, commercial, news, weather, special re-port, contest, etc. Later, a switching system was devel-oped: A 25 -Hz cue tone coded onto a cartridge oropen -reel tape automatically triggered a relay, stop-ping one cart and starting another. Computer memoryunits followed, and soon the cycle was limited theoret-ically only by the number of tape decks available tothe station. Human hands, even to change tapes, couldbe eliminated.

There are three types of multiple -cartridge ma-chines currently in use. One is a carousel, in whichtwenty-four cartridges rotate around a hub/playbackhead combination. The others are of the stacking -traytype, one with a separate playback mechanism foreach cartridge tray in the system, the other with asingle playback head for all and a motor that locatesand cues each cartridge as it is needed. All three sys-tems have their advantages and disadvantages-thecarousel seems to be falling into disfavor due to itsrelative clumsiness and frequent upkeep problems, al-though it should be pointed out that most stationequipment needs all but constant maintenance.

"A totally automated stationcan run . . . for days at a time

without a human beingwithin shouting distance."

Of course it soon became evident to station man-agers that if all other elements of their programmingcould be automated, there should be a way to elimi-nate the disc jockey as well. There was-record all ofthe patter in advance. With this in mind, the reasonsfor automation's rapid ascent become self-evident.Some of those reasons cause even the medium'sstrongest proponents to become squeamish aboutbeing quoted. Most station managers I've talked tosay that they're either considering it or have done itfor reasons of quality control. The guy down the street,though, has done it because it's cheaper. Both justifi-cations are valid.

Quality can be controlled, goes the argument, be-cause the announcer's voice tracks can be prere-corded. Pronunciation mistakes and fumbles can becorrected. Program content can be predetermined ab-solutely, an important factor in these days of sophis-ticated programming methods and highly paid con-sultants. As one particularly candid general managersays, "You can design the most perfect format in theworld and have an announcer foul it up because he in-terjects his own tastes." There's no danger ofthat if thepatter is recorded in advance.

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Also, taping can be done anywhere and by anyannouncer or personality. Syndication of these voiceshas become a highly lucrative business, as it can makeany 250 -watt rural station sound for all practical pur-poses like the big city's highest -rated 50,000-watter.And why not? They use the same golden -toned dee-jays. Syndicators are careful that the same voice isn'theard on competing stations in the same market, andsome voices have a variety of air names for differentstations.

"Having your local staff has its advantages, ofcourse," cautions a major -market program director."The right guys can talk about local ball games, for in-stance, or what's happening down at the corner store,and it'll come out interesting. But how many rightguys are there? The top -rated jocks on a major stationcan make upwards of $50.000 a year. Some earn hun-

A '"V V.

Top: A typical automation setup: Commercials are in curtracks at left, music is on the four open reels.Bottom: Cartridge rack of the single -playback head variety,one for each vertical bank.

dreds of thousands of dollars, what with doing com-mercials. hosting TV game shows, and all the rest. Butthere aren't many of that quality around. What thereare plenty of is the guys who are making two dollars anhour and who sound like it. Automation eliminatedthat problem."

What it also eliminates is jobs. Since the an-nouncer doesn't have to wait through each song ornews report, it takes him only half an hour to record atour -hour shift. One can easily do the work of the sixor so who generally man a station. This, say the stationmanagers, frees the staff to prepare their ad libs for thenext day, write ad copy, sell air time to sponsors, cruisethe local high school, sweep the studio, and still havetime to read "Help Wanted" in Broadcasting.

Among the strongest opponents of automated ra-dio are the schools that prepare the average voice onthe street for a high -paying career on the air. (Colum-bia School of Broadcasting and Don Martin are two,along with the matchbook type.) Most of the careersaren't that high -paying to begin with, and the numberof openings is decreasing rapidly. Industry estimatesindicate that only about five hundred people per yearare hired as new, full-time disc jockeys, and that theaverage deejay earns less than $200 a week.

The number of engineers, too, is cut down radi-cally when a station automates. Although a typicalnonautomated station may have two or more licensedengineers on call to maintain and repair equipment(larger stations have engineers "produce" shows aswell, handling the records and tape and freeing the

"It soon became evidentto station managers that . . .

there should be a wayto eliminate the disc jocicey."

deejay to simply announce), an automated stationneeds only one engineer to swab tape heads, greasewheels, and occasionally plug in a new printed circuitboard. The Federal Communications Commission re-quires that one minimally licensed person be presentat the transmitter at all times to read and log powerdials and the like. Automated stations can even elimi-nate that person: KRLT in South Lake Tahoe, Cali-fornia, for instance, has had its meters installed nearthe telephone switchboard of a nearby hotel. Whenthere's no one in the studio or at the transmitters-af-ter working hours or on weekends, for instance-hoteloperators, holding the required and not -hard -to -getcertifications, perform the monitoring and logging.

Still another personnel problem is eliminated byautomation, at least at present. With the government'sstrong minority hiring requirements, station ownersare feeling strong pressure to hire more members ofvarious social and ethnic groups than they may feelprudent. Their automated format, of course, serves asa disqualifier and transfers any pressure to the out-of-town syndicator.

And then there are those stations "down thestreet" who transfer to automation to save money.

SEPTEMBER 1977 125

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How much money? A lot. An automated system thatdoes everything except transmit broadcast signalscosts anywhere from $20,000 to $70.000 complete.That investment can be amortized and depreciated:disc jockeys' and engineers' salaries can't be. Further.a sophisticated system can be leased for less than$1.200 a month, a price that puts it within the range ofjust about anybody who has enough money to buy a

station in the first place.But what exactly can a sophisticated automation

system do? First, it can broadcast music, commercials.and prerecorded patter in any predetermined order.That order can be changed at any time by simply typ-ing new commands into a computer via a standardtypewriter keyboard. The program can be interruptedfor network -feed newscasts or local time and weathersignals. Live reporters in the field-at the scene of a

breaking news story, from a sponsor's place of busi-ness, or anywhere else-can signal the computer witha remote device that looks like a cross between a calcu-lator and a pocket beeper to put them on the air direct

tIt3"...:1'

:Meet fah.11:.a) ad, I .,51.5e , :a 60 ate`,:(el:S 1:II ..).41r I'. II

it:u:son 1. II 4.4.1($2:01:1011 1) 11 4. IF

11:115:1018 11 11 " 'F

The above program logoutput terminal records

every piece of music. everycommercia4 time signal,

special insert, etc. tothe I/100th of a second.

from any telephone. After completion of the live in-sert. the computer will continue the scheduled pro-gram, in correct sequence. Routine equipment mal-functions, such as tape breakage, can be automaticallylocated and corrected within half a second. The com-puter can even turn room lights on and off and startthe morning coffee pot. Its program can be adjusted

"Among the strongest opponents . . .

are the schools that preparethe average voice on the street

for a high- paying career on the air."

via a terminal located anywhere in the world, as longas there are telephone lines to the station-the pro-gram director's living room, for instance, or a studiothat is some distance from the transmitter. Every com-mand can be recorded for after -the -fact study. and allbroadcasted material can be automatically logged onan output terminal that looks and works something like

CI

a e f

1-1L JE:CLE

01:46:25P11 12 ;..!!

01:45:26Ph 13 Oil hUSIC.

O2:52:2SPA 10 OD

Oi:52:3`.7.10 01 C4 KERL'S SHUS (JIGGLE ONLY) :30 Cr.

01:5-:::)3p..: el 2) SL.:1,1;:,E E&P03 :60 CM

01:54:0?PM 14 05 SUSIC

01:5,:.:1'SPO 11 ',1

01:53:6PN 15 61 Tir,LEOi:50:5P3 12 01 MUSIC02: 01:33-001 iS 01 MUSIC

02:05:18011 10 41 TIME

02:05:240E 14 01 MUSIC02:07:42PM 01 36 wESTERN AIRLINES (3 FOR 2) :60 CM

02:03:4100 Di 21 NEUSUEEK MkGRZINE 'COVER STORY':30 CM

02:09:11PM 11 OD MUSIC02:11:5300 15 OD JINGLE

02:12:02PM 12 OD MUSIC02:14:53PM 13 OD MUSIC

02:19:25PM 10 OD TIME

02:19:26PM 14 OD MUSIC02:22:31PM 01 OD GENERAL TELEPHONE 'THINK. TWICE' :60 CM

02:23:30PM 01 23 FORD 'GRANADA' :60 CM

02:24:29PM 11 OD MUSIC02:23:16P3 15 OD JINGLE

02:28:2PM 12 DD MUSIC02:31:42PM 13 OD MUSIC

02:33:58PM 10 OD TIME02:33:59PM 14 OD MUSIC

02:36:54PM 11 00 MUSIC02:39:42PM 01 32 REIEL'S MESS' SHOPS :30 CM

02:40:11PM 01 13 MULTI -SCRUB 'TESTIMONIALS' :30 CM

02:40:41PM 15 OD JINGLE02:40:45PM 12 00 MUSIC02:44:P2PM 13 DO MUSIC

126 HIGH FIDELITY MAGAZINE

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a teletypewriter. That device can be interfaced with asystem that automates billing to clients. telling themexactly when and how long to the hundredth of a sec-ond -each commercial ran. And all of this equipmentcan run unattended for up to three da s at a time!

Do the systems sound automated? They can andoften do sound mechanical. This is especially true onso-called beautiful -music stations. playing back-ground material often referred to as "wallpaper." Se-lections are curtly back -announced with no emotionwhatsoever, and the disc jockey sounds as though he isworking a twenty -four-hour shift. But a carefully pro-grammed system can fool all but the most alert oflisteners. Announcers can prerecord jokes. telephonecalls, conversations with a real or imaginary partner.make intentional mistakes. and do just about anythingelse that a spontaneous. on -the -air deejay can. Timechecks are inserted by the computer from a prere-corded reel, using a system similar to the telephonecompany's. First, every minute of the day is recordedby an announcer. Then the computer automaticallyadvances that tape minute by minute. and. when the

Top: Input terminal for programming automation equipment."Time of day" is current; "address code," "source/function,"and "spot/ sec" determine what will be played and when.Bottom: Time signal cartridges with odd -numbered minuteson the top machine. even -numbered minutes on the bottom.

time is called for. the playback head is engaged. (Thesystem usually uses two cartridges, one with even andone with odd minutes. to allow for cueing and recy-cling time.) Local temperature readings are producedin the same way- by recording every possible temper-ature in advance. A sensor located outside the station

"The unions are pricingtheir members right out of

the business."

determines what reading will be cued up at any par-ticular time. More usually. though. weather reportsare recorded with each news update. The only require-ment is that the voice giving the time or temperaturebe either the same as that of the preprogrammed mu-sic announcer (this is done in advance. shift -by -shift)or otherwise accounted for (". . . and now, here's JoeSmith with the weather").

There are mistakes. of course, and not always in-tentional ones designed to confuse the listener. Mis-cues do take place from time to time. and are generallythe fault of whoever put the 25 -Hz signal on the pro-gram source. The computer's time clocks are dead ac-curate: If a network news feed isn't timed exactly. thenewscaster may find himself cut off early by the returnto local programming, and if the network put it on tooearly. his report might start in the middle of a sen-tence. Equipment breakdown does occur. thoughmuch of it can be corrected before the audience be-comes aware of it. Proponents of automation point outthat the computers make far fewer errors than theirhuman counterparts.

If there is a battle between the revolution's advo-cates and opponents --and there surely is-quality isnot the main issue. It is money, both profits to the sta-tion and losses to those displaced by automation. Inmany markets, automated stations have captured thehighest ratings and demand the highest premium foradvertising time. There was a recent ratings upheavalin Los Angeles when KRLA, an automated outlet fora strange combination of rock oldies and contempo-rary sounds, beat out long-established Top -40 shouterKHJ. for years the undisputed champion of the teeny -bop market. (At least two more of the area's currentlytop -ten -rated stations are fully automated, one a soft -rocker and one an outlet for beautiful music.) Buteven when the live stations can demand higher ratesfrom sponsors. automation's lower overhead, particu-larly in markets where the engineers' and air talent'sunions are strongest, generates higher profits. even tolower -rated stations. To put it another way. the unionsare pricing their members out of the business.

