London Jazz Composers Orchestra - Harmos, 1989 (Avant-Garde Jazz)

March 23, 2012, 5:03 pm

≫ Next: Balanescu Quartet - Luminitza, 1994 (Avant-Garde)

≪ Previous: Ramases (UK) - Space Hymns, 1971 (Prog Folk)

1. Harmos 43:48

Marc Charig - Cornet
Trevor Watts - Reeds
Paul Dunmall - Reeds
Simon Picard - Reeds
Evan Parker - Reeds
Henry Lowther - Trumpet
Radu Malfatti - Trombone
Alan Tomlinson - Trombone
Steve Wick - Tuba
Philipp Wachsmann - Violin
Howard Riley - Piano
Barry Guy - Bass
Barre Phillips - Bass
Paul Lytton - Drums

AMG:
"Harmos is a work dating from 1989 and recorded just before the LJCO turned 20. Guy's composition is based on a series of elongated tones that create the basis for both collective and group improvisation inside a series of marked spaces and intervals. The notational devices are usually carried by the brass section that includes trombonists Paul Rutherford, Radu Malfatti, Alan Thomlinson, trumpeter Jon Corbett, and others. The reeds, which are in the capable hands of Evan Parker, Trevor Watts, Paul Dunmall, Simon Picard, and Peter McPhail, signify the color and pitch changes throughout the work. The collisions happen in the sections where group improvisation is central to further the next section of the piece along and these interactions take place more as weaves of sound tapestries than actual confrontations. When both Barre Phillips and Guy bow their basses with violinist Phil Wachsmann against the saxophone section as the brass tries to insert a marked intervallic shift, things really get interesting. The most beautiful thing about Guy is that as a composer he is not hung up on resolution, he's more concerned with the notion that everything in the palette be viewed, everything that's in the box should be rolled out and put on display. If a particular series of ideas do resolve themselves timbrally or in modal invention that's fine, but it's not necessarily the end intent. This is a 44-minute work of deft imagination, powerful technique, and wild interplay; fans of the LJCO or those whose tastes encompass vanguard big bands should not miss it."

Harmos

or

Harmos

↧

Balanescu Quartet - Luminitza, 1994 (Avant-Garde)

March 24, 2012, 5:06 pm

≫ Next: Atoll (France) - Tokyo C'est Fini, 1989 (Sympho Prog)

≪ Previous: London Jazz Composers Orchestra - Harmos, 1989 (Avant-Garde Jazz)

1. East 4:00
2. Chain 0:54
3. Democracy 5:12
4. Still with Me 8:07
5. Link 1:40
6. Revolution 2:42
7. Link Again 2:21
8. Luminitza 16:09
9. Mother 9:41

Alexander Balanescu - Violin, Vocals
Clare Connors - Keyboards, Violin
Andrew Parker - Viola
Nick Cooper - Cello
PK - Percussion, Sequencing

AMG:
"Following its acclaimed reworking of Kraftwerk songs with an all-original collection of pieces let the quartet show off its deservedly acclaimed abilities to a new audience who might not have otherwise encountered the work of Michael Nyman's favorite interpreters. Violinist Claire Connors collaborates on a number of the selections with Balanescu, while writing three shorter songs herself (Balanescu's only solo contribution is the title track). She also plays keyboards and handles production duties, doing a fine job at both. Longtime Mute house engineer Paul Kendall assists on percussion sequencing, while Balanescu also contributes clipped spoken-word performances at various points. The compositions unsurprisingly veer toward the minimal, but far from simply aping the likes of Nyman or Philip Glass they steer their own odd little courses. The opening cut, 'East,' serves as a good start, but things really kick in with 'Democracy,' on which Balanescu and Connors trace a series of high figures while violist Andy Parker and cellist Nick Cooper maintain the rhythm. Balanescu delivers his accented vocals almost as a semi-authority figure, lending the whole piece the queasy quality of a propaganda broadcast or abstract protest: Lines like 'We want to change the name, so we can start all over again' are actually quite pithy and slightly chilling in context. Balanescu's lyrical fragments snake through the slow build of 'Still With Me' like disconnected radio transmissions, while his is-it-ironic-or-not? meditation on 'Revolution' ('At last something exciting to watch on telly') fits perfectly with the rough rhythm bursts of static and the quartet's sudden, quick fills. The title track, a 16-minute-long movement without any lyrics, is both tense and atmospherically relaxed at the same time, while the slow 'Mother' ends the album on a quiet, meditative note."

Luminitza

or

Luminitza

↧

Atoll (France) - Tokyo C'est Fini, 1989 (Sympho Prog)

March 24, 2012, 5:07 pm

≫ Next: Wild Bill Davison - The Commodore Master Takes, 1943-1946 (Dixieland)

≪ Previous: Balanescu Quartet - Luminitza, 1994 (Avant-Garde)

1. L'araignée-Mal/Cimetierre de plastique
2. L'océan*
3. Quelque part*
4. Lune noire*
5. Tunnel
6. Drums solo/Bass solo
7. L'amour n'a pas de drapeau*
8. Paris, c'est fini

Raoul Leininger - vocal
Christian Béya - guitar
Nathalie Gesher - keyboards
JeanPierre Klares - bass
Gilles Bonnabaud - drums

AMG:
"The French equivalent of prog-rock bands Yes and Genesis, Atoll recorded four albums in the mid- to late '70s with a lineup that stabilized by the time of the group's second album. L'Araignee Mal (1975) included vocalist/percussionist André Balzer, guitarist Christian Beya, bassist Jean-Luc Thillot, keyboard player Michel Taillet, and drummer Alain Gozzo. Gradually commercializing its sound beginning with third album Tertio, Atoll released only one more studio album (plus a compilation) before breaking up. In the late '80s, however, a new, pop-oriented version appeared. Including only Beya from the previous lineup, the band released L'Ocean and the live album Tokyo C'est Fini (both 1989)."

