Live or Recorded

Franklin Cheung, Pupukea
There are a million ways to experience music, but for the purpose of this blog let's just break it down to two categories: live and recorded. I don't know about the rest, but if I get to hear live music more than twice a month, I am lucky. Sure, I can look back and remember some great concerts in my life but I like the intimate atmosphere of a night club regularly and I can dance.

"A rumor can go around the Palladium floor twice before the

truth has a chance to get up the stairs."

Sitting about as far as you can get at the Blaisdell, the sound can still be awesome, There gave been times when I've never heard anything close to that sound reproduced by even the very best high-end audio systems. The orchestras certainly didn't need amplification; they were definitely loud enough.

"Sing, Sing, Sing" by Benny Goodman

Better yet, the sound never hurt my ears. But the orchestras have been far more viscerally dynamic than any rock band, and the sound of strings, woodwinds, brass, and percussion filling the acoustic space of the Center has been a thrill I won't soon forget.

"Little Things Mean A Lot" by Kitty Kallen

That is, you don't so much hear the sound of each instrument, you hear all of them filling the Center. The sound of the entire orchestra floats, like a cloud, above the listeners. The sound has been beyond what I've ever experienced. But recorded music I can have with me for total recall anytime I want it.

"A Screwdriver walks into a Pearl City Bar. The Bartender says,

"Hey, we have a drink named after you." The Screwdriver

responds,  "You have a drink named Murray?"