Audio Recording Advice -- Critical Listening: A Talk with Recording Guru Kavi Alexander

Critical Listening
A Talk with Recording Guru Kavi Alexander

It’s been said that the era of critical listening is over. Well, someone better tell Kavichandran Alexander. His Water Lily Acoustics record label (http://www.waterlilyacoustics.com) is responsible for some of the most impeccably recorded music ever committed to tape. That’s right, tape. For decades Kavi has honed his craft with just a two-track analog tape recorder and a pair of microphones, capturing everything from the Philadelphia Orchestra at the historic Academy of Music concert hall, to jam sessions at a Santa Barbara church featuring the likes of Ry Cooder and Bela Fleck; all without the use of compression, limiting or equalization. The results speak for themselves: fidelity to impress the staunchest audiophiles, resolution and realism making digital recording aficionados wonder why their equipment still doesn’t sound that good, and a 1993 Grammy award.

And now, just when he’s been around long enough to solidify a modus operandi, Kavi surprises us by making some very fundamental changes in his recording philosophy and equipment…changes that will be reflected in his upcoming orchestral recording done in Russia. I caught up with him recently to find out a bit about his influences, beliefs, past work and musical aspirations.

Paul Abbott: When did you start Water Lily Acoustics?
Kavi Alexander: 1984. Incorporated in 1985. But the first recording was done in San Francisco: that was of the legendary virtuoso Dr. Ali Akbar Khan, in 1984. 20 years now.

P.A.: Who are your audio influences?
K.A.: Emery Cook. Bluemlein, of course: the granddaddy of stereo. Kenneth Wilkinson of Decca, Bob Fine of Mercury and the engineers at EMI/Abby Road for orchestral recordings, Ron Malo at Chess for Blues, Val Valantine of Verve for Jazz, Bill Porter for ‘50’s-style rock-and-roll and Jean Francois Pontefract of Harmonia Mundi France for small ensemble recordings: the pioneers who opened the way and made it possible for you and me today to practice the art. If not for them, we wouldn't be here. They wrote the book. Even though I don't practice the art of multi-micing, there are people who I respect, who are able to do it very well and produce amazing results, like Alan Sides, George Massenburg and some of the English engineers. Let us also not forget the guys at Capitol who did the Frank Sinatra orchestral/big band recordings.

The one with whom I can identify with the most is Emery Cook because he had a record label. And he was a pioneer in many ways, not just someone who recorded music very well. For example, in the '50s he put out a record of chants of the Tarahumara Indians. These are the Indians who take peyote, and the chants are from their sacred peyote ceremony. I mean, how many people in America would have known about the Tarahumara Indians in the '50s? You’d have to have been a really hip beatnik! The '60s opened people to the drug culture, but in the '50s – unless you were Antonin Artaurd, or an anthropologist – you didn't know who the Tarahumara Indians were.

P.A.: You have a reputation for being an analog and tube advocate.
K.A.: Well, I find...I have found, until quite recently...that combination yielded the most musical results. I would have to quote here QUAD's company motto: “closest approach to the real thing.” I don't mean euphonic colorations, something that is "pleasant" but not representing reality. I want to get as close as possible to reality, knowing very well that this is practically impossible. But you can get as close as possible.

P.A.: A lot of people argue there is an intangible quality to tubes that can’t be replicated.
K.A.: There are people, and I myself have argued, that there is some intrinsic quality to tubes. I've always used the mystical analogy that a tube is like the microcosm of the universe, you know, electrons jumping through a vacuum...it's like the Word of God…the Verb of God, the transcendental cosmic essence manifesting itself in the material realm. In the transistor it's more like in the manifested material world...the electrons are flowing through solid matter.

I was probably the most fanatical, rabid zealot out there waving the analog/tube flag. But having been brought up in a culture that places great value on truth at all costs – and as someone who actively tries to pursue a meaningful life – when one is confronted with the truth, one has to have the decency and courage to accept it. So, there it was. And I could go on saying "no, no, no…" but that's not how we should live.

