"SAN FRANCISCO (February 28, 2023) – Early in his tenure as Parasound's new owner, David Sheriff made a commitment to the company's legendary designer, John Curl, to bring more of his new ideas to the fore. To accelerate this process, Sheriff has hired Darren Myers as Vice President of Research and Development. Myers was most recently Senior Analog Design Engineer for PS Audio, and earlier a designer for Classe Audio and B&W Loudspeakers. He is a... Read More

Jason Moran’s latest album, From the Dancehall to the Battlefield, is a staggeringly ambitious work, nothing less than a stab at reconceptualizing jazz history, hoisting a fairly obscure figure—the composer-bandleader James Reese Europe (1881-1919)—onto the pantheon of major innovators, a project that forges new links and traces a new path of the music’s evolution, with Lt. Jim Europe (as he was also known) at the—or at least a—center.

Recorded in 1966 and released in January of 1967 The Doors' debut album, powered by the edited single "Light My Fire" reached #2 on the Billboard charts, while the single was the "summer of love"'s #1 hit. If you were alive then you heard the single that summer wherever you went—blaring from jukeboxes and car radios. When you bought the album you heard a long extended "Light My Fire" that for many listeners was as uncomfortably... Read More

It’s been over a month since drummer and pop songwriter extraordinaire Yukihiro Takahashi passed away at age 70, though acknowledging it still feels weird. It wasn’t unexpected—he was treated for brain tumors, and related pneumonia caught him in the end—but for 50 years, Takahashi never really slowed down and always seemed focus on what was next. Between his solo material, his work in Yellow Magic Orchestra and Sketch Show, other gigs like the Sadistic Mika Band, or... Read More

Being inside a hotel for three days is not exactly the Sun and Fun in Winter that most make it out to be. No matter. This year I experienced an embarrassment of riches in the form of many impressive high-end systems - and managed to leave the hotel for some Tampa exploration.I started the days with trips to local coffee shops to quell my jonesing for top-flight espresso. I had some serious lattes and a nice cafe Cubano near the hotel. Saturday morning was all about... Read More

How do you know a reissue is a sonic success? There's no checklist but I've been playing an original pressing since it was first released and occasionally the Mobile Fidelity Anadisc 200 reissue, so when the stylus dropped onto "Jamming" (I always first play side 2) I wasn't expecting any major surprises.The opening drum flourish indicated a new level of transparency and clarity, which was nice to hear but the percussive jingle after Marley... Read More

I tip my hat to reviewers that do complete audio show coverage. The time/effort it takes to cover an entire show is enormous. Frankly, I am not that guy. Hey, you have to know your limitations. What I do want to share with you are some notable rooms that captured my attention and beckoned me to listen to the music rather than the equipment. Here are those rooms in no particular order.