Introducing Werner Müller & His Orchestra: Swinging 60s and Latin Sides

My interest in the music of Werner Müller was reignited with the chance purchase of the Japanese selection ‘The Very Best of Werner Müller’ (registration no. WPCR-14529, Warner Music Japan, 2011). Straightaway, the immediate connection was to the sound of the 60s – hip swaying, swinging with a pop beat that could go with the rhythms of the big city, or down South towards Latin America. On this compilation, Müller’s outstanding arrangements recall his contemporary Paul Mauriat’s signature productions from 1965 to 1969. 

The track listing is guaranteed to get you up and about on the floor even if you had initially intended to ‘lounge about’ the sofa! ‘Pepito’ evokes the dancing girls, then ‘Frenesi’ delights you with touches of a Latin big band with strings…imagining quickly that ‘Love is Blue’ with a solid trumpet lead….the carnival continues red hot with ‘Little Brown Jug’ from the 1940s big band era, winding its way through ‘The Pearl Fishers’, Tom Jones’ ‘Green, Green Grass of Home’, and while ‘Waiting for a Sunrise’, you’ll have to stopover in ‘Tico Tico’, ‘Trumpet Blues’ territory, ‘Brazil’ and ‘Begin the Beguine’, marveling at ‘What a Wonderful World’ in the relaxed mood of Horst Fischer’s trumpet playing beautifully with the Werner Müller  strings…all before you bring your listening to a close.

1.Pepito

2.Frenesi

3. Love Is Blue

4. Little Brown Jug

5. Der Dritte Mann (The Third Man)

6. The Pearl Fishers

7. Jalousie

8 Green, Green Grass Of Home

9. Red Roses for A Blue Lady

10. The World is Waiting For a Sunrise

11. Tico Tico

12. Trumpet Blues

13.Mack The Knife

14.Yesterday

15. (Mozart’s) Symphony No.40 1st Movement

16. The Typewriter

17. Brazil

18. Begin The Beguine

19. A Man And A Woman

20. What A Wonderful World

21. The Farewell Trumpet

Tying in with the hip 60s beat is Dutton Vocalion’s reissue of Werner’s TROPICAL NIGHTS and HITS IN COLOR LPs from 1961 and 1960 respectively in 2014 as CDLK4510.

Tropical Nights
The original LP SLK 16191 (1961) STEREO

1. Delicado (Azevedo; Lawrence) Baion
2. Amapola (Lacalle; Gamse) Cha-cha
3. Fiesta Tropicana (Müller) Cha-cha
4. The Peanut Vendor (Simons; Sunshine; Gilbert) Baion
5. Spanish Harlem (Leiber; Spector) Bolero
6. Mañana (Lee; Barbour) Samba
7. In a Little Spanish Town (Wayne; Lewis; Young) Mambo
8. Adios (Madriguera; Woods) Beguine
9. O’Cangacéiro (Nascimento) Baion
10. Poinciana (Simon; Bernier) Tango
11.Taboo (Lecuona; Russell) Rumba
12. Quizás, Quizás, Quizás (Farrés; Davis) Beguine

Top Hits in Color
The original LP SLK 16171 (1960) STEREO

13.Love Letters in the Sand (Coots; C & N Kenny)
14.Venus (Marshall)
15. I Miss You So (Scott; Henderson; Robin)
16. Amor (Ruiz; Mendez; Skylar)
17.A Fool Such as I (Trader)
18.Tammy (Livingston; Evans)
19.It’s Not For Me to Say (Allen; Stillman)
20.My Prayer (Boulanger; Kennedy)
21.Chances Are (Allen; Stillman)
22.I Almost Lost My Mind (Hunter)
23.Easy to Love (Porter)
24.The Hawaiian Wedding Song (King; Hoffman; Manning)
25.It’s All in the Game (Dawes; Sigman) 26.All the Way (Van Heusen; Cahn)

These rare LPs ooze Latin nostalgia and record a style of string arrangement that had been largely lost when current film soundtrack composers attempted to reproduce the 1960s in the 1990s and later. Latin instrumentals, under Werner’s baton, divide themselves into manifold styles on the ballroom floor. Tropical nights – as the name of the first LP suggests – are also dance nights. I am not a professional student of Latin American dances, but Müller does a superb job of distinguishing ‘Quizas’ from ‘Spanish Harlem’ and ‘Amapola’. They all have a beat and are a sure thrill to listen to, while also puzzling over how differently the left and right feet are to move on the floor. That said, this music that is also evocative of Edmundo Ros, the Clebanoff Strings, Xavier Cugat, Perez Prado and Manuel and his Music of the Mountains under a balmy tropical night…but with more intense shades of color. Müller occasionally inserts a wordless female, and male (‘O Cangaceiro’), chorus to add a flavor of exotica. Then there are strategic flourishes of 1960s style surfin’ guitar plucking a la songs like ‘Verde’ and ‘Wheels’ to add a little period magic – like on ‘Adios’! So there you have an early ‘orchestral easy’ formula: strings, percussion and voice set to a ‘groove’. Although, the second LP from 1960 is not strictly Latin, it’s pop beat shades off nicely from TROPICAL NIGHTS. I highly recommend these remasters especially because they are contemporaries of the early Mauriat and Caravelli arrangements. Although there will be space for a separate review of Caravelli’s music, I would note here that ILD records of France have produced a very admirable remaster of two recordings under Monsieur Caravelli’s early name ‘Caravelli and his Magic Violins’ under the two-LP-in-one format with the title C'est joli la mer in February 2013. A sample of the tracks in C'est joli la mer are as follows:

