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Kalaparusha Maurice McIntyre - Humility in the Light of Creator (1969)


Saksofonista Maurice " Kalaparusha" McIntyre to charyzmatyczny lider nurtu AACM. Na bębnach zaczął grać jako siedmiolatek, na klarnecie dwa lata później. Dopiero jako nastolatek zainteresował się grą na saksofonie tenorowym. McIntyre po przezwyciężeniu (na początku lat 60.) kłopotów związanych z uzależnieniem od narkotyków, zaczął pracować na chicagowskiej scenie bluesowej: grał z Little Miltonem, nagrywał z J.B. Hutto, wszedł też do ' Experimental Band' Muhala Richarda Ambramsa. W 1965 r. stał się jednym z pierwszych członków stowarzyszenia AACM. Zanim założył w 1969 r. swoją własną grupę Light i dokonał (w tym samym roku ) pierwszych nagrań jako jej lider (album " Humility In The Ligth Of The Creator" ), wcześniej grał w sekstecie Roscoe Mitchela (album "Sound") oraz w zespołach M.R. Abramsa ( rewelacyjnie przyjety przez krytyków album "Levels And Degrees Of Light"). W tym samym roku przeszedł " duchową przemianę ", w konsekwencji czego zmienił swe imię i nazwisko na Kalaparush(a) Ahrah Difda (lub Defda). W Nowym Jorku nagrał ( wraz z muzykami z grup Sama Riversa) album z legendarnej sesji "Wildflower", promującej i dokumentującej nurt loft-jazzu. W latach 70. i 80. najczęściej przebywał w Chicago, nagrywając z R.M. Abramsem, Juliusem Hemphillem, Jeromem Cooperem, Warrenem Smithem, Rolandem Alexandrem, Soneliusem Smithem, Asnthonym Braxtonem, LeRoy Jenkinsem, Aminą Claudine Myers i Wilburem Morrisem. W 1982 r. wszedł na miejsce Henry'ego Huffa do Ethnic Heritage Ensemble. Gra McIntyre'a jest krzepka, szorstka, ale pełna inwencji, zaś zapytany o wpływy przyznaje się do związków z Sonnym Rollinsem, Charliem Parkerem, Johnem Coltrane'em i Samem Riversem. (erajazzu)



Multi-reedist Kalaparusha Maurice McIntyre is one of the founding members of Chicago's AACM (Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians). McIntyre has the ability to not only play "free jazz" but he also spent many years playing rhythm & blues with musicians including J.B. Hutto and Little Milton. It was his blues roots mixed with avant-garde technique that shaped the sound of McIntyre's tenor playing. McIntyre was born in Clarkville, AR, but his family moved to Chicago when he was very young. Music was an intergral part of his upbringing; his parents insisted he play an instrument. He started on drums at age seven and switched to saxophone shortly after. Upon high school graduation McIntyre attended the Chicago College of Music. Instead of copying the strict hard bop tenor sound prominent at the time, he developed his own musical concept based on freedom instead of molded restriction. Luckily McIntyre hooked up with like-minded musicians in bassist Malachi Favors and multi-reedist Roscoe Mitchell. In the early '60s the first AACM configuration was formed. Originally called the Experimental Band, this community-based movement was mentored by pianist Muhal Richard Abrams. In 1966 the first document of this new music was unleashed; Sound, under the leadership of Roscoe Mitchell, signaled the initial documentation of the free jazz movement out of Chicago. Chicago's Delmark Records began documenting this new sound, releasing classic works including Abrams' Level and Degrees of Light and Humility in Light of the Creator, McIntyre's first solo effort released in 1969. In the late '60s McIntyre continued to play original music and worked as a session musician for Delmark with appearances on guitarist George Freeman's Birth Sign and J.B. Hutto's Hawk Squat. McIntyre's second project Forces and Feelings featured his band the Light and was released in 1970. By that time many of the AACM musicians had moved out of the Windy City with hopes of conquering Europe and New York and being able to play more frequent gigs. While making his home in New York City throughout the '70s, McIntyre played the burgeoning loft scene with many dates taking place at Riveba studios, opened by tenor saxophonist Sam Rivers. He also spent time teaching at vibraphonist Karl Berger's Creative Studio and occasionally traveled to Europe playing with Abrams, where they gained a large following. In 1979 McIntyre released his third album Peace and Blessings on the Black Saint label. While maintaining his skills as a multi-instrumentalist and percussionist, his recorded activity slowed down immensely for the next several years. Ram's Run, a live date for the Cadence label in 1981 was his only issued date as a leader in that decade. During this dry period McIntyre spent most of his time trying to play live as often as possible, which included the streets and subways of New York. He finally reappeared on disc in 1998 with the strong CIMP release Dream Of… featuring drummer Pheeroan Ak Laff and bassist Michael Logan. The following year Delmark issued the collaborative Bright Moments CD, reuniting McIntyre with AACM members Joseph Jarman, Malachi Favors, Steve Colson, and Kahil El Zabar. (Al Campbell)
 
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Revolution (1968) Original Soundtrack



Of course this soundtrack album might be rated even higher as a relic, if musical considerations are not applied. Like all exploitative commerce based around the trippy era, it has an appealing tackiness. Those eager for a real revolution in the recording industry should look no further than the word "revolution" itself, which has been the title of literally dozens of albums. In this case we have a product that was even connected to a film of the same name, with three fairly famous rock bands of the San Francisco scene providing tracks for the soundtrack. There's Quicksilver Messenger Service, there's the Steve Miller Band, and there's the bluesy Mother Earth. Actually, all the tracks are kind of bluesy one way or another; that influence was never very far from any of the San Francisco psychedelic bands, except now and then when somebody really felt mellow. Most importantly, it should be stated that it is really difficult to knock an album that includes liner notes beginning with the following advice to the reader: "Next time you use the word revolution, you'd better include in your concept a beautiful blonde who went to San Francisco and illegally changed her name from Louise to Today." And these words come from famous scribe Paul Krassner, no less. A few tommorows later, nobody remembers Today Malone, an innocent blonde starlet who was at the center of this film's maelstrom-like scenario. Probably the actress and the film were forgotten moments after the first release. All the tracks can be found on other recordings, but the compilation's concept actually works to the advantage of the groups featured, none of whom sounded that great and all of whom had trouble creating an entirely listenable album. Vocalist Tracy Nelson has no problem dealing with a Percy Mayfield cover, on the other hand, one of the highlights of the set. "Babe I'm Gonna Leave You" is an enjoyable example of what was basically a required number for years in certain types of freaky coffeehouse venues. ~ Eugene Chadbourne, Rovi


U.S. film. Primarily filmed in the Hippie Hill and Panhandle areas of Golden Gate Park, this "60s San Francisco Hippie Scene" documentary features interviews with those who call themselves hippies, or identify with hippies. The counter-culture is revealed in discussions about sex, drugs, philosophy and lifestyle.

Casual sex and marijuana use is the main activity of one group. A nun who has left the order reveals her decisions to join the counterculture. Others decry the dehumanization of the modern industrial world.

Communal living, psychedelic light shows, love-ins and diverse fashion statements accompany the hippies. Discussions about the liberating effects of LSD and being a free spirit. Music by Country Joe & the Fish, Quicksilver Messenger Service, Steve Miller Band, and Mother Earth. Revolution!

Jack O'Connell shot the later interviews with Malone back in 1986 and spoke at the same time to then-Police Chief Frank Jordan, the Rev. Cecil Williams and directors of the Haight Ashbury Free Medical Clinic. For various reasons, most of them stemming from the filmmaker's personal difficulties after a serious car accident, "The Hippie Revolution" wasn't released until this year.

Malone may be O'Connell's star -- she even accompanied "Hippie Revolution" to the Cannes Film Festival -- but she's not Today Malone is featured in 'The Hippie Revolution' both as she appeared in 1968 (above) and today the sole focus of O'Connell's film. We also see The Chronicle's Herb Caen waxing hip and remembering the time he sniffed some marijuana weed with "the fuzz," and we hear the San Francisco Mime Troupe's Ronnie Davis ranting about the need to "destroy the United States."

O'Connell witnesses a summer solstice celebration, which a man with muttonchops describes as "the first hippie national holiday." He also shows a much-younger, beardless Rev. Williams rapping with longhairs on Hippie Hill in Golden Gate Park and talks to a rock-band manager who warns against commercial success. "Are we going to turn them on," he muses, "or are they going to turn us off?"

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Beñat Achiary - Arranoa (1988)


Beñat Achiary - urodzony w 1947 roku, baskijski wokalista zamieszkały w południowej Francji. Specjalizuje się w łączeniu tradycyjnych pieśni ze współczesnym językiem muzyki improwizowanej, co poparte jest gruntowną wiedzą na temat muzyki etnicznej a także wyjątkowymi możliwościami technicznymi.