Tokyo C'est Fini

or

Tokyo C'est Fini

↧

Wild Bill Davison - The Commodore Master Takes, 1943-1946 (Dixieland)

March 25, 2012, 5:17 pm

≫ Next: This Heat (UK) - This Heat, 1979 (RIO/Avant-Prog)

≪ Previous: Atoll (France) - Tokyo C'est Fini, 1989 (Sympho Prog)

1. That's A-Plenty 4:16
2. Panama 4:23
3. Riverboat Shuffle 2:51
4. Muskrat Ramble 3:12
5. Clarinet Marmalade 2:57
6. Original Dixieland One-Step 3:11
7. At the Jazz Band Ball 3:00
8. Baby Won't You Please Come Home 2:56
9. I Don't Stand a Ghost of a Chance With You 2:40
10. Jazz Me Blues 3:21
11. Little Girl 2:43
12. Squeeze Me 2:30
13. A Monday Date 2:51
14. I'm Confessin' (That I Love You) 3:29
15. Big Butter and Egg Man 3:06
16. I Wish I Could Shimmy Like MySister Kate 3:15
17. Sensation Rag 2:45
18. Who's Sorry Now? 2:55
19. On the Alamo 2:50
20. Someday, Sweetheart 2:54
21. High Society 2:40
22. Wrap Your Troubles in Dreams(And Dream Your Troubles Away) 2:59
23. I'm Coming Virginia 2:35
24. Wabash Blues 2:54

Wild Bill Davison - Cornet
Albert Nicholas - Clarinet
Pee Wee Russell - Clarinet
Edmond Hall - Clarinet
Joe Marsala - Clarinet
Bill Miles - Sax (Baritone)
George Lugg - Trombone
Vernon Brown - Trombone
Georg Brunis - Trombone
Lou McGarity - Trombone
Eddie Condon - Guitar
Gene Schroeder - Piano
Dick Cary - Piano
Joe Sullivan - Piano
Bob Casey - Bass
Jack Lesberg - Bass
Dave Tough - Drums
George Wettling - Drums
Danny Alvin - Drums

AMG:
"This 1997 CD contains some of the most rewarding Dixieland ever recorded. On November 27, 1943, cornetist Wild Bill Davison, trombonist George Brunies (in peak form), clarinetist Pee Wee Russell, pianist Gene Schroeder, rhythm guitarist Eddie Condon, bassist Bob Casey, and drummer George Wettling cut a classic version of 'That's a Plenty,' along with three other songs that show just how exciting the style can be. Also on this CD are Davison's other Commodore sessions as a leader, 24 titles in all that include such outstanding players as clarinetists Edmond Hall, Joe Marsala, and Albert Nicholas; trombonist Lou McGarity; pianists Dick Cary and Joe Sullivan; and drummers Danny Alvin and Dave Tough. With definitive versions of such tunes as 'Muskrat Ramble,' 'At the Jazz Band Ball,' 'Jazz Me Blues,' 'Sensation,' and 'I'm Coming Virginia,' this is an essential acquisition for anyone even remotely interested in freewheeling Chicago Dixieland jazz."

The Commodore Master Takes

or

The Commodore Master Takes

↧

This Heat (UK) - This Heat, 1979 (RIO/Avant-Prog)

March 26, 2012, 6:04 pm

≫ Next: Shakti With John McLaughlin - Natural Elements, 1977 (Jazz/Fusion)

≪ Previous: Wild Bill Davison - The Commodore Master Takes, 1943-1946 (Dixieland)

1.Testcard 0.48
2. Horizontal Hold 6.56
3. Not Waving 7.26
4. Water 3.11
5. Twilight Furniture 5.12
6. 24 Track Loop 5.57
7. Diet Of Worms 3.09
8. Music Like Escaping Gas 3.41
9. Rainforest 2.55
10. The Fall Of Saigon 5.10
11. Testcard 4.10

Charles Bullen - Guitar, Clarinet, Viola, Voice, Tapes etc.
Charles Hayward - Percussion, Keyboards, Voice, Tapes etc.
Gareth Williams - Keyboards, Guitar, Bass, Voice, Tapes etc.

AMG:
"This British group could neither be called post-punk nor progressive rock, yet This Heat was one of the most influential groups of the late '70s. They created uncanny experimental rock music that has many similarities in approach to German pioneers such as Can and Faust. Other groundbreaking independent groups such as Henry Cow and Wire may be their only peers, and much later This Heat also became profoundly influential on the '90s genre known as post-rock. Their angular juxtapositions of abrasive guitar, driving rhythms, and noise loops on the opening cut, 'Horizontal Hold,' preempt much later activity in the electronica and drum'n'bass scenes. The outstanding '24 Track Loop' is based around a circular drum pattern that could have been a late-'90s jungle cut were it not recorded in late-'70s London, long before such strategies were even dreamed of in breakbeat music. This album is a great example of ahead-of-time genius, work that draws on elements of progressive rock, notably 'Larks Tongues in Aspic'-era King Crimson for all its abrasive, warped rhythm, as well as Can, Neu!, and Faust's pioneering work - though there is little else that comes close to the unique and distinctive avant rock sound, an entirely new take on the rock format. Their self-titled debut is a radical conglomeration of progressive rock, musique concrète, free improvisation, and even - in a bizarre distillation - aspects of British folk can be heard in Charles Hayward's singing. There are very few records that can be considered truly important, landmark works of art that produce blueprints for an entire genre. In the case of this album, it's clear that this seminal work was integral in shaping the genres of post-punk, avant rock, and post-rock and like all great influential albums it seemed it had to wait two decades before its contents could truly be fathomed. In short, This Heat is essential."

This Heat

or

This Heat

↧

Shakti With John McLaughlin - Natural Elements, 1977 (Jazz/Fusion)

March 27, 2012, 5:13 pm

≫ Next: Gerard Malanga - Up from the Archives (Experimental\Spoken Word)

≪ Previous: This Heat (UK) - This Heat, 1979 (RIO/Avant-Prog)

1. Mind Ecology 5:47
2. Face to Face 5:58
3. Come on Baby Dance with Me 1:58
4. The Daffodil and the Eagle 7:03
5. Happiness Is Being Together 4:28
6. Bridge of Sighs 3:52
7. Get Down and Sruti 7:02
8. Peace of Mind 3:22

John McLaughlin - acoustic guitar, vocals
L. Shankar - violin, viola, vocals
Zakir Hussain - tabla, timbales, bongos, dholak, nal, triangle, vocals
T.H. Vinayakaram - ghatam, nal, kinjeera, moorsing, vocals

AMG:
"The third and final Shakti recording from the '70s. The songs here are shorter than those on Shakti and Handful of Beauty, but no less impressive. The novelty of combining Eastern and Western musical styles had worn off and McLaughlin sounds comfortable. This allows for memorable compositions and interchanges, rather than the blistering virtuosity that characterized the first two releases. From the intense ('Daffodil and the Eagle') to the joyful ('Happiness Is Being Together'), Natural Elements stands as a milestone in McLaughlin's illustrious career."