And. especially since the system's proponents arefor the most part station owners- the ones who haveand spend the money --automation is surely the shapeof radio's future. Arguments against it may be valid.but for now radio promises to become as centralizedand homogenized as television.Next month, BACKBEAT'S music -business consultant,Jim Melanson, will discuss syndicated radio.

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InputOutputInstruments andAccessories

Quantum Audio QM -168 RecordingConsole. For those about to build an 8 -track recording facility or add a 16 -trackremix capability to an existing studio.Quantum Audio has a new mixing deskthat is a cut above the boards in the52.000-S4.000 price range. The QM -I68has sixteen inputs. each with a mike/lineselector and a 15 -dB switchable pad atthe mike preamp. Two echo send pots.two cue send pots. a panpot. eight bus se -

be assigned to four different buses formixing. The back of the Model QM -168has thirty-two XLR connectors for mi-crophone and line inputs, two for echosend and two for echo return, and eightmore for program outputs. Phone jacksinclude control -room monitor, studiomonitor, and cue output. Molex connec-tors are also mounted in the back panelfor connecting the power supply, an op-tional patchbay. and optional 16-chan-

Quantum Audio QM 168 Recording Console

lect switches. mute (cut) and momentarysolo switches. and a low -noise conduc-tive plastic fader are also included ineach module. The equalizers are three -band. with each band selectable at one oftwo frequencies. The selection of eq. fre-quencies has always been a difficult deci-sion. and Quantum seems to be trying tocover a lot of bases with a few players.For example. the high -end equalizer isselectable at either 4 -kHz peaking or 12 -kHz shelving, while the low -frequencyequalizer offers either peaking at 300 Hzor shelving at 100 Hz. The midrange fre-quencies of 800 Hz and 1.8 kHz are bothpeaking.

The flexible monitor section is com-plete with a panpot on each channel, aswell as a gain control and an on/offswitch. TALKBACK has its own level con-trol and automatically mutes the control -room monitors when depressed. It canbe fed to studio speakers. cue buses, andprogram outputs by means of selectorswitches located near it. Also in themonitor section are the two cue mastersand the echo return masters. which may

nel direct units. Phantom powering forcondensor microphones is also availableas an option.

Microphone inputs are balanced1,200 -ohm lines. Line inputs are unbal-anced, as are the echo returns and theprogram outputs. All monitor lines arehigh impedance. 2,500 ohms, and max-imum level is +21 dBm. Frequency re-sponse of the console is rated at ± I dBfrom 20 Hz to 20 kHz. and distortion isspecified as less than 0.17( THD from +4dBm to + 18 dBm into a 600 -ohm load.Model QM -168 requires 120V AC. 60watts. weighs 75 pounds. and measures28 by 20 by 8.5 inches.

This looks to be a very versatile mix-ing desk and has many of the featuresnot usually found on the less expensiveboards. Little things like panpots on themonitor selectors. built-in talkback witha level control, and two cue mixes en-abling a stereo headphone mix for over-dubbing make all the difference whenyou spend a lot of time working at a con-sole. All the switches feel good. if a triflesmall, but the compactness of this unit is

a blessing for installations where space isat a premium. The QM -168 retails forS5.900.

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Acoustic 115 Amplifier. "I his is a very at-tractive instrument whose well-defined.recessed control panel uses status lights(LEDs) to indicate power. revert,, andvolume conditions. There are two inputsmarked 0 and -10. the latter for instru-ments with a higher signal output. Adja-cent to them is the BRIGHT switch, fol-lowed by the VOLUME. BASS. MIDRANGE.and TREBLE controls. REVERB and MASTERVOLUME are both activated by means of adurable external footswitch (supplied).making it possible to have two presetvolumes, one for lead and one forrhythm playing. The decay of the reverbunit is exceptionally smooth, and therange of both volume controls verybroad.

Aside from FOOTSW ITCH. back -paneljacks include PREAMP OUTPUT andPOWER AMP INPUT for patching in an ex-ternal -effects device such as an equalizeror echoplex. In the studio. PREAMP OUT-PUT can also be used to drive a direct lineto the board without interrupting the sig-nal to the power amp. (On some of themodels, a notation under PREAMP OUT-PUT incorrectly states "disconnectspreamp output." The manufacturer in-forms me that it belongs instead under

Acoustic 115 Amplifier

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POWER AMP INPUT. SO it goes.)The overall picture is dimmed some-

what by the fact that the Model 115doesn't quite deliver the clarity or full-ness of sound we would like to hear.While distortion and special effects seemto be the order of the day, there are stilltimes when a musician just wants to plugin and play it straight. There is also atendency for the amp to distort some-what when fed by a hot signal source,and I was told by the technician atAcoustic that he uses the -10 input whenplaying his guitar. Reports from ourfield-testing musicians ran from "soundsall right" to some less flattering remarks.Basically the Model 115 is a good ampwith room for improvement. It measures22 by 21 by 10 inches, is rated 50 wattscontinuous, and sells for $399.

CIRCLE 123 ON READER -SERVICE CARD

Hohner 1250 Lead Guitar Amplifier. The1250 tops Hohner's new line of musicalinstrument amplifiers, which rangesfrom the 8 -watt student model to the 60 -watt bass amp. This one is a well -put -to-gether package of controls and optionsbuilt around an amplifier that is unfortu-nately not good enough to take advan-tage of them. We field-tested the Model1250 with a Fender Telecaster. ARP Od-yssey synthesizer, and a Fender Rhodespiano but found in each case that it over-loaded and broke up very easily with our

Hohner 1250 Lead Guitar Amp

attempts to produce an ordinary cleansound. No matter what combination ofpreamp and power amp settings we used.this sound remained thin and lacked thecharacteristic "body" found in betteramps.

Front -panel controls include BRIGH I.NORMAL, and KEYBOARD INPUT JACKS.PREAMP and MASTER volume controls.BASS, MIDRANGE, and TREBLE eq. a RE -VERB control. RATE and DEPTH for thebuilt-in low -frequency oscillator. and anEFFECT selector. The inclusion of the os-cillator is a great idea and enables theuser to create some marvelous effectswithout the use of outboard equipment.By applying the low -frequency modu-lating signal to the input. you can

achieve tremolo. vary the depth. and goabout as far out as you might imagine.EFFECT permits switching from one pre-set effect to another. The REVERB controlis attached to a small Accutronics spring.and the back of the amplifier has jacksfor an optional Quadra-Sound Foot -Switch and preamp output.

It was puzzling to see all of these well -thought -out controls sitting atop a not -so -well -sounding amp. Just to double-check our instruments and cables. weplugged into the old reliable Fender ProReverb and Polytone amps. But the sig-

nals were just what we'd always heardand been pleased with. proving that ourears weren't deceiving us. The Model1250 is rated at 60 watts rms. has two 12 -inch speakers. a two -conductor AC plug.and a MIDRANGE control that appears tobe more decorative than functional.Oddly. there is no polarity switch, mak-ing it necessary to reverse the plug at thewall socket if and when hum persists.The unit weighs approximately 45pounds. measures 211/2 by 26 by 91/

inches. and retails for $319.50.CIRCLE 122 ON READER -SERVICE CARD

So your listening room won't accommodate a KLIPSCHORN' .Then Klipsch gives you a choice. Large, small, horn -loaded bass,direct radiator bass. All non -corner speakers. Yet all except theHERESY have the same drive components. Even with it theonly difference is a 12" instead of a 1 5" bass driver. And eachKlipsch speaker is individually tested to meet Klipsch standards.Ask your dealer to show you how closely the children approachthe father in true sound reproduction. Mail this coupon forinformation on the complete Klipsch line.

klipsch rP.O. Box 688 H-9, Hope, Arkansas 71801

Please send me your latest brochure and list of dealers.

Name

Address

City State Zip

Canada Superior Electronics. Inc

SEPTEMBER 1977

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If You Can't Afford More Mikes . . .

Try Binauralby John Woram

B, the time these words see print, the last vestigesof the nationwide epidemic of delirium bicenten-

niulis presumably will have run their course. Thecountry will be back to what passes for normal. and wemay begin taking small pleasure in realizing that be-fore tricentennial fever strikes we shall all have beenlong since done in.

Of course. those of us who are addicted to the para-phernalia of sound recording are not out of the woodsjust yet, for this year marks the centennial of soundrecording. Now, what better way to celebrate than tosell off your car, house, or whatever, go out and buy atrunkful of microphones, and plunge full tilt into therecording scene? Admit it: You've been toying withthe idea. haven't you? Or are you just reading "StudioCircuit" because your copy of the Wall Street Journaldidn't show up on time? Well, we know better.

Chances are. you want to honor the centennial bymaking better recordings than ever. And for this,you'll need lots and lots of microphones. right? Notnecessarily-more does not always mean better. True.you'll often wish you had a easeful. but sometimes youcan do as good a job or better with only two. In fact. ifyou really use your head. you can come up with arecording superior in sound quality to anythingyou've bought in the store recently. because manycommercial LPs would have been better if fewer mi-crophones had been used in recording.

That may sound like a put-down to those who thinkthat a session is not "happening" unless you can't seethe musicians through the forest of microphonestands. But think about it for a moment. When you goto a concert or listen to a recording, how many ears doyou use? The answer raises yet another question: Whydo we need more microphones than ears? Andwouldn't it be nice if we could use our ears moredirectly in the recording process?

Psycho -acousticians will quickly explain that ourconcert hall experiences involve a complex mixture of

John Woram, one of BACKBEAT 's audio consultants,is the author of The Recording Studio Handbook. Heis also a free-lance recording engineer and the associ-ate editor of db.

all the senses: hearing, certainly, but also sight and, toa lesser extent. smell, touch, and taste. Since thephonograph record captures only sound, it can be ar-gued that that sound needs some enhancement tomake up for the missing ingredients of the live per-formance. The recording, it might be said, should alsobe somewhat "larger than life" in order to survive thetransfer to disc or tape.

Even the ancients assumed this-photos of Tosca-nini conducting the NBC Symphony reveal three mi-crophones suspended some fifteen feet above thestage. Some years later, a total of nine microphoneswas used for the Leinsdorf recording of Lohengrin.The outputs of the three on the orchestra were com-bined to give a good left -center -right blend of the in-strumental ensemble. Two additional sets of left, cen-

"For realistic sound reproductionof almost any live performance, the

fewer microphones the better."

ter. and right microphones were set up, one to favorthe soloist, the other to favor the chorus. All of thisgave the engineer the control he needed to get just theright blend of forces and achieve a convincing replicaof the original performance. Well, then, why not goseveral steps further and put a microphone on eachsection of the orchestra and chorus? Then the engineercould balance the timpani against the harp, the hornsagainst the bassoons, the sopranos and altos againstthe tenors and basses, and so on.

Stop! It's time to think again. Yes, the engineerwould have greater control, but you wouldn't likewhat you heard. For now we've gone too far. You-theconcertgoer-hear each subsection as it arrives at yourlistening position. Obviously, the front -row violins area lot closer than the altos on the rear riser. But the mi-crophones, each placed very close to a subsection, willpick them up simultaneously. Microphone I picks upits instruments at the same instant that microphone 2does. and so on throughout the entire ensemble. Theresult is a truly instantaneous recording, and your earrebels. And no wonder, for it cannot be everywhere at

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An early "multimil:e" setup: Toscanini & the NBC Symphony

once and has never heard anything like this before!The moral of the story is that, for convincing, realis-

tic sound reproduction of almost any live perform-ance. the fewer microphones the better. Keep in mindthat the chart -bound pop multitrack recording. whichuses sixteen or more microphones, is not a live per-formance: rather it is a recording performance with adifferent-though equally valid-set of values fromthose of the live situation.