Beñat Achiary is one of France's most creative vocalists. Although he's recorded several solo albums, including Basque Music of Today and "Arronoa," Achiary's most impressive work has come with his improvised collaborations with soprano saxophonist Michael Doneda, who he met while working with Tour de France, an ensemble organized by Louis Salves, in the late 1980s. In 1990, Achiary and Doneda formed a trio with avant-garde violinist Alexander Balanescu and a quartet, Terra, with percussionist Le Quan Ninh and hurdy gurdy player Dominique Regef. Achiary and Doneda have continued to work together. Their most recent album, Temps Couche, was recorded with Kazue Sawai and released in 1997. (Craig Harris)

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Alice Coltrane - A Monastic Trio (1967-1968)



Alice McLeod (Coltrane) - amerykańska pianistka, harfistka i kompozytorka jazzowa -pochodziła z muzycznej rodziny. Jej brat Ernie Farrow był kontrabasistą. W czasie nauki muzyki w Detroit występowała jako pianistka w triu oraz z zespołem wibrafonisty Terry'ego Pollarda. Później wyjechała do Europy, gdzie zafascynowana została grą Buda Powella. Po powrocie do USA współpracowała z Terrym Gibbsem (1963-64), u którego poznała Johna Coltrane'a.

W 1966 r., po rozwodzie saksofonisty z Naimą, pobrali się (mieli troje dzieci). Pod koniec 1965 r. dołączyła do grupy męża w miejsce McCoya Tynera i choć nie dorównywała mu pod wieloma względami, jej nieco nieokreślona, sugestywna gra (charakteryzująca się, jak podkreślał Coltrane, niepospolitym wyczuciem barwy, harmonii i faktury), doskonale współbrzmiała z ówczesną muzyką Coltrane'a.

Po śmierci męża zaangażowała się w promocję jego dorobku, doprowadziła do wydania przez Impulse! wielu niepublikowanych nagrań. Kontrowersje wzbudziło uzupełnienie przez nią niektórych nagrań własnymi partiami harfy i smyczkami aranżowanymi przez Ornette'a Colemana.

Na przełomie lat 60. i 70. przy współpracy muzyków z ostatniego składu Coltrane'a nagrała kilka wysoce ocenionych przez krytykę albumów, łączących jazz z elementami muzyki medytacyjnej i etno. W późniejszych latach rozwijała swoje zainteresowania filozofią Wschodu i hinduizmem. Pod wpływem Sathya Sai Baby przyjęła imię Swamini Turiyasangitananda.

Alice prowadziła też własne grupy, przeważnie jako pianistka i organistka, w których gościła Franka Lowe'a, Archiego Sheppa, Jimmy'ego Garrisona, Clifforda Jarvisa i Jacka DeJohnette'a. Od połowy lat 70. mniej czasu poświęcała muzyce, coraz bardziej skupiając się na swoich duchowych i mistycznych poszukiwaniach, które w latach poprzednich skłoniły ją do przyjęcia imienia Turiya Aparana. W 1987 r. dla uczczenia 20. rocznicy śmierci męża zorganizowała trasę koncertową z zespołem Coltrane Legacy, do którego oprócz niej należeli jej synowie Oran i Ravi, grający na saksofonach, Reggie Workman na kontrabasie i Rashied Ali na perkusji.

Współpracowała z wieloma artystami i zespołami muzycznymi. W 1987 w 20 rocznicę śmierci Johna Coltrane'a zorganizowała trasę koncertową zespołu Coltrane Legacy. Pod koniec 2006 po raz pierwszy od 25 lat wystąpiła publicznie, dając trzy koncerty (wśród muzyków znaleźli się m.in. jej syn Ravi Coltrane i basista Charlie Haden).

Zmarła 12 stycznia 2007 na skutek niewydolności oddechowej w West Hills Hospital na przedmieściach Los Angeles.

  • Alice Coltrane — harp, piano
  • Pharoah Sanders — flute, bass clarinet, tenor saxophone
  • Jimmy Garrison — bass
  • Rashied Ali — drums
  • Ben Riley — drums

This is Alice Coltrane's first album as a leader, made a year after her husband, John Coltrane, died. In fact, many of the songs seem to be dedicated to her late husband "Ohnedaruth" was John Coltrane's spirit name; "Gospel Trane" most likely refers to John; "I Want To See You" reflects how much Alice must have missed him; "Oceanic Beloved"... well, you get the point. Some people don't like this album because the musicians seem to be in "mourning" for Trane. I don't see this as a bad thing. The death of John Coltrane was a huge blow to the jazz world, and to many other worlds as well. It forced the musicians associated with him to dig deep into themselves in order to make beautiful music without his physical presence (not to say that they couldn't do so before). The musicians on A Monastic Trio (except for Ben Riley) made up John Coltrane's last group; they helped him make some of the most amazing music of his career, and of theirs as well. But they also made some great music after his death as well. A Monastic Trio documents the genesis of that great music.

The original album consisted of tracks 3-8. "Lord, Help Me To Be" and "The Sun" originally appeared on the album "Cosmic Music," which also included two tunes from the John Coltrane group. But since they came from the same session as "Ohnedaruth," they've been included here.


Nearly all the tunes here are based on modes and scales rather than actual melodies. "Lord, Help Me To Be," a 3/4 waltz, opens with a simple but hard-swinging bass line, followed by drums and piano. Alice's chords suggest a theme, but it's very loose. Pharoah comes in with the same loose theme before blowing an intense solo. It's incredible how Pharoah can come in on a song that's practically a blues and still give it an Eastern-African edge, simply by his choice of scales. He was always strongly influenced by Eastern and African music, but of course as a saxophonist in America, he grew up with the blues. The different styles may not seem like they would blend well, but the blues came from Africa, so it fits perfectly. This is something that Alice and Pharoah explored extensively in their solo careers. They blended the blues with other cultures; it was absolutely genius.

"The Sun" begins with a mantra: "May there be peace, love, and pefection throughout all creation, O God," spoken by John Coltrane, probably recorded in one of his later sessions. The tune itself is basically a 4 minute Alice Coltrane solo, again with only a loose theme based on a set of scales. It's in free rhythm, colored by bells and sparse bass. Although Pharoah is listed as playing flute here, he is barely audible. Something must have gotten messed up with the master tape.

"Ohnedaruth" is supposedly a chant that the last John Coltrane group used to perform, although there is no chanting here. mAlice must have recorded it for this album as a tribute to Trane, as Ohnedaruth was his "spirit name" (see the liner notes to Alice's album Universal Consciousness). The tune is free in rhythm, with Riley just coloring the music with cymbals. At this point, you begin to wonder, "Who's playing the bells?" And it's a valid question. There are bells in the first three tunes, but every musician is playing at times, and the bells continue throughout the entire tunes. Pharoah often liked to pick up some bells or a tambourine before and after his solos, but the bells can be heard even when he is playing. The only possible conclusions one can come to is that either there was an unlisted musician, or they overdubbed the bells after they recorded the tunes. At any rate, the bells add a lot of color and beauty to the music, and it would sound very empty without them. "Ohnedaruth" is one of the few tunes on the record that has an obvious theme. It opens with a sort of chord progression on the piano, repeated a couple times. Then Pharoah comes in on bass clarinet and plays a great solo. I don't think I've ever heard him on bass clarinet other than on this record. He brings to mind an atonal Eric Dolphy. Alice does a solo filled with all kinds of modal changes, all within the context of the song. It's obvious that John helped her with her playing, because she does does a lot of the same harmonic things as he did.

The rest of the tunes on the album don't include Pharoah Sanders, and Rashied Ali replaces Ben Riley on drums. "Gospel Trane" is a modal blues. This tune also has a definite theme, complete with a swinging beat and a walking bass line. After the 12-bar melody, Alice goes into her solo. Rashied puts his signature on the tune and lets the time to, turning a blues into a free jam. He then takes a solo and brings back the time. Alice solos a bit more before playing the theme again and closing the tune.

"I Want To See You" is a free ballad, possibly dedicated to John Coltrane. The trio plays with a lot of space here. Rashied just barely touches the cymbals to add some nice color to the atmosphere.

The next three tunes are with the same trio, but Alice plays harp instead of piano. I love Alice's harp playing on Ptah The El Daoud and especially Journey In Satchidananda, but there is something different about it here. It is freer and looser. I didn't realize until listening to this what a modal instrument the harp is, not to mention beautiful and highly spiritual. The harp tunes may be difficult to enjoy at first, but they are very rewarding in time.

"Altruvista" is a solo piano piece that actually came from a session with the John Coltrane quintet. If anyone doubts Alice's virtuosity as a musician, they should hear this. The song seems to be based on wholetone scales, which are very difficult to master, but she runs up and down the keyboard with an amazing facility.

