Oh boy. Bit of a scoop here folks. Not only do we now have one of my all-time favourite recordings – Miles Davis’ Kind of Blue – in its full sublime tape glory, but now another absolute jazz classic has just been released on 15ips 2-track tape. Thanks to Italian label Hemiolia Records having signed … More Exclusive news! New tape release from Hemiolia: the seminal Getz / Gilberto
Cards on the table: this is one of my all-time favourite albums, so I’m going to get into some fairly extensive rambling here. What can I say, I’m excited! Yes, there have been many and varied reissues and versions of Miles Davis’ seminal 1959 masterpiece over the years. But it’s never before happened on 15ips, … More The best version bar none: Miles Davis’ ‘Kind of Blue’ on copy master tape from Hemiolia Records
Chasing the Dragon is a UK-based niche audiophile label that makes superb quality recordings on reel-to-reel tape only, which are then released as master tape copies as well as in various vinyl formats (direct cut, audiophile and binaural) and on CD. Chasing the Dragon’s Mike Valentine has just announced that all of their master tape … More New from Chasing the Dragon: custom-made reels for all master tape copies
Regular readers may recall that back in November I posted in great excitement about an announcement by Hemiolia Records that they were planning to release some ‘Holy Grail’ albums on tape. Well, the excitement just got even bigger – because I have the first three titles!! One of them is an all-time favourite album of … More John Coltrane’s Blue Train: Hemiolia’s new master tape copy vs. Blue Note Tone Poet’s vinyl release
I had an excited message from Ed Pong of UltraAnalogue Recordings the other day. Ed sounded like he was on the kind of high that you only get from those peak musical experiences (you know the ones!) – and with good reason, since he’s just finished making several new master tape recordings of a stunning … More Beethoven, Schubert, Dvorak & Mendelssohn: new master tapes from UltraAnalogue Recordings
‘Being there’ One of the phrases I use most often when reviewing tapes is, I’m afraid, a rather hackneyed one: “it’s almost like being there” (or some variation on that theme). I make no apology for it, because this (for me) is without doubt the most soul-stirring aspect of tape as a format for enjoying … More straight2tape – a brilliant new concept of real, up-close-and-personal, music events
You know those late night conversations that happen among tape lovers, the ones that kick off with someone asking (usually after a few drinks), “if you could listen to absolutely any album on tape, what would it be?”… and you know how everyone then shares – with misty eyes – their list of ‘fantasy’ tapes, … More Hemiolia Records releases Miles Davis’ masterpiece on tape – and there’s much more to come!
Yes folks, it’s that time of year again. If you’re gearing up towards getting into the Christmas spirit, or looking to drop some tape-related hints to your gift-buying loved ones, here’s Neville Roberts on Lyn Stanley’s new seasonal jazz album on tape (which, it turns out, it ‘not just for Christmas’). It’s quite a triumph … More Lyn Stanley – Novel Noel – A Cool Jingle Jazz Celebration
For a jazz fan, this is a ‘must have’. It’s a classic Blue Note recording and one that’s considered one of their backbone titles. It’s also listed on many Best Jazz Albums lists – and rightly so, in my view! It’s taken me a good while to get my hands on a copy though, as … More Talking tape: Lee Morgan’s seminal album The Sidewinder from The Tape Project
If you want to cut to the chase on this one, feel free to go ahead and scroll down. But if you have a couple of minutes for a short ramble, walk this way… This is a story that began a few years ago. For those of us who like things specific, it was October … More Master tape collection for sale: ‘The Margate Masters’ – deadline 30 September!
Dave Denyer: The Reel-to-Reel Rambler 