Re: [ARSCLIST] laserdisc

[Tom Fine <tflists@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Yes! I have that CD and it's wonderful. Very good booklet notes by Bob Moog, who is also passed. 
Moog's whole entree into electronic music was via the Theremin. He wrote an article in Radio & TV 
News in the 50s describing how to "repurpose" some old radio parts into a Theremin, and later wrote 
an updated solid-state version of the circuit for Popular Electronics. Totally agree about Clara 
Rockmore being a fantastic musician. She plays some in the documentary and you can clearly see how 
much technique was involved to make a Theremin a truly musical instrument. I think an original 
Theremin like Rockmore played -- with an original Theremin/RCA amp and speaker -- sounds fantastic. 
The later iterations are usually played through a guitar amp and sound junky. The RCA instrument had 
tremendous bass and that nice tubey (yeah, lots of harmonics) midrange but was not overdriven or 
distorted like feeding a modern version through a guitar amp. Unlike most people I've heard fiddling 
with modern Theremins, Rockmore had fantastic dynamics control. And her pitch was dead-on so the 
instrument was played with true precision. This would make sense since she usually played with a 
piano and thus would need to get her pitch right from the get-go or be horridly out of tune to the 
piano. I love the scenes of her playing best in the documentary because by that time, her hands were 
old and knarled and here she was throwing them through the air and creating these wonderful musical 
notes.

-- Tom Fine

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Steven Smolian" <smolians@xxxxxxxxx>
To: <ARSCLIST@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Thursday, December 28, 2006 4:55 PM
Subject: Re: [ARSCLIST] laserdisc


> Alas! Ms. Rockmore died a few years ago.  She was a terrific musician, overlooked except as a 
> curiosity.  She was the sister of Nadia Reisenberg, equally musically endowed.  I love CM's 
> version of the Rachmaninov Vocalise. 'Twas on CD- Delos, if I recall.
>
> Steve Smolian
>
>
>
> ----- Original Message ----- 
> From: "Tom Fine" <tflists@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
> To: <ARSCLIST@xxxxxxxxxxxx>
> Sent: Thursday, December 28, 2006 4:45 PM
> Subject: Re: [ARSCLIST] laserdisc
>
>
> > If the Theremin doco is the one where he comes to NYC in old age and reunites with Clara 
> > Rockmore, it's definitely out on DVD because I own a copy.
> >
> > -- Tom Fine
> >
> > ----- Original Message ----- 
> > From: "David Lennick" <dlennick@xxxxxxxxxxxx>
> > To: <ARSCLIST@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
> > Sent: Thursday, December 28, 2006 3:15 PM
> > Subject: Re: [ARSCLIST] laserdisc
> >
> >
> > > Did "A Great Day in Harlem" ever come out on something other than laserdisc? Ditto the 
> > > documentary on the Theremin. A lot of interesting stuff was out there if you knew where to look 
> > > for it.
> > >
> > > dl
> > >
> > > Francesco Martinelli wrote:
> > > > I bought two recently. I am especially interested in jazz titles. cecil taylor's solo concert 
> > > > in Munich never made it to DVD.
> > > > FM
> > > > ----- Original Message ----- From: "Robert Hodge" <rjhodge@xxxxxxx>
> > > > To: <ARSCLIST@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
> > > > Sent: Thursday, December 28, 2006 8:47 PM
> > > > Subject: Re: [ARSCLIST] laserdisc
> > > >
> > > >
> > > > > Darned right you should !!  Or sell it to me...In that order.
> > > > > Especially since MANY motion picture titles which were originally
> > > > > transferred to laserdisc haven't been transferred to DVD.
> > > > > And probably never will be.
> > > > >
> > > > > No, you should hold on to it. I wouldn't sell mine either.
> > > > >
> > > > > Bob Hodge
> > > > >
> > > > > Robert Hodge,
> > > > > Senior Engineer
> > > > > Belfer Audio Archive
> > > > > Syracuse University
> > > > > 222 Waverly Ave .
> > > > > Syracuse N.Y. 13244-2010
> > > > >
> > > > > 315-443- 7971
> > > > > FAX-315-443-4866
> > > > >
> > > > > > > > fbsdmd@xxxxxxxxx 12/28/2006 2:15 PM >>>
> > > > > Should I save my Pioneer LD player?
> > > > >
> > > > > --
> > > > > Frank B Strauss, DMD
> >
> >
> > --
> > No virus found in this incoming message.
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