A Monastic Trio may not stand up as an obvious classic like Ptah The El Daoud and Journey In Satchidananda, but it certainly deserves a place in any Alice Coltrane collection, as it is a very significant and beautiful record. Check it out! (sputnikmusic.com)

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Heliotropes - III & Ribbons (2010/2011)





Bardzo młody zespół z zespół z Brooklynu. Niby nic szczególnego, ale to tzw. girl-band. Ale to jeszcze nic. To girls-band grający całkiem niezłego stoner rocka. Bardzo nietypowego, ... psychodelicznego z elementami folku i ballad. Wydaje mi się, że dziewczęta nie nagrały jeszcze żadnej płyty. Prezentowane 2 single przedstawiają odmienne oblicza zespołu i to bardzo dobrze, że jest taka różnorodność. Na pewno nie omieszkam śledzić kariery tego zespołu.



Heliotropes is a Brooklyn based all-girl band that also works with a few collaborators from time to time. They play some heavy psych with some doom/stoner undertones. Combined with the clean deadpan vocals you get a very understated, trance-like concoction that ends up being quite addicting. There's less freak outs and solos than you'd expect and it gets a little "poppy" at times but they balance it with atmosphere and great songwriting, and the heaviness becomes a result of the cumulative effect of all the elements rather than being blatantly beaten into each song.



It's like walking a long time with while carrying some extra weight, it's far from back-breaking but you don't realize how heavy it really was until it's done. The music is definitely not a burden however and I find myself wanting to hear more than the 19 minutes of material they have on their bandcamp page. Their debut "III" is available for free download as well as their new 7" Ribbons, but you have the option to pay whatever you'd like for Ribbons which I urge you to do. The 7" is definitely heavier than III but they're both pretty enjoyable.

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Baby Woodrose - Blows Your Mind (2001)



Formed by frontman Lorenzo in late 2001, Baby Woodrose started out as a side project to the psychedelic stoner group, On Trial, who since the early 90's released intoxicating drug-induced rock music that turned its users into sheer liquid.

One album on Germany's SPV label and several for the UK based Delerium/Molten Records saw the band tour vigorously in Europe, but one day Lorenzo got tired of sitting behind the drums, so he embarked on a solo project he decided to call Baby Woodrose (named after the Hawaiian flower).

Lorenzo, playing all the instruments himself, recorded 15 songs in less than a week and released the album on his own label. Four years later, Baby Woodrose, now a trio, have released numerous 7" singles and 4 full lengths (one of which is a live album and one a full cover/tribute album) on the independent label, Bad Afro Records.

In 2004, Baby Woodrose was nominated for a Danish Music Award (didn’t win it!) but they went on to win Danish National Radio’s most-sought-after Award, The P3 Gold Award. They toured Europe on numerous occasions, among these a much talked about appearance on Roskilde Festival’s main stage, a “not so good” drug bust in Norway and various collaborations with some of Scandinavia’s most recognized rock bands.


Now in 2006, the trio are ready to release their most ambitious effort yet, the album "Love Comes Down". It will be released on a joint venture between the band's own label, Spinello, and Scandinavia's premier alternative music distributor, Playground Music.

The album has been a long time coming, and we can now let you in on a little secret: Some sassy rock 'n' roll is on it's way! The trio have expended their palette ever so slightly and the stuff on this album has sugar-sharp bubble-gum punk versus the broken-man’s heartache on bitter skewers of citric acid written all over it!

It sounds like it's been cut with the macabre precision of a surgeon with a buzz saw! The album was recorded in Copenhagen and Helsinki and was produced by German expatriate Jürgen Hendlmeier in the land of the 1000 lakes. Stone-cold yet sexy and very contagious! (from official website)


The LP cover consists of artwork by Malleus – a drawing picturing a naked woman lying in water with a close view of her intimate parts. The printer in Germany refused to print the cover because of the “pornographic nature” of the drawing.

Poetic nudity
“I can see that the cover is erotic. But it’s a drawing and in my eyes it’s more poetic than vulgar or indecent”, says Lars Krogh from Baby Woodrose’s record company Bad Afro to the Danish magazine Musikeren. Krogh is surprised by the incident: “In a time when porn is mainstream, they censor an erotic drawing!”

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The Satelliters - Hashish (2005)





Inspired by their love for 50's B-movies, The Satelliters started in 1993 with a nasty romp of drunken, three-chord garage punk for the intentions of "freaking people out." Accompanied by their masked stage presence and the garb of aging hipsters, the band's debut full-length Hi Karate was released in 1996 with the financial assistance of Dionysus Records. Dipping into their huge discography (which includes a number of singles and EPs on Demolition Derby, Pin-up and Screaming Apple Records) Dionysus released four more CDs in the States over the next eight years, including Wylde Knights of Action in 1997, Shake, Shake, Shake in 1998, Sexplosive in 2001, and Hashish in 2005. Continuing to add to their overflowing catalog of psychedelic 60's garage rock, the label put out The Satelliter's self-titled EP in 2006, which would be followed with Where Do We Go? in 2007.

The fifth album by the Satelliters evinces little in the way of creative growth, and in this brand of retro garage rock, that's a good thing. The Satelliters are far more than Germany's answer to the Hives, because this five-piece cares less about the pose than the sound: perfect doses of fuzztone guitar, just-so stabs of piercing Farfisa organ, and snaky hand percussion fill all of the songs. Interestingly, however, the covers aren't perfect replications of the originals (including the Association's "Five Man Band" and We the People's "You Byrn Me Up and Down"), but rather, smoking rave-ups on comparatively effete originals that these days somehow sound more "authentic" than the originals. The one comparative flop in this regard is a suitably snotty take on the Small Faces' "Wham Bam Thank You Mam" that unfortunately doesn't match the mod stomp of the original. The band's own songs fare much better, particularly the yowling "Go Away," which matches the aggression of the early Pretty Things, and the organ-driven hard psychedelia of the closing "1969: The End of Time."

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Iva Bittova - 45rpm (1986)



[PL]

Iva Bittová jest czeską wokalistką, skrzypaczką i aktorką. Skończyła konserwatorium muzyczne w Brnie, gdzie już od pierwszego roku działała jako aktorka i wokalistka w legendarnym teatrze Husa na provázku. Brała i do dzisiaj bierze udział w wielu projektach obejmujących szeroką gamę stylów muzycznych, od muzyki alternatywnej przez jazz i rock aż po muzykę klasyczną i elektroniczną; występowała także w operze (rola Donny Elviry w operze Don Giovanni Mozarta). Współpracowała z wieloma czeskimi i zagranicznymi muzykami oraz formacjami muzycznymi. Zaliczana jest do najważniejszych postaci czeskiej alternatywnej sceny muzycznej.

Iva Bittová jest muzyczną innowatorką, progresywnym twórcą światowej sławy – nie zadowala jej sam czysty dźwięk, ale wykorzystuje jak najszerszą skalę barw, jaką daje jej głos, instrumenty, przedmioty (na przykład na płycie Echoes zabawki – „infantibus“) czy instrumenty naturalne (na płycie Classic usłyszeć można granie na liściu brzozy).

Iva Bittová o sobie: „Skrzypce prowadzą mnie i całe moje życie, trudne technicznie ćwiczenia wspierają moją dyscyplinę, pewność siebie, ale też odsłaniają moje wewnętrzne wątpliwości. Są lustrem dla moich snów i wyobrażeń, które nie znoszą powierzchowności. Moja komunikacja opiera się na wibracjach i rezonowaniu dźwięku skrzypiec i głosu. Ich dopasowanie przybliża mnie do doskonałości, nawet jeżeli wiem, że droga do niej jest nieskończona.”

[EN]

Iva Bittová was born on 22 July 1958 in the town of Bruntál, Czech Silesia, in what was then the Republic of Czechoslovakia. The second of three daughters, she grew up in a musical family where her father Koloman Bitto (Hungarian: Bittó Kálmán), a famous musician of Hungarian–Romany origin from southern Slovakia, played guitar, trumpet and double bass in folk and classical ensembles, and her mother Ludmila Bittová (née Masařová) sang in professional vocal groups. As a child, Bittová took ballet and violin lessons in Opava and played child roles in the Silesian Theatre of Zdeněk Nejedlý. When her family moved to Brno in 1971, she dropped music in favour of drama and studied at the Brno Conservatory. For the next ten years, Bittová worked as an actress, appearing in several Czech feature films and Brno television and radio productions.

In the early 1980s, Bittová returned to music and studied violin under Rudolf Šťastný, professor of Janáček Academy in Brno. She had received her vocal training while at drama college and quickly developed a unique way of singing and playing the violin. In 1985, Bittová collaborated with percussionist Pavel Fajt from the Czech rock group Dunaj and recorded Bittová + Fajt, a fusion of alternative rock music with Slavic and Romani music. She then recorded a few solo EPs in 1986 and sang with Dunaj for the next few years. Her breakthrough came in 1987 when she and Fajt recorded their second album Svatba (The Wedding), which was released internationally by Review Records. This attracted the attention of English percussionist Chris Cutler of Recommended Records, who re-issued Bittová + Fajt internationally. The duo also attracted the attention of English avant-garde guitarist Fred Frith, who featured them in a documentary film on him, Step Across the Border (1990), which gave them their first broad international exposure and a tour outside of Eastern Europe.

