Birdcage does what the very best pop records do, it transports you. Listening to both sides one is temped to call it a “song cycle”, maybe an outdated, and possibly pretentious term left over from the 70’s, but we don’t care. Regardless, there seems to be a lyrical theme that runs through this long player. Those themes are alienation, loneliness, loss, and disappointment. One gets the feeling of being lost in a big city like Los Angeles, and the bittersweet feeling of not being able to connect. “I love to be loved by strangers, they don’t really know me, so they can’t really hurt me” declares Pfister in “Loved By Strangers”.

The music is superbly crafted Baroque Pop.  The use of chamber instruments like trumpet, pedal steel, banjo, marimba, and tabla give the songs a special shimmer. The mix is absolutely perfect, with the players spread across an imaginary sound stage. Some of these tracks would fit right in to a film noir soundtrack.  The late night mood can be unsettling because of the sheer honesty of Pfister’s delivery.

The recording is absolutely superb. It is a very intimate sound, it almost sounds like the listener is eaves-dropping on the Pfister in the studio. Her voice is remarkably presented, and the dynamics are incredibly natural. If only all pop and rock recordings were done this way. It really makes a difference when one is drawn in, as opposed to being repelled. This may be one of the reasons that this record is addicting. It feels, forgive us, organic, unforced, and assured, yet the artist’s vulnerability comes through, a very neat trick.

The pressing is first class, extremely quiet, and worth every penny for the quality you get. We cannot recommend this LP highly enough.  In fact, we hope there is a follow up sooner than later.

Order Birdcage here:

Sophia Pfister’s Birdcage

1) Can you give our readers a personal history, and a bit about your early musical influences?

I don’t come from a family of musicians. No one can play an instrument or sing but my Dad swears the Irish “shanachie” storytelling blood runs in our family. My Dad baptized me and my brother in old movies growing up. Film combines music, writing, acting and visuals which played a bit part in my creative development. Movies like Moby Dick, The Cowboys, The African Queen and The Blind Samurai allowed me to observe the human experience from the safety of my home until I had my own experiences to write about.

I consider myself a writer first, a singer second and a musician third. I didn’t have fancy taste growing up, I wasn’t spinning Thelonious Monk records in high school and learning about classic musicians. However I do remember my earliest experiences of becoming addicted to choruses. I distinctly remember as a child becoming obsessed with “Sweet Dreams” by the Eurythmics,“Tennessee Hound Dog” by the Osbourne Brothers and “Everywhere” by Michelle Branch [Which was a bizarre experience writing a song on my new album 20 years later with John Shanks who wrote that song.]

2) We love your EP.  To our ears  is a wonderful slice of baroque pop, with use of trumpet, pedal steel, banjo, and other interesting brush strokes. The mix is really great too. How was it recorded?

I like the term “Baroque pop” I might have to steal that from you when people ask me what my my genre is! My mother who was born in Mexico loves bluegrass music for some unknown reason and hearing those harmonies, banjos and upright basses that appear in bluegrass music influenced me. I also started playing folk instruments when I was younger but I’m from a small town in which banjos, autoharps and dulcimers aren’t as uncommon as they are in Los Angeles. I also just have this inherent fascination of instruments from around the world and the weirder the better in my opinion. I think classic cars and musical instruments are the closest thing inanimate objects get to having a soul.

The people behind the instruments on my EP and album were hired through the studio I recorded at. Tom Weir who owns Studio City Sound is a veteran audio-engineer and he hooked me up with all the players. Most of the session guys on my album are nestled in the music industry and I’d like to believe they had fun with the freedom of playing whatever they wanted on my songs. My producing style was pretty hands-off because I figured what advice could I give to a trumpet-player who has dedicated his whole life to this instrument? But where I got to add my touch was after, during editing. I would then sift through everything and chose riffs and phrases that felt most true to what I was trying to say in my song.

3)Pressing your own vinyl is serious undertaking. Tell us about all the moving parts, and the quality control involved.

Money is the only moving part. Money is the only thing allowing or preventing any artist from reaching their potential. My music has felt like my wife and kids that depend on me for survival and I have to go into the world doing whatever I have to to protect it. It sounds dramatic but it’s how it feels without any sort of label or structure. I’ve done all kinds of (mostly legal) work to fund my music which might be another interview entirely. Luckily my family supports my endeavors and without that support my creativity and personality would have died years ago.

On a more technical level I used RTI and Dorado Packaging for my first EP and Gotta Groove Records in Cleveland for my second record. These manufacturing companies are superb in their own quality control so it makes it easy for me. The studio I record at is also high quality and everyone on my records are top-notch people in their field. So the benefit of hustling to pay for everything yourself is when you hire the best you get the best, and mediocracy isn’t my style.

