Pieces For Guitar
(Tzadik) Used CD $12.00
The earliest known solo recordings of this guitar innovator, dating from 1966 (possibly 1965), originally recorded for personal study during a transitional period. The only instances of Bailey performing his own written compositions reveal an influence of the music of Anton Webern on the variety of techniques he uses to formalize his unique approach to music in general and the guitar in particular. Sealed
Museum of Dannys
(Tzadik - TZ7405) CD $10.00
Cult hero, kook, renegade, Cohen brings the best of his work spanning three decades to Tzadik’s Lunatic Fringe series. Said the label when Mueseum of Dannys was released in 1999, “Arrangements as creative as Joe Meek, lyrics as real as Dylan, hooks as catchy as Brian Wilson, Cohen’s unique blend of astral projection, bad tacos, suicide and Satan makes him the most original songwriter since Daniel Johnston.”
THE CRACOW KLEZMER BAND / JOHN ZORN
Balan
(Tzadik) Used CD $12.00
All Music Guide describes the beguiling performance here of compositions from Zorn’s second Masada book as an “entrancing, ingenious, and by all means exotic [recording — a melding of] traditional klezmer, symphonic cadenzas, and free improvisation….” Jaroslaw Bester’s witchy bayan signals “from some far-off place to Oleg Dyyak’s hand drums, Wojciech Front’s double bass…, the small army of strings [by] violinist Jaroslaw Tyrala and the DAFO String Quartet…, the seemingly random guttural vocals of Jorgos Skolias…, [and] Ireneusz Socha’s minimal electronics….” Bester’s arrangements push “the klezmer genre to its limit and then past it, letting in a flood of other musical approaches and ideas.” Sealed
Sprut
(Tzadik - TZ7050) Used CD $12.00
1999 reissue of a “strange, hyperactive musical slide show” made of sampling collages, originally self-released (Goodbyeboozy 1995) by this Italian neo-primitive composer. Combining modern technology with concepts inspired by John Oswald and mystery tapes, Di Gregorio chops, mixes, and blends the known and unknown. Sealed with a promo drill mark on the jewelbox.
Cellule 75
(Tzadik) Used CD $8.00 (Out-of-stock)
The title track “tampers with the percussive function of the instruments and plays with instrumental role-switching and layering,” notes All Music Guide. “It opens with simple, repeating melodies provided by pianist Chris Brown and percussionist William Winant, backed by a humming machinery ambience. Layers and notes get added onto successive loops, until the phrases become relatively lengthy and complex. After establishing this theme and structure, the variations begin, as the piano switches to soloing, referencing parts of the theme out of different layers, and usurping the phrasing of the other electronic sounds present. The piece is a continuous buildup of musical layers, imperceptibly segued into the beginning’s stripped-down simplicity, from which the process starts again, but never turns out the same. After continually playing with the expectations of the close listener, it appropriately closes with several false stops. The second piece begins with slowly turning loops overlaying small electronic swells that pan between channels. This turns into an electronic atmosphere that’s a seeming precursor to the ‘space’ of ’90s space rock bands, followed by a repeating of the opening form, this time with vocal samples. The panning continues, echoing from side to side, while newly added electronic sounds rise out of the center. About halfway through the piece, Ferrari switches briefly to saxophone and water sounds, providing organic contrast to all of the electronic construction.” From 1998
Theater of Mineral NADEs
(Tzadik) Used CD $6.00 (Out-of-stock)
Among medieval crumhorns, ecstatic arrangements, lilting melodies, unusual concepts and virtuosic violin playing takes a central position in this 1998 album, highlighting the strength of Kang’s tone and technique. The NADE concept travels through genres from around the world, paying tribute to the traditions while random, discordant elements inhabit a space much further in the background than usual.
7 NADEs
(Tzadik) Used CD $8.00 (Out-of-stock)
Astonishing and eccentric album from 1996 with a stellar collection of supporting instrumentalists largely put to use in generating short bursts of blinding, grating noise. Sporadic melodic chunks do sneak in, usually underlined by unrelated elements like the sound of running water, because, after all, no sound exists in a pure space without distraction.