Bittová recorded her first full length solo album Iva Bittová in 1991, followed by River of Milk, her first United States release. In 1997, she began exploring classical music with a series of concerts and recording an album of Béla Bartók's violin duets with Dorothea Kellerová. She collaborated with Vladimír Václavek to record a double album Bílé Inferno (White Inferno) in 1997, and the success of this release lead to Bittová and Václavek establishing Čikori, an association of musicians involved in improvisational music.

Bittová has performed with a number of avant-garde musicians internationally, including Fred Frith, Chris Cutler and the late Tom Cora, and has given solo concerts across the world. Bittová lived in the village of Lelekovice near Brno with her two sons, Matouš and Antonín. She now resides in Rhinebeck, New York, with her son Antonín.

Bittová's music is a blend of rock and East European music which she describes as "my own personal folk music". Her violin playing mixes different techniques, including playing the strings with various objects and plucking them like a banjo. Her vocal utterances range from traditional singing to chirping, cackling and deep throat noises. She puts her whole body into her performances, drawing on her theatrical skills.AllMusic.com writes: "Her irresistible charm, original use of voice, and fondness of melodies that sit on the border of avant-garde and playground nursery rhymes won her devoted fans around the world."

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Dimentia 13 (1985)



DIMENTIA 13 PRESS

Forced Exposure # 9 - Winter '86

"...Alternating between stunning Barrett likenesses and rising guitar soaked streaks that approach Crystallized Movements' territory (like 'Lysergic Mental Vibrations'), Dimentia 13 have make a great LP that you should know about." ...Jimmy Johnson

Bucketfull of Brains (UK) Issue # 14, January 1986

"Syd Barrett acolytes from Ohio! This tasty goblet of swirling, bubbling psych slips down a treat. The heavily acid etched instrumental 'Lysergic Mental Vibrations' is an excellent contrast to the more whimsical joys of the opening 'We Are' and the aquatic lunacy of 'I Am A Whale.' Over on side two, 'Last In Line' is a pretty flawless Chocolate Watchband respray job while 'Colors' employs backwards tape jiggery-pokery as an eerie voice creeps in and out of the mix having escaped from somewhere you probably don't want to know about. 'Psilocybin Spot' fulfills the same role as side one's 'Lysergic...' and is as effective. Finally, 'The Lizard' is an acoustic based trip into the mynd of the vocalist who is driven to bizarre flights of fantasy by a brief, and unexpected, FX bombardment. Sensibly, and probably to avoid the unwanted attentions of like minded space cadets, the band members remain anonymous and the murky photo on the sleeve adds to the mystery of this wickedly warped caboodle of crazed vignettes." ...Jon Storey


Sounds column, # 19

DIMENTIA 13: (Midnight). Can they really be from America? Dimentia 13's stunning debut recalls the British psychedelia of Soft Boys, Kevin Ayers, Syd Barrett, and early Soft Machine. While the lead vocals might be hard for some garage punks to grasp, the effort it takes to get into them is certainly worth it. Dimentia 13 have a lot to offer and, hopefully they'll be able to release a lot more vinyl in the coming years." ...Charles P.Lamey

Option March/April 1986

Let's see... black-light record cover, wobbly writing on the back, song titles like "Lysergic Mental Vibrations" and "Psilocybin Spot", inspirational credits that include Syd Barrett and Strawberry Alarm Clock, lyrics like 'The walls begin to melt/The room is turning blue." Fuzz-wah guitar and vox organ. Can you guess where these guys' heads are at? Next time you're on a good trip, it'd be well worth your while to go to your nearest head shop and have this put on the turntable for you. - Randy Greif

Musical Express/Sounds May 1986

One column review of LP. Unable to state content, being that it's in German.

Hartbeat (German Magazine) April 1986

"Well, it took me quite a while to decipher the band's name on the cover and if it hadn't been for the small print on the jacket saying (c) 1985 DEMENTIA 13, I perhaps wouldn't have been able to read it all. But who cares anyway? Dimentia 13 state a long list of influences from the Fuzztones to the Chocolate Watchband, they write neat little tunes like 'Lysergic Mental Vibrations' 'Colors,' or 'Psilocybin Spot', they use backward tapes, fuzz, echo and assorted effects ... the aim is clear: psychedelic music for mind and body, yet they never achieve what they aim at with me. It's too obvious, too electric let's say: too electronic! They might strive for a new dimention in sound, the new psychedelic experience, but I've been left without the vibrations. They might go down as the discovery of the year, the new sound, the absolute experience, the brainwashing, but I've been full of ignorance since I have been taking my first breath. Gee! I like that little instrumental 'Psilocybin Spot' quite a bit though, however the SHOX LUMANIA over/undertones are still there." ...Hans Jurgen Klitsch

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The National Gallery - Performing Musical Interpretations Of The Paintings Of Paul Klee (1968)





Without a doubt, this release is one of the most strange things that I've heard in some time. Originally released back in 1968, Performing Musical Interpretations of the Paintings Of Paul Klee is a completely bizarre amalgamation of pop, folk, and psych rock music that both sounds like several different releases from the same era and also completely unlike them as well. The National Gallery was actually a studio creation, a group of musicians assembled by jazz composer Chuck Mangione and producer / arranger Roger Karshner (who called the songs "electronic paintings"). While there's nothing truly electronic about the work by today's definition, one can hear some basic musical similarities to The Zombies' classic Odyssey and Oracle, which was released the same year, along with a slew of other touchpoints.

One of the things that makes it really stick out is the completely bizarre vocals. Of course, it wouldn't be a late 60s album without some lyrics and vocals that are completely over the top and at times nonsensical, but listening to The National Gallery I've found myself not only groaning a couple times, but laughing aloud as well. The album opens with "Barbaric, Classical, Solemn," and the group basically explores the definitions of the three title words, both lyrically and melodically. Overlapping vocal layers express each delicately while an almost instrumental hip-hop beat, string flourishes, some rough guitars and even an organ blare highlight the track.

It could very well be my modern perspective creeping in again, but it seems that "Diana In The Autumn Wind" finds the group tackling Seasonal Affective Disorder, and the track is a gem, with understated verses and more boisterous choruses with horns and more vocal choirs. In terms of overall success, "Boy With Toys" may very well be the standout on the album. Grooving with a seriously funky rhythm and some scorching guitars sections, the song takes on the Oedipal complex with what are some of the most hilarious lyrics I've heard in some time.

In other places, the more playful lyrics are simply a bit too silly, but even at these points the music more than makes up for things. "A Child's Game" finds the group twisting perspectives, imagining adults envisioning themselves as a child would. Meanwhile, back and forth male and female vocals, orchestral arrangements, and light guitars propel the song forward. "Fear Behind The Curtain" is another strange track, with almost tribal sounding polyrhytms and more aggressive vocals. Lyrically, the group is about as out-there as ever, spitting out stream-of-consciousness lines before tying everything together at the end with chanted lines that enlighten the oddities before it. Apparently the album sold very poorly upon release, while both Mangione and Karshner went onto much bigger and well-known projects soon afterward. Although it's not as strong as some of its contemporaries, it's definitely an overlooked release that has a slew of great stuff on it. If you're a fan of the era, or weird musical oddities in general, this one is definitely worth hunting down.(almostcool.org)



This superbly melodic and strange distillation of pop, folk, psych and jazz was inspired by the paintings of Paul Klee, and first appeared in 1968. Despite being credited to a proper band, it was in fact a studio recording overseen by the Cleveland-based team of jazz composer Chuck Mangione and local producer-arranger Roger Karshner, who called the songs ‘electronic paintings’. The album is presented here for the first time on CD, complete with liner notes and two rare bonus tracks from a pre-LP 45 credited to Bhagavad-Gita.

This mysterious album emanated from Cleveland, where producer Roger Karshner (who’d been involved with local hit-makers the Outsiders) and jazz musician Charles ‘Chuck’ Mangione decided to collaborate on a selection of so-called ‘electronic paintings’ based on the work of German-Swiss abstract painter Paul Klee (1879-1940). The first fruits of their labours emerged in 1967 – a single credited to Bhagavad-Gita (the Vedic Bible, translating as ‘song of the most holy’), featuring two takes on Long Hair Soulful, one vocal and one instrumental. Though it was no hit (making the original picture sleeve issues - Philips 40485 - highly sought-after today), they proceeded with an album the following year. The Bhagavad-Gita promotional material made the lofty claim that Karshner had ‘reached a completely new plateau in the realm of pop contemporary music by putting the works of Klee to music,’ and the album is indeed highly unusual. Though credited to a band (who are pictured on the back cover), it is thought to have been a studio project overseen by the two men, and was issued with a glossy leaflet including lyrics and reproductions of various Klee pictures. It must have been an expensive enterprise, and was not a successful one. Shortly afterwards, four of its tracks also appeared Diana In The Autumn Wind (GRC 9001), an instrumental jazz-pop LP recorded by Mangione’s brother Gap in August 1968, but conducted by him - Diana In The Autumn Wind, Boy With Toys, Pond With Swans and Long Hair Soulful. This fared even less well commercially, condemning the project to underserved obscurity, and putting a premature end to a nascent pop sub-genre.