Amour, tango et tambourin - Le comédien - Y' aura toujours - Paillasse - C'est pas sérieux - La marmite - La chansonnette - C'est joli la mer - Les guitares du diable - Les printemps d'aujourd'hui - Jouez mariachis - Sifflez en travaillant du film "Blanche Neige et les 7 nains" - Les filles de Copenhague - Sans toi - Caterina - Notre escalier - La musique - Le restaurant chinois - Welcome home to my heart - Chanson d'Argentine - Brasilia mon amour - I can't stop loving you - Fallait-il ? - Guitare et copains

Like Caravelli, Werner Müller made his name on the ballroom dance scene. From what is available on the Internet, Müller was the conductor and arranger for the RIAS radio and TV station orchestra and subsequently, the WDR orchestra, both very well known in Germany. Bert Kaempfert also sported a similar career trajectory – he learnt from the American dance bands that were popularized in the immediate post-World War Two period when the US and Allied forces occupied the country and gradually restored normalcy. US and other ‘world/pop culture’ influences were introduced in a massive way into German popular culture. Well, one might say that Werner Müller represented one synthesis, Kaempfert, and James Last, even Kai Warner, Berry Lipman and Kurt Edelhagen serve as other interesting variations of easy listening from Germany. Enjoy!

AC

November 2014

ITALIAN HI FI RIVIERA PART TWO: Matching Pathos Frontiers Prime with the Sansui AU-X711 Integrated Amplifier

The SANSUI AU-X 711 INTEGRATED AMPLIFIER vintage 1989 – Reproducing the Magic of Vinyl from CD, Or the Deeper Appreciation of Ronnie Aldrich, Rosemary Squires, Matt Monro and Reader’s Digest Music

Seen from the photograph, this is a ‘behemoth’ of an integrated amplifier that sits awkwardly alongside the stylishly themed disc players on the table. Focus your attention on the orange backlighting of the function buttons, it evokes the neon-drenched pop music of the 1980s accentuated by orange hues in hairdos and punk elements. Back in the 1980s, ‘boomboxes’ sporting CD compartments were part of the street scene, the mall scene and at parties of all ages…But my review is about showcasing how this SANSUI AU-X 711 hides a classic sound behind that snazzy façade that upon first glance may not appeal to everyone. First up here are the statistics of the SANSUI AU-X711:

Power Output
100W into 8Ω (stereo)

Input Sensitivity
2.5mV (mm), 0.3mV (mc), 150mV (line)

Speaker Impedance
4 to 16Ω

Dimensions
430 x 163 x 450 mm

Frequency Response
20Hz to 20kHz

Signal to Noise Ratio
88dB (mm), 70dB (mc), 110dB (line)

Weight
17.2 kg

This is my first taste of a Hi Fi product from this Japanese manufacturer, barring the brief period when I was 10-12 years old when my parents first owned a set up comprising SANSUI 2500 five driver speakers, a turntable – presumably also from SANSUI – and I think matched to the AU101 or AU555. The sound was ‘big’, room filling and lent clarity to Ray Conniff and his singers. I particularly recall their rendition of ‘Music to Watch Girls By’ remain etched in my sonic memory as exceptionally warm and could fill one’s head with a pleasantly repeating melody for more than a whole day.

The SANSUI amplifier – every model ever built – would frequently surface at my regular second hand store, GM Sound, at Singapore’s famous Sim Lim Square electronics shopping centre. The store owner would always beckon me to try out the category of SANSUI or LUXMAN. I had resisted until now. Many newer amplifiers had apparently failed, with the exception of the earlier reviewed PATHOS Classic One MkIII, to match the expectations of my earful of vinyl memories from the late 1970s. I can only tell you how GREAT the AU-X711 sounds by revisiting some particular favourites in my CD library featuring vinyl remasters.

First up – the piano artistry of Mr Ronnie Aldrich on DECCA and ECLIPSE records. Occasionally, the Dutton-vocalion remaster would turn me off as an under quality production: the TOGETHERNESS double LP from 1970 reissued on CD in 2005 and THIS WAY IN from 1968 reissued on CD in 2004. Being a regularly concert goer, my ears always hanker for a sound that is as natural as possible. Aldrich’s piano could sound really deadbeat and draggy on many systems prompting one to either blame the remastering, shun the artiste, or wish the LP could be listened too again. The AU-X711 worked the Aldrich recordings like a marriage made in heaven with the PATHOS Digit player, the Bel Canto CD2, the Gato Audio CDD1, and even the JUNGSON Moon Harbour CD2S – all linked by Crystal Cable Standard Diamond Power Cords and interconnects, matched to the PATHOS Frontiers Prime speakers. What was this magic? Like a supreme wizard, the AU-X711 uncorked all the resonances, natural sonic decays and other incidental studio reflections from the original vinyl. Aldrich’s every note hung in the air space between the speakers and the listener as if he were playing just for you – in your living room. I was astounded by how Aldrich and the London Festival Orchestra ‘rocked’ the stage on Paul Simon’s composition ‘Cecilia’ and another pop hit ‘My Baby Loves Lovin’ on their 1970 TOGETHERNESS album. On the 1968 LP THIS WAY IN, ‘Mrs Robinson’ and ‘Mas Que Nada’ had the same thrill – lively and groovy, and tempting to get oneself up onto the dancefloor. Maybe it was the characteristic ‘holographic’ reproductive feature on the PATHOS Frontiers that added to the overwhelming sense of excitement – an ambience that everybody emotionally involved with the music were having a fantastic time – a time of their lives? On slower numbers, ballads like ‘By the Time I Get to Phoenix’, ‘This Guy’s in Love with You’ and ‘The Long and Winding Road’ reveal Aldrich’s pianistic touch as becoming a resemblance of a Tchaikovsky or a Rachmaninov piano concerto: every note of his piano COMMANDS your attention as if these were physical drops of sonic pearls. Like the ultimate wizard, the SANSUI makes music a life changing experience – everyday.

