Audio Files: Audio Products of the Year 2020
The year 2020 was a terrible one for jazz fans, with listeners forced to settle for YouTube and Facebook streams instead of the live performances … Read More “Audio Files: Audio Products of the Year 2020”
Products & Gear
Get hip to the latest equipment for players and listeners alike in our Gearhead and Audio Files columns.
Audio Files: Getting Better Sound from Livestreamed Events
Thanks to COVID-19, and artists and venues shifting their focus to online streams, we may be seeing more jazz performances than ever before. What we’re … Read More “Audio Files: Getting Better Sound from Livestreamed Events”
Gearhead: Harry Partch and the Quadrangularis Reversum
The American composer and inventor Harry Partch (1901-1974) had lots of unusual ideas. Dissatisfied with the sounds that Western music could offer, he became interested … Read More “Gearhead: Harry Partch and the Quadrangularis Reversum”
Audio Files: Headphones That Help You Hear Better
For jazz fans, hearing loss can be as devastating as a chronic injury is to an athlete, because it makes it more difficult to enjoy … Read More “Audio Files: Headphones That Help You Hear Better”
Gearhead: Memories of the Guitorgan
In the Artist’s Choice section of our September issue, singer/songwriter/multi-instrumentalist Georgia Anne Muldrow made a comment that kicked my nostalgia circuits into high gear. She … Read More “Gearhead: Memories of the Guitorgan”
Audio Files: The New Generation of Extreme Speakers
Visit your local Best Buy, and you’ll get the idea that traditional loudspeakers are all but gone, replaced by wireless models from Sonos, Bose, Sony, … Read More “Audio Files: The New Generation of Extreme Speakers”
Gearhead: A Brief History of the Grafton Saxophone
Music technology changed a lot after World War II. Postwar introductions included the solidbody electric guitar, electric bass, seven-inch single, multitrack tape, transistors, and much … Read More “Gearhead: A Brief History of the Grafton Saxophone”
Audio Files: Getting Serious About Soundbars
For the last decade, soundbars—simple, elongated speakers designed to fit elegantly under a TV screen—were considered a poor man’s home theater. But thanks to technological … Read More “Audio Files: Getting Serious About Soundbars”
Audio Files: True Wireless Earphones
Drummer Jo Jones famously reacted to 16-year-old Charlie Parker’s playing by throwing a cymbal at his feet. Audio critics were almost as harsh in their … Read More “Audio Files: True Wireless Earphones”
Gearhead: Ralph Towner’s Acoustic Arsenal
In 1940, the jazz establishment was just coming to recognize the potential of the electric guitar as a lead instrument. After joining Benny Goodman’s orchestra … Read More “Gearhead: Ralph Towner’s Acoustic Arsenal”