So we seem to have two distinct methods of record-ing. In the first, we use very few microphones and cap-ture some sense of acoustic perspective. (The tech-nique is less common in jazz and rock than in classicalperformance but should be used if that kind of am-bience is desired.) Once the microphone setup hasbeen worked out, the engineer will have relativelylittle control as the recording progresses or duringpostsession rebalancing. On the other hand, the multi -mike exercise places the engineer in almost completecommand of the forces marshaled on the other side ofthe control -room window. Balances may be set and re-set ad infinitum, but the recording won't ever have asense of performing -hall realism. A host of signal -processing devices-from digital delay lines to elec-tronic reverberation chambers-are available to simu-late the missing ambience. and although these gadgetsare impressive, they cannot replace the real thing.

The successful engineer-whether a full-time pro-fessional in the most up-to-date super -star studio or atalented semipro working off the back of a stationwagon-should know when to use twenty micro-phones and when to use two. Both techniques havetheir advantages, but it is important to remember thatneither offers the best of both worlds. It's always atradeoff of control for perspective or vice versa.

Until now, we've been talking about the micro-phone's performance as a sort of surrogate ear. Butwhat about the ear itself becoming a surrogate micro-

phone? Not really possible. but there is a recordingtechnique that is perhaps the next best thing: binaural("two ears") sound. Somewhat like the periodic rein-vention of the wheel, in the last year or two peoplehave been rediscovering the joys of binaural record-ing-some of these being its utter simplicity, startlingrealism. and. best of all, low cost.

A little background on the differences betweenstereo and binaural sound may be in order. Almost aquarter of a century ago. William B. Snow wrote. "Ithas been aptly said that the binaural system transportsthe listener to the original scene. whereas the ster-

The dummy head-first step in binaural recording

eophonic system transports the sound source to the lis-tener's room."* On the off chance that the quotationdoesn't answer all of your questions about binauralsound. let's reconsider the advantages of the idealtwo -microphone recording session. Presumably. onemicrophone will favor the left side, the other the right,with center information picked up equally by both.The listener will of course hear the left microphonefrom the left speaker, and so on. Since the distancesbetween the microphones. the speakers, and the earsare tenuously related at best, something happens tothat ultimate realism. It may be spectacular, yet it'snot quite the same as being there. The solution is de-ceptively simple-but it has a built-in catch.

The first step in binaural recording is to build or buya "dummy head," that is. a model with the generalsize. shape. and acoustical characteristics of the hu-man head. Then put a small omnidirectional micro-phone at each ear location. Like the ear itself, the om-nidirectional microphone hears sounds arriving fromall directions. Of course, the dummy head interferes

'The Basic Principles of Stereophonic Sound." Journal of the Society of MotionPicture and Television Engineers, Inc.. November 1953.

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with those sounds arriving from the opposite side ofthe room. but that's exactly what your own head does.

Now set up the dummy head in an optimum listen-ing location at the recording site, and with each micro-phone record onto a separate track of your taperecorder. Listen to the playback through headphones.and you'll hear an incredibly realistic recording. If youdidn't know better, you'd swear the performance wasactually taking place before you. And why not, for theheadphones have, in effect. transported your earsback to the recording site.

And now for the catch. What will this binauralrecording sound like when played through speakers?Unfortunately. it does not stand up very well at all andconies out sounding almost monaural. To understand

The essentials for a binaural session

why, let's reconsider that dummy -head recording ses-sion. Actually. each microphone hears pretty muchthe same thing (just as your ears do), with only somebarely perceptible time -of -arrival differences-afterall, the microphones are hardly a foot apart. But it isjust this sort of information that your brain requires tocreate the sense of "being there."

When these almost identical signals are playedthrough loudspeakers, both ears hear both signals andyour brain can no longer tell them apart. So you hearwhat sounds like a just so-so monaural recording. Per-haps it is for this reason that, up until recently. binau-ral recordings have not really caught on with the pub-lic. After all, most casual listeners use speakers. If arecording doesn't sound so hot in conventional stereo.it just won't sell.

But lately. the semipro (or advanced amateur, if youprefer) has been doing his own recording. He or sheroams the countryside looking for interesting per-formances to record. What is needed is a simple yet ef-fective (and inexpensive) method of capturing theseperformances. The ultimate goal is not a chart -bustinggold record, but merely a functional recording forpersonal use.

Under the circumstances, binaural recording be-comes a natural. In fact, the Victor Company of Japan(JVC) has taken the process one step further by intro-ducing a combination stereo-headphone/binaural-microphone system. The user simply wears the head-set while recording. Built into the outer shell of each

The microphone/speaker headphone

ear cup is a tiny microphone. The headphone wearerbecomes his own dummy head (no snappy commentspermitted) and, via his tape recorder electronics, hearsthe binaural recording as it is being made. Of course.the recording may be played back later over anystereo headphones.

For binaural recording, there's really no point tohaving a console, so with a reliable cassette deck on ashoulder strap. anyone can become his own walkingrecording studio. It can get to be a bit of a strain tryingto keep very still during the recording. but this is im-portant. since slight head movements affect the binau-ral pickup. During playback. the room will seem tomove about-an interesting novelty effect that in timebecomes annoying. For this reason, it makes sense tomount the system on its own dummy head. which canthen be placed on a microphone stand.

With the introduction of low-cost binaural record-ing systems. and their increasing popularity withsemipro recordists. there is every reason to look for aneventual increase in the number of commerciallyavailable binaural recordings. At the moment. thereare but a handful around. most of fair -to -middlingmusical interest.

But what if the binaural sensation could somehowbe transferred to loudspeaker reproduction? Well.maybe it can. Still in the research and developmentstage is JVC's biphonic system. a speaker reproduc-tion system in which sounds seem to originate not onlyfrom the speakers, but from the area between the lis-tener and the speakers. JVC has been demonstratingthe system at college shows and audio conventionsaround the country. and one of the great pleasures ofattending these demos is to watch the incredulouslooks as disembodied voices seem to leave the speak-ers and advance toward the listener.

Although biphonic sound is not yet commerciallyavailable. most readers have been around longenough to know that today's blue-sky research projectwill be taken for granted by tomorrow's recordists. Inthe meantime. try a little binaural. It may get youstarted recording with a minimum of fuss and a max-imum of enjoyment. Then again, you might want tostay with the twenty -microphone setup. The impor-tant thing to realize is that there is more than one wayto make a recording, and no one technique is right allthe time.

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Before Sound Guard, you onlyplayed a record in mint conditiononce.

Magnification shows the record vinyl wearing away.

You can see how thepicture has changed.

Independent tests*show treated

Same magnification shows no record wear.

preservative maintainssound fidelity by reducingrecord wear. And with itsbuilt-in, permanent anti-

regularly with Sound static property, it resistsGuard preservative Md.: 1 miii.'., dust accumulation.keep the same full E. -a.."- - And now, two newamplitude at all fre- ...------- Sound Guard products:quencies, the same weld Ff---r I. Sound Guard"absence of surface 1r 7.__:_'-, ' record cleaner, devel-noise and harmonic ----- oped from extensivedistortion as records played just research intoonce in mint condition. I record cleaning

With its patented dry- ' problems andlubricant film, Sound Guard

methods, removes allcommon record contami-nants-from dust particlesto oily fingerprints.

And whether your re-cQrds need a light cleaningto remove surface dust ora thorough cleaning toremove deep-seated contam-inants, Sound Guard recordcleaner does both.

1. Sound Guard"Total Record Care Systemputs Sound Guard recordpreservative and SoundGuard record cleaner in onepackage-for the bestpossibletotal carefor all ofyour records.

Available in audioand record outlets.

*Tests available onrequest.

Sound Guard keeps your good sounds sounding good.eelSound Guard preservative-Sound Guard cleaner-Sound Guard Total Record Care SystemSound Guard is Ball Corporation's registered trademark. Copyright © Ball Corporation, 1977. Muncie, IN 47302

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Page 137: HERBIE HANCOCK: NEW PHASE OR FADEOUT? GIIII · 121 Herbie Hancock's Fifth Incarnation Len Lyons 54 Too Hot to Handle 56 News and Views 63 Equipment Reports Crown EQ-2 equalization

A TEAC LASTS ALONG, LONG TIME

.c TEAC 1977

One of the reasons isthat we've been makingthem for a long, longtime. In 1955, TEACcame on the scene withthe first in a long line offine open reel taperecorders.

Since then, of coursewe have develcped asister line of cassettedecks. Bat our fIrst loveremains open reel taperecording equipment:the truest rnethcd ofsound reproductionavailable today.

Consider thealternatives. If yo -Jwant top -of -the -linequality, but only needbottom -of -the -linefeatures, the A-2300SXis the buy of the year.From there, you oanadd DOLBY.* larger101/2" reels, four heads,auto reverse, four -in/two -out mixer, memorystop, 15 ips, fourchannel Simul-Sync,and variations thereof.

In short, as long csyou're getting a tapedeck, can you conjureup a single reason itshouldn': be a TEAC?

The leader. Always has been.

TEAC Corpc-aticn of America7733 Telegraph RoadMontebello, California 90640In Canada TEAC is cistributecl Dy WhiteElectronic Development Coi?otrition(1966) Ltd.

*Dolby is a trademark of DobyLaboratories,

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KEN EMERSONTODD EVERETTDON HECKMANJIM MELANSONJOHN STORM ROBERTS

SAM SUTHERLANDARIEL SWARTLEYNICK TOSCHESJOHN S. WILSON

James Taylor:No More Kinksby Sam Sutherland

James Taylor: JT. Peter Asher, pro-ducer. Columbia JC 34811, $7.98. Tape:Lei JCT 34811,WJCA 34811, $7.98.

James Taylor's records have chron-icled a mellowing process that con-

tinues to make orthodox rock fans-andcritics in particular-rather uncomfort-able. Although his first two albums drewmusical and verbal shape more fromfolk and country idioms than from rock& roll, the result was a crucial '60sarchetype of the psychically bruised, ul-timately romantic singer/songwriter. Itwas a portentous role, perfectly mirror-ing the era's high seriousness and self-consciousness. But Taylor failed to sus-tain it, for reasons heretical to counter-culture chic: He became popular, ac-quired wealth and property, and with hismarriage to Carly Simon settled downrather conventionally. The couple's ini-tially hermetic life hardly diminished acertain Brahmin glamor.

By achieving the kind of solace once

Taylor-low-hey romanticism

assumed out of reach by his songs, Tay-lor had short-circuited a critical roman-tic dimension-a certain fatalism. Hissongs have since traced his compara-tively centered domestic life with thesame confessional candor that made hisearliest, most despairing songs so affect-ing; yet the problems have become sub-tler, and Taylor the man-older, moreconfident, his wounds healing-nolonger cloaks himself in incipient trag-edy. There are still ballads that permitthe songwriter to display his craft, usingnow -familiar melodic ideas to supporttypically contemplative metaphoric ob-servations. But by acknowledging thathis life now revolves around marriage,kids, and the quiet anxiety of the '70s,Taylor admits cautious optimism andtransforms his impact. As his gentle hu-mor and essential sentimentality come tothe fore, the new effect becomes sooth-ing rather than disturbing.

In light of that shift, both Taylor andhis various mid -'70s producers havesought to spice his more relaxed materialwith a broader instrumental range.When Lenny Waronker and Russ Titel-man assumed the producers' mantle with"Gorilla" (1975), they augmented theartist's long-term studio and stage part-ners, The Session, with a variety of otherrhythm players and soloists chosen tocomplement him. The resulting trackswere typically elegant, the playing expertand intelligent. Yet shifting the focusaway from Taylor's voice and guitar of-ten trivialized the material, the largerforces striking an uneasy compromisewith the artist's passivity.

With his move to Columbia, Taylorhas been reunited in the studio with Pe-ter Asher (see BACKBEAT, June '77), hismanager since the late '60s and, as pro-ducer, the co -creator of Taylor's basic re-corded personality on his first four al-bums. Asher's understanding of hisclient's appeal has led him to move backtoward the original, with instrumental

support focused on The Session-DannyKortchmar (guitar), Dr. ClarenceMcDonald (keyboards), Lee Sklar(bass), and Russ Kunkel (drums). Thereare occasional elements of '70s pop-thediscofied rhythm guitar that lightlypushes Your Smiling Face and the razor-edged, harmonizing slide guitars thatflash menacingly in / Was Only Telling aLie-but the basic arranging style re-stores the old intimacy. Asher and engi-neer Val Garay have emphasized thatscale with typical clarity and detail intheir production work, while preservinga looser, occasionally gritty energy toThe Session's ensemble playing-an-other quality sometimes blunted or ob-scured altogether in recent Taylor al-bums. Similarly, the varied andelaborate backing vocals have, for themost part, been replaced with the basicharmony approach of the earlier records.The resulting framework showcasesTaylor's miniatures of self-examinationmore effectively than any album inyears.

