Home  |  High-End Audio Reviews  Audiophile Shows  Partner Mags  Hi-Fi / Music News

High-End High-Performance Audiophile Review Magazine & Hi-Fi Audio Equipment Reviews
Audiophile Equipment Review Magazine High-End Audio

  High-Performance Audio Reviews
  Music News, Show Reports, And More!

  29 Years Of Service To Music Lovers

Enjoy the Music.com Review Magazine
John Gorka
The Gypsy Life (DVD)

Review By Steven Stone
Click here to e-mail reviewer

  I've been following John Gorka and enjoying his gentle humor, clever lyricism, and engaging melodies ever since I first heard his music in 1987. I was pleased when I heard that the audiophile record label AIX was releasing a deluxe John Gorka performance DVD/CD. But this disc brings little joy. It ranks as the most somber and least exciting live recordings I've ever experienced. Its funereal nature is all the more surprising because John is an animated and highly amusing live performer, but except for one unique selection recorded at McCabes, this disc is a dirge.

Most of The Gypsy Life (excluding the live McCabes cut) was recorded December 18, 2006 at the Zipper Auditorium at the Colburn School for the Performing Arts, in Los Angeles, CA. Gorka is accompanied by Michael Manring on fretless electric bass, Russ Rentler on mandolin, Amelia Spicer on background vocals and Susan Werner on acoustic guitar, piano, and background vocals. All are talented performers in their own right, but none step out to deliver any extra spice to Gorka's lackluster performances. I have a theory, well, not my theory, but a theory first proposed by J. Gordon Holt, founder of Stereophile Magazine, called aptly "Holt's Law." It says, ‘The quality of a recorded performance is inversely proportional to the quality of the recording." In short you often find the greatest performances on lousy recordings and lousy performances recorded perfectly. The Gypsy Life holds true to Holt's Law. Why? I have a theory about that as well...

The problem with The Gypsy Life is that everyone involved is so conscious of the recording process (and their inability to correct errors in post-production) that they play conservatively so as to avoid making any mistakes. Trying to play everything perfectly leads to musical constipation. Even Glen Gould, who was perhaps the ultimate musical perfectionist realized that to play an entire piece perfectly he had to be able to edit the final recording. With AIX's recording methodology editing is verboten. All the performers know this and adjust their playing accordingly.

Playing The Gypsy Life the first time reminds me of the experience of seeing a gorgeous and perfectly put together woman across the room at a social gathering, finally meeting her, and finding out she has the intellect of a junior high schooler. Your initial impression is full of promise, but the actual experience is void of content.

 

 

Enjoyment:

Sound:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

     

Premium Audio Review Magazine
High-End Audiophile Equipment Reviews

 

Equipment Review Archives
Turntables, Cartridges, Etc
Digital Source
Do It Yourself (DIY)
Preamplifiers
Amplifiers
Cables, Wires, Etc
Loudspeakers/ Monitors
Headphones, IEMs, Tweaks, Etc
Superior Audio Gear Reviews


Show Reports
Capital Audiofest 2024
Toronto Audiofest 2024
UK Audio Show 2024
Pacific Audio Fest 2024
HIGH END Munich 2024
AXPONA 2024 Show Report
Montreal Audiofest 2024 Report

Southwest Audio Fest 2024
Florida Intl. Audio Expo 2024
...More Show Reports

 

Videos
Our Featured Videos


Industry & Music News

High-End Audio & Music News

 

Partner Print Magazines
audioXpress
hi-fi+ Magazine
Sound Practices
VALVE Magazine

 

For The Press & Industry
About Us
Press Releases
Official Site Graphics

 

   

 

Home  |  High-End Audio Reviews  |  Audiophile Show Reports  Hi-Fi / Music News  About Us  |  Contact Us

 

 

All contents copyright©  1995 - 2024  Enjoy the Music.com®
May not be copied or reproduced without permission.  All rights reserved.