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Alan Vega, Alex Chilton & Ben Vaughn - Cubist Blues (1996)





The Killer Stuff !!!

Dla mnie zajebiste odkrycie !!! Wspólny projekt trzech koleżków - Alana Vegi, o którym niedawno pisałem, Alexa Chiltona, który niedawno zmarł i Baena Vaughna, o którym nic nie wiem. W każdym razie cudowny materiał przypominający mi najlepsze dokonania Velvetów.

***

In 1996, the fine Thirsty Ear label -- never motivated by commerce, always driven by the need to issue what was new, odd, and fresh, even if it is that rare freakish and fractured thing -- released Cubist Blues. It was the unholy union of future roots music wailer Alan Vega with a pair of terminal rock & roll outsiders in Ben Vaughn and Alex Chilton. Since almost everybody else in the indie and pop worlds were still wandering around in shock after the death of Kurt Cobain, almost no one took notice of this terrifyingly great record made in two consecutive dusk-to-dawn improvisational sessions at Dessau Studios on the Lower East Side of New York in December of 1994! Like the best of jazz when the cats in the '50s would just show up to see what would happen (more often than not, it did: check the Norman Granz Jam Session albums and the Prestige All-Stars). In any case, this set is now a double-disc which includes the studio album and a "Live at the Transmuicales" version in France made a few days later. What does it sound like? Crazy voodoo ghost music. It sounds like Eddie Cochrane, Gene Vincent, and Johnny Burnette fighting for a place at Elvis' table someplace between heaven and hell that isn't earth. Vega's a poet of the other side of rock & roll. In the grain of his voice is the cry, weep, and wail of the blues as it met speed, cars, rocket ships, and the inside of Papa Legba's drum. Forget for one moment he was in Suicide, if you can, and listen to these freaky, screwed-down guitars, ramshackle pianos bearing their low keys like a dog's teeth, basses that rumble instead of pop. It's messed up -- check tracks like "Fly Away," where Jim Morrison meets Jeffrey Lee Pierce in the rebel squall of the south wind; the steam-shovel rockabilly of "Fat City" that is as streetwise as any hip-hop crew's boast shop, or creates a roaring sound Dion would have loved to have heard in his head in the Bronx in the '50s. It is poetry, man. There's the noir-ish blues of "Sister" that stumbles, falls, and breaks its leg before it ever starts, and the post-nightmare retake on "Dream Baby," where nothing is as it seems in the mirror. The live disc howls even more primitively, with the crew trying to force the audience through the eye of the space needle with them. Brilliant, disturbing, obsessive, and addictive; Cubist Blues --- Thom Jurek, All Music

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Zakarya - Something Obvious (2003)



"Avant klezmerski" kwartet, założony w 1999 roku przez francuskiego akordeonistę Yvesa Weyha (Pascal Gully - perkusja, Vincent Posty - gitara basowa, Alexandre Wimmer - gitara, live electronics).

Zakarya to współczesny jazz, inspirowany tradycją żydowską, "z domieszką" zadumy, groteski i humoru, z silnymi wpływami improwizacji (niezbędnej wszystkim Tzadikowym muzycznym rozwiązaniom). To muzyka bezpośrednia i energetyczna, zaangażowana i radosna, unikająca ślepych uliczek i banałów. To odświętny i eklektyczny świat, łączący muzykę klezmerską z rockiem, haevy metalem. To eksperyment i poszukiwanie. To radykalizm spod znaku Johna Zorna, którego w grze francuskiego kwartetu uderzyła wielka wrażliwość połączona z szorstkością i surowością brzmienia, pozorne odejście od starej klezmerskiej tradycji pełne eksplozywnego tańca;

Pierwsza płyta - Zakarya - została wydana w Tzadiku w 2001 roku, kolejna - Something Obvious - dwa lata później. "To twórcza podróż przez wschodnią Europę z charakterystycznymi dla niej dowcipnymi walcami, kiczowatym akordeonem i bałkańskim rockiem. Łącząc czarujący humor z porywającymi rytmami i zapierającymi dech współbrzmieniami, Zakarya szybko stała się jednym z najbardziej spektakularnych wydarzeń na żydowskiej scenie muzycznej w Europie" (www.tzadik.com);

Nie raz wydaje się, że Zakarya balansuje na cienkiej granicy, ale nigdy, oczywiście, jej nie przekracza. Wszystko jest tu zanurzone w jazz-rockowej psychodelii - mocnej, intensywnej, pełnej witalności i swobody. Krzywe zwierciadło i humor są jak melancholia - lekarstwo na rozpacz. A wszystko dzięki spajającym każdą chwilę dźwiękom akordeonu i gitary, które jak szum ulicy - tak konkretny i namacalny - sprowadza wszystko na ziemię.

Po Something Obvious ktoś napisał, że ta kombinacja muzyki klezmerskiej, eksperymentalnej i heavy-metalowej jest żydowską wersją Black Sabbath. Na płycie Zakarya Yves Weyh opowiada: "utwór Le trou powstał na kanwie historii matki mojego przyjaciela. W czasie wojny ona ukrywała się przez dwa lata w lesie, chroniąc się przed wywózką... Melodia wykorzystana w utworze Paul K. jest ludową melodią alzacką. Ale w Alzacji istnieje kilka ludowych melodii wspólnych tak dla Alzaków, jak dla Żydów - tylko z odmiennym tekstem. Czy więc są to pieśni alzackie, czy żydowskie?". Może to wszystko nieważne, skoro i tak ta muzyka płynie prosto z serca. I duszy. (festivalinfo)


Based in Paris, Zakarya were founded in 1999 by visionary accordionist Yves Weyh and feature Alexandre Wimmer on guitar, Vincent Posty on bass, and drummer Pascal Gully. Musically exploring aspects of Jewish history, humor, rhythms, scales, and sensibilities, Zakarya blend folk motifs with rock energy, klezmer abandon, and a general urge to break boundaries. The group signed with John Zorn's Tzadik Records in 2000, releasing Zakarya on the label a year later in 2001, following it with Something Obvious in 2003, 413A (featuring a guest spot from guitarist Marc Ribot) in 2006, and The True Story Concerning Martin Behaim in 2008. (Steve Leggett)

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Annette Peacock - I'm The One (1972) & Revenge with Paul Bley (1969) by request





Na życzenie jednego z czytelników przedstawiam płytę Annette Peacock I'm The One z 1972 wraz z wcześniejszym projektem pod nazwą Synthetiser Show - Revenge z 1969 roku - nagranym wspólnie z Paulem Bley'em.

Annette Peacock to bardzo interesująca pianistka i wokalistka jazzowa. Była jedną z ikon kontrkultury biorąc udział w pionierskich doświadczeniach nad świadomością dr Timothy Leary'ego. Zajmowała się również makrobiotyką. Pod koniec lat 60-tych poznała swojego pierwszego męża i rozpoczęła przygodę z jazzem w różnych eksperymentalnych składach m.in właśnie z Paulem Bley'em. Koniec lat 70-tych to romansowanie z bardziej komercyjną i melodyczną linią jazzu (powiedziałbym soft-jazzu).

Mnie osobiście bardziej podobają się te eksperymentalne dokonania chociaż i w późniejszych słychać jego echa. W nagraniu płyty "I'm The One" udział wzięli:
  • Barry Altschul - Percussion, Drums
  • Paul Bley - Synthesizer, Piano, Keyboards
  • Mike Garson - Organ, Keyboards
  • Glen Moore - Bass
  • Annette Peacock - Synthesizer, Piano, Arranger, Composer, Keyboards, Piano (Electric), Vocals, Singer, Producer, Vibraphone, Direction
  • Airto Moreira - Percussion
  • Dick Baxter - Recording Technician
  • Apache Bley - Piano
  • Laurence Cook - Drums
  • Tom Cosgrove - Guitar
  • Rick Marotta - Drums
  • Michael Moss - Saxophone, Sax (Tenor), Tenor (Vocal)
  • Gus Mossler - Engineer
  • Dom Um Romao - Percussion
  • Orestes Vilato - Percussion
  • Stu Woods - Bass
  • Bob Ringe - Producer
Annette Peacock's work as a vocalist, pianist, and composer is austere, cryptic, laconic, minimalistic, and relentlessly individual. Her dry delivery and penchant for stark, stripped-down musical "environments" have made her something of a cult figure and an icon of the avant-garde. An early participant (1961-1962) in Dr. Timothy Leary's psychedelic culture experiments and a longtime adherent of Zen Macrobiotics, Peacock has been releasing albums since 1968. But her career has been marked by fairly long periods of silence; this partly explains her relative obscurity.

Aside from a brief period of formal study at Juilliard during the 1970s, Peacock is entirely self-taught. Born in Brooklyn, she began composing by the time she was five. Her first professional association was with saxophonist Albert Ayler, with whom she toured Europe in the 1960s. She soon began to write in an idiom she calls the "free-form song," which emphasizes the use of space in contrast to the busy, cacophonous tendencies of free jazz. During this period she met and married her first husband, the double bass virtuoso Gary Peacock. She also began to write material specifically for the avant-garde pianist Paul Bley and his trio. For decades, Bley has remained one of her most devoted interpreters.

