Been listening to...Acoustic Alchemy / Arcanum (1996)
A.A. uses nylon & steel string acoustic guitars.

Today I'm using the Torii MKlV > Primaluna Premium Preamp > Oppo 105
If you like oodles, gobs, even tons of detail, this is it. Today's listening session was an absolute sonic stunner...my T2's don't know what to think. Can't wait for my next session.

Hey Bro, this is tooooobs on tooooobs?
I was wondering how that combo was gonna work out for you. Is the bass still as tight? What are the highs like? This should be smooth as on your sax problem. But you said lots of detail so I wonder.
Tell us more about how the girls play together?
And Happy Listening to your Christmas present!!!!
God Bless,
Wayne

It seems that, more and more, we all exist within the walls of our own little bubbles. We are able to specifically select the things we consume in a manner that specifically fit our tastes. Which is great, but also rather limiting when you think about it. Especially when it comes to music. The musical philosophy of the big phat band has, from the beginning, pushed back at those kind of limits. This is a band made up of a group of musicians with diverse interests, and wide skill sets, and we have always strove to break down barriers between musical styles. You be the judge, but to my ears, there are moments in his record where we push against the barrier of our current bubble, and those are moments I love.

Listening to: Gordon Goodwin's Big Phat Band -- Life in the Bubble

Juanita calls this showtunes...I call it ear candy...you be the judge.

FOUR NOMINATIONS!

Congratulations to Gordon Goodwon's Big Phat Band for their four 2015 Grammy Nominations!
Best Large Jazz Ensemble Album
Best Instrumental Composition
Best Instrumental Arrangement
Best Arrangement Instruments and Vocals

I've been listening to this three days in a row, twice a day...I think the wife wants me to play something else.

Melodia Para Congas . The Enriquillo Winds / Jungle and the Saxophone (A Mapleshade recording)

Enrique Fernandez - flute, alto and tenor sax
John Purcell - saxello, alto flute, English horn
Siraj - flute, soprano and alto sax
Pablo Calogero - baritone sax, bass clarinet
Hamiet Bluiett - contrabass clarinet
Patato Valdez - congas, maracas, Guiro

Bluiett loves to put together unlikely sessions. How unlikely do they get? Try this one: a 70-year-old pioneer of the Congo from the barrios of Havana, the father of all modern congueros, takes the sessions melodic lead on 5 congas. Five winds play harmony behind the congas. Nothing else, no piano, no bass, no drums. The music, composed by the leader, a brilliant Dominican multi-instrumentalist, is free and open: an impressionistic tour of the Caribbean's Afro-Hispanic roots.

Plenty of woodwind to test your system....mine passed.

Brother I am glad you enjoy this stuff. Not that I have heard this one, but my other Mapleshade recordings have a thick layer of dust on top.
Saxello?????? Sax full of jello???? Who knows, it might help with the harsh sound!!!!
Enjoy,
God Bless,
Wayne

So this is what "Wacky Tobacco" sounds like...the "one speed" boys are at it again.

Midnite / Ras Mek Peace

What can I say about this band...slow, hypnotical, and extremely repetitive. Reggae can and should sound better than this. If you listen to the first track, you've heard the entire album. Track 4, "Hieroglyphics" starts out so promising, with a sweet guitar, but six seconds later it's back to the same ole groove.

Now if I remember right, Wayne and the Moderator have this one in their collection. I believe this is their "go to" album on weekends. Guys, you need help.

So without further ado...sit back, put your feet up, roll a fat one, and enjoy.