Natural Elements

or

Natural Elements

↧

Gerard Malanga - Up from the Archives (Experimental\Spoken Word)

March 28, 2012, 5:16 pm

≫ Next: Banda Sinaloense El Recodo - Lo Mejor de lo Mejor, 1954-1977 (Mexican Traditions)

≪ Previous: Shakti With John McLaughlin - Natural Elements, 1977 (Jazz/Fusion)

1. Gerard Malanga – To The Young Model, Name Unknown 1:21
2. Iggy Pop – Untitled 4:46
3. Gerard Malanga – The Recording Of Couch 4:41
Allen Ginsberg - Voice
Andy Warhol - Voice
Gerard Malanga - Voice
Gregory Corso - Voice
Jack Kerouac - Voice
Peter Orlovsky - Voice
Taylor Mead - Voice
4. Angus MacLise – Cloud Asylum 1:56
Angus MacLise - Dulcimer
5. Gerard Malanga – The Recording Of Couch (Second Part) 4:45
6. Peter Hartman – Spontaneous Classical Piano Routine 4:44
7. Willard Maas – His Image In The Snow 1:53
8. Gerard Malanga + DJ Olive – The 3rd Avenue El 3:18
9. Gerard Malanga – The Life And Death Of A Photograph 6:28
10. Gerard Malanga + 48 Cameras – Leaving New York 4:37
11. Charles Henri Ford – 3 Haiku 0:58
12. Paradise Now – The Silk Process [The Unknown Girl] 2:46
13. Gerard Malanga + Erwan Szabo – The Young Mod 3:28
14. William Burroughs + Gerard Malanga – Untitled 5:02
15. Thurston Moore – Untitled
Thurston Moore - Electric Guitar 5:49

1 - Live at Leo Castelli Gallery, December 16, 1964.
3 - Recorded during the filming of Couch at The Factory, Summer 1964.
4 - Engineer: Apostolic Studios, 1966.
6 - Commissioned by Gerard Malanga for his film, In Search of the Miraculous. Rome, May 1967.
7 - Library of Congress/Division of Music, Washington, D.C., May 28, 1945.
8 - For Frank Kuenstler 1928-1996. Recorded at Le Botanique, Brussels, G. Malanga Objectif Pop show, June 2, 1999.
9 - Live at Le Botanique, Brussels, from Pop to Poetry event, March 12, 1998.
11 - Recorded at Charles' home, New York, 1993.
12 - From the soundtrack to a video by Hänzel & Grezel.
13 - Recorded at Da Note Studio France, 1998. Produced by IXER Enterprises and Da Note.
14 - Burroughs discusses "dream" with Malanga, in New York, July 21, 1974.
15 - @ the Monster Issue, New York, April 1999.

Wiki:
"Born in the Bronx, New York, Malanga graduated from the School of Industrial Art in Manhattan and attended Wagner College on Staten Island. At Wagner, he befriended one of his English professors, Willard Maas and his wife, Marie Menken.
Gerard Malanga was Warhol's assistant from 1963 to 1970 and as an actor, had lead parts in many of his early films. He danced with the Exploding Plastic Inevitable, Warhol's multimedia presentation of the Velvet Underground. Malanga claims to have created some of the works attributed to Warhol. In 1970, Malanga left Warhol's studio to work on his own.
Malanga is also known for his photography of 60's celebrities, including poets, rock stars, and actors.
His poetry has been published in The New Yorker, Poetry, and Unmuzzled OX.
Malanga created a series of deeply romantic films of his own, in which Malanga’s on-screen persona of "the young poet" is foregrounded in each frame.
Other early Malanga films also put the performer center stage within the filmmaker's lens. Mary for Mary (1966) is a portrait of the actor Mary Woronov. Donovan Meets Gerard (1966) documents a meeting between Malanga and the folk singer Donovan at Warhol’s studio. Pre-Raphaelite Dream (1968), documents the filmmaker’s friends and extended family in Cambridge, Massachusetts. In The Recording Zone Operator (1968), shot on location in Rome in 35 mm Techniscope/Technicolor, Malanga worked with Tony Kinna, Anita Pallenberg and members of the Living Theatre.
In 1981, Malanga photographed the last farmer on Staten Island, Herbert Gericke.
Malanga maintains an archive of his still- and motion-picture records of life at Warhol's Factory, and continues his work as a poet. He is the author of some twenty volumes of poetry, including the collection This Will Kill That, and a collaboration with Andy Warhol, Screen Tests: A Diary."

Up from the Archives

or

Up from the Archives

↧

Banda Sinaloense El Recodo - Lo Mejor de lo Mejor, 1954-1977 (Mexican Traditions)

March 28, 2012, 5:17 pm

≫ Next: Andrew Lloyd Webber - Requiem, 1984 (Modern Composition)

≪ Previous: Gerard Malanga - Up from the Archives (Experimental\Spoken Word)

1. El Niño Perdido 2:14
2. El Sinaloense 2:12
3. Por Una Mujer Casada 2:53
4. El Golpe Traidor 2:35
5. Madrecita Querida 2:43
6. Viva Mi Desgracia 3:15
7. Corrido de Nacho Bernal 2:45
8. La Mula Bronca 2:05
9. El Abandonado 2:11
10. El Zopilote Mojado 2:38
11. Cancion Mixteca 3:08
12. El Novillo Despuntado 2:31
13. Hay Unos Ojos 2:07
14. El Capiro 2:52
15. El 24 de Junio 2:52
16. Albur de Amor 2:26
17. La Banda del Carro Rojo 2:19
18. Arriba Pichataro 2:37