Yet, ultimately, "JT" is most convinc-ing as a singer's record, not as a collec-tion of new songs. Taylor's conservatismas a composer has made his melodic de-velopment over the years rather min-imal. That, coupled with his similar re-straint as a lyricist, and an introspectionnow robbed of its disturbing force (onThere We Are, he and his wife are "likechildren forever/Taking care of one an-other/While the world goes on withoutus . . ."), fill many of his newer songswith echoes of his earliest work. Onlywhen his meditations turn toward an un-derlying desperation-as in the gentlealienation of Another Grey Morning-does he approach the gravity of his best.

The album's highlights turn out to beTaylor's interpretations of two non -originals. On Handy Man, a venerablerocker, producer and singer encapsulatetheir low-key romanticism, translatingan ebullient advertisement for sexualprowess into a dewy-eyed ballad pacedby clopping percussion and shaded byLeah Kunkel's subtly aching backingharmonies. It will doubtless infuriaterock traditionalists, but it works: Taylorhas always been a crooner, and his han-dling of the song is both supple and pre-cise. On Kortchmar's Honey, Don'tLeave L.A., singer and band create a po-lar opposite of Handy Man. Launchedby a volley of raw, Stones -flavored

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rhythm chords, the song is a funny, nastyvignette, using a Grade -B movie view ofglamor to provide lyric hooks. Taylorbegs his lover not to leave for fame andfortune on the Riviera, all the whilebarely restraining an underlying distrustand anger that erupts wonderfully whenhe mutters "bitch" or interjects a soulful"C'est vrai, baby" into the chorus. Thelyric's farcical vantage point frees Taylorto sing with good-humored zeal, and theresult is more engaging than any of therecord's graver meditation. s.s.

Ry Cooder: Show Time. Ry Cooder, pro-ducer. Warner Bros. BS 3059, $7.98.Tape: WO M5 3059,0 M8 3059, $7.97.

The best thing about Ry Cooder is hisspirit. He does ethnic music withoutsounding folky. He knows that thedumbest hillbilly band makes better mu-

Ry Cooder-hot stuff

sic than the purest, most socially awarefolksinger. You get the feeling listeningto his peculiar sort of eclecticism thatCooder would cut a Nazi marsch if thechord changes appealed to him.

His last album was a collection of Ha-waiian guitar music. This one beginswith School Is Out, a Gary "U.S." Bondshit from 1961, then touches black gospel(the traditional Jesus on the Mainline),modern r&b (James Carr's The DarkEnd of the Street), and musica nortena(Viva Sequin and Vo!vet., Volver), andcloses with a full-blown, seven -and -a -half -minute version of Ray Charles'sSmack Dab in the Middle.

You never get the impression here thatCooder is singing what he's singing be-cause it's quaint or trendy, but that he'ssinging it because it's hot stuff. It is, andso's this album. N.T.

Burton Cummings: My Own Way toRock. Richard Perry, producer. PortraitPR 34698, $6.98. Tape: EPA PR T 34698.

PRA 34698, $7.98.

Burton Cummings is no innovator. Hisinspiration is drawn not from trail-blazers, but from journeymen: It's BobSeger and Steve Miller who are cited inthe album dedication for their contribu-tion "to rock & roll as a modern artform." Of course both Seger and Millerhave had highly successful albums afteryears of plugging away in the ranks ofthe almost -prominent, and Cummings,former lead singer of the Guess Who,would like to follow their example.

But the title of his second attempt ispure bravado. "My Own Way to Rock"is closer to pop. Producer Richard Perrymay have toughened up a collection ofCummings' own, often -unfocused comapositions by including songs by Seger,Leiber and Stoller, and the RighteousBrothers, but these are presented in anunusually soft-spoken manner. The re-sult is a kind of elegant pop, which as itturns out is better suited to Cummings'talents than raw frenzy anyway.

Amid the Guess Who's barrage ofelectric guitars, his growls habituallysounded posed rather than properly pos-sessed. Perry's relaxed settings haveturned those mannerisms to Cummings'advantage, emphasizing the nice guy un-der the grit. As a result, on cuts like Comeon By (in which a rock & roll stud prop-ositions a young lady fan) he soundshumorously self -deprecating instead ofoveranxiously macho. His limitationsare more evident on the softer balladslike his own Timeless Love, but Perry'stouches-chiming background vocals,simplified instrumentation-again pro-

Cummings-closer to pop than rock

vide what his client presumably left athome.

Modesty, like discretion, is one of thedeadly sins of rock. But in Cummings'case, willingness to confine self-assertion

to the album cover photo is a savinggrace. It won't make him a rock & roller,but it may make him a hit. A.S.

Peter Frampton: I'm in You. PeterFrampton, producer. A&M SP 4704,$7.98. Tape: ROO CS 4704,*C8T 4704,$798. '

Peter Frampton's first album since themonolithic "Frampton Comes Alive!"can't really hope to compete with itspredecessor's strengths. "Alive!"eclipsed his previously modest successby racking up more sales than any LP inthe history of the American record busi-ness, largely because the artist had usedthe two-disc/concert format to frame hisbest songs from four studio albums. Soeven with its single -LP length, lowerprice, and the inclusion of two covers,"I'm in You" forces Frampton to competewith his own earlier pragmatism. Insteadof five years, he's had just more than oneto finish these songs, and, despite theconfident punch of the playing and anequally upbeat-and marginally ob-sequious-liner comment assuring us Pe-ter's revved up indeed, the gap shows.

Part of the problem lies in a gradualshift toward a more melodic pop stylethat was positively obscured on"Alive!": Love songs that plumbed asometimes cloying innocence (like thehit singles Show Me the Way and Baby ILove Your Way, both originally writtenand recorded for his fourth studio al-bum) were offset by the tougher, sexierrock energy of early songs like All IWant to Be and Do You Feel like We Do.Those tunes had been designed primar-ily as instrumental vehicles for Framp-ton's bracing guitar work, which remainshis most attractive asset; elsewhere onhis early songs, he balanced this morerugged energy against his delicate acous-tic stylings and pleading ballads.

"I'm in You" accurately depictsFrampton's regression to a conventionalpop romantic stance (despite an ampleselection of faster r&b and rock -basedarrangements), simply because he in-vests more in bathetic testaments of de-votion, as in the pretty but simplistic titlesong. His singing reflects this shift aswell: Where he once ranged from a pre-cise, low-keyed ballad style to a moreabandoned blues attack on rockers,Frampton now brings a gushing emo-tionalism to virtually all his vocals. Com-pared with the more mature nuances ofhis debut album, "Winds of Change"(1972), this new sense of melodrama

Explanation of symbols4fa Cassetteie. 8 -Track Cartridge

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Dg ) seems mannered and jejune.

Yet Frampton's success can't be dis-missed as a fluke, and his canny preser-vation of the production and arrangingstyles of earlier albums (he has producedhimself since the outset of his solo ca-reer) does succeed in giving "I'm inYou" continuity of style, if not sub-stance. The partial success of his morehard -edged songs, like Tried to Love,shows he is still capable of convincingrock. But as long as he chooses to bluntthat impact with sentimentality, as hedoes here, Frampton's work falls short ofthe scope it once promised. s.s.

Aretha Franklin: Sweet Passion. La-mont Dozier, producer. Atlantic SD19102, $7.98. Tape: IN CS 19102, SIJTP19102, $7.98.After a flurry of synthesizers, a highvoice floats like smoke in a breeze, thenbursts in a shower of petals. Aretha an-nihilating the opposition in the first fourbars of Break It to Me Gently. Not onlyby her voice, though that's still as easywith tenderness and power. Not just byher sense of timing, though she playswith the beat like a cat with a feather.Above all by something more importantthan either: the subordination of tech-nique to interpretation, turning craft intoart.

That art is almost everywhere on"Sweet Passion." In When I Think AboutYou there's a vocal break that reminds usAretha Franklin was a founder of thetake -off -and -fly soul-ballad-it's likesomething Louis Armstrong might haveplayed, driving it all home with simplic-ity and power. Every tone in the slow

I ranklin-turning raft lei art

ballad What I Did for Love is polishedwith total concern for both the individ-ual phrase and the progress of the lyric.A Tender Touch is a classic example ofher approach to her own lyrics, movingthrough tentative and shifting moods toa final moment of resolution and deci-sion.

And then there's the uptempo Aretha.Touch Me Up, a sexy piece backed bygutty punchy brass, moves from chal-lenge to exultancy with the sexiness ofmaturity-self-assured and outgoing, nottrickily seductive. In Clark Terry's jovialscat vehicle Mumbles, she takes anothersuccessful shot at the opposition: Herscat -singing is square on the beat com-pared with either the great jazz singers orwith Aretha herself in gospel vein, butit's engaging enough to suit Terry'shammy cheerfulness.

So far, so splendid. Unfortunatzly, noteverything is this rosy. Some of LamontDozier's production is dandy, but someis overornate. As Touch Me Up is en-hanced by tasty brass and backup vocals,What I Did for Love goes under to theall -too -familiar five-and-dime stringsand yoyos going "000-000" in the back-ground. Nor is Aretha herself con-sistently on form. The title cut opensadmirably with gully -low piano byFranklin herself, spitting brass, simplestrings that (for once) work, and a vocalthat moves from earth -mamma to anequally physical but more lyrical vein.But the piece doesn't build from this be-ginning, it just goes on 'til it stops.

There are three real duds. After a crispand simple guitar and keyboards open-ing, overproduction and lack of convic-tion sink No One Could Ever Love YouMore. Meadows of Springtime never re-covers from its film -score -pastoral start,and the spoken introduction is onlyslightly less embarrassing than most.And Sunshine Will Never Be the Same isa tiresome and undistinguished piece ofmusical wallpaper. Aretha sings it as if itmatters, but it doesn't.

Duds are duds, and a pity, but six -to -four on is about the best odds life offers.More important, Aretha at her frequentbest still explores the emotional ramifi-cations of sex in a way that her rivalscan't approach and most of the git-downers can hardly comprehend. J.S.R.

Al Jarreau: Look to the Rainbow. AlSchmitt & Tommy Li Puma, producers.Warner Bros. 2 BZ 3052, $9.98, (twodiscs). Tape: Ink BZ5 3052, C BZ8 3052,$10.98.

It's a mystery to almost everyone who'sheard him-and especially to WarnerBros.-why Al Jarreau has not yet madea bigger splash in the stormy seas of the

recording business. He seems to have allthe natural qualifications: good looks,spectacular stage presence, and an abun-dance of musical gifts. So, since his stu-dio work has thus far failed to produce asolid hit, the obvious next step was todrag out the mobile units and record him

Jarreau-noncommercial triumphs

in concert. But Warners went one stepfurther: They recorded him in the ex-tremely felicitous environs of a Euro-pean tour, singing a lively mixture oforiginal material and unhackneyedpieces by outside composers.

Well, sad to say, Jarreau still hasn'tproduced a commercial record. If any-thing, "Look to the Rainbow" includessome of the least commercial, least com-promising work I've ever heard fromhim. The tracks are almost all more thansix minutes in length, which is not pre-cisely the way to break into the Top 40singles market. And Jarreau's backing-fine, workmanlike support that it is-isnever more than a platform for him tostand on. In these days of heavy produc-tion and dense sound, that is not going tocause AM program directors to jump forjoy either.

But wait a minute, there's anotherconsideration to keep in mind: Jarreaudoesn't seem to give too much of a damnabout all of this, and his company is will-ing, for the moment, to let him do thingshis own way, even if the results don't sat-isfy the accountants.