4) Are your songs based on real events, fiction, or a combination there of?

Real events.

5) Can you describe your home playback system?

My phone and a guitar amp that I plug it into haha. One day I’ll have a nice set up but I’m still living day to day.

6) What current artists and sounds have caught your ear? 

My own band (whom I found through posting on Craigslist.) Zach Paul is violin player with a side hip-hop project and I find his juxtaposition interesting. I also love watching his solo ambient shows. And my guitar player Ben Thomas is currently getting his master’s degree in jazz guitar. He continues to amaze me with how he can sing, write and pick up any instrument and play it well. They both use pedals to layer and change the sounds coming from their instruments during our shows which creates such a full and gorgeous sound. 

7) Do you play live gigs around Los Angeles?

I’ve been playing with the two guys I just mentioned. We played the Troubadour in L.A. along with The Oregon Shakespeare Festival and we’re all itching to gig more. 

8) Tell us all you can about your debut full length LP, Birdcage. We think it is just superb on every level.

Well, it was a journey. It took about a year and 5 months from start to finish. Each song was a journey- physically, emotionally, financially, collaboration-wise. I’m proud of it, I’m happy it’s been birthed and I’m glad it’s over. I am relieved but there’s a bitterness in my relief due to everything I went through to create a professional product and if that even means anything. This album “Birdcage” is about longing. Maybe the whole thing is a cry for help, maybe it’s a middle finger to the world, maybe it’s growing pains, maybe it’s my own epiphanies. All I know is it was something I had to do, I did it, and I’m grateful to be healthy and to live in a free country where I can even pursue a dream.

Order Birdcage here:

https://www.sophiapfister.com/vinyl/sophia-pfister-birdcage-vinyl-lp

Order the EP here:

https://www.sophiapfister.com/vinyl/sophia-pfister-12-record-ep-reissue

Bandcamp download of EP:

https://sophiapfister.bandcamp.com/releases

The Ethernet pipeline as a source has matured to the point that there are many products that have come to market in a similar way that unfolded for USB. When computer audiophiles started to be concerned about “galvanic isolation”, USB quality, and data integrity, a whole cottage industry of fixes sprang up. We saw USB “purifiers”, re-clockers, isolators, USB cable with split data and power leads. You name it, it appeared.

Because it is now widely believe that USB as a pipeline does have considerable issues, many of these products did indeed improve the sound. We found the Intona USB Isolator was the best of the bunch and when placed between the network file player and DAC paid sonic dividends. The unit also seems to have good synergy with Wireworld USB cables.

As with USB, Ethernet purifying solutions have sprung up faster than weeds. It is fair to say that many of these types of products have been used in mission critical industries for decades, for instance in military and medical settings. For audiophile applications, opto isolators have become very popular, and are a cost effective way to reduce noise and any potential interference. Other approaches include LAN isolators with transformers built in, and we even no have “audio grade” networking cables.

We have used some of these products in our systems, and devices from SOtM, Acoustic Revive, and even units from non audio companies like Emo Systems have made positive differences. Audiophile grade networking hardware has entered a relatively new era with routers and switches being designed specifically for audio use. One such company, The Linear Solution, sent me their TCXO switch to spend some time with. The company also makes routers, power supplies, LAN cables, and computer cards. The TCXO is $429, with the linear power supply additional.

We have two complete networked systems, and several streamers used as Roon end points, including the Sonore microRendu, and a Bryston BDP-2. There is also a Simaudio MiND DLNA streamer in the mix. Everything is hooked up via Ethernet, with various Apple iPads as control points. WiFi for the control points is supplied by Google WiFi modules.

Listening to music from the networked library with the Linear Solution switch in the path resulted in a very stable connection, with no dropouts, glitches, or any other issues. This was regardless of resolution, from Redbook CD to DSD128. The system sounded excellent, and whether the TCXO switch was responsible or not, it is hard to say, but the noise floor certainly was very low, and just removing a cheap wal wart power supply from the mix has to have benefits.

The Linear Solution switch is very nicely made, feels like an industrial grade product, and according to the company, is made with higher grade parts than any off the shelf unit. We cannot promise that these products will for sure improve the sound of your system, but they will create less unwanted noise. We would strongly suggest contacting the company with any questions. Computer audiophiles looking to go the extra mile should without a doubt take a look at these products.

Q&A with The Linear Solution:

Q) For digital audiophiles, playback of of digital files via network seems to have become the standard. How important is the configuration of the network with respect to audio?

A) The best approach to a  configuration of the network is simplicity, that  is the key. A simple and a separate network connection is best. A separate linear power supply for each component should be used as well. 

In our opinion, it is best to avoid All-in One devices for your networking audio set up. Because those device tent to create tons of unwanted noise.

