I love Berlin. There is so much good music here, and so much interesting cultural activities. Arrived in Berlin last night, hit the ground running after a good shower. Today, went to the “Eastern” part of the town close to where the wall used to be.
Sundays are great in this part of Berlin. Lazy breakfasts/brunches, and flea markets where I was lucky enough to find some very good records. Fortunately it was a sunny and beautiful day, turned out to be the only sunny and beautiful day in the last couple of weeks. I walked for a few hours and as always managed to sniff my way to some record shops and flea markets. There were a few nice stands with records at the flea markets. Some of the records are pretty expensive (40 euros or more). By the time I got to these two gentlemen, I barely had enough euro left for a cab ride back to the hotel. They were kind enough to accept dollar bills from me, hence their pictures here. Between these stands and other shops, again I am in need of yet one more suitcase.
I enjoy the music of Holger Czuaky (formerly of CAN) very much. I am glad I found two records, one a rare one with Holger Czukay on it. I found out about a very good record shop in Berlin. I will be visiting there as I want Holger Czukay’s first solo performance after parting from CAN, called Persian Love! It has some very good sampling and use of short wave radio reception.
I was hoping to see Nina Hagen perform. Unfortunately she has a concert/poetry reading (a la Nina Hagen I am sure) on Wednesday night, a few hours after I am supposed to fly back to Chicago.
There are also a couple of restaurants I would like to try. One, Fischers Fritz and is known to have the best sea food in Berlin and has two Michelin stars; the other, Borchardt restaurant is supposed to be more traditional and has been a Berlin establishment/hallmark. Will soon post some pictures. Stay tuned.
Tags: berlin, travels
In my excitement to share good music with friends and customers, at times I give a favorite CD or LP as a gift, just to find out they are out of print and impossible to get back in my collection. It has happened once too often.
A few months ago when I gave a copy of Kazue Sawai CD to a customer who had come to audition Musical Affairs speakers. The sound is so real. You hear Ms. Sawai play in your music room. You hear everything. So beautiful. I am willing to cough up a couple of hundred dollars to get back that CD.
Another CD I really like is by Tamia and Pierre Favre, called “de la nuit… le jour” on ECM New Series. Hard to find. I have seen their new CDs on Amazon go anywhere from thirty some dollars to around $130. Lucky me. Just found a good source for them and ordered 12 copies of them! Received today from Germany.
Holderlin was a great German poet. I have read a little of his works. Not much. I was introduced to his work through a Wim Wenders’ movie called Wings of Desire. In it, Bruno Ganz recites some Holderlin poem. Beautiful even to the ears of someone like me who does not speak German. Found out there is actually a recording of Holderlin poetry recited by Bruno Ganz. Lucky me. Took a few months until I could locate one. And a while longer to find the LP version. Now, a couple of more copies, just in case.
Arvo Part is a very good composer. His Miserere and Tabula Rasa are still two of my favorite works. Both out of print now. I got 12 copies of Miserere on LP and have a couple of copies on CD. I figure every now and then I can take them to friends as a gift instead of a bottle of wine. Well, a good bottle of wine while listening to great music is rather fun anyways. You can find a good interview with Arvo Part on YouTube, by none other Bjork.
Please help me find my Kazue Sawai CD.
Tags: arvo part, kazue sawai, music, musical affairs speakers, pierre favre, tamia
Malcolm McLaren, great musician, manager of the Sex Pistols passed away yesterday at age 64. Nostalgic or still creative, his Madame Butterfly remains as one of my favorites. Dancing to it my early college years.
A good friend said it much better than I could: “Malcolm was a visionary and what he lacked in absolute musical ability he more than made up for in innovation and energy, the breadth of which is astonishing. By mentoring, publicising and blending at one time or another so many wildly diverse music strands, many of which had previously achieved only marginal interest before him, he has in no small way become responsible for a lot of the music that the world hears and takes for granted today. Not content with grabbing the zeitgeist of the times, he has in many cases actually created it.
Mocked, undervalued or totally ignored even in his home country, the world is a poorer place without him. By those who know, he will be sorely missed.”
May he rest in peace.
Tags: music
We are delighted to be hosting Julia Janssen, the beautiful and intelligent daughter of our good friend, Harmut Janssen of Amazon Audio at our home for a week. Julia will be returning to Chicago this summer for a few weeks, learning the American way of living, practicing English, and of course teaching SORA how to dance and do gymnastics.
Our manufacturers, and some others we work with have become our close friends. In fact, I do not distribute a line unless I think the manufacturer and his family are people I would like to make part of our family and closest inner circle.
Some of our customers have also become our good friends, visiting us every now and then. In all honesty, this has been the best part of SORAsound. Sharing the joy of music, and above all forming new friendships.
Tags: amazon audio
Istanbul is an amazing city. Those who know my love for San Francisco are surprised that for the first time I wondered why my Turkish friends in San Francisco, decided to leave Istanbul.