That's good news to anyone who caresabout hearing a gifted musician work inhis own medium. Jarreau's is obviously

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live performance. He plays to, interactswith, and delights in that kind of contactthat drives too many pop performers upthe wall. The essence of his art is thebuilding of intensity-getting into a songto the point where he is past the lyrics,past the sometimes -silly rhetoric of popsentimentality, and into a vamping,bouncing, rhythmically energizing ex-amination of the inside of the music. Heuses his voice like an instrument. (Yes, Iknow that's a cliché, but for once it's anaccurate description.) He buzzes, hums,shapes his mouth to change the reso-nance of a tone four different times be-fore letting it go, and improvises like aworld -class jazzman. He is that mostironic of entities-a performer who startsat pop music and winds up at jazz.

If there are problems here, they aredue mostly to the overenthusiasm andlack of perspective that are inevitable inlive recordings: Too many of the tracks,especially Jarreau's songs, have similartempos and similar harmonic and rhyth-mic patterns. Not even Jarreau is goodenough to sustain our listening interestfor, say, three or four six -minute.middle -tempo rhythm tunes. (Of coursebecoming part of the aura of his live ac-tion would be a different story.) And hisinterpretations of some of the other ma-terial-the title cut and Better Than Any-thing in particular-are eccentric to thepoint of confusion.

His absolutely superb updating ofPaul Desmond's lightweight Take Five.however, is a wonder to hear. I can thinkof no other singer who would have theguts to even try to scat in 5/4. Jarreau notonly gets past the unusual meter. butmakes it work in a way that vastly im-proves on the original material. No, it'snot commercial, but it is Al Jarreau, andthat's something. D.H.

Keith Jarrett: Staircase. Manfred Ei-cher, producer. ECM 2-1090, $9.98 (twodiscs). Tape:00 CT 2-1090,4E 8T 2-1090, $11.98.

Well, Keith Jarrett's back at his solo pi-ano again. out to confuse and delight allthose people who can't listen to musicwithout finding a label for it. They won'tfind much relief here. His four excur-sions through the width, breadth, anddepth of the acoustic piano-each an al-bum -side in length-are unclassifiable inany traditional sense, but there is oneconvincing statement that can be madeabout them: They only could have beenplayed by a musician who knows and un-derstands jazz.

This outing, Jarrett's first solo effortsince the impressive "Koln Concert"(ECM 1064 and 1065), was recorded inParis in 1976; it is also the first solo stu-dio album he has made since 1971. While

"Staircase" may lack some of the energyand spontaneous enthusiasm of the Co-logne recordings, it more than compen-sates with some of the most fascinating,complex -yet -passionate piano improvi-sations I've ever heard. I say "improvi-sations" with some trepidation. Jarrettchooses not to inform us-nor should he-how much of his music is impromptu,how much planned. Yet linkages andintersections of ideas all have the feelof sudden inspiration rather than ra-tional preplanning. One could probablybest describe his method as through -improvisation: absolute music in thepurest, most immediate sense.

Jarrett has assigned a title to each side:Staircase (with three movements);Hourglass (with two movements); Sun-dial (with three movements); and Sand(with three movements). The titles aresignificant, presumably, to the composer,but they are in no way programmatic.Which is interesting, since despite itsnonprogrammatic origins his music isdeeply rooted in an almost nineteenth-century romanticism; powerful imagescourse through virtually everything heplays.

Staircase begins with a lyrical, explor-atory, even a trifle tentative stance. Jar-rett lets things hang for most of the firstmovement but in the second bursts outwith a busy, extremely complex poly -rhythmic improvisation that actuallybuilds in intensity for nearly eight min-utes. It's an extraordinary performance.The final brief movement is like taking adeep breath, a gentle, epigrammaticmelody vaguely reminiscent of Satie.

The second movement of Hourglasschanges pace so dramatically that itmight easily have been split into two.The first movement is Jarrett's closestapproach to straight -ahead jazz improvi-sation on the album; it cooks with anear -funky left-hand pattern that buildsinsistently and continuously. Starting offthe second is a jaunty, Continental airthat metamorphoses into a beautiful,soaring melody. (Jarrett seems so caughtup in it that one can hear almost imper-ceptible pauses in his line as he waits-for just a millisecond-to hear where hismuse will lead him.)

Sundial holds together extremely wellstructurally. Percussive left hand melo-dies lead the way in the moody and de-clamative first movement. What followsis busy and interactive, as in Staircase,two hands moving in almost continuouscounterpoint to each other, interruptingthe line here and there, as it builds, to in-terject massive struck chords. The finalmovement is lyrical and moody again,with enough traces of Tatum to remindus of Jarrett's noble predecessor on thesolo piano.

Continued on page 141

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Former Traffic LeaderTravels the Solo Routeby Sam Sutherland

teve Winwood's first solo album ar-k..7rives exactly ten years after the un-veiling of his longest -lived and most in-fluential band, Traffic, and that timingamplifies the record's subtle but perva-

Winwood-new emphasis is upbeat lovi, songs

sive sense of history. Indeed, Traffic fanswill likely view this effort's arrival asseven years late, for he began work on asolo LP in 1969 only to transform it intothe group's reunion, "John BarleycornMust Die." Although "Steve Winwood"continues Traffic's atmospheric use ofeclectic instrumental details culled fromjazz and Third World music, its compactarrangements and supple pacing alsosuggest a partial return to the r&b clas-sicism of his first records with the Spen-cer Davis Group in the mid -Sixties.

His potential as a soloist has been ob-vious from the beginning of his career.At the age of fifteen, he made his debutwith an astonishing single hit, GimmeSome Lovin, which carried the Davisname but drew its furious momentumfrom Winwood's raw, jubilant bluesshout, soaring organ lines, and rompingpiano. That record and an even tougherfollow-up, I'm a Man, were classic blue-eyed soul records: Winwood's authorityover his material, even then largely self -composed, could easily be mistaken forthe work of some rough -but -ready newsoul contender or a canny white inter-loper like Detroit's Mitch Ryder or NewYork's Young Rascals. Chart success,though, revealed that the source of thatgruff yet agile voice and those surgingkeyboard choruses was a Birmingham,England, teenager barely out of shortpants.

With Traffic, that hearty blues ma-chismo role changed dramatically. Themoody austerity of their later music andthe introspective surrealism of both JimCapaldi's and Winwood's lyrics madethe band's best records dark, emotion-

ally haunted mindscapes.While that fatalism remains an under-

current on this album, especially on themost successful cut, Midland Maniac, thenew songs seldom allude directly to ei-ther Traffic's austere impressionism orthe Davis group's propulsive white soul.Instead, there is a greater range of tem-pos and an emphasis on comparativelyupbeat declarations of love and devotion(Hold On and Let Me Make Somethingin Your Life). And Winwood's support-ing players-generally held to small en-sembles for each song and drawing fromhis former Traffic partners like Capaldiand Rebop Kwaku Baah as well as Eng-lish and American musicians-add anumber of modest but effective r&btouches to his lush organ settings.

Time Is Running Out, a track that maydismay older fans and invite accusationsof incipient discoism, exemplifies this re-newed affection for r&b through its useof galloping clavinet, chanted unison vo-cals, and intricate rhythm guitar figures.But Winwood's awareness of contempo-rary black music cannot be confusedwith wholesale appropriation: Thosesame traits can be found in early SpencerDavis Group records. And Capaldi'sthreatening lyric, laced as it is with eco-logical images, seems a far cry from theferal silliness of most disco lyrics.

The most affecting songs here arethose that bridge the extremes of briskrhythm playing and introspective bal-lads: On Midland Maniac, Vacant Chair,and Hold On, he has mated mediumtempo ballads with a restrained buthypnotic undertow of syncopatedrhythm parts and percussion effects. OnManiac, the best of these, stately organand vocal legato achieve a striking ten-sion when pitted against that bubblingchassis of bass, drums, guitar, and piano.Similarly, Vacant Chair, with lyrics byViv Stanshall, is a meditation on deaththat employs that same tension to buildtoward a lovely, if baffling, refrain sungin what I'd guess to be a Near Eastern orAfrican language.

On this album, Winwood reconcilesthe lost innocence and spiritual anguishthat were recurrent Traffic themes withthe simpler energy of his earliest work. Ifhis reserve prevents him from broad-ening to the full potential of his talentshe still succeeds in defeating any conten-tion that his powers as a singer, song-writer, and musician have waned. "SteveWinwood" is flawed but compellingproof that, at twenty-eight, the artist isstill capable of encouraging growth.

Steve Winwood. Steve Winwood & ChrisBlackwell, producers. Island ILPS 9494,$6.98. Tape:IFIN 2CI 9494,[7181 9494,$7.98.

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Continued from page 139Sand is somewhat jazz -like in its open-

ing, notably because of a persistent osti-nato bass line. The second movement ispastoral in feel, recalling the darker sec-tions of Mendelssohn's Scotch Sym-phony, and is succeeded by the lullabystrains of the third. Jarrett wraps it upwith a shadowy recollection of the paral-lel -fifth ostinato in the opening.

Unquestionably, all this is quite anachievement. Unlike the jazz pianosoloists of the past, Jarrett does not usepredetermined chords of popular tuneswith the built-in comfort of section-alization, contrast, harmonic colors. etc.Starting from scratch, he must provideeverything and this can cause problems.Since his orientation is romantic ratherthan contemporary, his choices are lim-ited. He lacks-to go to the other end ofthe spectrum-the technical virtuosity ofa Liszt and the harmonic complexity of aChopin. Of course, he does not have thebenefit of precomposition. Nonetheless.he has a tendency to fall into patternsthat are more persistently sequentialthan they need be and into harmoniesand modalities that lack chromatic po-tential. In part, that is simply a matter ofaesthetic style, choice, and manner. But Isuspect that as Jarrett develops and ma-tures, his musical palette will becomemore expansive. In the long run he will. Ithink, become one of the important mu-sical voices of our time-regardless ofhow he classifies his music. D. H .

Lefty Frizzell. Of the two, Frizzell wasthe more popular. and the greater singer.But Hank died at the age of twenty-nine,in 1953. and the tragedy of his death lentmyth to his life. He is still regarded as theultimate and archetypal country singer.Lefty Frizzell died in 1974 at the age offorty-seven, forgotten and unmythi-cized.

Lefty's achievement, beyond his awe-some powers of voice, was the deepeningand broadening of the sensibilities ofTexas honky-tonk music. He was a poetbut not a wimp, a country singer but not

pa hick. Of the many younger artists he in- igspired (George Jones, Merle Haggard,even Elvis Presley). Willie Nelsonlearned best, and you can hear a little-sometimes a lot-of Lefty in all ofWillie's best work.

The first side of this album consists ofFrizzell songs from 1950 and '51, theearliest and most successful years of hisrecording career. Nelson chose the moremelancholy pieces: Mom and Dad'sWaltz, Look What Thoughts Will Do,and those eerie love songs, such as I Love

Continued on page 144

Willie Nelson: To Lefty from Willie.Willie Nelson, producer. Columbia/Lone Star 34695, $5.98. Tape: 00 CT34695,0!.] CA 34695, $6.98.

In the early '50s, those years between theend of the classical honky-tonk era andthe dawn of rockabilly, two men ruledcountry music: Hank Williams and

Nelson-no more Outlaw nonsense

Next time you plan a tripto Europe, make sure youvisit the unique country.Where can you find: Europe's b ondest blondes?

Europe's highest geysers?Europe's greatest glaciers?Europe's largest waterfalls?

And where can you find moonlike craters where the astronauts trained?More volcanos than anywhere else on earth? Historic landmarks of theworld's oldest continuous parliament? Celebrations marking Europe'syoungest republic?

The answer to all of these questions is-ICELAND. Next time you plana trip to Europe. make sure you visit Iceland.

The only thing it may cost you is time well spent. Because you'll saveenough money on Icelandic's lowest jet fares to Luxembourg to pay for yourstopover in Iceland. Or, you can hop over from New York or Chicago for longertours. See an erupting volcano. Take a cross-country pony trek.

Next time you plan a trip to Europe, ask your travel agent aboutIcelandic Airlines. Or phone Icelandic Airlines, for folders about Icelandand lowest jet fares to Europe. In New York State, phone (212) 757-8585.Elsewhere in U.S., phone (800) 555-1212 for local toll free number.