P.A.: And so now you have started utilizing solid-state recording equipment?
K.A.: I think I have stumbled across some solid-state gear that is really well designed. I have two Stellavox [tape recorders]. I have the small 1/4" and the 1/2"...the big one. And they are stupendous. They give outstanding performance and are easier and cheaper to transport than the tube [1"] machine that I had. So I am now using those, in conjunction with the Pearl microphones that have rectangular capsules and transformer-less FET electronics. For monitoring, I’m using my friend John Iverson’s Electron Kinetics Eagle II power amps powering Dali Grand speakers.

Stellavox is similar to Nagra. It's a Swiss company that makes these amazing little machines. Unlike Nagra, they never had the business acumen so they never became famous. The Stellavox electronics are sonically truly superior. I think part of the reason is a very simple and discrete signal path. They sound fabulous, especially when run on batteries. You can actually take the little one on the plane with you, in a briefcase. I had always dreamed of going on location, going to where the music was part of the local cultural fabric. I didn't want to bring the musicians from around the world to Santa Barbara and record them in a church here. I could not have done it with my tube recording chain, too fragile and heavy. Now I can get on a plane and when I arrive, I have my equipment in my possession!

After I got the Stellavox and I made my first recording [with it], a friend of mine – who is an avid audiophile and collector of exotic music, and has been to a lot of my sessions – came to my place and I played him the tape. He turned to me and said, "You know, if you hadn't told me I would have thought this was off the one-inch [tube] machine." It had an incredibly pure sound. And I have heard some amplifiers too, some high-end, solid-state amplifiers – not a lot…some...very few – that have that purity of sound.

P.A.: How does a Water Lily recording session come about?
K.A.: There are two ways a Water Lily recording happens. Either the idea comes from me or someone else. Most of the time it is something I've wanted to do for a long time.

Let's say Dr. Ali Akbar Khan. I've always wanted to record him. So when I came to the United States I made an effort to track him down and pursue him and get him to agree to record for me. Or like I had approached Taj Mahal, way back in 1978, about doing an album with an Indian musician. I approached Larry Coryell the same year. I had also written to John McLaughlin at that time. I've always had ideas of recording various combinations of musicians, long before there was such a thing as “World Music.”

And then some recordings come about because somebody puts me in touch with someone. Like the record Fascinoma. That was Ry Cooder's idea to record Jon Hassell. That wasn't my idea. It was Ry who said, "Hey man, this guy's great, he's fantastic, he needs to be heard."

P.A.: Well, that sort of dovetails into my next question: What is your goal when you make a recording...do you have a goal?
K.A.: Yes, I do have a goal. I want to capture what is happening. First of all, I want to create something that is – or at least what I think is – interesting musically. I want to capture the music in such a way that preserves the ambient envelope in which the music took place. Without squashing the transients, without blurring detail - all the things that you would want in a recording to heighten the end result. So, that's what the goal is.

P.A.: I've noticed that a handful of your titles are available on high-resolution format (SACD). In your opinion, does this deliver a significant improvement over the standard CD format?
K.A.: Yes, it does…which is why I embrace it. Sony has come up with this and so I checked into it. They loaned me some equipment and it truly was amazing. In fact, when I went to Russia this last year (2004), I did my first digital recording. I recorded in parallel: the Stellavox analog and the [Sony] DSD (direct stream digital).

P.A.: And so what was your opinion?
K.A.: I still prefer the analog. But DSD is not too far behind.

P.A.: Do you think the era of critical listening is over?
K.A.: No, I really don't think so. Those of us, who pursue excellence and the finer things in life, I think, must take our responsibility even more seriously because all around us everything is falling apart. I mean, look at what is selling...if you can even call it music...what kind of rubbish people are buying by the truckload. But that makes it more important for people like you and me to do even better because the few who are willing to listen and be aware and awake will have that much more reward.

Everyone has a responsibility to make [himself or herself] better and make their environment better, and so we all do it in our different ways. I don't think I could be like Mother Teresa and wash the wounds of the leper...I don't think I have that kind of courage. But I can put out an interesting CD and help touch someone coming home from a hard day’s work. That's what I think is important.

Home | Ask a Question | Submit an Article | About ARA