1. El Quelite 2:34
2. La Puerta Negra 3:10
3. El Muchacho Alegre 3:12
4. Cielito Lindo 2:37
5. Sobre las Olas 4:06
6. El Sauce y la Palma 2:52
7. Juan Colorado 2:48
8. Cuatro Milpas 2:53
9. Cartas Marcadas 2:10
10. La Carcel de Cananea 2:03
11. El Moro de Cumpas 2:42
12. Recuerdos del Sitio 2:35
13. La Camioneta Gris 3:14
14. El Barrilito 2:45
15. Los Vergelitos 2:21
16. La Chuchis 2:02
17. Flor de Capomo 2:34
18. La Ley del Monte 2:42
19. Que Me Toquen la Cococha 3:01

Eduardo Magallanes - Director

AMG:
"Part of RCA Victor's epic series of two-disc, 40-track sets spanning the best Latin music of the 20th century, La Banda Sinaloense el Recodo de Cruz Lizarraga's Lo Mejor de lo Mejor features all of the group's classic recordings, including 'Niño Perdido' and 'El Muchacho Alegre.' Although there aren't any liner notes, simply listing the recording dates for each song is quite an accomplishment for a Latin collection. Two discs is a lot of music, but RCA Victor deserves kudos for allowing listeners to hear so much great music in one inexpensive collection."

Lo Mejor de lo Mejor

or

Lo Mejor de lo Mejor

↧

Andrew Lloyd Webber - Requiem, 1984 (Modern Composition)

March 28, 2012, 5:17 pm

≫ Next: Bump (US) - Bump 2, 1971 (Psych)

≪ Previous: Banda Sinaloense El Recodo - Lo Mejor de lo Mejor, 1954-1977 (Mexican Traditions)

1. Requiem & Kyrie 6:43
2. Dies irae... Rex tremendae 6:04
3. Recordare 3:24
4. Ingemisco... Lacrymosa 7:47
5. Offertorium 5:23
6. Hosanna 4:53
7. Pie Jesu 3:59
8. Lux aeterna & Libera me 7:32

Sarah Brightman - Soprano
Plácido Domingo - Tenor
James Lancelot - Organ
English Chamber Orchestra
Lorin Maazel - Conductor
Winchester Cathedral Choir
Martin Neary - Director

AMG:
"Andrew Lloyd Webber's Requiem was inspired in part by the death of his father, William, in 1982. The senior Lloyd Webber was an organist at both All Saints church and at Central Hall, Westminster, in London. Lloyd Webber thought it appropriate to commemorate the death of his father by setting a liturgical text. A newspaper article about a Cambodian boy and his sister then suggested the choice of soloists: a boy, a girl, and a man. In Lloyd Webber's mind, the girl became an adult soprano and the man a tenor, but the boy remained.
Like many composers who have set the Requiem Mass, Lloyd Webber omits some of the Mass text. He foregoes the tract and combines other texts into larger sections in non-traditional ways. Lloyd Webber wrote the tenor solo part for Placido Domingo, allowing him to explore a much greater melodic range than possible in his stage works. The composer has referred to the Requiem as 'the most personal of all my compositions.'
Low brass and flute flourishes begin the work, followed by the boy soprano singing a melody featuring a downward leap. This grows through repeats until the full choir and orchestra return to the opening text. The tenor and soprano soloists first appear in the Kyrie, which is subsumed into the introit. An angular melody, introduced by the organ, sets the Recordare text and returns several times in the piece, each time delivered by the soprano. The Offertorium, including the Hostias, is the most subdued movement of the Requiem, but has an aggressive instrumental interlude at its midpoint. Lloyd Webber separates the hosanna and Benedictus from the Sanctus, creating a number that stands out from the rest of the piece. It begins with a climbing tune for tenor solo, over a drone that reaches its peak at the word 'benedictus.' When the boys' chorus enters, imitation begins with repeated text, which carries on until the injection of a lively rhythm and electric drums, à la 1977 pop music. The Requiem closes as it opens, with the boy soprano."

Requiem

or

Requiem

↧

Bump (US) - Bump 2, 1971 (Psych)

March 29, 2012, 5:08 pm

≫ Next: Joe McPhee & Survival Unit II - At WBAI's Free Music Store, October 30, 1971 (Avant-Garde Jazz)

≪ Previous: Andrew Lloyd Webber - Requiem, 1984 (Modern Composition)

1. Winston Built the Bridge 3:06
2. Such Pretty Scenery 6:32
3. The Song 3:17
4. Sea of Tranquility 2:50
5. Concerning Your Invitation 2:20
6. Promises to You 3:26
7. Let Me Lie 2:05
8. Boris the Black 10:44

Alan Goldman - Guitar
Paul Lupien - Organ
George Runyan - Bass, Vocals
Jerome Charles Greenberg - Drums

AMG:
"he Bump emerged in the spring of 1969 out of Detroit's psychedelic pop scene. The band's founding members, bassist/vocalist George Runyan and keyboardist Paul Lupien, held open auditions to fill the open guitar and drum positions, finally settling on Alan Goldman and Jerome Charles Greenberg, respectively, who had themselves been a team of several years going back to their high school friendship. Runyan came up with the band name after seeing a roadside sign. Lupien was the band's primary songwriter; he already had a backlog of songs coming into the band. Runyan and Greenberg were, although less prodigious, also writers, so the band instantly had original material to practice and perform. By the late summer of 1969, the Bump had sufficiently worked up their material and were signed by a local 8-track recording studio, Pioneer, which also provided the band with management, equipment, booking, rehearsal space, recording facilities, even its own label. They recorded two singles and two LPs for the label. The first, self-titled album received favorable reviews in publications such as Billboard and Record World magazines, but was not enough promoted to chart nationally. The second album was never released. Still, the Bump made its name with a dramatic live show that included theatrical stage costumes and make-up. They also made several local television appearances, and had a local hit with their second single, 'Sing Into the Wind/State of Affairs.' In 1971, Runyan and Lupien dissolved the band, yet remained a writing and performing team with numerous other bands, none of which experienced any measure of success, over the next couple years.

