Black Mirror is a world tour of 78RPM recordings from 1918-1955 compiled by Ian Nagoski, owner of the True Vine record shop in Baltimore. The vast majority of the tracks hear have never before been issued on CD, and only one has been reissued in the US.
Starting with Syria, moving on to Thailand, Bali, Northumbria, and on and on over the course of 24 songs, the collection never stops in one country for more than a track, and out of 24 tracks only one country receives two tracks - Bali. Handel is even thrown into the mix via Swiss pianist Edwin Fischer. There's a lot to digest here!
The fact that the collection was pulled from 78's might suggest extremely poor sound quality but in fact the record has surprisingly good fidelity throughout. Yes, nothing is up to today's pristine standards for field recording, but the technology never gets in the way of the music like it often does with these sorts of vintage collections.
It would be impossible to point out any highlights - every track is first rate and so different from the last that comparisons would be ridiculous... although, and yes, realize I'm about to contradict myself - I have to admit that vaudevillian comic and Uilleannn piper Patrick Touhey's "Drowsy Maggie" is pretty mindblowing - technically stunning, spirited and beautiful at the same time . Really
Black Mirror would be an excellent introduction to world music for those looking to expand their audio universe, a rich collection of musical delights for those already familiar with most or all of the musical cultures represented, and of interest to anyone with an interest in early recordings. Highly recommended. Nice work Ian, hope this is just volume one!