I have been to Istanbul before and was eager to show it to Nami and SORA. We stayed in a pretty nice design/boutique hotel in a plush area of Istanbul. The European side of Istanbul appears a lot more advanced/progressive than its Asian side. Like many major cities in the world, there are pretty rich areas of town, and some poor areas. Not so surprising though. When I go a few miles to the South side of Chicago, I find life very different from the North side of Chicago. The beauty of the poorer areas in Istanbul is that I felt absolutely welcomed, and safe. So much so, that I took Nami and SORA for a tour.
Once we left Tehran, I told Nami that would only eat sea food in Istanbul as I was tired of all the (delicious) meat we had in Iran. Lo and behold, our hotel recommended a great Kebab restaurant to us on our first day, where we ended up going three times. The Bazaar has now become a tourist Mecca, worth avoiding or not spending longer than an hour there. The ferry rides are inexpensive, and fun. People welcoming and hospitable as ever.
Tags: istanbul, travels, turkey
Visiting Turkey again. What a beautiful country. What a great people. Delicious food.
Istanbul has been selected as the 2010 European Culture Capital. I wonder which city be the 2011 Culture Capital in Europe. Feels such a difficult task to meet or surpass Istanbul’s rich heritage.
I have been to Istanbul before. First, around 22 years ago when I met my parents after being away from them for nine years. At the time, I could not go to Iran, and they could not easily visit America. So, we selected Istanbul as our meeting point. Ever since then, Istanbul has a special place in my heart.
In the last 20some years Istanbul has changed a lot. It is a modern European city now. Nowhere as polluted as then, and significantly less scary to cross the street than before (which in Tehran is still an activity more risky than kissing your mate naked on a crowded sidewalk).
I am glad SORA is experiencing Istanbul at such an early age. He will of course be traveling here again, and again. It is important that he learns about different cultures, people and diversity.
Keep an eye on SORAsound blog for pictures.
Tags: istanbul, travels, turkey
Isn’t this amazing? I avoided going to Iran for over 32 years, and now within six or seven months, have visited Iran twice. All I can say is the hospitality you see in Iran, is second to none. Pictures below are a mix of family pictures, parties, and celebration of the Iranian new year among my family in Iran.
Tags: iran, travels
First day of spring. In fact the very first second of spring is the start of new year in Iran.
Last time I celebrated the Iranian new year in Iran was around 34 years ago. As a family (parents, my sister, brother and I) have not all been together for 34 years. So, given that I now have less fear of going to Iran (maybe not so smart), and that my sister who lives in Dallas, Texas also decided to go to Iran after about 20 years, I decide we go too.
My parents are naturally filled with joy and were anticipating our trip for a while.
I want SORA to experience Iranian new year. I really want SORA to be a global/ culturally
aware person, respecting and enjoying the diversity of our world. So, we are in Tehran for a quick visit, and then Istanbul for a short stay. I have been to Istanbul a few times but this will be the first time for Nami and SORA. I will be posting many pictures soon.
I continue to be proud of President Obama for his message to the Iranian people on this day. Unfortunately the message is blocked on most sites, but as always information have a way of getting around in an open society, or one aspiring to be.
As some of you have already found out, I am only an email or a phone call away. I check my voice mail regularly and return calls.
Happy Iranian new year. Let us each pray in our own way for peace, freedom, and justice across the world. Wishing you and your families happiness and health.
Tags: iran, obama, travels
I have already been waiting a few months for my own DiNucci Bike. As it turns out Mark was preparing for the Hand Made Bicycle Show. He is such a perfectionist that he won the award for Best Lugged Frame.
Mark does everything handmade, using pretty basic tools, and absolutely with no compromise. Mark does not try to save money or cut the corners. If the end product will have his name on it, it better be darn good. My kind of guy who also happens to be an audiophile, a lover of analog naturally. To my estimate, Mark can make about 24 bikes a year if he is lucky. In fact, if we are lucky. I am number 2 on his current list. Man, I hate being anything but number one. Grateful being on the list though.
Pictures below are courtesy of urbanvelo.org.
Tags: bikes, dinucci
Sundays are great in this part of Berlin. Lazy breakfasts/brunches, and flea markets where I was lucky enough to find some very good records. Fortunately it was a sunny and beautiful day, turned out to be the only sunny and beautiful day in the last couple of weeks. I walked for a few hours and as always managed to sniff my way to some record shops and flea markets. There were a few nice stands with records at the flea markets. Some of the records are pretty expensive (40 euros or more). By the time I got to these two gentlemen, I barely had enough euro left for a cab ride back to the hotel. They were kind enough to accept dollar bills from me, hence their pictures here. Between these stands and other shops, again I am in need of yet one more suitcase.
I enjoy the music of Holger Czuaky (formerly of CAN) very much. I am glad I found two records, one a rare one with Holger Czukay on it. I found out about a very good record shop in Berlin. I will be visiting there as I want Holger Czukay’s first solo performance after parting from CAN, called Persian Love! It has some very good sampling and use of short wave radio reception.