Bump's second album was due for a 1971 release but never appeared, so its first formal release 40 years on is by default something of a curio. Given the band's pleasant but not generally remarkable work on that first album, 2 would seem to be more of the same, but there's a sense that they might have been figuring out a way to develop things just a bit more if they had had the chance. 'Winston Built the Bridge' starts off with all the scuzz you could want, which ends up lurking in the background behind the sweet demi-dippy demi-funky song itself, a classic case of accidentally stumbling onto something, at once continuing the just-out-of-the-acid-splash craziness of the previous years but not quite finding what they need to connect. But moments like the sudden break from keyboards to high chorused vocals on 'Such Pretty Scenery,' followed later by an extended instrumental break that's both stentorian and genuinely entertaining, show that the sparks are there. A song like 'Let Me Lie,' stripping away the keyboard swirls for the most part for a taut edge, is a nice touch, giving a little more variety for the album, while the easygoing demi-boogie of 'Sea of Tranquility' - a perfectly timely reference given the recent moon landings - also gels well enough. Meanwhile, 'Boris the Black' lets them go for a full-on indulgence at an album-closing ten minutes, but again, compared to a lot of the little-goes-a-long-way acts of the time, the strip back to a quieter part followed by a rhythmic guitar/cymbal slash and crash with keyboard soloing over the top all holds up entertainingly. When a triumphant solo starts with three minutes to go, it actually feels like something that's been earned; when psychotic screams crop up in the final minute, it makes for an uneasy ending at best - and a compelling one."

Bump 2

or

Bump 2

↧

Joe McPhee & Survival Unit II - At WBAI's Free Music Store, October 30, 1971 (Avant-Garde Jazz)

March 30, 2012, 5:05 pm

≫ Next: Slavyanka Men's Chorus - Russian Church Music, 1987

≪ Previous: Bump (US) - Bump 2, 1971 (Psych)

1. Announcement 1 0:33
2. Black Magic Man 6:25
3. Announcement 2 0:35
4. Nation Time 14:12
5. Song for Lauren 13:17
6. Announcement 3 0:33
7. Message from Denmark 13:39
8. The Looking Glass 1 16:01
9. Harriet 13:35

Joe McPhee - Sax (Tenor), Trumpet
Clifford Thornton - Horn (Baritone)
Byron Morris - Sax (Alto), Sax (Soprano)
Mike Kull - Piano
Harold E. Smith - Percussion

AMG:
"The Hat Art label was formed in the mid-'70s partly to document the music of multi-instrumentalist Joe McPhee. The tapes of this live concert, which was broadcast by the small New York radio station WBAI, were released for the first time on this 1996 CD. Doubling on tenor and trumpet, McPhee is joined by Clifford Thornton (heard on baritone horn and cornet), Byron Morris (on soprano and alto), pianist Mike Kull, and percussionist Harold E. Smith. Due to the passionate nature of much of this fairly free music and the use of Thornton's baritone horn, one does not really notice the absence of a string bass. The six lengthy pieces (which are sandwiched by somewhat stilted announcing) are full of fire but also have their quiet and lyrical moments. A strong all-around performance that should not have taken 25 years to release."

At WBAI's Free Music Store

or

At WBAI's Free Music Store

↧

Slavyanka Men's Chorus - Russian Church Music, 1987

March 31, 2012, 5:07 pm

≫ Next: Siekiera (Poland) - Nowa Aleksandria, 1985 (Punk)

≪ Previous: Joe McPhee & Survival Unit II - At WBAI's Free Music Store, October 30, 1971 (Avant-Garde Jazz)

Nikolai Kedrov: Otce Nas (Lord's Prayer) 3:14
Anonymous: Blessed Is the Man 7:31
Ippolitov-Ivanov: Sye Nynye Blagoslovitye Gospoda (Behold, Bless the Lord) 4:20
Anonymous: O Lord, Save Thy People 1:13
Glazunov: Having Fallen Asleep in the Flesh, hymn for chorus (harmonization of Easter Exaposteilarion) 1:48
Anonymous: By the Rivers of Babylon 4:29
Grechaninov: Voskliknitye Gospodyevi (Make A Joyful Noise) 2:46
Arkhangel'sky: Glasom Moim (With My Voice) 3:16
Kompanyeisky: Milost' Mira (For the Mercy of Peace) 7:22
Chesnokov: Salvation Is Created (Spaséñiye sodélal), for choir, Op. 25/5 2:36
Kastalsky: Pryeidye Syen' (The Shadow of the Law Passed Away) 2:34
Bortnyansky: Dostoino Yest' (It Is Fitting) 1:39
Kastalsky: Pryeidye Syen' (The Shadow of the Law Passed Away) 2:24
Chesnokov: Lord, Now Lettest Thou Thy Servant Depart (Nynye Otpushchayeshi) 3:12
Kastalsky: Milost' Mira (For the Mercy of Peace) 2:34
Stravinsky: Pater Noster, for chorus 2:03
Bortnyansky: Glory to God in Heaven 5:12

Paul Andrews - Conductor

Russian Church Music

or

Russian Church Music

↧

Siekiera (Poland) - Nowa Aleksandria, 1985 (Punk)

March 31, 2012, 5:08 pm

≫ Next: Howard Roberts - Color Him Funky/H.R. Is a Dirty Guitar Player, 1963 (Jazz)

≪ Previous: Slavyanka Men's Chorus - Russian Church Music, 1987

1. Idziemy przez las 3:40
2. Ludzie wschodu 4:23
3. Bez końca 3:21
4. Idziemy na skraj 3:27
5. Na zewnątrz 6:03
6. Nowa Aleksandria 3:16
7. To słowa 3:14
8. Już blisko 2:45
9. Tak dużo, tak mocno 4:02
10. Czerwony pejzaż 4:46
11. Misiowie puszyści 2:41 (bonus)
12. Jest bezpiecznie 5:29 (bonus)
13. Ja stoję, ja tańczę, ja walczę 5:11 (bonus)

Tomasz Adamski – vocal, guitar
Paweł Młynarczyk – keyboards
Dariusz Malinowski – vocal, bass
Zbigniew Musiński – drums