Q) How are your networking products superior to consumer grade products? What were your design principles and goals?

A) Our network switch was created with audiophile networking audio in mind from the beginning. We understand the jitter and noise interference, therefore, we spent quite a long time to improve the data accuracy , reduce jitter and noise interference.

The Linear Solution:

Manufacturer website

TCXO  Switch– Specifications
– 2oz Copper
– PCB +/- 1.0ppm
– Ultra low Jitter <1ps RMS
– 9V DC input 2.1mm x 5.5mm

LINEAR POWER SUPPLY – Specifications
– AC 120V, 60Hz
– 9V Ouput
– Oyaide DC connectors
– Furutech IEC

Gentry has actually been pretty well served on decent sounding CDs, but her LPs have not been reissued in high quality. Thus, record hunting is the mission. In this particular case, eBay was the ticket. We found 4 of Gentry’s main albums for reasonable prices in virtually mint condition. The others were were priced way out of range, and we could not even find a copy of her second album, Delta Sweete, in anything but ok condition, and priced very high too boot.

These LPs are time pieces, and the pressings are of notable quality. There is something special about enjoying a piece of physical media purchased 50 years ago that may have been sitting one someone shelf for decades. They say the hunt is sweeter than the catch..maybe..but boy are we have a gas spinning these records.

Check out:

Vinyl Reviews

The site was founded by Shane Buettner, who just happens to be the owner of the superb reissue label called Intervention Records, which does AAA vinyl reissues, and SACDs. Speaking of AAA, Vinyl Reviews has a designation for all analog mastering, aside from notes about sound quality.

Both Vinyl Reviews and Intervention Records are doing really great things for music lovers..

Here is a list of 5 really great sounding phono preamps under $500, based on panel listening, and direct experience.

These are listed in order of  cost-

1-Schiit- Mani-$129

2-Hagerman Labs Bugle3-$219

3-Lounge Audio LCR MkIII-$300

4-Graham Slee Gram Amp 2 SE-$410

5-Lehmann Audio Black Cube Statement-$449

Links:

Schiit

Lounge Audio

Hagerman Labs

Graham Slee

Lehmann Audio

Vinyl Rip using the Schiit Mani, from the Vinyl Room YouTube Channel

(Courtesy of the The Vinyl Room YouTube Channel

Order here:

Jerome Sabbagh Official Web Page

I was born in Paris, France in 1973 and grew up there. I moved to the US in 1993, spent a couple of years at Berklee College of Music and moved to New York in 1995. My dad is Lebanese and my mom is Canadian. I think that may have helped spark my interest in exploring other cultures, which led indirectly to jazz. I was first exposed to jazz at my local high school, where there was an excellent music teacher by the name of Annick Chartreux. She is responsible for quite a few of her students becoming professional musicians, in different genres.

Early mentors include saxophonists Philippe Chagne, Jean-Louis Chautemps and Eric Barret in France. Later, in my formative years in the US, studying with Dave Liebman, Bill Pierce, George Garzone and Joe Viola was seminal for me. Yet later, starting in about 2010, I studied with Sophia Rosoff, which also felt like a breakthrough.

My heroes and inspirations are the greats of this music: Miles, Monk, Trane, etc. On saxophone particularly: Joe Henderson, Sonny Rollins and Stan Getz.

2-Your music, to our ears, aside from being exploratory, evocative, and picturesque in nature, is quite remarkably recorded. You seem to take great care in this. How common is this among recording artists today, and why is the sonic quality/recording process of your albums important to you?

I think that with the advent of digital, the ease of recording these days and the loudness war, most records don’t sound as good as they could, unfortunately. It’s great that it’s possible to record cheaply but there is still no substitute for great microphones, a great sound engineer who knows exactly where to place them, a great sounding studio etc. I strive to make the best recordings I can. I spent a long time trying to get the saxophone sound I want, so I want it recorded properly. Same for all the other instruments. The way the music is recorded really affects the way the listener perceives it. If everything feels natural and organic, if the recording is balanced and inviting, then I think people can get into the music more. That’s what I am trying to achieve.

It’s easier said than done, but I’ve learned a lot about recording over the years and I know what works for me at this point. I like recording all in a room, not wearing headphones. I like recording to tape. I like certain microphones, mixing boards etc … I try to work in places that will have the gear I want. I’ve recorded 6 albums with engineer James Farber and I love working with him. At mastering, I will ask the mastering engineer not to use too much limiting, which means that my CDs don’t sound as loud as others, but also don’t suffer from the artefacts of excessive limiting. I try to avoid sample rate conversion. I am picky about the final steps in mastering, which can really make or break a record, in my opinion.

3-Can you tell us about your home playback system, and about your listening habits at home, and on the road. Do you go record hunting?