Among her other accomplishments, Peacock is an unsung pioneer of electronic music. Years before the commercial emergence of synthesizers, she received a prototype from inventor Robert Moog. This prompted her to synthesize her own voice, which according to most reports had never been done before. Ultimately these experiments brought about an innovative 1971 album, The Bley/Peacock Synthesizer Show.

Despite her decidedly unorthodox profile, Peacock has had several interesting points of contact with mainstream culture. In 1978 she sang three songs on Feels Good to Me, a minor classic by progressive rock drummer Bill Bruford. Her song "My Mama Never Taught Me How to Cook" appears on the soundtrack of Kevin Smith's 1997 film Chasing Amy. And a sample from Peacock's song "Survival" crops up in "Tell 'Em Yu Madd" by Militant the Madd Rapper featuring Busta Rhymes. Most notably, David Bowie has shown interest in Peacock's work over the years. On his 1999 album Hours, the rock legend makes a fairly explicit reference to Peacock's song "I'm the One." Bowie subsequently invited Peacock to collaborate.

Pianist Marilyn Crispell saluted Peacock with a 1997 ECM disc titled Nothing Ever Was, Anyway: The Music of Annette Peacock. Peacock's one-track guest performance on the album ended a 12-year recording hiatus (her longest yet). But her official return to the studio came in 2000 with her own An Acrobat's Heart, also on ECM. Although many of her compositions appeared on Paul Bley's ECM titles through the years, Peacock had never herself previously recorded for the German-based label. [AMG]





In the current musical environment, where at times it seems there's a new "genius" born every minute (or reclaimed from a long-forgotten artistic nascence as part of a current performer's latest vanity project), genuinely singular and innovative artists possessed with an individualistic approach, a distinctive voice, and a determination to achieve artistic success their own terms at the expense of commercial acclaim and subsequent return all too often go unheard, underappreciated, and marginalized.

Such artists might, a cynic might argue, have been better advised to court controversy or to abandon their art temporarily, only to re-emerge phoenix-like with the aid of a contrived promotional backing, like a re-launched brand. Said cynic might further develop this argument by suggesting that for such artists to continue to work sporadically, often not at all for substantial periods rather than not on their own terms, with limited resources and promotion, was simply foolhardy.

This is where Annette Peacock comes in.

Since her first performances and recordings in the 1960s, Annette Peacock has sought to express herself via her art, as have many other artists. Unfortunately, she has consistently fallen foul of unwritten laws.

Here are a few examples:

Inasmuch as she writes and sings her own material, she could be conveniently classified as a female singer-songwriter. The commercial potential (or lack of it) of her material notwithstanding, she might have attracted some critical attention via this contextual niche in the marketplace.

Unfortunately, because her perceived musical background, resulting in her unique musical voicing, was in the modern jazz tradition, she has been dealt with as a musician, which, the musical abilities of artists such as Carole King and Joni Mitchell notwithstanding, violated one of the established tenets of this genre.

Result: Annette Peacock is not a singer-songwriter.

Inasmuch as her perceived background and musical upbringing was rooted in the modern jazz tradition, she could be conveniently classified as a jazz performer. The commercial potential (or lack of it) of her material notwithstanding, she might have attracted some critical attention via this contextual niche in the marketplace.

Unfortunately, because she performed her own intensely personal compositions and was never a bandleader in the jazz tradition, she has been dealt with as a singer-songwriter, which, the career and oeuvre of, say, Nina Simone notwithstanding, violated one of the established tenets of this genre.

Result: Annette Peacock is not a jazz performer.

Inasmuch as she was one of the first musicians to experiment with synthesizers and remains one of the few to have perceived and harnessed their potential as a means of processing other sounds, rather than as a new model of electronic organ, she could be conveniently classified as an electronic music innovator. The commercial potential (or lack of it) of her material notwithstanding, she might therefore have attracted some critical attention via this contextual niche in the marketplace.

Unfortunately, because her electronic innovation was an integral part of her special approach to her music, she has been dealt with as either a singer-songwriter or a jazz performer, which, the careers and oeuvres of, say, Brian Eno and Sun Ra notwithstanding, violated at least one of the established tenets of this genre.

Result: Annette Peacock is not an electronic innovator.

Inasmuch as her lyrics have dealt with issues such as fetishism, masturbation, celibacy, nuclear disarmament, and individual responsibility in a political context, and they are delivered via an extraordinarily expressive and distinctive vocal style, she could be conveniently classified as a flamboyant rock performer. The commercial potential (or lack of it) of her material notwithstanding, she might therefore have attracted some critical attention via this contextual niche in the marketplace.

Unfortunately, because her perceived flamboyance is only a part of her distinctive approach and she has not sought the limelight, she has been dealt with as a serious artist. Notwithstanding the careers of David Bowie and Salvador Dali, this perception of her violated at least one of the established tenets of this genre.

Result: Annette Peacock is not a flamboyant rock performer.

I'd hazard a guess that her past and present recording companies have not been entitled "Ironic" without good reason.

"Why should I care about posterity? What's posterity ever done for me?"(Marx)

You may have gleaned some degree of conscious repetition in the preceding few paragraphs. This was done partly for so-called comic effect, but also in order to highlight and emphasize the "Annette Peacock problem": to wit, the deeply personal nature of her music. This is the key to her lack of recognition and success, in my opinion. Her vision and its manifestation through her approach to all aspects of her music is of such an individualistic nature that it all but negates any potential crossover potential she may have had. And it's partly this purity that has prevented her from being heard by a wider audience and from receiving something approaching the acclaim she deserves.

Despite the fact that she could be perceived as encompassing aspects of several musical genres, her singular character and approach results in a singular music that defies definition. Not that she's unique in this respect; it's more that other artists who could reasonably be described thus make more impersonal, more emotionally abstract music (e.g., Captain Beefheart, Bjork and even David Bowie) that demands a less direct connection from the listener. Annette Peacock's music, both in its lyrical style, mode of delivery, and song form, is more organic, more conversational and confessional--more the ideal of the so-called singer-songwriter approach. However, her work reaches far beyond the one-dimensional platitudes of the cliched archetype of that genre than that of most so-called cult figures of contemporary music.

Of course, part of the reason she's not better known and more renowned may be due to reluctance on the part of listeners to engage in the dialogue her music demands. It is not demanding in the sense that it takes effort to understand it, but it is inclusive and makes demands in a different way. It asks you questions, makes you think, disrupts your flow (lyrically and musically), and calls into question the role of the listener as a passive onlooker and recipient of product or even of a finished work of art, freshly polished and awaiting a critical verdict.

Sadly, however, the main reason Annette Peacock's work is not better known is that so few of her recordings have been available on a long-term basis. Having experienced a string of record companies struggling to market music they did not appear to comprehend by an artist they could not begin to categorize, she was then, on the formation of the original Ironic label in the early 1980's, confronted by the inevitable financial pressures facing all independent companies. Even the reissues and retrospective compilations of her recordings are now hard to find. As such, only those prepared to look hard and spend big (with money Annette will never see) will hear them now. It seems tantamount to gloating to say that I possess copies of these recordings and will then to go on to describe them in detail, so I won't. However, one of the main reasons you're hearing about her now is the impending reissue (on her newly revamped Ironic label) of one of her most renowned and ground-breaking albums.

I'm the One was originally released in 1972 on RCA. As on the 1968 LP Revenge (credited to The Bley-Peacock Synthesizer Show), Annette's voice is at times, most notably on the title track, processed through a synthesizer. Featured musicians include Paul Bley, Airto Moreira, and Mike Garson. Garson was at that time playing piano for David Bowie. In fact, Bowie was so impressed by the LP (and, one might well imagine, by the fact that Annette asked him and Mick Ronson to leave when they dropped in on a recording session, because they had not been invited and she considered their presence an unwelcome distraction), that he demanded she be signed to his MainMan management company, who were unfortunately too busy concerning themselves with more pressing matters such as Iggy And The Stooges' drug intake to devote any serious time and thought to her career. Nonetheless, this is a remarkable recording, featuring song formats ranging from free jazz to soulful funk, but all with the unmistakeable Annette Peacock touch, music that invites you in, implores you to get involved, to think, to feel physically and cerebrally, to hear and listen actively. (furious.com)

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Quicksilver Messenger Service - Smokin' Sound (1968)





Dawno już nie było czegoś klasycznego, więc tylko pro forma pozostało przedstawić pokrótce doskonale znaną grupę z SF:

W encyklopedii rocka Hardy'ego i Lainga znajdziemy opinię, że najwspanialsze gitarowe nagranie w historii rockowej fonografii utrwalono na płycie grupy Quicksilver "Happy Trails". Jest w tym zdaniu pewnie sporo przesady, ale zespół bez wątpienia zasługuje na pamięć. Swą działalnością uosabiał on etos muzycznego lata w San Francisco. W obawie przed komercjalizacją płytowy kontrakt podpisał najpóźniej spośród gwiazd hippiesowskiego ruchu. Tak jak członkowie Grateful Dead czy Jefferson Airplane muzycy z Quicksilver woleli bezpośredni kontakt z publicznością.
Byli niezwykle zgrani, tworzyli muzyczną wspólnotę - mieszkali i tworzyli razem. Wywodzili się z domów o dużej kulturze muzycznej, sami grali od najwcześniejszych lat dzieciństwa. David Freiberg przez 12 lat starał się zgłębić tajemnicę skrzypiec, w szkolnej orkiestrze grał na altówce. Matka Johna Cipolliny, córka znanego pianisty Jose Iturbiego, czyniła wszystko, by syn poszedł w ślady dziadka. Obaj, jak bohater "Pięciu łatwych utworów" Rafaelsona, uciekli z przesyconych intelektualną atmosferą, wypełnionych muzyką poważną domów rodzinnych, obaj chwytali się najbardziej prozaicznych zajęć. Kiedy poznali się w kalifornijskim miasteczku Sausalito, nie od razu postanowili zorganizować zespół.