Wiki:
"Siekiera was one of the most influential and popular punk rock bands in Poland. With fast, aggressive music and lyrics filled with obscenities, the band was a sensation in the 1984 Jarocin Festival. After changes in the lineup, the band switched to new wave and dissolved in 1988.
Siekiera formed in 1982 or 1983 in Puławy, Poland, under the name of 'Trafo'. The line-up then was Tomasz Adamski - guitar, Tomasz Budzyński - vocals, Jerzy Janaczek - bass, and Irek 'Borys' Czerniak - drums. They started by playing cover songs of UK Subs and The Exploited. In the autumn of 1983 they changed they name to Siekiera (Polish for 'Axe'). There is a legend that the name came from a guy who heard their music and compared it to an axe. The original line-up was Tomasz Adamski (a.k.a. Dzwon) - guitar, leader, the author of all lyrics and music, Tomasz Budzyński (a.k.a. Budzy) - vocals, Dariusz Malinowski (a.k.a. Malina) - bass, and Krzysztof Grela (a.k.a. Koben) - drums. For a while some guy called Piotr Szewczyk played guitar, but they fired him because of his blues influences.
In 1984 they played their first official show in a club 'Remont' in Warsaw. They also performed at the Jarocin Festival, and they were well-received by the audience. In October 1984, after a huge show with TZN Xenna and Youth Brigade, Budzynski left the band (he wanted to have some influence on the band's music and lyrics, but Adamski wasn't happy about that). With that line-up they played only 6 shows. After that Budzynski formed a band called Armia (with Robert Brylewski).
Tomasz Adamski reformed Siekiera with two new members: Zbigniew Musinski - drums and Pawel Mlynarczyk - keyboards. Dariusz Malinowski took the vocal duties (besides playing bass). In February 1985 they recorded eight new tracks, some of them were played on the radio. In May and June they recorded some songs for an EP and the Jak Punk to Punk compilation LP. In 1985 they played again at the Jarocin festival, but the orthodox punk public didn't like their new wave image and music.
In 1986 Siekiera released their only LP, Nowa Aleksandria - it is influenced mainly by Killing Joke and regarded as one of the greatest Polish albums of all time. In 1987, a new guitarist, Wieslaw Borysewicz, was recruited, and Tomasz Adamski concentrated on singing. In 1987 they also played a mini-tour with Variete a Polish new wave band. Finally, in 1988 they broke up. They were expected to re-form in 1989 with an almost original line up (with Stopa who used to play in Moskwa and Armia as the drummer), but somehow it didn't work out."

Nowa Aleksandria

or

Nowa Aleksandria

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Howard Roberts - Color Him Funky/H.R. Is a Dirty Guitar Player, 1963 (Jazz)

April 1, 2012, 5:08 pm

≫ Next: Sweet Smoke (US) - Just A Poke/Darkness To Light, 1970/1973 (Psych/Space)

≪ Previous: Siekiera (Poland) - Nowa Aleksandria, 1985 (Punk)

1. Florence of Arabia 1:44
2. What Kind of Fool Am I 2:49
3. Sack O' Woe 2:30
4. When Lights Are Low 2:41
5. Hoe Down 2:52
6. Shiny Stockings 2:26
7. Goodbye Good Luck I'm Gone 2:24
8. One Long Day 2:37
9. The Peeper 2:15
10. Days of Wine and Roses 2:30
11. Down Under 2:27
12. Color Him Funky 2:27

13. Watermelon Man 2:31
14. Smolderin' 2:52
15. Li'l Darlin' 3:12
16. Turista 2:11
17. If Ever I Would Leave You 3:03
18. One O'Clock Jump 2:52
19. Deep Fry 2:27
20. Rough Ridin' 2:27
21. Satin Doll 2:55
22. Smokin' 2:15
23. One Note Samba 2:34
24. Dirty Old Bossa Nova 2:12

Howard Roberts - Guitar
Paul Bryant - Organ (1-12)
Burkley Kendrix - Organ (13-24)
Chuck Berghofer - Bass
Earl Palmer - Drums

AMG:
"Two Capitol LPs are reissued in full on this CD. Howard Roberts, a talented jazz guitarist from the 1950s who chose to become a studio musician, is in fine form on these selections, playing soul-jazz and swinging hard bop with a pair of quartets that have either Paul Bryant or Burkley Kendrix on organ. At the time these albums were released (they were both recorded in 1963), one could be excused for shying away from them because they both clocked in at barely a half-hour apiece and the individual selections were all quite concise, almost always less than three minutes apiece. The latter was on purpose so the numbers could be played on AM radio. But as it turned out, Roberts and his group did an excellent job of making every moment count, playing concise but self-sufficient arrangements and taking short but meaningful solos. So although most of the songs seem to end when they are just starting to get going, a lot of music takes place in a short period of time. Roberts recorded a long series of albums for Capitol, and the two combined on this CD are arguably his best for the label."

Color Him Funky/H.R. Is a Dirty Guitar Player

or

Color Him Funky/H.R. Is a Dirty Guitar Player

↧

Sweet Smoke (US) - Just A Poke/Darkness To Light, 1970/1973 (Psych/Space)

April 2, 2012, 5:14 pm

≫ Next: Markus Stockhausen - Karta, 1999 (Jazz/Modern Creative)

≪ Previous: Howard Roberts - Color Him Funky/H.R. Is a Dirty Guitar Player, 1963 (Jazz)

1. Baby night 16:24
2. Silly Sally 16:22

3. Just an empty dream 4:20
4. I'd rather burn than disappear 4:15
5. Kundalini 13:25
6. Believe me my friends 4:29
7. Show me the way to the war 5:30
8. Darkness to light 12:51

Michael Paris - tenor saxophone, alto recorder, vocals, percussion
Marvin Kaminowitz - lead guitar, vocals
Steve Rosenstein - rhythm guitar, vocals
Andrew Dershin - bass
Jay Dorfman - drums, percussion
Rochus Kühn - violin, cello (3-8)
Jeffrey Dershin - piano, percussion, vocals (3-8)

AMG:
"Released 26 six years after their split, this 2000 compilation gathers the two studio albums recorded by German-based Brooklyn progressive jazz-rock band Sweet Smoke onto one disc. Produced by Rosie Schmitz and Winifred Ebert, 1970 debut Just a Poke is an experimental affair, featuring just two 16-minute epic tracks, 'Baby Night,' which includes a cover of the Doors' 'The Soft Parade' and 'Silly Sally,' which contains a five-minute drum solo. While 1973 follow-up Darkness to Light, produced by John G. Möring and inspired by a previous trip to India, features a more acoustic flavor on its six psychedelic tracks."