At home, for serious listening, I have a Fisher integrated tube amp from the sixties, which has been modified and revised, Rogers JR 149 speakers, a Garrard 401 turntable in a Steve Dobbins plinth, a Magnepan Unitrac arm with a Shure V15-III cartridge (JICO neo-SAS stylus), an Arcam FMJ CD 23 CD player and a mac mini that goes to a Wavelength Brick V3 DAC. I sometimes also use the Sennheiser HD 600 headphones. I have room treatment from GIK on the walls.

I also have a second system in my living room with a Dual 1229 turntable, a 90s Yamaha amp (that I’m hoping to change soon) and Polk Audio speakers.

On the road, I have an iPod Touch with Etymotic Research ER-4 headphones.

I listen mostly through speakers. I enjoy listening to music with people, which makes it a more communal experience. I listen to vinyl, high resolution files and CDs. I’ll buy new music on vinyl if it looks like it’s well done or high resolution files if they are available. I don’t have any streaming services. I listen to all sorts of music, but mostly jazz and classical.

I buy records on eBay and in record shops. There is one near me in Brooklyn where I’ve scored some good LPs!

4-Can you tell us what are you current ear worms? Secondly, there any fellow artists who you feel deserve wider exposure that you would like to tell us about?

Recently, I’ve been listening to Toots Thielemans’ first record, “Man Bites Harmonica”, John Lee Hooker’s “Travelin’” and Hampton Hawes’ “Four”.

I think there are a lot of contemporary artists, particularly in jazz, that deserve wider recognition. In fact, most jazz artists deserve wider recognition! I think your readers might enjoy the music of pianist Laurent Coq, saxophonists Chris Cheek, Bill McHenry and JD Allen, and composer and pianist Guillermo Klein.

5) Do other art forms such as books, visual arts, or cinema influence your creative process?

Yes, definitely. Visual arts in particular, as a way to think differently about form and its relationship to artistic personality. I remember seeing a Picasso sculpture exhibit a couple of years ago and being impressed by how diverse his output was, yet his vision was always present. Literature can be an influence too. I have a song called “Middle Earth” in reference to Tolkien’s “Lord of the Rings”. Sometimes someone else’s own creative process can be inspiring. I’m a big Stanley Kubrick fan and his well known perfectionism is an inspiration when doing quality control on an album! The time and effort you put into something always makes it better.

6) MQA has been a controversial topic among audiophiles recently. It has been criticized for being lossy, a closed proprietary system, and a fee generating scheme. However, some have subjectively claimed it “improves” the sound of digital masters. What is your take?

I honestly don’t know what MQA sounds like, as I’ve never even heard an MQA file. I have a problem with the fact that proponents of it seem to want to apply it retroactively to recordings. I don’t think that’s wise, given that approval for the master was given years before. Whatever MQA does, good or bad, it does something and thus I think it runs the risk of changing the sound of a recording in a way that the artist and/or producer didn’t sign off on. I also don’t like the fact that, according to what I’ve read, MQA encoded files are supposed to gradually take the place of high resolution recordings. I am happy to pay for high resolution recordings, I want to keep the option of buying them as a consumer.

7) Lastly, can you tell us about your fascinating new project, which is going to be an all analog vinyl (AAA) release?

The new record is called “No Filter”. It’s a quartet recording that I co-lead with guitarist Greg Tuohey, who I’ve known since we were both at Berklee, with Joe Martin, who I’ve played with for almost 15 years, on bass, and great young drummer Kush Abadey.  Like my last record “The Turn”, it was recorded live to two track tape (half inch tape at 30 ips) by James Farber at Sear Sound. It was mastered by Bernie Grundman, who also cut it to vinyl directly from the analog tape. It will be pressed at QRP. The music is all originals, some by Greg, some by myself. We are really happy with the music and sound and we hope people will dig it! It’s coming out in October on Sunnyside but you can preorder the vinyl on my website  www.jeromesabbagh.com. We also sell reel to reel tapes on a case by case basis, as some people have been requesting them. And the record will be available on CD and download.

Jerome’s Summer Day 2018 Playlist:

Kurt Rosenwinkel, “Kama” (“Caipi”)

Laurent Coq, “Life” (“Kinship”)

Rebecca Martin & Guillermo Klein, “Just As In Spring” (“The Upstate Project”)

Jozef Dumoulin, “The Dragon Warrior” (“Rainbow Body”)

Frank Wess, The Very Thought of You (“Magic 101”)

D’Angelo, “Prayer” (“Black Messiah”)

Craig Taborn, “The Shining One” (“Daylight Ghosts”)

Schumann, 3 Gesänge, Op. 83: III. Der Einsiedler (“Einsamkeit Lieder” by Matthias Goerne and Markus Hinterhäuser)