Powstał on w narkotycznej atmosferze San Francisco latem 1965. Freiberg grał na basie, Cipollina na gitarze, a pozostałymi członkami zespołu byli gitarzysta Dino Valenti i Jim Murray, który grał na harmonijce ustnej i jak wszyscy pozostali śpiewał. Byli zespołem gitarowym, ich prosta muzyka miała podobno klimat archaicznego bluesa, ale pierwsza płyta ("Quicksilver Messenger Service", Capitol ST 2904, 05, 1968) przynosiła zupełnie inny wizerunek grupy, zafascynowanej własnymi umiejętnościami, magią kolektywnej kreacji. Zanim została nagrana, Valenti trafił przez narkotyki do więzienia, a jego miejsce zajął Gary Duncan, zaś Murray wyjechał na Hawaje, by zapoznać się z sitarem. Do zespołu włączono perkusistę (Greg Elmore). Skład był więc zupełnie inny niż w dniach znakomicie przyjętego debiutu.



Najciekawszym utworem w tym zbiorze wydaje się dwunastominutowy "Fool", gitarowa suita o bogatej akcji muzycznej, niezwykle wyrazisty brzmieniowo dialog instrumentów Cipolliny i Duncana. Najsłynniejszym albumem w dyskografii Quicksilver jest wspomniany "Happy Trails" (ST, marzec 1969). Wypełniający pierwszą stronę, niezwykły utwór "Who Do You Love?" przywołuje ponoć ducha pierwszych koncertów zespołu. Ale kolejny album "Shady Grove" (SKAO 391, listopad 1969) przyniósł "nieodwołalną utratę tajemnego czasu Quicksilver", jak twierdził jeden z krytyków. Ta płyta jest właściwie popisem zaproszonego przez zespół pianisty brytyjskiego Nicky Hopkinsa. Nagrano ją bez Duncana. Powrócił on do grupy, kiedy po wyjściu z więzienia zespół przejął Valenti.

Obaj uczestniczyli w nagraniu wszystkich kolejnych płyt: "Just For Love" (SKAO 498, sierpień 1970), "What About Me" (SMAS 630, luty 1971), "Quicksilver" (SW 819, listopad 1971) i "Comin' Thru' " (SMAS 11002, kwiecień 1972). Valenti wzbogacił brzmienie o instrumentalistów, zmieniając charakter. Na początku roku 1971 Cipollina odszedł do Copperhead a Freiberg zasilił Jefferson Starship. Hopkins wrócił do Anglii.

Wśród muzyków, którzy przewinęli się wtedy przez zespół, byli m. in. Mark Naftalin (org. p), Jose Rico Reyes (co), Mark Ryan (b), Chuck Steaks (org). Składy zmieniały się, Valenti eksperymentował, na "What About Me" próbował rozbudowanej aranżacji, ale coraz rzadziej nagrania grupy odbierane były jak na początku z hipnotycznym oddaniem. Są wśród zarejestrowanych wtedy utworów rzeczy wspaniałe ("Fresh Air", "What About Me", "Fire Brothers"), czy po prostu wdzięczne. Valenti i Duncan potrafili posługiwać się dźwiękowym materiałem z dużą subtelnością. Ale podwójny album "Anthology" (SVBB 11165, maj 1973), przekrój przez historię zespołu, uchodzi już tylko za wizerunek jego stopniowej degeneracji.
(Wiesław Weiss w piśmie "Jazz")

What to say more ...? Just Quicksilver Messenger Service.

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Bojoura - Night Flight, Night Sight (1968)





Bojoura - Raina Cleuver van Melzen (April 15, 1947) - was a Dutch girl of Bulgarian extraction who was discovered by George Kooymans of Golden Earring. The best-known track on this 1968 album is her straightforward pop debut hit, Everybody’s Day, but the more leftfield productions are the most interesting. I Can’t Stop Rambling, Dream Man and the two contrasting parts of Looking For The Land all benefit from strong and imaginative brass and string arrangements from producer Fred Haayen, without swamping Bojoura’s voice.

Sitting somewhere between her then-contemporaries Mary Hopkin and Judy Dyble, it’s an immediately striking vocal which may not be to everyone’s taste, though is certainly out of the mainstream. Bojoura tackles a handful of covers, including the Bee Gees’ Holiday and Donovan’s Hampstead Incident, though Otis Redding’s That’s How Strong My Love Is doesn’t quite convince.

Digitally remastered and expanded edition of the debut album. A wonderful singer of orchestral Psych-Pop in the vein of Dana Gillespie, with her own unique sexy style reminiscent of the immortal Mariska Veres, Bojoura's records featured many of the top figures of Nederbeat and were successful both on the underground scene and in the mainstream charts, where she remains a fixture in Holland to this day. Here, we have the contents of her amazing first album plus bonus tracks from 45s. This album is an unknown Psych-Pop extravaganza which breathes the exotic free and easy atmosphere of Holland in the 1960s: a fusion of Nederbeat and Ye Ye which will delight!

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Goz of Kermeur (1992)


 
Goz of Kermeur - szwajcarskie trio istniejące w latasch 1991-2001, w skład którego wchodzili: Adrien Kessler - kontrabas, śpiew, Andreas Valvini - perkusja oraz Yves Charmillot - gitara. Zespół zdobył silną pozycję na europejskiej scenie rocka eksperymentalnego, w okresie swojego istnienia grywał na większości europejskich festiwali lansujących muzykę z tego pogranicza. Wydali trzy albumy: Goz of Kermeur (1992), Irondelles (1993) i na koniec Mythoman (1997).

Goz of Kermeur : Andreas Valvini - batterie, Yves Charmillot - Guitare, Adrien kessler - Doublebass, Voice. Still my songs,the music is organic and with the energy and the particular shape all this takes, we take most of the audiences in our psychadelic turbulence. We are three in front. Goz of Kermeur was explosive, intimate, dangerous, sweet and violent, powerfull and fragile, full of humor but completely naive. 150 concerts through europe, east europe new york and Canada, 3 albums : Goz of Kermeur (1992) Irondelles (1993) Mythoman (1996-97). Touring with the Young Gods, and Dominique A, and shared the stage with many other musicians. Such as John Zorn Masada, Napalm Death, Legendary Pink Dots, Ornette Coleman, joe baron, The Ex, New model Army... Last tour in 2000. Yves Charmillot dies of cancer in september 2001. With him the band.

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Matt Darriau Paradox Trio - Flying at a Slant (1997)


Będące najczęściej kwartetem trio składało się zwykle z grającego na różnych instrumentach dętych Matta Darriau, perkusisty Seido Salifoskiego oraz wiolonczelisty, znanego m.in. ze wspólnych dokonań z The Lounge Lizards - Rufusa Cappadocii. Czwartym członkiem tria jest gitarzysta Brad Shepik. Muzyka prezentowana przez zespół, to wielostylistyczny melanż różnej muzyki etnicznej pochodzącej najczęściej z bałkańskiego, żydowskiego i cygańskiego kręgu kulturowego z jazzową improwizacją. (gigicd)



Composer, bandleader, and multi-reedist Matt Darriau first began appearing on recordings by the Boston large ensemble Orange Then Blue, and his interest in musical influences outside what is generally regarded as the jazz world was apparent even in those early days. The Darriau-penned "Balkan Bounce," recorded in 1986, is the very first track on the first OTB album, Music for Jazz Orchestra, and can be seen as a precursor to much of his work over the next 20 years. Darriau can swing with the best of them (as can be heard on recordings by the '30s and '40s jazz-focused Ballin' the Jack), but traditional Balkan, klezmer, Celtic, and Gypsy influences have always held an important place in Darriau's musical universe. Recordings by OTB and Darriau's New York-based Paradox Trio find the reedman giving traditional folk material a contemporary improvisational spin, writing new tunes that mix old-world and modern influences, and displaying masterful soloing chops not only on an array of saxophones and clarinets, but also pennywhistle, slide whistle, Irish flute, kaval (a Balkan flute), and gaida (a Bulgarian bagpipe).