Not unlike the much touted vanishing cream promised by some cosmetics manufacturers, the SANSUI takes years off every vocal performance, and takes you time travelling to smoky jazz clubs in New York, Jazz at the Radio City Music Hall, or trendy dinner venues with dance floors in Sixties swinging London. Rosemary Squires, a chanteuse frequently found on rare Reader’s Digest compilations, has now gained a fan in me – thanks to the SANSUI! For a solid state amplifier to evoke the precision of emotion from four decades past is quite a remarkable feat. Two of my all-time favourites by Rosemary are her renditions of ‘People’ and ‘I’ve Got You Under my Skin’. The SANSUI conveys all the pathos of the torch singer, the girl pining for an estranged boy, and the purity of indulgence in sheer sentimentality. I can bet you that Ella Fitzgerald and Carmen McCrae would also find a new plane of glory through the SANSUI. If you want to experience this level of sonic indulgence, get a copy of Reader’s Digest SENTIMENTAL SONGS THAT WILL LIVE FOREVER on RD USA, produced in 1996, catalogue numbers 067B and O67C, while they are still available on CD box sets. Other Reader’s Digest box sets feature another favourite of mine: Matt Monro, supposedly Britain’s ‘answer’ to Sinatra. That characteristically nasally voice assumes a new plane of suave subtlety via the SANSUI. Listen to his mesmerizing interpretations of ‘Autumn Leaves’ and the Beatles’ ‘Yesterday’ and ‘All my Loving’ and you’ll be amazed how good vinyl remasters sound on CD! One last note: try also Barry Manilow’s 2010 recording of GREATEST LOVE SONGS OF ALL on BMG-ARISTA through the AU-X711 and you realize how this recording is technically brilliant and Manilow’s voice is rendered ‘ageless’ through this evergreen solid state amplifier. Be warned that this SANSUI amplifier offers a totally addictive sound. If you ask me to compare it with the Pathos Classic One amplifier, they are almost on par. The Classic One draws level on 99% of all the Ronnie Aldrich and DECCA instrumental recordings, but it is just that 1% where the SANSUI establishes its superiority as the premier interpreter of vinyl quality from digital formats. As for vocals recorded in the all digital DDD format, the Classic One lets your Carreras, Domingo, Katherine Jenkins, Filippa Giordano and Streisand breathe much more ambiently and with more precision. But if you still need the 1950s-1970s to sound like you have never left them, grab the vintage SANSUI off any good second hand seller. For fans of Paul Mauriat and other French orchestras, their music sounds equally good on both amplifiers.

Just a small listening tip for the Sansui: avoid turning on the loudness button since it will overdose on the bass; listen at somewhere just before the 9 o’clock volume position; keep the ‘subsonic’ and ‘tone’ buttons depressed – part of the Sansui magic; and set the Treble at the position of ‘+ 1’; or as I have demonstrated in the picture above, set the SOURCE to direct and bypass all of the treble and bass controls, and you’ll be able to hear how great the original vinyl sounded, in spite of the remastering on CD.

For your information, inclusive of the modifications I requested of the speaker terminals (to accommodate spade or shotgun style terminated Nordost Blue Heaven speaker cables), and a three pin power cable socket, this amplifier set me back by approximately US$900.00. Modifications were contracted to NORMAN Audio Pte Ltd of Adelphi shopping centre, Singapore, the local retailer and consultant on high end audio. Well worth it for an amplifier to be kept for life!

Alan

[You are welcome to correspond with me on Hi Fi at orchestraljoy@yahoo.com.sg]

ITALIAN HI FI RIVIERA PART ONE: The all-PATHOS trio of Classic One MkIII integrated amplifier, Digit CD player and Frontiers Prime loudspeakers

When it comes to very long term Hi Fi romances, the Italians are probably the ones to cement them. The verdant Riviera, the rolling countryside, the gentle colours, the aromas of pizza, pasta and antipasti set against the soft grandeur of Roman statues and grand mansions from the last century and earlier are all evoked by the sounds produced by this trio of PATHOS equipment. As with most PATHOS products, the prices reflect truly ‘High End’ quality, so I can afford what I review here only after spacing out my purchases over a few years….But this is a romance still in blossom. Firstly, it happened by design, followed by the conviction that the sound matches the superiority of its artistic appearances. Once again, in keeping with the fashion of my music review site, I have used albums from the Easy Listening genre to review the PATHOS sound. Additionally, I am also talking abo9ut buying into Hi Fi ART…yes, they also function as veritable museum pieces in your home.

PATHOS Classic One Mark III

This is a sight unlike anything on the market at the time of this review. I have read reviews that say that PATHOS designs are a fusion where designer Federico Fellini encountered Hi-Fi. Another way of appreciating the beauty of this intricate little integrated amplifier is to search for images of 1930s and 1940s luxury motorboat designs online such the site by Nautilus Restorations: http://www.nautilusrestorations.com/main/nautilus-marine-wooden-boat-restorations/. Then review two most recent Hollywood films set in maritime Italy – THE TALENTED MR RIPLEY and THE TOURIST – and you’ll instinctively understand why this amplifier must be collected by anyone with a penchant for art. Better still, the sound seduces the Hi Fi enthusiasts into appreciating the art of building sound boxes that appeal to the visual senses…I must say that after acquiring PATHOS kit, I cannot contemplate NAD ever again. [That is of course, a matter of taste so I shall not offend any NAD fans, since I had been one myself a long time ago.] First up, some technical details from PATHOS’own website (www.pathosacoustics.com):

“The pre-stage - or, better, the preamplifier - is purely tube, balanced, pure Class A, extremely low noise, with high intrinsic linearity and without any feedback. It provides an exquisitely tube sound in terms of transparency, air, harmonics and refinement… in one word, musicality.

