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Monday, December 2 2024

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Hakuba Japan

Hakuba Japan

Hamish Curry

Educator, enabler, gamer, schemer, collaborator, snowboarder, library geek. Think sagacity. Fan of Japan, jazz music, and good curries.

Recent posts

Networks in the world of work
Losing my mojo.
The Four Purposes of Education
Weapons of Mass Instruction
When being a Speaker is not enough.

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If you like Gershwin, then you must give this a li

If you like Gershwin, then you must give this a listen - 'Buddy de Franco and Oscar Peterson play The George Gershwin Song Book'. A wonderful album played with an orchestra, making it sound more like a film soundtrack than a set of jazz melodies. The clarinet of Buddey de Franco perfectly matches Gershwin's sweeping moods, intertwined with the skills of Oscar Peterson on piano. 'Bess, you is my woman now' a standout example, with delightful transitions in style and pace. The mastering on this album is also exceptional, well suited to a quality stereo system. #cdcollection #audiophile

A great day at the Geelong Revival Car Show. Lots

A great day at the Geelong Revival Car Show. Lots of incredible vehicles to get up close and see AND hear just how powerful they can be. Nearly every car gave the 1/4 mile a crack... unbelievably it was a super charged Ford Territory that took out top spot in just under 10 seconds! #geelongrevival #carcollection #carshow

Music matters. Artists Lane, Windsor. #streetart

Music matters. Artists Lane, Windsor. #streetart

If you wanted to get a feel for how a lineup of in

If you wanted to get a feel for how a lineup of incredible jazz musicians improvise on the blues, you'd have to listen to this album from guitarist Herb Ellis - 'Nothing but the blues.' Accompanied by the likes of trumpeters Roy Eldridge and Dizzy Gillespie, saxophones from Stan Getz and Coleman Hawkins, bass from Ray Brown, and drums from Stan Levey - this is a real demonstration of blues talent. Recorded over 2 years 1957-58, the tracks build and groove, with many of them named after family members, this is a classic album to chill to. The new Richter bookshelves were handling it beautifully. #cdcollection #audiophile #richteraudio

What a joy it was to see and hear the Melbourne Sy

What a joy it was to see and hear the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra last night play a magical selection of pieces by John Williams. 'The Art of the Score' was full of familiar works, with the tingling start of Superman, as well as Indiana Jones, Jurassic Park, Harry Potter, and of course Star Wars. The performances of ET and Close Encounters were outstanding, bringing the entire Orchestra to life. The movement from Schindlers List, performed by the great granddaughter of a violinist who used that same violin to record some of Williams early scores was like witnessing history. It was also made so interesting and fun with the commentary from Dan Golding and Andrew Pogson, and the talents of conductor Nicholas Buc. Truly memorable. #mso #melbournesymphonyorchestra

Excited to welcome some new speakers to the home,

Excited to welcome some new speakers to the home, from Australian company Richter, the Merlin S6Plus bookshelf speakers. I heard them at the StereoNET HiFi Show last weekend and was immediately enamoured with them. The black and rounded timber look is nicely done. Weighing in at 7.3kg they have a great range down to 44Hz (with rear ports) up to 30kHz. The mid-range is warm and the trebles are detailed, making them perfect for small rooms - these will be part of a new setup in the small living room. A really capable all-rounder. #audiophile #richteraudio

Another great year of immersing myself in the Ster

Another great year of immersing myself in the StereoNET Hifi Show. Lots of awesome speakers and gear on display, with the audio literally blowing people away (with some of the biggest bass arrays ever!). Some of my highlights include the Bowers&Wilkins 805 D4 setup - finally hearing the Focal Evo X No.4 (it didn't disappoint!) - the Sonus Faber Amati rig (woah!) - some novel tweeter designs - comparing the new Sonetto G2 (yeah the pretty good!), of course being paired with a McIntosh rig - amazing designs of the Spectra Flora - trying the Focal Celeste headphones (very impressive) - and finally, being so amazed at by the Aussie Richter speakers, that I bought a pair of the Merlin S6Plus speakers! More on that later... #audiophile #stereonethifishow

I couldn't believe my luck finding this CD online.

I couldn't believe my luck finding this CD online. 'Tender is the night' a duet between Nina Ferro and Joe Chindamo is perhaps one of my all-time favourite piano/singer duet albums - with connections that stretch back more than a decade. While listening to this CD early on, I tweeted @officialninaferro at how amazing it was, and she responded! It was truly memorable to be tweeting with her while being enveloped by these exceptional tracks - and now I have a copy signed by Nina! A few years later I was at a Creative Innovation event organised by Tania de Jong, and I happened to be seated at a table right next to @chindamojoe. A real pinch-me moment as I told him about my experience with this album. Remarkably, 9 of 10 tracks were recorded in one-take, in one afternoon, in Melboure July 2001. Two highly talented performers completely in-sync. The emotion and creativity of this album shines thru, with a series of beautiful standards and classics. Highly recommended. #cdcollection #audiophile