CIRCLE 16 ON READER -SERVICE CARD

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JazzBY DON HECKMAN & JOHN S. WILSON

Paul Bley, Gary Peacock, Barry Altschul: Japan Suite. PaulBley & Carol Goss, producers. Improvising A rusts, IA I373849, $6.98.

This is the revival of a trio that was one of the best avant-garde jazz ensembles of the Sixties. Recorded last year at aJapanese music festival, "Japan Suite" includes what soundslike two extended improvisations-one on each side of thealbum. Pianist Bley's playing is as astonishing as ever-onewonders why he has never received more attention. Pea-cock's return to jazz after a lengthy hiatus should enliventhe future of the acoustic bass, and Altschul is the verymodel of the modern jazz percussionist. World class con-temporary jazz playing, all around. D.H.

Tal Farlow: Second Set. Ed Fuerst & Don Schlitten, pro-ducers. Xanadu 119, $6.98.

Recorded in 1956, at the same time as Farlow's earlier disc,"Fuerst Set" (Xanadu 109), this is a special treasure for fol-lowers of Eddie Costa, the brilliant pianist who died in1962. With Vinnie Burke on bass and Farlow on guitar, hehas the accompaniment and the space to fully develop theearthy, driving momentum of his urgent, hammeredphrases upon which he built his solos. Farlow and Burke gettheir chances, too (it's a very relaxed session), but it'sCosta-both as soloist and in the closed, responsive en-semble passages-who makes the set special. J.S.W.

Paul Gonsalves: The lin 11 0 S Aires Session. CatalystCAT 7913, $6.98.

During the Ellington band's 1968 tour of South America,two members-tenor saxophonist Gonsalves and trumpeterWillie Cook-recorded this set with an Argentinian rhythmsection. Gonsalves gets away from the grinding cliches thattook too much of his time with Ellington and instead em-phasizes his lovely, warm ballad style. Even an uptempoPerdido is done with substance and taste. Still more impres-sive is Cook, a trumpeter rarely recorded and almost neverheard to play in this light, airy muted style; he provides abeautifully balanced foil to Gonsalves. J.S.W.

Ronnie Laws: Friends and Strangers. Wayne Henderson,producer. Blue Note LA 730H, $6.98. Tape: 1119 CA 730H,

EA 730H, $7.98.

Ronnie Laws is the latest member of his gifted family to hitthe big time. But his gifts have been obscured by the formu-laic success of his first two albums, "Pressure Sensitive" and"Fever." Like them, "Friends and Strangers" is a predict-able stroll down the disco/jazz lane: Swooping synthesizers,squeaking strings, and endlessly repetitive rhythm patternspeer out from behind every bush. Dull stuff; but if all youwant is to move your feet and let your brain go out to lunch,Laws will help you do it. D.H.

David Murray: Low Class Conspiracy. Michael Cuscuna,producer. A delphi AD 5002, $6.95.

The popularity of disco/jazz notwithstanding, an importantnew generation of young jazz musicians is arriving. Tenorsaxophonist David Murray, freshly minted from a mcIldthat bears traces of Ornette Coleman, Eric Dolphy, and Al-bert Ayler, is one of the most important. In the stark con-fines of a trio situation-with bassist Fred Hopkins anddrummer Phillip Wilson-he plays a stunning brand of con-temporary jazz that puts music first-not commerciality. Hisremarkable seven -and -one -half -minute solo on Extreminityis one of the bright beacons in mid -Seventies music. D.H.

Lee Ritenour: Captain Fingers. Skip Drinkwater, producer.Epic PE 34426, $6.98. Tape: NO PET 34426,03 PEA 34426,$7.98.

Making the jump from ace studio musician to up -front starhas been a popular procedure ever since Mitch Miller gaveup the oboe and Leon Russell began recording his ownsongs. Guitarist Ritenour joins the parade in this sadly mis-directed outing. The simple fact is that the world really isn'tsitting around waiting for yet another overarranged, over-produced, jazz/rock/disco recording. Having heard Rite-nour in more modest surroundings, I know he can play-and play well. But his few pleasant moments here even-tually fall prey to terminal L.A. slickness. D.H.

Warren Vache: First Time Out. Bill Borden & Bucky Pizza-relli, producers. Monmouth -Evergreen M ES 7081, $6.98.

Unlike most young musicians who grow up in Dixielandsurroundings, Vache is not guided by some style of the past.Although he comes out of the very active New Jersey tradi-tional jazz scene, he is, first and foremost, a good trumpetplayer who is not tied to any identity except his own. On thisdebut disc he shows control and imagination on severalunaccompanied duets with guitarist Bucky Pizzarelli. Healso leads a sextet, with Kenny Davern on soprano sax, thatswings through some pop standards and combines the bestof traditional and contemporary jazz. The combination ofthese two streams and Vache's own polish and assurancemake the disc unusually fresh and vital. J.S.VV.

Mal Waldron, Gary Peacock: First Encounter. CatalystCAT 7906, $6.98.

Pianist Mal Waldron's roots go back to Billie Holiday andThelonious Monk, but he also has been active around theedges of every avant-garde jazz movement since the Fifties.His collaboration with Peacock (recorded in Japan) has toomany stylistic confrontations to work as a totality. But wheneach player spins off in his own direction-Waldron intoepigrammatic pointillism, Peacock into a duplicitous mix ofSixties funk and Seventies modernism-there are momentsof rare beauty. D.H.

The World's Greatest Jazz Band: On Tour. Barker H ickox,producer. World Jazz S-8, $6.98.

Considering the personnel changes in the World's Greatestin recent years and a series of records that were needlesslyhackneyed, this is a welcome recovery for both the bandand its approach to recording. Taped at a concert in Swe-den, it has some of the ensemble's most viable musicians-Ralph Sutton, Billy Butterfield, Peanuts Hucko, Al Klink,and George Masso, in addition to coleaders Yank Lawsonand Bob Haggart. As a bonus, Maxine Sullivan makes anappearance in appealingly cool -voiced form. But to windup an otherwise fresh disc with The Saints suggests that theband is still apt to blight itself with triteness. J.S.VV.

142 HIGH FIDELITY MAGAZINE

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Brand New! 1977 EditionHigh Fidelity's Test Reports

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Page 146: HERBIE HANCOCK: NEW PHASE OR FADEOUT? GIIII · 121 Herbie Hancock's Fifth Incarnation Len Lyons 54 Too Hot to Handle 56 News and Views 63 Equipment Reports Crown EQ-2 equalization

Continued from page 141You a Thousand Ways and I Want To Bewith You Always, pleasant on their sur-face but disturbed by dark, desperate un-dercurrents.

Songs from Frizzell's autumn years,1965-74, comprise the second side. She'sGone, Gone, Gone is a light rocker. Rail-road Lady, written by Jimmy Buffett andJerry Jeff Walker, is one of the finest lat-ter-day train songs. I Never Go AroundMirrors was Lefty's last great record:austere, almost surreal, but at the sametime a killer honky-tonk number. WillieNelson is not the singer Lefty was, buthe's done a lovely job here. And what arelief the album is from the gushings andcloyings of all that Outlaw nonsense. N.T.

Olivia Newton -John: Making a GoodThing Better. John Farrar, producer.MCA 2280, $7.98. Tape: O MCA C2280,W MCAT 2280, $7.98.

Newton -John's seventh album is, sadly,her most insipid yet. The novelty of herbaby -doll vocalizing is evidently wear-ing thin on the public, as her noticeablydecreasing sales demonstrate: PleaseMr. Please was her last gold single,though she's released seven since and heralbums are now only selling in the hun-dreds of thousands, rather than the mil-lions. (I said she was selling less, not thatthere aren't still a lot of old softies outthere!)

"Making a Good Thing Better" is alsoher first LP to be recorded in its entiretyin Los Angeles. In addition to producerJohn Farrar, who's also played guitar onall of her previous work, Newton -John issurrounded largely by the same peoplewho play on everybody else's L.A.recordings. Not that this one sounds likeeverybody else's; it sounds like everyother Olivia Newton -John album. Theshortcomings are in the vocal perform-ance and in the material, not in the com-puter -perfect backing tracks.

In a sense, what Farrar has done is

Olivia-too much baby doll

pretty noteworthy. He's chosen the mostuninspired material of some of the finer,though lesser -known, songwritersaround. Pete Wingfield (18 with a Bulleta couple of years back) wrote the titletune, and Jack Tempchin and JulesShear of the Funky Kings, progressivecountry -type Marshall Chapman, andRandy Edelman some of the other cuts.The closest thing to a winner is Temp -chin's Slow Dancing, which seems to allbut put Newton -John to sleep.

Perhaps surprisingly, the more no-table tunes are by Farrar and by thesinger herself. His Cooling Down, abouta love affair on the wilt, is at least suitedto Newton -John's delivery, and herDon't Ask a Friend, is-at the very least-the equivalent of just about anythingelse on the album. Also, she seems moreinterested in this piece than in most ofthe rest.

Like its predecessors, "Making aGood Thing Better" is professionallyproduced and as tasteful as all get out.There's doubtless a good deal of enjoy-ment in its grooves for any solid fan.Newton -John no doubt has the talents,but this LP's chief fault is its failure tolive up to its title. T.E.

Neil Young: American Stars 'n Bars.Neil Young, David Briggs, & Tim Mulli-gan, producers. Reprise MSK 2261,$7.98. Tape: eV M5 2261, ER M82261,$7.97.

This album might blow Neil Young'swhole reputation-or at least a good partof it.

Young has, rather deservedly, come tobe known as one of rock & roll's quirkiermusicians-due both to his reticence togo public and to the unevenness of hisrecording career. He'll release an albumevery year or so, and he has twicescrapped projects entirely at the last mo-ment. The latest instance was a three -disc best -of compilation, "Decade," thatwas to include outtakes from earlier ses-sions with the Buffalo Springfield andCrosby, Stills, Nash & Young, and someof his own more obscure material (likeSugar Mountain, which has been re-leased several times on the B side of vari-ous singles but never on an album)."Decade" got to the test -pressing stage-with some review copies even sent out-and was suddenly withdrawn. In its placeis "American Stars 'n Bars."

Well, now, that's pretty quirky behav-ior, and it probably cost Young a coupleof bucks in no -return expenses. And thenew album has the look of a typical,rather spontaneous, Young project.There is material that's as much as threeyears old, together with some that wasrecorded just prior to release. Young'svocals, and some of the instrumental

work, sound like first takes after a longnight, some of the songs make no literalsense whatever, and the cover is a collagethat could have been thrown togethereven more quickly than what's inside.

And, again characteristically, the re-sult is as brilliant as it appears spon-taneous; as genuine as most other al-bums are calculated.

What's atypical is the sheer accessi-bility of the material. Most of the songson Side I are what would pass as countryin most rock & roll circles-you can evenhum the melodies although the singer

Young-atypically accessible

himself frequently has trouble staying intune, but that's part of his charm. Side 2is even better, with two songs guaran-teed to become Neil Young standards:Homegrown, which sounds like aplanned sequel to Ronstadt's arrange-ment of his Love Is a Rose, and Like aHurricane, an eight -minute guitar freak -out combining the best elements ofC,S,N&Y's Southern Man and theSpringfield's Bluebird. Wonderful.

For those committed to Young weird-ness, there's still hope, manifested in theballad Will to Love. It's a one-man show.and his vocals and instrumentals drift inand out of what sounds like slammingdoors, dropped shoes, and heaven onlyknows what else. But the song is quitepretty.

The playing throughout is profes-sional, with guitarist Frank Sampedro astandout. To keep up with Young, he'dbetter be.

The other day, I heard an instrumentalof his earlier Heart of Gold in a restau-rant over a canned -music system. Couldbe the public's catching up with him.Somehow, I hope not. We need a fewcult figures around to give us perspec-tive. T.E.

141 HIGH FIDELITY MAGAZINE

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Pop/RockBY KEN EMERSON

Fania All -Stars: Rhythm Ma-chine. Jay Chattaway, pro-ducer. Columbia PC 34711,$6.98. Tape: 101 PCT 34711,

PCA 34711, $7.98.

