@ Lon, I have the Yes album on DSD (SACD) ... I'd love to hear Steven Wilson's though!

Has anybody heard the new Leonard Cohen "Popular Problems"?  Surprisingly (because it's not really my kind of stuff) that I really like it.  The music is great behind his spoken (for the most part) word.  And the mastering seems just really put together like somebody knew what they were doing.

Just got back from another weekend of other people's weddings.

First thing I did was warm up the ZMA as I unloaded the car. You know you have a good system, that you miss it when you're away from home.

Listening to this at a low level right now - My head hurts too much for much more.

My darling Lucinda is of course a big Lucinda Wiliams fan. I love the guitars on this new one!

Man, if this guy were still here today...

Interesting release. I could do without the Costello vocals (I'm not a fan) but otherwise quite interesting how they wove the music around the "lost" Dylan lyrics. At first the production bugged me, I wished it was a bit grittier and straight-forward but I'm used to it after some spins.

I got this one from a friend. I'm still wrapping my head around it. Very enjoyable. It sweeps from very personal to grand, smoothly and beautifully.

Taking a page from Lon's dog-eared book. The guitar tones on this one are fantastic!

@ Dave ... you need to pick this up if you like Damien Rice.  IMO "My Favourite Faded Fantasy" is his best and most cohesive album to date and the production by Rick Rubin is stellar.

http://www.billboard.com/articles/news/6319516/damien-rice-rick-rubin-new-album-...

Lon/Mark58...do you guys have a list of favorite solo jazz piano albums?  I am trying to increase my collection.  I get great enjoyment out of solo piano early weekend mornings with my cup of coffee.

Lon...I'm very sorry to hear about your Mom.  Wishing you and your family the best during this very difficult time.

Playing some of my Dad's favorites.



My Mom passed away this morning, very peacefully. We're all coping . .. well.

I know, you're right. Thanks Adam.

Thanks JD. We're all together now, and my girlfriend Lucinda as well, and reminiscing at what a wonderful wife, mother and friend she was. We're glad she's at peace, and amazed at what a restful, peaceful passing she had.

I wanted to hear the lovely opener "Remember"--because we have been doing a lot of remembering.

Dave,  I haven't been around for a while...I just saw your request.  I have heard or own all of Lon's recommendations and agree with him.

I prefer piano trio but recently I listened to Keith Jarrett's "The Melody At Night With You" which is different than his usual solo efforts in that most of the tunes are standards.  I like all of Jarrett's solo efforts but many are less accessible than this one.

I also listened to Bill Evan's "Alone"...it was enjoyable.  There are other solo Evan's LP's but I can't remember them well enough now to recommend them. I like both Evans and Jarrett more in a Trio Setting.  Mark.

A few more recommendations.

Fats Waller records were early recordings and for some that eliminates them but that's too bad as he was a genius player, writer, singer and entertainer. These solo recordings show amazing skill and are just so fun to listen to as well.



This Italian pianist does fascinating work that leans towards the avant garde. Here he takes the very saxophonic compositions of Albert Ayler in bold directions and has helped me to understand Ayler's work better. A great album.



Les Trinitaires is a live recording of a solo piano performance by Andrew Hill. I find new things to marvel at each time I listen to this. Not the easiest listen, but a very satisfying one if you make the effort.



Charles Mingus is one of my favorite musicians of all time. He was not an accomplished pianist but he could play and this is a mesmerizing album for me, delineating how he arranged and how he thought musically, and it has very satisfying performances. I've played this hundreds of times over the years.

You're welcome.

Solo piano can be such a very satisfying listen! I have to be in the mood, but when I am it's great. In some ways I view the piano is like an ordered universe, the kind of ordered universe I wish we lived in. Many years ago I used to go to a floor in the music building of the University of Texas that had a few dozen practice rooms with pianos. To close the door and enter another world with a piano for an hour or so. . . it did a lot of good for me then, when my life wasn't all ti could have been.

Due to my caregiving situation, I've been listening to more classical solo piano than jazz. I have been alternating lately between recordings by Rubenstein (elegant, precise, graceful) and Horowitz (dynamic, passionate, strong). What an instrument the piano is.

Thanks my friend. We're doing pretty well, it's good that for the next week or ten days all the family is in town.

Holy cow! This new Mobile Fidelity SACD of "American Beauty" sounds magnificent! I never knew this album could sound this good!

This album sounds great with the 20 bit K2 mastering...

2x180 gm


This trend for giving away the cd and/or an mp3 download with the vinyl album is puzzling but will make great stocking fillers.

First listen was last evening...listening again tonight.  Really enjoying this album so far, and it's the the first Damien Rice album that I can play in my PWT without horrible distortion...not sure what Damien or his record company have against the PWT (his earlier discs play fine in my Oppo, but the Oppo can't hold a candle to the PWT as a transport, sorry!)

Thanks to LR and Beowulf for putting this one on my radar...

Denon SACD player (flagship universal player Denon DVD-A1UDCI). This player makes SACDs sound astonishingly good. I've had the DEC685, the Sony 5400, a NAD, the Denon DCD-A100 and an Arcam and this player is the best I've ever heard.

Thanks Lon...if you have a moment...can you throw that disc in the PWT and let me know how it sounds...sometimes the Redbook mastering on those SACDs is quite good...