Kicking off a long weekend with the reliable sound

Kicking off a long weekend with the reliable sounds of Coldplay. 'Music of the Spheres' is an album of classic Coldplay, more in common with their earlier album 'Mylo Xyloto' with the sounds of the Beatles coming thru too. While their audio production has never been outstanding, their album art and style is excellent. A great set of tunes to cruise into sunny weather. #cdcollection #audiophile

This could be a top find of the year for me - 'Geo

This could be a top find of the year for me - 'Geography' the debut album by Tom Misch. Heard a couple of songs on Tidal, then tracked down the CD. This album has a groovy mix of funk, pop, and almost jazz-like tracks, with great guitar segments. 'Disco Yes' and 'It Runs Through Me' stand out, as well as a cool interlude version of 'Isn't She Lovely'. This CD will be played regularly. #cdcollection #audiophile

A rainy Saturday feels right for some blues.... an

A rainy Saturday feels right for some blues.... and easily amongst my top 10 albums for blues/jazz is 'Midnight Blue'. Featuring the incredible groove of guitarist Kenny Burrell with sublime backing from tenor sax Stanley Turrentine and others. From start to finish, this is an iconic album that has to be played from start to finish. Each track seems to build on the last, varying pace and atmosphere. The mastering by Rudy Van Gelder is top notch too. Highly recommended. #audiophile #cdcollection

Early morning funky tunes from Cut Chemist. Their

Early morning funky tunes from Cut Chemist. Their 2006 album, 'The Audience's Listening' is a master-class in mixing and sampling. Every track brings new sounds and styles in often very clever ways. This album was always on repeat when I was travelling for work 10 years ago, but it was hard to track down on CD (at a reasonable price). Great to immerse in this album once again with a richness and clarity that good CD hifi does well. Well worth a listen. #cdcollection #audiophile

I've had Bill Charlap CDs for some time, and as so

I've had Bill Charlap CDs for some time, and as soon as I heard a track from this album, I had it on my 'to-buy' list. 'Love is here to stay' brings together Bill Charlap and Sandy Stewart in a series of beautifully melodic and gently paced songs covering many standards. There's something entrancing about Sandy's voice - it reminds me of my grandmother singing sweet lullabies. What I hadn't realised is that Sandy and Bill are mother and son - and that love and interplay comes thru in the recordings. A really lovely CD, that wants you to slow down, reminisce, and listen. #cdcollection #audiophile

Surprised to have picked this album up in a second

Surprised to have picked this album up in a second-hand store of this somewhat recent release by Everything But The Girl. "FUSE' crams 9 tracks into 35mins and is a welcome return to that familiar sound of EBTG. Tracey Thom's unmistakable voice and the melodic and rhythmic mixing of Ben Watt sweep across tracks telling stories of loss, risks, loneliness, and love. Standout tracks include 'Caution to the wind' and 'No one knows we're dancing'. It's great to see this duo still making such cool music. #cdcollection #audiophile #EBTG

A recent update to the audio system - the addition

A recent update to the audio system - the addition of a WiiM Pro streamer. This little budget box plays all your audio channels like Spotify and Tidal up to 24-bit/192kHz. I've got mine connected via Coax through my Rotel DT-6000 CD player to make the most of the Rotel's huge DAC. The result? A really rich and detailed sound, better than the onboard HEOS of the Denon AVR. The settings of the WiiM take a bit of tweaking to get it sounding right, but it's been worth it. And the Demon Slayer figurine fits perfectly on top! #audiophile #wiimpro #rotel

Exceptional. This morning's listen just arrived th

Exceptional. This morning's listen just arrived this week - Joe Hisaishi 'A Symphonic Celebration'. Featuring sweeping pieces from the Studio Ghibli films, this album is beautifully recorded, producing details that are truly captivating. The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra accompanies a full choir and some amazing soprano singers to bring all the magic and wonder of Hisaishi's scores to life. 'Ponyo' and 'My Neighbour Totoro' are standouts. In the liner notes, I hadn't realised that his name is a Japanses moniker for Quincy Jones - both amazing at producing exceptional audio pieces. This is definitely a quality recording and a new favourite. #cdcollection #audiophile #sonusfaber #rotel

The final piece of the new speaker puzzle is in pl

The final piece of the new speaker puzzle is in place. The Sonus Faber Sonetto On-Walls finally arrived and are mounted up. They're the perfect match with the others, not only in style and colour, but mimic the specs of the Sonetto Centre I, with a 60Hz - 25kHz range, 2 x 150mm cones and the DAD tweeter; weighing in at 4.8kg. They create so much more presence and atmosphere to movies, and the angled bracket allows them to be nicley positioned. Happy and content. #audiophile #sonettocollection #sonusfaber

Some recent shots from a trip to the Fox Classic C

Some recent shots from a trip to the Fox Classic Car Collection as well as a couple of the boutique car showrooms around Richmond. Lots of beautiful models on display with striking colours, designs, and lines. #carcollection

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