The power stage is a solid state power amplifier, high bias current, Class A/AB in order to adequately drive every load. It provides the sound with speed and dynamics, without influencing the tube nature of the sound. The volume control is motorised and remote controlled, the remote itself is of solid wood. Power supplies are over-dimensioned and stabilised. Selected components, pure silver Pathos signal cable wiring, gold plated terminals, high quality materials, and refinement at its highest standard are additional benefits provided with the Classic One.”

In my own opinion, the sound is decidedly warm, inviting and richly layered to transport you far away from your living room. There is a pronounced airiness around voices, instruments and background tracks – where they are available in some studio recordings. In Part Two – the sequel – I will compare the Classic One Mk III against the Sonus Faber Musica, but right now, I’d say the Classic One stands in a class of its own. In a word, music comes to life. When operating the amplifier, be sure however to let it stand for some 10-15 minutes in order to experience its peak performance. A cold start of one minute from turn on may produce a flat sound for the first two tracks of any disc (or MP3 clip, if you listen to these connected via a suitable DAC). In fact, the warm up 10 second ‘no sound’ pause – signified by a ‘P’ on the miniscule LCD screen – ensures that the amplifier prolongs the life span of the two E88CC tubes. According to the instruction manual, it is the pre-amplifier section that gets its signals processed through the tubes, while the power amplifier housed in the rear rectangular hump acts as the force that rounds out the 70 watts promised for 8 Ohm speakers that are used here – also from PATHOS. And mind you, despite its size, the Classic One drives the mega-sized PATHOS Frontiers Prime with finesse. Out of its 100 step volume, I have rarely turned it up beyond 25 or 26. On good quality recordings the volume rarely goes beyond 21.

Aesthetically, there is so much to go on admiring about the Classic One. Scanning the structures above the black acrylic base plate, one imagines a typical art deco era electric power station complete with antique lamps, red colour step up or step down transformers, and the main power generators housed within serious looking steel casing with parallel bar patterns to keep air circulating and sensitive objects out. Looking on from the front, where the PATHOS logo is affixed to a paduk red wood faceplate, the motorboat helm analogy is all real. Looking even closer, one realizes there is neither numbering nor lettering on the paduk wood indicating input selections or volume level. Instead one is invited to turn the knobs rightward to increase volume or to change the input selection to a higher numbered one. Both share the same LCD screen – which means you have to familiarize yourself through the manual and toggle the knobs by intuition. The same principle applies to the handsome paduk wood remote control – the unmarked steel buttons are pendants of style – subtle, period-like and postmodern – all in keeping with the mystique of the Classic One. The feel of operating a modernized classic from a bygone era is irresistible.

The PATHOS Frontiers Prime – The Fusion of Ferrari and Lounge

            From the mere sight of it on the e-brochure on the PATHOS webpage, the PATHOS speakers grabbed my attention with his lyre-like shape, Ferrari orange automotive gloss, the swiveling top mounted cone and tweeter, and the ‘back firing’ upward angled cone and tweeter. The KEF Blade comes close in design with a side-firing cone but I haven’t tested that yet so I shall avoid commenting on it. Still, there is plenty of eye candy on the Frontiers Prime – through not in a TRANSFORMERS sort of way (recall ‘Optimus Prime’). Like the Classic One, the mystique begins with a design that blends the black of the suite of traditional looking cones and tweeters with the spunky orange of the bodywork. It is once again, classic yet modern, even postmodern. Some technical details:

Recommended amplifier rating: 15 - 200w

Drive Units:

2x 40mm tweeter (1 rear)
2x 165mm mid (1 rear)
2x 210mm bass

Frequency Range: 27Hz - 30kHz

Crossover Frequency: 200Hz, 4000Hz

Sensitivity: 91dB

Impedance: 8 Ohms

FRONTIERS PRIME Dimensions: Width 330mm; Height 1310mm; Depth 650mm

Weight (approx.): 40kg

            Does the Frontiers Prime live up to its looks? An absolute YES! I have been listening to straightforward front firing one and a half to three way speakers for as long as I have been into this hobby, the Frontiers Prime does a very good job of eliminating the confines of the room in terms of its negative reverberation qualities, or conversely, enhancing its reasonable resonating space for realistic sound reproduction. PATHOS calls this ‘Sound Set Technology’. As you can see from my set-up, the walls are slightly over one metre distant from the rear firing cone and tweeter. The effect: a nearly perfect holographic sound especially if the remastering or original recording is good. The orchestra is in the room, and the piano keys are almost visible because the ear is taken for a ‘good’ ride by the neo-holographic sound. It helped that I started out with slightly better than average power cables from Hong Kong, and the holographic experience improved by leaps once I switched to the present combination of Crystal Cable Diamond Reference power cords for both the Classic One and the Digit CD player hooked up to a Qbase QB4 AC power distributor. The soundstage was wide enough to estimate the size of any orchestra. I experimented with swiveling the top section to target a ‘sweet listening spot’ in the middle in front of the equipment table, then refocused them ever more radically away from the sweet spot. Amazingly, I preferred the latter pattern over time because the cone and tweeter in tandem with their rear firing counterparts widened the sound stage very very considerably. Recordings by the Boston Pops orchestra under Arthur Fiedler and John Williams evoked a live concert hall atmosphere – literally a sonic teleportation without 3D cinema. Put on the newer FRANCE EMI Home Theatre quality remasters of Franck Pourcel, you’ll get a dolby surround effect without sound surround equipment. It was that thrilling! You don’t even think of being disengaged – ever! Sound Set Technology, plus the rear firing cone and tweeter, plus the sonically enhanced shape all added to Hi Fi magic – and there’s just no other way to describe it! These speakers will be my mainstay for a very very long time. One word of caution though: if like me, you are using a single pair of speaker cables – as most integrated amplifiers do – remember to affix the speakers ends of the cable to the positive and negative sockets/receptacles marked ‘front’ on the Frontiers Prime for the ideal sound. The Frontiers Prime is after all set up for tri-wiring, inclusive of woofer, and rear terminals – how more exotic can you get! ‘Woofer’, or ‘wF’ in short, gives you the most ‘concert hall like’ acoustics from the Frontiers Prime at the expense of bass and treble for vocals and instrumental solos, so it’s best to avoid it unless you listen to classical music all the time since this genre is mostly recorded ‘live’ without mixing and editing. I have tried playing a mixture of Baroque, Mozart and Italian opera and the ‘wF’ only position is worth a pair of front row seats in any house! The run of the mill jumpers connecting all three terminals exert a minimal effect on the proceedings so I’ve decided to stick with the factory supplied ones.