Just A Poke/Darkness To Light

or

Just A Poke/Darkness To Light

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Markus Stockhausen - Karta, 1999 (Jazz/Modern Creative)

April 3, 2012, 5:14 pm

≫ Next: Bernard Pretty Purdie - Lialeh, 1974 (Soul)

≪ Previous: Sweet Smoke (US) - Just A Poke/Darkness To Light, 1970/1973 (Psych/Space)

1. Sezopen 4:50
2. Flower of Now 9:17
3. Wood and Naphta 2:58
4. Sway 4:27
5. Auma 8:05
6. Legacy 5:19
7. Invocation 4:44
8. Wild Cat 7:58
9. Emanation 4:01
10. Choral 3:57
11. Lighthouse 8:40

Markus Stockhausen - Flugelhorn, Piccolo Trumpet, Trumpet
Terje Rypdal - Guitar
Arild Andersen - Double Bass
Patrice Héral - Drums, Electronics, Percussion

AMG:
"This end-of-the-millennium quartet session probably best defines all the inherent contradictions in who ECM attracts to the label - what kind of musician records for them - and what concerns these artists and ECM's chief producer (and creator) Manfred Eicher hold in common. This set, although clearly fronted by Markus Stockhausen and Arild Andersen on brass and bass, respectively, allows space for the entire quartet to inform its direction. Héral and Rypdal are not musicians who can play with just anybody; their distinctive styles and strengths often go against the grain of contemporary European jazz and improvised music. Of the 11 compositions here, four are collectively written, with two each by Andersen and Stockhausen. 'Flower of the Now' uses space and texture to create a harmonic architecture, skeletal though it may be. Stockhausen states a theme that acts as the syntax for the painterly drumming of Héral and Rypdal's interlocution between all the drifting parties. 'Sway' begins with Héral's trans-African drumming, followed by the fury of Rypdal's own brand of guitar improvisation. He edges through musical frameworks of the past in rock, blues, and jazz, cutting them down in the process of playing knotty arpeggios and deconstructed riffs that rely on harmonic rather than lyrical language. When Stockhausen moves into the fray, it's sparingly in stark contrast to Rypdal's splatter and roll methodology and brings things to a near halt, with only Andersen to slip a groove through the band's abstractions. This is a record of 'sonics,' an area not unlike the forbidden 'Zone' filmmaker Andrei Tarkovsky's hero, who guides people through in the film Stalker - forbidden, wasted, and beautifully desolate. When listeners reach the place in 'Auma' where Andersen's bass employs electronic devices to give it an 'orchestra' or chamber section quality, they can hear how attentive this crew really is to one another. They move about slowly and purposefully in the musical spheres where sound, language, and harmonic monoliths all give way into something less definite, less shapely or contoured in favor of the unspeakable, the unmentionable, the inarticulate speech of the heart as it enters, through sound's language: one of tension, dynamic, nuance, and texture, the various places where spoken language fails so miserably. In all, Karta is an effort that showcases the very best of its collective: It contains aesthetic grace and elegance as well as great violence and chaos. For all the recordings in 'popular' music made at the end of the century, this is the one that sums up best where Western music has traveled these last hundred years, and points to just how far it yet needs to journey in the next thousand. Karta is soulful, tender, and frightening."

Karta

or

Karta

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Bernard Pretty Purdie - Lialeh, 1974 (Soul)

April 4, 2012, 5:18 pm

≫ Next: Paco de Lucia/Ricardo Modrego - 12 Canciones de Garcia Lorca para guitara, 1965 (Flamenco)

≪ Previous: Markus Stockhausen - Karta, 1999 (Jazz/Modern Creative)

1. Lialeh 5:19
2. Touch Me Again 4:25
3. Conscious 4:18
4. Easy 4:28
5. All Pink on the Inside 4:38
6. Pass Me Not 4:36
7. Hap'nin' 5:31

Sandi Hewitt - Vocals
Seldon Powell - Clarinet, Flute, Sax (Tenor)
Arthur "Babe"Clarke - Flute, Sax (Baritone)
Jimmy Owens - Trumpet
Charles Sullivan - Trumpet
Garnett Brown - Trombone
John Tropea - Guitar
Lloyd Davis - Guitar
Horace Ott - Fender Rhodes, Piano
Ernie Hayes - Organ, Piano
Wilbur Bascomb, Jr. - Bass
Bernard Purdie - Drums
Norman Pride - Percussion
Ken Lowry - Vocals (Background)
Maretha Stewart - Vocals (Background)
Martha Stewart - Vocals (Background)
Stormy Winters - Vocals (Background)

AMG:
"The movie Lialeh may be filthy, but the movie soundtrack is just funky. Well, that's not completely true, and it's possible you could get in a bit of trouble playing this soundtrack for unsuspecting listeners. But for the most part, what was trumpeted as the first black porn film mixed the right portion of grit with its sensuality. Purdie, former and future collaborator with everybody from Louis Armstrong to Duane Allman to the Last Poets to the Insect Trust, never struts self-indulgently even on the two spots where his drums get the foreground; everyone sticks together on the one and the other three beats besides. 'Don't make me the family way,' warns Sandi Hewitt in the first line of 'Touch Me Again,' but it slithers out of her mouth like her subsequent encouragements to touch, a female serpent nudging the fallen fruit toward your foot; the band backs off, she simmers down, and a flute flitters. She never quite climaxes, but at least breathes heavily, more naturally, than the grunts at the end of the otherwise flirty 'All Pink on the Inside,' which recalls Frank Zappa's heavy-handed put-ons or even the 'Love Rollercoaster' intro. 'Pass Me Not' passes for New Orleans funeral march music, albeit with piano, organ, and electric guitar joining the plungered trombone and other horns. Out of print since shortly after its 1974 release, Light in the Attic restored the sizzling set to print in 2003 on CD and 180-gram vinyl. The latter edition includes a movie poster."

