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AGP174 - Ezra Sims (1928-) | all done from memory (1928) all done from memory [7:49] [MP3] two for one [11:47] [MP3] and as I was saying [5:35] [MP3] sextet [21:53] [MP3] all done from memory [7:49] [FLAC] two for one [11:47] [FLAC] and as I was saying [5:35] [FLAC] sextet [21:53] [FLAC] AGP 174 notes [TXT] LP liner notes [TXT] NOTES AGP174 is the first of an occasional series of new 24-bit transcriptions of LPs included in earlier AGP installments, using the Linn Akiva phono cartridge and Linn Ekos SE tonearm that I added to my system after transcribing AGP157. The new cartridge/tonearm combination improves resolution of detail and decreases tracking distortion. 24-bit quantization produces a more natural sound with more of a sense of acoustic space than the 16-bit quantization that was used for earlier AGP installments because it is the CD standard. The LP transcribed for this installment was the basis for AGP7, featuring the music of Ezra Sims, an American composer who rebelled against the tonal impurities of well-tempered tuning and developed his own 18-note scale based on a division of the octave into 72 intervals. This heterodox scale enabled him to compose for more purely tuned intervals, as well as to explore microtonality. The tuning of these pieces takes some getting used to, but it considerably expands the range of harmonies that Sims is able to exploit. The first three pieces are written for violin alone, violin and viola, and viola alone. The spare instrumentations facilitate one's introduction to Sims' idiosyncratic tuning. The last is for a sextet of violin, viola, cello, clarinet, saxophone, and french horn. These four compositions make up Northeastern Records NR 224. Other recordings of Sims' works on CD are available through New World Records, including recordings of all of the other Sims pieces I could find in my stacks. The installment includes a TXT file with the liner notes from the LP release. UbuWeb Sound | UbuWeb