In keeping with PATHOS mystique and minimalist presentation, the speakers arrived in light coloured wooden crates accompanied by large cloth-like Styrofoam sheaths and no explanatory notes or certificates, except for a single page of installation instructions. Because each speaker weighed 40 kilogrammes, it required two men to lift, fix the smooth base spikes (that do not scratch any floor!), and then lift it erect in the desired position. THIS IS A SPEAKER THAT KEEPS GIVING AND GIVING despite its S$25,000.00 price tag….[I am also waiting at this time for the review by the European magazine MONO&STEREO, but here’s a detailed review from a Czech Hi-Fi site AUDIODROM: http://www.audiodrom.cz/en-version/364.html]
  

PATHOS DIGIT CD Player

To complete the scenery of sound and art, the PATHOS DIGIT CD Player takes you to a complementary classical futurist fusion of black backdrops and silver surfaces punctuated with the industrial circles that peek into the basic technology that puts the player a cut above the competition. These basic specifications are found on the PATHOS site: 

Dual differential 24-bit delta-signal DACs
Tube feature: Dual, fully balanced, tube, class A, zero feedback - 2 x Electro-Harmonix 6922 valves

Conversion rate: up to 192 KHz

Sonic range: 120 dB
THD + N: -100 db
Power supply: Stabilized dedicated digital
Level: 2 V,fixed
Analogue Outputs: 1 XRL; 1 line RCA;

Digital Output: Coaxial S/PDIF

Size: 23 x 46 x 8.5 cm
Weight: 9Kg

For this review, I picked four titles as shown in the picture below: Franck Pourcel for showcasing the latest remastered dynamics of vinyl sound; Paul Mauriat’s ‘Screen Music Three’ for displaying string bass, piano and electric guitar rhythms; the mixed compilation ‘Serrenade’ from the PACIFIC MOON label; and Dionne Warwick’s 2011 remastered ‘Valley of the Dolls’ 1968 LP on CD. The verdict: amazing transparency, studio or hall acoustics and the naturalness of instruments and voices, and add to that soundstage and excellent timing.

First off, Dionne Warwick’s alternately light, breezy soul tones were conveyed with great sensitivity, highlighting Burt Bacharach’s genius for capturing the hip and melancholic hues of her singing talent. ‘Valley of the Dolls’ and ‘Up, Up and Away’ were rendered with tremendous panache and ‘pathos’ as if Dionne were singing just for you. And there was a certain crispness to the entire album that I would dare any vinyl fan to compare with a record player. Paul Mauriat’s hip pop rock rhythms came across with a naturalness that defied the dates on which they were first recorded: the ‘Singin in the Rain/Over the Rainbow’ medley was spectacularly gripping for its sheer entertainment and the two tracks ‘Theme du ‘Histoire D’Or’ and ‘Theme from ‘Mahogany’’ that featured the wordless solo female choruses produced the unforgettable chills of a live performance – in my room. Next, the delicate Chinese violin-like instrument – the Erhu – was presented with a distinctive wail on its ending note each and every time on ‘Serenade’, played by virtuoso Jia Peng Fang, so much so that there was a poignant form of invisible poetry being communicated from the recording straight into your soul. Listen to Franck Pourcel remastered on ‘home theatre sound’ and you’ll easily mistake 40-50 year old recordings for the detail of a 21^st century production using digital mixing. Particularly, ear grabbing were his interpretations of Saturday Night Fever’s ‘Manhattan Skyline’, ‘The Old Fashioned Way’ and ‘Chariot’ with its distinctive 60s’era guitar lead – each of these tracks put on a new majesty in their own way and dominated the imaginary concert stage in my living room..what a Riviera of sound it has been and time just passes without notice, flowing out of a pleasurable afternoon of pure audio listening…

Before I end this review, just a small caveat: I had used CRYSTAL CABLE POWER CORDS (Diamond Reference for the Classic One MkIII and Digit CD Player), CRYSTALCONNECT Diamond Standard for connecting the DIGIT to the Classic One, and NORDOST Blue Heaven 1.5 metre length speaker cables between the Classic One and the PATHOS Frontiers Prime (I may want to replace these with CRYSTALSPEAK Standard if I can afford them later). This combination had eliminated what I thought was an irritating load of ‘static feedback’ – audible in between tracks – coming from the DIGIT player whenever it was turned on. Moreover, the Crystal Cable wires worked harmoniously with the NORDOST speaker cables to produce an ‘out of [speaker] body’ effect on virtually all the orchestral tracks – ethereal but truly gratifying. Now you can guess why it took so long budget-wise to assemble such a cast of wonderful sound J Watch out for my next installment reviewing the SONUS FABER MUSIC and the Gato Audio CDD-1 player in tandem with the PATHOS Frontiers Prime.

Rgds,
ALAN

[Postscript, 21 August 2015: If you can spare the extra budget, upgrade even the speaker cables to at least the Crystal Cable Micro Diamond series (1.5 metres). The upgrade in sound quality will undergo a quantum leap. Jaw-dropping transparency, tightened bass, analogue recordings brought into almost three-dimensional effect etc. The next higher priced category for Crystal Cable is the Standard Diamond which is not a lot more expensive. But the next higher category, the Reference Diamond, is near stratospheric in price! So budget carefully, and you'll want to keep the PATHOS equipment for life since each cable change can only demonstrate their hidden vitality!] 