Lialeh

or

Lialeh

↧

Paco de Lucia/Ricardo Modrego - 12 Canciones de Garcia Lorca para guitara, 1965 (Flamenco)

April 4, 2012, 5:19 pm

≫ Next: Eric Moe - On the Tip of my Tongue, 1996 (Modern Composition)

≪ Previous: Bernard Pretty Purdie - Lialeh, 1974 (Soul)

1. Zorongo Gitano 2:58
2. Sevillanas del Siglo Xviii 3:12
3. Las Morillas de Jaén 2:56
4. Anda Jaleo 4:02
5. Los Mozos de Monleón 3:02
6. Los Reyes de la Baraja 2:52
7. Los Cuatro Muleros 2:51
8. Nana de Sevilla 3:11
9. Café de Chinitas 3:48
10. El Vito 2:54
11. Los Peregrinitos 3:32
12. Las Tres Hojas 2:25

Paco de Lucia - Guitar
Ricardo Modrego - Guitar

12 Canciones de Garcia Lorca para guitara

or

12 Canciones de Garcia Lorca para guitara

↧

Eric Moe - On the Tip of my Tongue, 1996 (Modern Composition)

April 4, 2012, 5:19 pm

≫ Next: Marianne Faithfull - North Country Maid, 1966 (Pop Folk)

≪ Previous: Paco de Lucia/Ricardo Modrego - 12 Canciones de Garcia Lorca para guitara, 1965 (Flamenco)

1-4. On the Tip of My Tongue, for bass clarinet & synthesizer 13:37
5. O Vos Omnes, for 4 voices 5:35
6. riprap, for flute, cello, percussion & piano 7:25
7. Sad Steps, for oboe & piano 7:04
8. Fancy Footwork, for oboe & piano 3:38
9-13. Songs & Dances of the Automobile, for synthesizer 13:41
14. On the Tip of My Tongue, for bass clarinet & synthesizer : IV. What the Drums Say (alternate take) 3:32

Eric Moe - Piano, Synthesizer
Marcia Butler - Oboe
Tim Smith - Clarinet (Bass)
The Bellefield Singers

AMG:
"Eric Moe is a popular composer whose style is difficult to pin down in its mixture of minimalism, tonal and non-tonal aspects, electro-acoustic techniques, pop music elements, and various other characteristics. In general his works are accessible to the listener, and while they often divulge echoes of Stravinsky, Liszt, Bartók, and American composers like Barber, they also possess an individuality quite their own. Many of his compositions almost defy classification: his piano concerto Kicking and Screaming (1994), is neither tonal nor atonal, but quite approachable in its churning lyricism; his so-called 'sit-trag' TRI-STAN, for mezzo-soprano and 10 instrumentalists, straddles and even unites the classical and pop music worlds; and his Mouth Music (1995) is quite imaginative in its odd vocal utterances and deft electronic manipulations. If Moe the composer is stylistically all over the place, Moe the pianist is a more certain commodity: he is accomplished both as a concert and recording artist, performing many of his own works as well as a disparate range by Cage, Draeseke, Babbitt, Lou Harrison, Robert Helps, Charles Wuorinen, and many others. Moe's works have appeared on CRI, Centaur, Koch International, and Albany Records.
Eric Moe was born in Carbondale, IL, in 1954. He studied music at Princeton, obtaining a bachelor's degree (1976) and then a master's (1978) and doctorate (1982) at the University of California at Berkeley, where his chief teachers included Andrew Imbrie. From 1981-1989, Moe taught music at San Francisco State University. His first serious works began to appear in 1984, the Fantasy, for piano, and Songs Not So Serious, for soprano and piano. In 1985 Moe helped found the San Francisco-based music ensemble Earplay. Moe joined the faculty at the University of Pittsburgh in 1989, where he has since served as professor of composition and theory.
Among Moe's first recordings was the 1996 Centaur release On the Tip of My Tongue, a collection of seven Moe compositions titled after the lead-off piece for clarinet and piano. On the recording Moe performs both on piano and synthesizer. Other recordings followed and Moe appeared regularly as a pianist and conductor, often with Earplay and the San Francisco-based Pro Musica Nova. In the new century Moe has achieved international notice from the 2005 first performances of the aforementioned TRI-STAN. Among Moe's other recordings is the 2007 release on Albany Records of Siren Songs, a 1998 vocal collection for soprano and chamber orchestra."

On the Tip of my Tongue

or

On the Tip of my Tongue

↧

Marianne Faithfull - North Country Maid, 1966 (Pop Folk)

April 5, 2012, 5:20 pm

≫ Next: Abdullah Ibrahim - The Banyana: Children of Africa, 1976 (Jazz)

≪ Previous: Eric Moe - On the Tip of my Tongue, 1996 (Modern Composition)

1. Green Are Your Eyes
2. Scarborough Fair
3. Cockleshells
4. Last Thing on My Mind
5. The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face
6. Sally Free and Easy
7. Sunny Goodge Street
8. How Should I Your True Love Know
9. She Moved Through the Fair
10. North Country Maid
11. Lullaby
12. Wild Mountain Thyme
13. The Most of What Is Least
14. Come My Way [Version 2]
15. Mary Ann [Version 2]

AMG:
"Faithfull was still known primarily as a pop singer when she put out North Country Maid, but this is in fact very close to a pure folk album, with a bit of influence from pop, rock, blues, and jazz. Largely overlooked even by Faithfull fans, it's actually a quite respectable effort, and probably her best LP (other than greatest-hits compilations) from the time when her voice was still on the high side. Ably backed by sessionmen including guitarists Jon Mark and Jim Sullivan, she interprets mostly traditional material on this record, including 'She Moved Through the Fair,' 'Wild Mountain Thyme,' 'Sally Free and Easy,' and 'Scarborough Fair.' There are some mid-'60s covers too, though, including Donovan's 'Sunny Goodge Street' and Tom Paxton's 'Last Thing on My Mind.' Sometimes, when the bass gets prominent and the arrangements swing, this isn't too far from early Pentangle, as unexpected as that comparison is. The use of sitar on 'She Moved Through the Fair' and 'Wild Mountain Thyme' is adventurous, and she sings pretty well throughout, with dignity and purity if not utmost imagination or grit."

North Country Maid

or

North Country Maid

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