The Story of Iceland
(Tzadik) Used CD $12.00 (Out-of-stock)
“The Story of Iceland hides its perversity and strangeness underneath a peaceful surface,” is how William York sums up this 2000 release, three years in the making. “A five-part, thirty-minute suite that brings together elements of minimalism, quiet droning soundscapes, and various world music strains, it is built on a simple six-note motif that first shows up in ‘Circle of Fair Karma,’ a sort of oriental funeral march with tuba, violin, trumpet, martial snare drumming, and Uilleann pipes (Irish bagpipes). The theme shows up later in the Indian-flavored ‘Sweetness of Candy’ and again in the marimba/oud/acoustic guitar finale, ‘Circle of Fair Karma’. The title track is followed by the entirely different-sounding 10:10,” a bizarre and psychedelic cult anthem “with David Bowie-esque singing and swirling cymbal effects; this track repeats the same three-chord progression and main vocal part for the entire ten minutes…” The album closes with a short, beautifully scored gamelan piece.
Dreams Again
(Tzadik - TZ7404) Used CD $12.00
First time release (1999) of the follow-up to The Dream World of Dion McGregor (Decca 1964), recorded by roommate Mike Barr between 1960 and 1967, drawn from the same source material – the spoken aloud dreams of McGregor. Documentation includes photographs and a must-read essay by Felipe X. Milstein. Part of Tzadik’s Lunatic Fringe series. Sealed
13000 Miles At Light
(Tzadik) Used CD $7.00
“Anyone impressed with studio recordings of the group’s scratchy, frantic rock will no doubt be bowled over with the way this sounds in a more direct and organic setting,” muses All Music Guide. “With a pace and energy that rivals kings of the genre…, [this 1999 live album] tears through most of their best tracks…. Most notable is a cover of ‘Surfing USA’…, [which] you can probably imagine how wonderful such a thing would be.”
1930
(Tzadik) Used CD $20.00 (Out-of-stock)
This 1998 disc accesses “unguessed-at dimensions,” according to All Music Guide, “via sensory overload of oscillations, infinitely layered static, frequencies from pitch to buzz…. It is the sound of tuning in the radio, only to catch the low-end frequencies of an earthquake…. [I]ndiscernible frequencies … poke pinholes in your eardrums and bleed out your preconceived notions of sound, music, and how they can affect you. This listening experience is not simply a result of sheer volume…; even while turned down low, the sounds all combine into an irresistible force that messes with your physical being.” Sealed
Labyrinth
(Tzadik) Used CD $10.00 (Out-of-stock)
Eleven ear-splitting, brain-twisting electronic compositions for modified drum machine and triggered samples.
Anode
(Tzadik) Used CD $12.00 (Out-of-stock)
“It sounds like an avalanche. Things are falling everywhere, and sine waves howl, terribly overwhelmed by the rest of this cacophony. There are watery sound effects (probably from Sachiko M’s and Tetuzi Akiyama’s microphones), and a scummy residue from what sounds like large Asian cymbals. This is distinctly symphonic music: each part is essential, as Yoshihide has chosen the perfect arrangement, and each movement contains specific instructions for the musicians as to what they are allowed to play, and even to whom they’re allowed to listen. Conceptually, it’s similar to John Zorn’s game pieces, where the rules determine the outcome of the music as much as the actual sounds produced (at least in theory). The second half of the suite is almost a mirror image of the first, as the third movement continues the static ambience of the second, and the final movement witnesses the reemergence of the full ensemble: percussion crashing, microphones squealing, sine waves howling, and a general tumbling sensation prevailing.” From 2001. Includes obi
Cathode
(Tzadik) Used CD $7.00 (Out-of-stock)
“Modulation #1” and “Modulation #2” play on different tones produced by sampled sine waves and shô, a traditional Japanese mouth organ. For “Cathode #1,” Yoshihide recorded ten musicians performing a graphic score separately and later assembled the piece using speed variation, tape direction, splicing, and overdubbing. The resulting work reveals a very mature composer. For “Cathode #2,” he sampled eight musicians without any preconceived plan, and created an ambient collage through a technique inspired by Bob Ostertag’s groundbreaking album Say No More. From 1999. Includes obi