POSTSCRIPT - 10 JANUARY 2018

I was able to afford some tweaks following some advice I read on techradar.com. Switch out the stock 6922 tubes on the PATHOS Classic One and replace with a US$180.00 pair of Mullards. The latter are the midrange ones available on the market. They are mostly UK-made new old stock, as they are called, made in the 1970s. Of course, if you have the cash, you can go for the ultimate, Telefunken version of the Mullards costing US$448.00 a pair to get the best improvement - I'm told. I am now running the Classic One with the US$180.00 pair of Mullards as you can see in the picture below. This is not something PATHOS would officially recommend.

The results: the Classic One MkIII became a whole new smoother and warmer sounding amplifier overall! Every part of the sound - midrange, higher registers, lower registers - exhibited more detail, not just the warmth expected of the Mullards. Even the volume control did not need to be turned up beyond position 20 for an average sized room. For jazz saxophone, one could feel the soul in the horns, soundstage remaining as detailed as ever. Switch to jazz vocals of the likes of Ella, Rosemary Clooney and Laura Fygi, you hear the vocal chords with great naturalness and body. Switch to orchestras, you get the same depth and lots of dimensionality in the movement of strings, piano and percussion. That said, the Classic One may occasionally struggle to reproduce the correct aura of a remastered analogue recording from the 1970s - perhaps a 1 in 10 chance of a disappointment. But this should not deter you from enjoying the Classic One.

I am now experimenting with the same Mullard switching with a second hand PATHOS LOGOS Mk I. And the results are stupendously encouraging - this time, the LOGOS manages to rival my other cherished brand Sansui! My whole point about this short postscript is to draw music fans' attention to the possibilities of tube rolling with hybrid amplifiers. The LOGOS is now high up on my list of all time favourites! There will be a separate review of the LOGOS later in 2018. Meanwhile, enjoy the world of Hi Fi!

The Fantastic Sound of the Gunter Kallmann Choir

The CD inserts are ogling good fun...particularly if you are a collector of mementos of 1960s nostalgia. Sound-wise, the Gunter Kallmann choir does not disappoint especially since this was a chance acquisition while browsing randomly at a music store on a weekday afternoon. This choir’s name immediately evokes comparisons with the famous Ray Conniff, the Mike Sammes Singers, the Anita Kerr Singers, the Alan Copeland Singers and the innumerable Reader’s Digest rosters of mini choirs and octets. What is different? First, the blending of the female and male voices – three in each set, as can be seen from the front cover. There is an indescribable harmonic synergy that carries out a poetic dialogue between the two halves of the choir on every track – and I would say, much more so than heard on Ray Conniff arrangements or Anita Kerr’s singers. Secondly, there is a playfulness and ‘bounce’ in the way Gunter Kallmann arranges the pop hits of 1968-70 for his inimitable choir of six persons. A whole new dimension is imparted to these 24 lovelies in this remastered set published in 2010 by the German Jazzclub label in coordination with Polydor Germany. Thirdly, Gunter seems to have utilized a full string and percussion backing for all of his productions. Play this CD on a first rate Hi Fi system, you will find yourself in neo-vinyl analogue paradise! I’ll even use this as a test disc for any future Hi Fi upgrades. My personal standout tracks are: the French chanson sung in English ‘Live for Life’ – done evocatively to imitate late 1960s Parisian chic; ‘Daydream’ – which I had never heard of before, even though the liner notes state that it was a top 10 hit; ‘Where’s the Playground Susie?’; the Paul Simon composition ‘Fifty Ninth Street Bridge Song’ which is sure to get you going right after coffee and toast on any morning; ‘My Cherie Amour’ spills romantic syrup in all the right doses; and ‘Early in the Morning’ will get you tapping your feet on a long boring afternoon; plus ‘Galveston’ which gets a new gospel like lease of life when the Kallman Choir sings the narrative of homesickness and the love lost on the shores of Galveston, Texas – an emotion which Glen Campbell’s original hit tuned exclusively towards a country music audience. Once you are in the mood, make sure you pay attention to the other gems such as the Christmas medley and of course the James Last hit ‘Happy Heart’. Salud to great music!

01. Daydream
02. It's Getting Better
03. The Windmills Of Your Mind
04. Where's The Playground, Susie?
05. Live For Life
06. One Summer's Day
07. Fifty-Ninth Street Bridge Song (Feeling Groovy)
08. My Cherie Amour
09. By The Time I Get To Phoenix
10. Happy Heart
11. The Eyes Of Love
12. Wait Until Dark
13. Early In The Morning
14. The Colour Of My Love
15. If Paradise Is Half As Nice
16. When I Look In Your Eyes
17. The Shadow Of Your Smile
18. A Time For Us
19. A Minute Of Your Time
20. Christmas Medley
21. Just A Dream
22. Galveston
23. Days Of Laughter
24. Once In Each Life

EASY LISTENING JAPAN 4 CD Set Featuring Al Hirt, Arthur Fiedler, Henry Mancini, Hugo Winterhalter, The Three Suns, Floyd Cramer, and the Grand Fantastic Strings etc.

 

First, the cover – a beautiful model for beautiful music – reminiscent of the 1960s such as the 1966 LP ‘Michelle’ by Caravelli and his Magnificent Strings which I have put here just for artistic contrast.