Despite the departure of RayBarretto (whom Mongo Santa-maria replaces on congas), theAll -Stars are just that: some ofthe best Latin players around.In their eagerness to popularize salsa, however, they oftenend up adulterating it. Though the percussion section cookshere, Jay Chattaway's arrangements keep the lid on withtop-heavy brass, strings, and oohing and aahing vocal cho-ruses that are strictly from Muzak. The chili is good, but it'ssmothered in Velveeta.

FANIAALL-STARS

Rhythm

MACHINEonciudincr

Fue ISM Wes The OnOlAvnIcefa1NOY (FIPPeenuts (The Pin VnclarlUubileo

Ian Hunter's Overnight Angels. Roy Thomas Baker, pro-ducer. Columbia PC 34721, $6.98. Tape:IFN PCT 34721,!]PCA 34721, $7.98.

Ian Hunter's last album suffered from the sterile sound thatoften results when good musicians who don't ordinarilyplay together meet for a one-shot studio session. He's got areal band on this record, which explodes with bashing, mad-cap energy and recalls Hunter's Mott the Hoople days. If itdoesn't quite recapture them, it's only because most of thesongs lack the autobiographical intensity of his most com-pelling work.

Includes: LOOKS LIKE WE MADE IT/I WRITE THE SONGS/MANDY

Barry Manilow: Live. BarryManilow & Ron Dante, pro-ducers. Arista AL 8500, $11.98(two discs). Tape:filffl 53018500,4g 8301 8500, $11.98.

Barry Manilow's spectacular,cast -of -dozens roadshowcomes on like Up WithPeople-packaged pep andsynthetic sincerity. The hi-

larious medley of Manilow's commercials (for State FarmInsurance, Dr. Pepper, etc.) unwittingly points out theirsimilarity to his later, equally commercial, songs: They allswell to the same inspirational choruses. And Manilow un-dermines the schlocky grandeur of his two hits, Could It BeMagic and Mandy, by collapsing them together.

The Steve Miller Band: Book of Dreams. Steve Miller, pro-ducer. Capitol SO 11630, $7.98. Tape:ffik 4X0 11630,.78X011630, $7.98.

If cleanliness is next to godliness, Steve Miller's on the sideof the angels, for he's an immaculate guitarist. Heaven mayfrown, however, on one of his nastier habits: Evidently in-

capable of dreaming up riffs of his own, he steals them fromothers. This album rocks smoothly and unoriginally, withMiller's bland, distant vocals and liberally applied synthe-sizer creating a "lost in the ozone" effect reminiscent of hisfirst record, made almost ten years ago.

Helen Reddy: Ear Candy. KimFowley and Earle Mankey,producers. Capitol S011640,$7.98. Tape: 119 4X0 11640,$8X011640, $7.98.

It's hard to imagine an oddercoupling than Helen Reddywith Kim Fowley, longtimeL.A. rock scene -maker. The in-congruity makes "Ear Candy"intriguing but uneven, at times quite grotesque. The Fiftiesdoowop parodies and the elaborate special effects can bequite funny, yet Reddy, always a rather stiff and humorlesssinger, seems ill at ease. The mock -nasty Baby, I'm a Star isa joke that misfires, mostly because one suspects it's the wayReddy really feels.

Jean Ritchie: None but One. Al Steckler and Ron Frangi-pane, producers. Sire SA 7530, $6.98. Tape: 41 SA 7530H,$7.98.

Despite the fact that Jean Ritchie is in her mid -fifties, herwobbly Appalachian soprano still sounds girlish, especiallyon a traditional song. "None but One" fuses the old with thenew: folk with electric instruments, venerable ballads withrecent songs written by Ritchie. The arrangements are ec-lectic and often quite elaborate, but the earnest purity ofRitchie's vocals (accompanied by Janis Ian, Mary Travers,and Oscar Brand, among others) makes it all sound simple-and quite touching.

Cat Stevens: Izitso. Cat Ste-vens and Dave Kershenbaum,producers. A&M SP 4702,$7.98. Tape:41 CS 4702,e18T4702, $7.98.

To call "Izitso" Cat Stevens'sbest album in five years is todamn it with faint praise. It de-serves more than that. Thesongwriting is forceful and the

rhythms rocking (Old Schoolyard is a potential hit single),the dense arrangements for a battery of keyboards and syn-thesizers consistently interesting, and the playfulness lesspuerile than in the past. Stevens will probably always soundnaive, but this time around he's far from insipid.

Jimmy Webb: El Mirage. George Martin, producer. Atlan-tic SD 18218, $6.98. Tape:011 CS 18218,0.3TP 18218, $7.97.

On his new album, Jimmy Webb devotes a sad song, If YouSee Me Getting Smaller I'm Leaving, to his "borderline ca-reer." Ironically, it may be the best thing he's ever written.The same goes for all of "El Mirage," whose overwroughtbeauty is redeemed from banality by the drama and desper-ation of Webb's romanticism. Sumptuously orchestrated byGeorge Martin, the record ravishes the soul. Does thatsound like hyperbole? It's a hyperbolic album.

SEPTEMBER 1977 145

Page 148: HERBIE HANCOCK: NEW PHASE OR FADEOUT? GIIII · 121 Herbie Hancock's Fifth Incarnation Len Lyons 54 Too Hot to Handle 56 News and Views 63 Equipment Reports Crown EQ-2 equalization

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RAREST CLASSICAL, SOUNDTRACKS, SHOWS,PERSONALITY LPs. Huge catalog 50c. Grammy's Attic,Box 181, Bluffton, SC 29910

SOUNDS GOODpresents a new LOW

in mail orderCAPITAL MUSIC TAPES: Guaranteedjamproof ; Extra high output/low noise forfull dimensional sound.CASSETTES: 60 min./343.39; 90min./3-$4.598 -TRACK: 45 min./3-$3.39; 90min./3-$3.99

SPECIAL ONLY $1.98LET IT BE-BEATLES, LP

FREE: Catalog of low priced albums andtapes.SEND CHECK OR MONEY ORDER, add.85c handling to:

SOUNDS GOOD / 4821 Irving ParkChicago, Illinois 60641

SHOW ALBUMS -Rare, out -of -print LPs. 64 -page list61.00 ROBBER BRIDEGROOM 7" STEREO, 331/2, 4

songs -Jerry Orbach; Virginia Vestoff 53.95; La Strada,Mate Hari EP $3.95; Bakers Wife cast LP $.9.95. Broad-way -Hollywood Recordings, Georgetown, CT 06829.

ADVENT PROCESS CR / 70 CASSETTE RECORD-INGS. The best in the world. Hard to find? Don't give up.Write for tree catalog and dealer list. Advent Corporation,Dept. CHF. 195 Albany St.. Cambridge. Mass. 01239.

"HISTORICAL OPERA DISC 8 TAPE -Magnificentquality, speedy service. Greatest live performances ofpast 50 years. Reel, cassette, disc. Free Catalog. Histor-ical Recording Enterprises, Box 12, Kew Gardens, N.Y11415 "

NOTICE: RECORD RATERS WANTEDNo experience required Each month we shipyou NATIONAL LP's to rate. "You keep LP's."We pay postage. In return for your opinion, you'can build your LP collection. A small member-ship fee is required. "First come basis." Send'no money For application write:

E.A.R.S.. INC-Dept HF 3725 N. 126th St'Brookfield WI 53005

BASF TAPE: All widths 40-50% off. All tapes guaran-teed! INTERGALACTIC, 1043 Kids, Troy. Michigan48084

RARE OPERA TAPES Over 3000 on reels from worldwide sources. Some available on cassettes DetailsCOREY. Box 1123. Malibu, California, 90265.

YOUR MAIL-ORDER TAPE SPECIALIST IN WASH.D.C. SAME DAY SHIPMENT -DISCOUNT PRICES. BASF.SCOTCH, MAXELL, TDK 8 CAPITOL. FREE PRICE LIST.SAXITONE TAPE SALES. 1776 COLUMBIA RD. N.W.WASHINGTON, D.C. 20009.

"LIVE OPERA TAPES. Reels -Cassettes. Unbelievabletreasures since 1926. Over 2,500 selections. Free DELUXCatalog: MR. TAPE. Box 138. Murray Fill Station, NYC10016."

RUSSIAN RECORDINGS ON CASSETTE -Definitiveperformances BY GREAT RUSSIAN ARTISTS. List avail-able. Discaset, PO Box 134F, Mora, Mn. 55051.

RARE RECORD/TAPE COLLECTOR'S DIRECTORY.Treasury of over 100 addresses -annotated -for collec-tors. Send $4.95 COLLECTORS DIRECTORY. 500 E.Rustic Road, Santa Monica, Calif. 90402.

OLDIES TAPES ON OPEN REEL TAPE. Rock 'n' Rollsongs by their year of release. Over 100 songs per year.Free brochure. Rock 'N' Reel Rental. Dept A. 4 PrescottAve.. Dix Hills. NY 11746.

78 RPM RECORD LISTS. (1) Popular 8 Jazz, (2) Ameri-cana. (3) Classical, (4) Country -Western State Category.AUCTION ONLY. Write, S.A. Langkammerer RECORDUSTS, 3238 Stoddard, San Bernardino, Ca. 92405.

THRILLING LIVE OPERA TAPES. OPEN REEL, CAS-SETTE. THOUSANDS OF ITEMS SINCE 1930's. PER-SONAL. QUICK SERVICE GUARANTEED. SPECIALFREE BONUSES. ENORMOUS FREE CATALOGUE. LIVEOPERA. BOX 3141, STEINWAY STATION. L.I.C. N.Y.11103.

FANTASTIC OLD RADIO PROGRAMS ON TAPE.Reels. cassettes, 8 -track. Free introductory catalog Ra-dio Memories, Box 2297, Newport News. VA. 23602.

78 RPM RECORDS Collector selling instrumental clas-sical collection. List available. DeLeeuw, 720 Fort Wash-ington Ave., New York. N.Y. 10040.

PLATINUM AND GOLD ALBUMS! POSTPAID! LPs, list56.98. only 55.57. 8 -Tracks and cassettes, list $7.98. only$6 27 Catalog $1.00. Soundco, Box 1539-C, Bellevue,Nebraska 68005.

INDIRECT DISCS cut from 100 dB dynamic range tapesrecorded by Dick Burwen. MISTY -The Petty Trio. In-cludes Rhinestone Cowboy, Feelings, Leroy Brown, WildFlower, and Misty. Made in Germany on Celia label, BL -3.THIS IS THE ONE -piano solos by Dick Wellstood. In-cludes Paganini's Thing, Keepin' Out of M6chief Now,You Are the Sunshine of My Life, The Steeplechase. YouGo to My Head. Rosetta, Sugar, and Giant Steps. On Au-diophile label, AP -120. $15.00 each postpaid. Sendcheck or money order. Massachusetts residents only add5% sales tax. DECIBEL RECORDS, Dept. 7, P.O. Box 631.Lexington, Massachusetts 02173.

FREE AUCTION LISTS O.C.'s, SOUNDTRACKS, PER-SONALITIES, JAZZ SPECIFY LIST. "Want Lists" filledsend to: AGM Records LTD, 1619 Broadway, N.Y.0 N.Y.10019

Max Steiner's Magnificent Movie Music. Over 130scores on over 70 tapes, reel or cassette. Demo 53.50postpaid. Catalog free. Max Steiner Music Society Li-brary, Dept HF, Box 1274, Kankakee, Illinois 60901

RARE SYMPHONIC MUSIC ON REELS AND CAS-SETTES. Stereo, mono. Specialty: Late and Post -Roman-tic. Low prices. Free catalog. Michael Herman, 170-21Dreiser, Bronx. NY 10475

CCLLECTORS' Soundtracks. Mint. List 50 cents (re-fundable). Jemm's, P.O. Box 157, Glenview, ILL. 60025.

15,000 OLD RADIO PROGRAMS. CATALOGUE $2.00.The radio vault. Box 9032-F. Wyoming, Michigan 49509.