Paradox Trio (actually a quartet), formed by Darriau after he moved from Boston to New York in 1991, was a particularly influential group on the New York downtown scene of the '90s, and one of the first bands to give traditional ethnic music a distinctly downtown flavor. Certainly, Darriau was in the first wave of artists - which also included trumpeter Dave Douglas, reedman Chris Speed, and guitarist Brad Shepik (a Paradox Trio member) - to introduce Eastern European and Middle Eastern melodies, scales, and rhythms into the downtown mix. The third Paradox Trio CD on the Knitting Factory label, Source, aptly summarized the multicultural influences defining much of Darriau's recorded output; the 1999 album found the group exploring music of the late-period Ottoman Empire, where the East and West met and co-mingled, forever influencing art and culture throughout most of the 20th century. Source and the band's other Knitting Factory discs have unfortunately gone out of print, but Paradox was still going strong as of the mid-2000s, with club and festival appearances and the release of 2005's Gambit on the Enja label.

In addition to his work with Paradox Trio and Orange Then Blue, Darriau has performed in a number of other adventurous contexts, including the widely popular Klezmatics, who imbue Yiddish roots music with a contemporary flavor (and notably appear on violin virtuoso Itzhak Perlman's In the Fiddler's House CD); the Celtic-influenced Whirligig; the polystylistic (of course) les Misérables Brass Band; and Frank London's Klezmer Brass Allstars. (dave lynch)

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David Thomas and Two Pale Boys - 18 Monkeys on a Dead Man's Chest (2004)


David Thomas to legenda muzyki XX wieku. Założyciel słynnego Pere Ubu, zespołu, który już w latach 70. pokazał, jak płodne może być połączenie muzyki punkowej i eksperymentalnej. Jego głos należy do najbardziej rozpoznawalnych w muzyce awangardowej ostatniego półwiecza. David Thomas & Two Pale Boys określane jest jako „awangardowa muzyka folkowa z przyszłości grana przy użyciu technologii muzyki post-tanecznej”.


David Thomas and two pale boys is avant-garde traditional folk music from the future performed with post-dance technology.

They generate strange and beautiful new shapes, rolling stories, and sonic panoramas out of spontaneous deconstructions created with brass, guitar and electronics. The simple seesawing of a melodeon gives way to cascading electronica and expressionistic soundscapes-- sometimes pulsating and abrasive, sometimes mysterious and exploratory. Through it all is woven the mordant wit of one of the most distinctive and charismatic singers in modern music, David Thomas.

David Thomas is the founder of the legendary Pere Ubu, an avant-rock group that's exerted a huge influence on the way countless bands have approached music since 1975. Formed in 1994, the two pale boys is one of a series of projects that redefine the partnership of voice and instrument in pursuit of a vehicle robust, spontaneous, and parochial enough to speak with the true voice of the human experience. It is urban folk music purged of urbanity, and rooted in the geography of sound.

Founding member of the pale boys, Keith Moliné (They Came From The Stars I Saw Them, Infidel) manipulates multiple voices, dynamic calamities, delicate whispers, and angular rhythms via a midi-guitar setup. Andy Diagram (Diagram Brothers, James, The Honkies, The Spaceheads plays trumpet through radio receivers, echo machines & delays, layering sound-on-sound cascades of electronica. He joined the pale boys in 1996. He replaced violinist Chris Brierley who played with the pale boys in 1994-95.

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The Rubble Collection 20 CD





Genialna, brytyjska seria Rubble ukazywała się w latach 1984-1991 na 19 winylowych płytach firmy Bam Caruso i zawierała rzadkie, bądź niemal całkiem zapomniane nagrania z lat 1965-1969 - pochodzące z archiwów EMI, Decca, Philipsa, Fontany, Pye itd. - obejmujące brytyjski, późny, ciężki beat (określony właśnie wtedy terminem: freakbeat) ale przede wszystkim (pop) psychodelię + kilka nagrań z kręgu psych-prog. Jeden dysk (Nr. 9) został poświęcony holenderskiej psychodelii; poza tym kilkanaście nagrań pochodziło spoza Imperium Brytyjskiego (Belgia, Izrael, Kanada). Wtedy też po raz pierwszy publika mogła sobie przypomnieć nie wydawane od blisko 20 lat a obłędne kawałki takich grup jak Kaleidoscope, Jason Frest, Fleur De Lys, Eyes, Attack, Syn, Koobas, Turquoise, Open Mind, Rupert's People, Wimple Winch, Misunderstrood oraz dziesiątków innych, czasem wręcz genialnych a tylko z 1 singlem na koncie (m.in. Tintern Abbey, Accent, Caleb). Wówczas też ruszyła trwająca do dziś fala reedycji. Tak czy inaczej seria Rubble należy do absolutnego, rockowego kanonu - przydatna tym bardziej, że niektóre, zawarte tam single w oryginalnych wersjach warte są dziś nawet 1000 euro (Open Mind, Tintern Abbey, Wimple Winch). W 2003 roku firma Past & Present wznowiła wszystkie 19 albumów (dodatkowa część 20 ukazała się po raz pierwszy) w formie winyli oraz solidnych 2 pudełek zawierających kompaktowe repliki (typu card sleeve) wszystkich 20 edycji winylowych oraz dodatkowo dwie, ponad 100-stronicowe książki ze zdjęciami, krótkimi biografiami i skróconymi dyskografiami wszystkich wykonawców. Jest to absolutna Biblia dla każdego fana muzyki z drugiej połowy lat 60-tych i zarazem wydawnictwo które poważnie może zmienić postrzeganie genialnych lat 60-tych - niestety z winy niedouczonych dziennikarzy u nas tragicznie niedocenianych i zapomnianych! (megadisc.pl)





Founded in 1983 and based in St.Albans, Bam Caruso evolved as an extension of Waldo's Records, the most thriving indie label to emerge from the 1977's coiterie, and fondly recalled for Clive Pig's magnificent Happy Birthday Sweet Sixteen. By comparison, this second outlet was established, primarily, to re-issue long lost 60's gems, although it was soon actively recording new acts as well. A suitably electric catalogue later boasted albums by The Ghost, July, Hearts & Flowers, SRC, The Steppes, Nick Haeffner, The Seeds and more, but its colourful reputation rests on the "Rubble" series, a continuing set of various artists compilations which together create a definative overview of Freakbeat and pop-psyche styles. --- Brian Hogg for Music Collector, Spring, 1990

Rubble is a 20-volume collection of compilation albums of mostly late-1960s British psychedelic rock compiled by Bam-Caruso Records, St Albans, Herts, England by Phil Lloyd-Smee.

The first volume was created in 1984, and the series was completed in 2002 (and later, the New Rubble series has begun). Rubble is one of the first series of compilation albums of psychedelic rock, freakbeat, rhythm and blues, garage rock and beat music of the mid to late 1960s in the United Kingdom. It predated similar compilation series, such as the English Freakbeat series, which AIP Records started in 1988.



The name "Rubble" is influenced by the title of the seminal Nuggets double LP, and resembles the titles of several similar compilation series, such as the Pebbles series, Boulders series and Rough Diamonds series. Most of the bands on these albums were not commercially successful, such as the Glass Menagerie, The Onyx, Wonderland and Wild Silk. However, the albums also include a few better-known bands, such as Tomorrow, The Poets, The Pretty Things, The Spencer Davis Group and The Crazy World of Arthur Brown.



The Rubble series came out originally on the Bam Caruso label in the 1980s and were highly regarded. Although not the first source for Freakbeat/Psych reissues (that honour goes to Chocolate Soup) they are regarded as the definitive collection, as compared to others released at the time or later such as the Great British Psychedelic Trip (See For Miles). The original 12-15 LPs were arranged by label so that if you got a good label like EMI, you had a lot of good tracks but if you had a bad label (Pye Volume 7 & 10), the results were much more mixed. The later volumes were regarded as being less essential and in fact the final two were not released at the time. There is also a "lost" volume, which covered Morgan Blue Town, which was released by a re-activated Morgan Blue Town label instead. Also worth noting is that the volumes did not come out in sequence - volumes 8 & 9 coming out long after volume 12 & 14 for example.



Bam Caruso had a lot of distribution problems and was eventually taken over by Demon (Edsel etc), who basically deleted all the back catalogue except the Rubble series, but that soon followed. At the time of closure, BamCaruso were preparing to reissue the Kaleidoscope - White Faced Lady 2LP.



In the 90s the set was reissued peicemeal on CD, but the tracks were shifted around to get more on each CD. Again the CDs were hard to obtain and were quickly deleted. Another set called The Best Of Rubble took many of the tracks and reissued those, but in fact it contained the more obscure tracks at the expense of the better known ones. Finally Lost & Found reissued the set on vinyl and subsequently as the box sets.





























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