Under review is an exotic collection titled ‘EASY LISTENING 100’ (4 Discs), featuring various artistes, catalogue no. BVCM 38070/3. Made by BMG Japan and released in 2009 in very small quantities only in Japan. As it is the case with Japanese CD releases, the production year printed on the discs and information booklet is 2008, the year before the disc becomes commercially available. (The information booklet has titles printed in English inside! Description is in Japanese though.) This collection is very different from the majority of EZ listening compilations produced in the Japanese market because it selects tracks from artistes in the RCA Vinyl catalogue from mostly the 1960s, with a sprinkling from the 1970s, the rest of what is now known as the consolidated BMG music company catalogue. Those of us who are instrumental collectors of ‘the vinyl sound’ will adore this collection which features 100% original analogue recordings tuned to typically exacting Japanese standards of remastering. Although a handful of tracks reveal a trace of the ‘MONO’ recording format typical of the early 1960s, the majority are faithful to the fully STEREO format that caught on from the mid-1960s onwards. Leaving these technicalities aside, this box set is pure enjoyment from start to finish. It is more than nostalgia, the dynamics of these trumpeters, pianists, trios, grand orchestras, symphonies and pops orchestras will leave you in awe of what Vinyl-based stereo remains truly capable of.  Pick any of the four discs to start your musical journey with and you’ll be enthralled, especially if you play the discs in chronological order from tracks 1 to 25, since the compilers have taken care to start with a rousing exuberant mood in the first two to three tracks before gently landing you onto a romantic mood in the middle and closing with a breezy melody. Artistes include: Hugo Winterhalter & his orchestra; the accordion quartet The Three Suns; Chet Atkins & Los Indios Tabajaras on guitar; Perez Prado; Henry Mancini; Ralph Flanagan and his orchestra; the New Glenn Miller Orchestra; Morton Gould & his Orchestra; Al Hirt on lush trumpet; Floyd Cramer on piano; Johnny Douglas and his Orchestra; Michel Legrand conducting his own orchestra; Artie Shaw’s big band; Arthur Fiedler and the Boston Pops; Hugo Montenegro & orchestra; rarities like Castello Rivo on guitar, Juan D’Arienzo y su Orquesta Tipica, AND to me, hard to find remasters of the CD-4 LP sound of the ‘Grand Fantastic Strings’ which were popular on the easy instrumental radio format in the early 1970s. You can’t put a price on nostalgia from the BMG-RCA vaults of instrumental treasures from a fabulous decade!  Here’s a track listing for fans of instrumental easy from the golden decade of the 60s:  

