Tag: Tidal
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Music Monday: Walter Smith III – “TWIO”
It was the retro album cover that first drew me to this release by Saxophonist Walter Smith III, because there’s such a romanticism to the stylings of covers from Jazz’s heyday in the 50s and 60s. Those old covers were so cool, mirroring the cool swinging bands of the time, which produced music as sophisticated…
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Music Monday: Great Music for Headphones Part 2
Last week I shared some albums I thought sounded really good while listening with some nice headphones. Today i’m sharing another playlist with some new and old songs i’m really digging during my headphone testing sessions….again feel free to comment with some albums and songs that you think sound good over headphones! P. CashI’m an…
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Music You Need To Hear: Tigran Hamasyan-“For Gyumri”
Pianist and composer Tigran Hamasyan’s “For Gyumri”, his third recording on Nonesuch Records, is what I would call short and sweet. At only 5 tracks, it is technically an EP, but the combination of atmospheric chants and beautiful piano combine to form a rich tapestry of sound you may want to play several times back…
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Music Monday: Some Great New Albums for Headphone Listening!
I don’t know about you, but I prefer to listen to certain albums on headphones. It’s like the intimacy of the presentation showcases the effects and the instrumentation, enhancing the experience. Over the last couple of weeks, I have heard several new albums like this, so i’m gonna share a few in a playlist for…
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Music You Need To Hear: Melody Gardot-“Live In Europe”
In this edition of “Music You Need To Hear”, my weekly post where I point out a standout new release, i’m featuring Melody Gardot’s “Live In Europe”. I’m a big fan of Gardot’s music, since I love the way her sultry voice ignites the air in which it resides, and it’s awesome to finally hear…
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Music Monday: Mark Wade Trio-“Moving Day”
Every Monday I like to recommend some great sounding, as in well recorded, music as part of the “Music Monday” feature, and this week i’m recommending this funky Jazz album from the Mark Wade Trio called “Moving Day”. If you want to give your system a good workout, then be sure to give this a…
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10 Building Blocks for Your Budget/Affordable Hi-Fi System!
Best Buys, Budget, DACs, Headphone Amps, Hi-Fi, Hi-Res Music, Home Audio, Integrated Amps, MQA, Music, Power Amps, Preamps, Reviews, Speakers, Streaming, WirelessCheck out our updated list for 2019: 10 Building Blocks for Your Budget/Affordable 2-Channel Audiophile System! (2019) 1. Elac Debut B6-This speaker has become a legend of sorts in the audiophile world due to it’s insane value for the money. When paired with a quality amp like the NAD C338 on this list, you will have…
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Watch It Wednesday: Jazzmeia Horn Performing the Jazz Standard, “Moanin’”
Earlier in the month, I named Jazzmeia Horn’s album “A Social Call” one of my Favorite Jazz albums of 2017, so I was really happy to see her performing as part of the Grammy festivities this weekend…here’s her singing one of the songs from that album, a rendition of the Jon Hendricks‘ vocalese treatment of…
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Music Monday: Check out the 2018 Grammy Winning Jazz Albums!
Jazz Grammy winners don’t get enough love in my opinion, so I would like to give a shout out to all the Grammy winning Jazz albums! Here is a list of all the winners this year along with a Tidal Playlist dedicated to them! Congrats to the winners as well as the nominees! Best Jazz…
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Music You Need To Hear: Nils Frahm – “All Melody”
This weeks music feature is a little bit out of my wheelhouse, as I usually listen to Jazz, Blues, Soul, repeat…but ultimately I like any music that is well recorded and sounds good. This new album from German musician Nils Frahm definitely fits that description. Speaking of description, this album defies that as well. It…
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Music You Need To Hear: Chick Corea + Steve Gadd – “Chinese Butterfly”
Our music pick this Friday is Chick Corea’s new album “Chinese Butterfly”. On this album he shares top billing with his former band-mate Steve Gadd, who was a drummer in Corea’s Core 70’s Jazz-Fusion group “Return To Forever”. If you still play CD’s, then this would be a 2-Disc set, but for me it was…
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LG V30: The Ultimate Hi-Fi Audiophile Review
Bluetooth, DACs, Headphone Amps, Headphones, Hi-Fi, Hi-Res Music, Home Audio, MQA, Music, Reviews, Streaming(Update: The Tidal Android App now supports Tidal Masters (MQA) streaming on the LG V30…check out my post about it here.) DSD, FLAC, MQA, OH MY! Those were my first thoughts last August when I read about the new LG V30 smartphone and it’s upgraded Hi-Fi Quad DAC. You see, I already owned the LG…
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Music You Need to Hear: Dr. Lonnie Smith
I feel like it doesn’t get any more funky than a soulful guitar lick and wailing Hammond B-3 organ, and this new album from jazz great Dr. Lonnie Smith and his trio, surely confirms this hypothesis. “All In My Mind”, Smith’s second release of his second stint with Blue Note, is from a live concert…
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This $150 Budget Hi-Fi Headphone Setup Will Wow You!
Looking for great sound on a razor-thin budget? Well this combo, which includes a comfortable over-ear headphone and a well-respected headphone DAC/AMP, will give you a quality hi-fi experience for less than what many people spend on headphones alone. To create this budget rig, we start with an entry-level set of AKG studio cans, the…
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Favorite Albums of 2017-All The Rest…
While Jazz is probably the genre I listen to most, I also listen to many others, including Hip-Hop, Soul, R&B, Alternative, Electronic, etc…so after two posts dedicated to my favorite Jazz albums of 2017, I would like to share my favorites from all the other Genres! Let me know some of your favorites by posting…
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Favorite Jazz Albums of 2017-Part 2
Well in 2017, the Jazz was so nice, we had to do the Favorite Jazz Albums twice…here are some more albums that stood out to me last year… Louis Hayes-Serenade for Horace Drummer Louis Hayes, who came to prominence as sideman for Jazz Greats Horace Silver and Cannonball Adderly, signed with Blue Note Records in…
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Favorite Jazz Albums of 2017-Part 1
I know i’m a little late on this one, but before we get too deep into 2018, I want to share some of my favorite Jazz Albums from 2017. In my desire to avoid a “me too” list, I left off some recordings that have received universal acclaim in the press. However, some albums I…
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My Return to Tidal Hi-Fi – No Strings Attached!
So i’m a week into my 12 day Free Tidal Preview Access, and I must say I have a new appreciation for their “Hi-Fi” CD Quality streaming. I signed up back in 2015, and it seemed like it was not quite ready for primetime. At that time, when you listened to a selection, the service…
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