GUARANTEED LOWEST PRICES in America. TDK,MAXELL, and others. Tape World International, 220Spring St.. Butler, PA 16001.

business opportunitiesBECOME MONEYBROKER!! Large Commissions. Ex-

perience unnecessary. Free Brochures. STULL CO..Since 1870, Box 5470-HF, Cleveland, OH 44101.

employment

TRAVEL! FOREIGN SHIPS! GOOD PAY! No experi-ence. Men/women. Adventures abroad. Work. Study.Stamped long envelope. GLOBETROTTER, Box 1266-HFC, Kansas City 64141.

wanted to buy

USED MONO. AMP. WANTED -HARMAN KARDONMODEL (Trend C-300) High Price. Phone (212)629-1968.

2 PANASONIC RF-60 HEADSET FM STEREO RA-DIOS. MANNY'S RECORD SHOP, 114 4th Ave., NYC, NY10003.

school and instructionsCLASSES IN MUSIC RECORDING. RECORD PRO-

DUC710N, PUBLISHING, DISC MASTERING, FILMRECORDING. Taught by famous engineers and produc-ers. Held in 16, 24 track recording studios. Contact: UNI-VERSITY OF SOUND ARTS, 2040 Ave. Of The Stars, 4thfloor. Century City, California 90067 (213) 553-4742.

publications

LISTENEWSREVIBN FINDER

s r Nericks

RECORD-

ING EiVIEW 1110E1 ' :e wates. COMPONENT REVIEW

!NM t ., ANNUAL INDEX tor

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CHARTER RATE S12 PER TEAR ISSUPT01-

.-r- P.O BOX 15251 Dept. HF, New Orleans U. 10115

r 1HIGH FIDELITYClassified Advertising Department

1 130 East 59th St., New York, N.Y. 10022 212-826-8393/94Michael Littleford, Classified Advertising Manager

I Please run the following classified advertisement in the next available II issue

I I

I I

I Name

I Address

City State ZipTelephone

RATE: For Regular and Display, see scnedule above. "CASH MUSTACCOMPANY ORDER. Closing two months prior to issue.

SEPTEMBER 1977 147

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HandbookofMultichannelRecordingHere is very possibly the single mostimportant book on sound recordingfor the layman or professional whowants to make quality recordings ofmusical groups. For the first time, here'sa book that covers it all- dubbing,special effects, mixing, reverb, echo,synthesis- for both stereo and four -channel recording. Simply circleNo. 781 on the coupon.

"Handbook of Multichannel Record-ing" is only one of a wide selection ofcarefully chosen audio books madeavailable to HIGH FIDELITY readersthrough Music Listeners' Book Service.(Many of the selections are not readilyavailable in bookstores.) Choose yourbooks from the list, circle the numberson the coupon, and enclose your checkor money order. That's all there is to it.No. 781 HANDBOOK OF MULTICHANNEL RECORD-ING. F. Alton Everest.

A comprehensive volume of 322 pages. with 201illustrations. covering all aspects of live recording inboth stereo and four -channel formatsPaperbound: 57.95. Hardbound: 510.95.

No. 603 DURABLE PLEASURES. A Practical Guideto Better Tape Recording. Hans Finite'.

Written in nontechnical language by one of the mostrespected writers in the field. this illustrated volume isa must for all tape recordists whether beginners orold hands 58.95.

No. 756 FOUR -CHANNEL STEREO . . FROMSOURCE TO SOUND. 2nd Edition (1974). Ken W.Sessions, Jr.

Complete technical and nontechnical informationon all approaches to four -channel sound. both discreteand matrix Paperbound: $4.95. Hardbound: $7.95.

No. 640 SELECTING AND IMPROVING YOUR HI-FISYSTEM. (1973) Harvey Swearer.

A handy guide to what to look for what to expect.and what to avoid in setting up or expanding your homeaudio system Paperbound: 54.95. Hardbound: $7.95.

Check or money order must accompany your order.No cash or C.O.D.'s, please.Allow 60 days for delivery.

IIII

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HIGH FIDELITYMUSIC LISTENERS BOOK SERVICEDept HW216o Patterson Street Cincinnati. Ohio 45214

Here'snycheckforS Please sendme. postpaid. the books I've circled below

Name

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IIIII

III

Music in Print

ABBA: Arrival. AP. 11 songs. $5.95.

Sweden has sent us Orrefors glassware.the Saab. and Liv Ullman. Now it's man-aged to undo all the good work withABBA. a vocal quartet of cloned Car-penters. The group's orchestral back-ground is grandiosely electronic, eitherbooming or shimmering, and the printedpage cannot approximate even an iota ofthe recorded sound quality.

Although there is a certain quaintcharm in their lightly accented singing.the intellectual level of ABBA's originalmaterial (except for Fernando. their firsthit) could not challenge the sophistica-tion of a Mouseketot. Pass this one up-you'll grow out of it. Maybe they will.too.

Peter Frampton: Anthology. Big 3.37songs. $7.95.

For those who can't survive without alarge fix of Frampton. the "Anthology"is a well -transcribed discography of thir-ty-seven self -penned songs culled fromno less than eight individual LPs. In nocase is any of these albums representedcompletely. but then Mr. Frampton'sdisc mentors are given to reissuing al-ready -recorded material at will, in dif-ferently tailored record jackets. I alsonoted several lyrics at variance with therecorded performances.

Listening to Frampton is akin to tak-ing methadone to relieve your Mick Jag-ger withdrawal pains; it's a great idea.but it doesn't always work.

The Homecoming and Other GreatPiano Solos. Compiled byJan Thomas. WBP, 27 songs, $4.95.

A modest delight: distinctive, but notdifficult, piano transcriptions of pleasantmaterial. Here you will find Rhapsody inBlue in the Deodato arrangement; acomplete -with -fingering version of ScottJoplin's The Entertainer (arranged byAda Richter); art -deco piano embodiedin Eddy Duchin's styling of Lullaby ofBroadway; a delicious '20s tea -dancetango. Jalousie, brilliantly adapted byHenry Levine; and all sorts of other con-fections. even Van McCoy's The Hustle.Satisfaction guaranteed. for the pro aswell as the home pianist.

ZZ Top: Fandango!$5.95.

The paper on whichsnippets are printed

WBP, 12 songs,

these self-indulgentis of a coarse, infe-

Frampton of the methadone syndrome

rior quality. making recycling for anypurposes whatsoever an impossibility.Who is kidding who?

The Entertainer's Songbook. CMC, 75songs, $7.95.Top Country Hits of 1976. Big 3. 76songs. $7.95.Great Songs of the '40s. Big 3, 38 songs.53.95.Top Hits of 1976. Big 3, 44 songs, $4.95.Evergreen and Other Great Love Songs.WBP, 48 songs, $5.95.

Happily this month's folios include nofewer than five that will serve the needsof the vocalist (as opposed to the rock -group aficionado). More than a thou-sand pages of good. solid m.o.r. materialare offered in various categories, and allof it is moderately easy to play and en-joyable to sing.

Far and away the best of these collec-tions is "The Entertainer's Songbook."Although relying heavily on in-housecopyrights, editor Pat Perkins and pro-ducer Dennis O'Donnell have not hesi-tated to tap the catalogs of other corn-

I4S HIGH FIDELITY MAGAZINE

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PRICE WARpetitive publishers in their successfulquest for literate. unhackneyed. ar-rangeable songs that will please the au-dience as well as the performer. The foliofills a great need and I urge you to add itto your library.

Big 3 has favored us with three bigsingers' volumes. two of which are forspecialized tastes. "Top Country Hits of1976" fudges slightly by including a fewgraybeards-Peace in the Valley (1939).Release Me (1954). and Sixteen Tons(1947)-but on the plus side offers manyworthwhile mid -Seventies copyrightsrecently recorded by Linda Ronstadt.Cash McCall. Freddy Fender. Lynn An-derson. and other stalwarts of the genre."Great Songs of the '40s" is an excellentcompendium of nostalgic material fromthat currently hallowed era. Heads -upediting might have caught a few omis-sions in the pertinent information de-partment: While most of the songs frommovie musicals are credited as such. ItHappened in Sun Valley and Our LoveAffair are not. The first is. of course. fromthe film of the same name. and the sec-ond was sung by Judy Garland in StrikeUp the Band.

Big 3's "Top Hits of 1976" is. with afew exceptions, essentially a low -budgetregrouping of their own barely two -month -old folio. "The Best of the Super-stars." The rationale behind this escapesme. Some explanation is also due for themysterious contents listing of two"bonus songs." Neither one-/ Love Mu-sic. Part I. and Memories Are Made ofThis-is to be found anywhere in this col-lection and certainly not on the pages in-dicated. unless printed in invisible ink. Arather kinky editorial choice. which I

sincerely hope is not the start of a trend.is the inclusion of the McDonald's com-mercial. You. You're the One. No com-ment.

Trailing the pack is good old WarnerBros. ("Evergreen and Other Great LoveSongs"). which as usual insists uponoverkilling us softly with their songs thathave been re -re -re -printed in each suc-cessive WB folio ad nauseam. Perhaps acase can be made for the repeated inclu-sion of some of these well-worn classics.such as Summer of '42 and How Can YouMend a Broken Heart of Gold: but theBeatles' Long and Winding Road. ColePorter's Night and Day. Sedaka's Laugh-ter in the Rain, and Lightfoot's If YouCould Read My Mind are still very muchpurchasable in other steady -selling WBcomposer collections and should be im-mediately retired from active duty on theomnium gatherum circuit.

ELISE BRETTON

A P-Almo PublicationsBig 3-Big 3 PublicationsCMC-Chappell Music Corp.WBP-Warner Bros. Publications

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Page 152: HERBIE HANCOCK: NEW PHASE OR FADEOUT? GIIII · 121 Herbie Hancock's Fifth Incarnation Len Lyons 54 Too Hot to Handle 56 News and Views 63 Equipment Reports Crown EQ-2 equalization

The RevolulionaryWow & flutter:DM. SignaVnoise ratio:62 dB.

Introducing the incredible Elcasetsystem. Developed by Sony to bringyou unsurpassed cassette sound.A The Elcaset tape is as wide asI* reel-to-reel tope:'/a"2Tape

moves twice as fast: 33A ips.Result: the widest dynamic range,

the widest frequency response, thecleanest sound ever offered in a cas-sette format. Unlike the standardcassette, the Sony Elcaset sound is notcompressed, constrained. It's expan-sive and full. It "breathes:' It's truehigh fidelity

3The tape is lifted out from thee cassette and guided across the

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superior tape/head alignment, evenbetter frequency response. (see diagram).

4 All -new tape formulation withthicker oxide coating and thicker

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5 Automatic tape formulation adjustment. Small holes encoded

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Page 153: HERBIE HANCOCK: NEW PHASE OR FADEOUT? GIIII · 121 Herbie Hancock's Fifth Incarnation Len Lyons 54 Too Hot to Handle 56 News and Views 63 Equipment Reports Crown EQ-2 equalization

sorry Elcasetse:25 Hz -22 kHz, ± 3dBr*

An engineering triumph, the Sony EL -7Stereo Elcoset Deck was designedexclusively for the new Elcaset tape.

AClosed -loop dual capstan tapedrive. One of the most advanced

tape drive systems now available, itassures constant tape -to -head contactpressure, low wow and flutter andvirtually nonexistent modulation noise.

2 The 3 -motor system starts with aDC servo motor for utmost

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3 Sony's 3 -head system offers theprecise tape/head align-

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4Direct coupling of playback headiovvith the FET first -stage reproduc-

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Page 154: HERBIE HANCOCK: NEW PHASE OR FADEOUT? GIIII · 121 Herbie Hancock's Fifth Incarnation Len Lyons 54 Too Hot to Handle 56 News and Views 63 Equipment Reports Crown EQ-2 equalization

INTRODUCING THE RECEIVERYOU PROBABLY THOUGHTYOU COULDN'T AFFORD.

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KENWOODFor the KENWOOD Dealer nearest you, see your yellow pages, or write KENWOOD, 15777 S. Broadway, Gardena, CA 90248

*Nationally advertised value. For information purposes only. Actual prices are established by Kenwood dealers. Handles optional.