DISC 1

1 .AROUND THE WORLD IN 80 DAYS – HUGO WINTERHALTER AND HIS ORCHESTRA

2.UNDER PARIS SKIES – THE THREE SUNS

3.BLUE TANGO – ARTHUR FIEDLER & THE BOSTON POPS ORCHESTRA

4. STAR DUST – LOS INDIOS TABAJARAS

5. CEREZO ROSA – PEREZ PRADO AND HIS ORCHESTRA

6.SUZUKAKE NO MICHI – SHOUJI SUZUKI

7. MYSTERY MOVIE THEME – HENRY MANCINI & HIS ORCHESTRA

8 .THEME FROM 'THE PROUD ONE' – THE THREE SUNS

9 . THEME FROM 'COME SEPTEMBER' – CHET ATKINS

10. 13 JOURS EN FRANCE – GRAND FANTASTIC STRINGS

11 .THE PINK PANTHER THEME – HENRY MANCINI & HIS ORCHESTRA

12. JOHNNY GUITAR – LOS INDIOS TABAJARAS

13. I CAN'T STOP LOVIN' YOU – FLOYD CRAMER

14. DAYS OF WINE AND ROSES – ARTHUR FIEDLER & THE BOSTON POPS ORCHESTRA

15. CANADIAN SUNSET / HUGO WINTERHALTER AND HIS ORCHESTRA

16. L'ECLISSE – COLLETO TEMPIA & ORCHESTRA

17.THEME FROM 'LOVE STORY' – HENRY MANCINI & HIS ORCHESTRA

18. BABY ELEPHANT WALK – HENRY MANCINI & HIS ORCHESTRA

19. SONG FROM MOULIN ROUGE(WHERE IS YOUR HEART) – THE THREE SUNS

20. SPANISH HARLEM – CHET ATKINS

21.NEVER ON SUNDAY – ARTHUR FIEDLER & THE BOSTON POPS ORCHESTRA

22. MOON RIVER – HENRY MANCINI & HIS ORCHESTRA

23. IN THE MOOD – THE NEW GLENN MILLER ORCHESTRA

24. RAINDROPS KEEP FALLIN' ON MY HEAD – THE GRAND FANTASTIC STRINGS

25.SINGING WINDS – RALPH FLANAGAN AND HIS ORCHESTRA

DISC 2

1.    THE WAY YOU LOOK TONIGHT – MORTON GOULD AND HIS ORCHESTRA

2.    THE ENTERTAINER – HENRY MANCINI & HIS ORCHESTRA

3.    THE HAUNTED GUITAR – THE THREE SUNS

4.    MOONGLOW - THEME FROM 'PICNIC' – MARTY GOLD AND HIS ORCHESTRA

5.    THE SHADOW OF YOUR SMILE - FLOYD CRAMER

6.    FASCINATION – HENRI RENE AND HIS ORCHESTRA

7.    PATRICIA -  PEREZ PRADO AND HIS ORCHESTRA

8.    LOVE THEME FROM 'ROMEO AND JULIET' – HENRY MANCINI & HIS ORCHESTRA

9.    SONG OF THE BAREFOOT CONTESSA - HUGO WINTERHALTER AND HIS ORCHESTRA

10.  MARIA ELENA – LOS INDIOS TABAJARAS

11.  ANNA (EL NEGROS ZUMBON) – HUGO WINTERHALTER AND HIS ORCHESTRA

12.  LA PLAYA – CHRISTIAN CALVI AND HIS ORCHESTRA

13.  DOWNTOWN – FLOYD CRAMER

14.  LOSS OF LOVE – HENRY MANCINI & HIS ORCHESTRA

15.  BUGLER'S HOLIDAY – ARTHUR FIEDLER & THE BOSTON POPS ORCHESTRA

16.  ORANGE BLOSSOM SPECIAL – CHET ATKINS

17.  QUE RICO EL MAMBO – PEREZ PRADO AND HIS ORCHESTRA

18.  I'VE GOT YOU UNDER MY SKIN – MORTON GOULD AND HIS ORCHESTRA

19.  MISTY – THE NEW GLENN MILLER ORCHESTRA

20.  TEA FOR TWO – SHOUJI SUZUKI

21.  SWEET CAROLINE – GRAND FANTASTIC STRINGS

22.  COTTON CANDY – AL HIRT

23.  STRANGERS ON THE SHORE – FLOYD CRAMER

24.  WONDERLAND BY THE NIGHT – AL HIRT

25.  EBB TIDE – JOHNNY DOUGLAS & HIS ORCHESTRA

DISC 3

1.SELZNICK INTERNATIONAL TRADEMARK MAIN TITLE:DIXIE,MAMMY,TARA,RHETT – CHARLES GERHARDT CONDUCTING THE NATIONAL PHILHARMONIC ORCHESTRA

2.THREE COINS IN THE FOUNTAIN – LOS INDIOS TABAJARAS

3. THE TOUCH(LE GRISBI) - THE THREE SUNS

4. AUTUMN LEAVES- MICHEL LEGRAND & HIS ORCHESTRA

5. WHATEVER WILL BE,WILL BE (QUE SERA,SERA) – CHET ATKINS

6.BAMBLE BOOGIE – FREDDY MARTIN & HIS ORCHESTRA

7. STRANGER IN PARADISE – AL HIRT

8. SECRET LOVE – HENRY MANCINI & HIS ORCHESTRA (& CHORUS)

9. A MAN AND A WOMAN – ARTHUR FIEDLER & THE BOSTON POPS ORCHESTRA

10. A WHITER SHADE OF PALE – LOS INDIOS TABAJARAS

11. MONA LISA – HENRY MANCINI & HIS ORCHESTRA

12. WHEN YOU WISH UPON A STAR – ARTHUR FIEDLER & THE BOSTON POPS ORCHESTRA

13. THE SOUND OF SILENCE – CHET ATKINS

14. SLEEPY LAGOON – AL HIRT

15. THEME FROM 'A SUMMER PLACE' – HUGO WINTERHALTER AND HIS ORCHESTRA

16. TWO GUITARS – LOS INDIOS TABAJARAS

17. LAST DATE – FLOYD CRAMER

18. YOU AND YOU ALONE – THE THREE SUNS

19. CHEROKEE – CHARLIE BARNET

20. OVER THE RAINBOW – HENRY MANCINI & HIS ORCHESTRA (and Chorus)

21. HIGH NOON(DO NOT FORSAKE ME) FROM THE STANLEY KRAMER PRODUCTION 'HIGH NOON' –THE THREE SUNS

22. HARBOR LIGHTS – THE THREE SUNS

23. MICHELLE – ARTHUR FIEDLER & THE BOSTON POPS ORCHESTRA

24. THE PEANUT VENDOR(EL MANICERO) – PEREZ PRADO AND HIS ORCHESTRA

25. JEUX INTERDITS – CASTELLO RIVO

DISC 4

1.PETER GUNN – HENRY MANCINI & HIS ORCHESTRA

2. BEGIN THE BEGUINE – MICHEL LEGRAND & HIS ORCHESTRA

3. MY SHAWL – XAVIER CUGAT & HIS ORCHESTRA

4. AL DI LA – AL HIRT [one of the best versions of this classic Italian love song accompanied by guitar and lush strings]

5. LA CUMPARSITA – JUAN D’ARIENZO Y SU ORQUESTA TIPICA

6. COME BACK TO SORRENTO(TORNA A SURRIENTO) – PEREZ PRADO AND HIS ORCHESTRA

7. ANDALUCIA – XAVIER CUGAT & HIS ORCHESTRA

8. A TASTE OF HONEY – ARTHUR FIEDLER & THE BOSTON POPS ORCHESTRA

9. LA RAGAZZA DI BUBE – LOS INDIOS TABAJARAS

10. LOVE IS A MANY SPLENDORED THING – HENRY MANCINI & HIS ORCHESTRA (with Chorus) [More than uplifting…the hills are singing the sound of love J]

11. MUSIC TO WATCH GIRLS BY - CHET ATKINS

12. HANG 'EM HIGH – HUGO MONTENEGRO AND HIS ORCHESTRA

13. CHARADE – ARTHUR FIEDLER & THE BOSTON POPS ORCHESTRA

14. L'ISOLA DI ARTURO – THE ELIO BRUNO ORCHESTRA

15. FLY ME TO THE MOON – KENNY DREW

16. EL CONDOR PASA – LOS INDIOS TABAJARAS

17. SEXY TRUMPET – MARCELLO GIOMBINI ORCHESTRA

18. THE LOOK OF LOVE – FLOYD CRAMER

19. EL CHOCLO - JUAN D’ARIENZO Y SU ORQUESTA TIPICA

20. FRENESI – ARTIE SHAW

21. AOZORA – GRAND FANTASTIC STRINGS

22. LES PARAPLUIES DE CHERBOURG (I WILL WAIT FOR YOU) / MICHEL LEGRAND & ORCHESTRA

23. YESTERDAY – FLOYD CRAMER

24. MOONLIGHT SERENADE – THE NEW GLENN MILLER ORCHESTRA

25. FANTASIA ON 'GREENSLEEVES' – ARTHUR FIEDLER & THE BOSTON POPS ORCHESTRA

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