Moondog - Moondog: The Viking of 6th Avenue
There was a compilation of Moondog tracks with the same title that was released about several years ago. This one featured in the post is the companion CD to a Moondog biography, Moondog: The Viking of 6th Avenue written by Robert Scotto. I thought that as a biography it is very good. It is well-researched. It offers insight into who Moondog was (yes, he was formally trained in music), the unfortunate situation of his blindness that he had to deal with, how he almost became famous early in his career, why his life went into a different direction (i.e. why he lived in poverty and had to go out on the street to obtain income), his habits and lifestyle, and how he eventually became respected and accepted. I would certainly recommend this book for anyone interested in Moondog and/or interesting artists. Did I mention it comes with a CD of Moondog's music?
I think a lot of the tracks may or may not be familiar to you all, but this one does have some previously unreleased material including performances with Steve Reich, Philip Glass (who wrote the preface in the book), and Jon Gibson. Of course, there is a lot more of Moondog out there if one knows where to look.
Tracklisting:
1. Caribea {1:32}
Performer/Composer: Moondog
2. To a Sea Horse {1:44}
Performer/Composer: Moondog
3. Trees Against the Sky {0:51}
Performer/Composer: Moondog
4. Oo Debut {1:09}
Performer/Composer: Moondog
5. Autumn {2:08}
Performer/Composer: Moondog
6. Moondog Monologue {8:24}
Performer/Composer: Moondog
7. Moondog's Theme {1:54}
Performer/Composer: Moondog
8. Trimbas in Quarters {1:48}
Performer/Composer: Moondog
9. I Came Into This World Alone {1:19}
Performers: Moondog, Steve Reich, Philip Glass, Jon Gibson
Composer: Moondog
10. Be a Hobo {1:22}
Performers: Moondog, Steve Reich, Philip Glass, Jon Gibson
Composer: Moondog
11. Why Spend the Dark Night With You {1:40}
Performers: Moondog, Steve Reich, Philip Glass, Jon Gibson
Composer: Moondog
12. All is Loneliness {1:38}
Performers: Moondog, Steve Reich, Philip Glass, Jon Gibson
Composer: Moondog
13. Organ Rounds {2:05}
Performer/Composer: Moondog
14. Canon in F Major, Book I {0:44}
Performer: Paul Jordan
Composer: Moondog
15. Canon in B Flat Major, Book III {1:37}
Performer: Paul Jordan
Composer: Moondog
16. Canon in B Flat Major, Book I {0:43}
Performer: Paul Jordan
Composer: Moondog
17. Canon in B Flat Major, Book II {0:29}
Performer: Paul Jordan
Composer: Moondog
18. Canon in G Sharp Minor, Book I {0:44}
Performer: Paul Jordan
Composer: Moondog
19. Canon in C Sharp Minor, Book II {1:33}
Performer: Paul Jordan
Composer: Moondog
20. 5/4 Snakebite Rattle {3:41}
Performer: Stefan Lakatos
Composer: Moondog
21. Trimbas and Woodblock in 5/2 {1:26}
Performer: Stefan Lakatos
Composer: Moondog
22. When I am Deep in Sleep {2:18}
Performer: Stefan Lakatos
Composer: Moondog
23. Rabbit Hop {2:26}
Performer/Composer: Moondog
24. Dog Trot {2:25}
Performer/Composer: Moondog
25. Bird's Lament {2:01}
Performer/Composer: Moondog
26. Viking 1 {2:56}
Performer/Composer: Moondog
27. Heimdall Fanfare {3:07}
Performer/Composer: Moondog
28. Intro and Overtone Continuum {2:22}
Performer/Composer: Moondog
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Wonderful post... always a pleasure to discover new Moondog variations!
ReplyDeleteMany thanks! After some years of admiration I'm beginning to see Moondog rather critical now. He regularly praises himself for being more stringent in his compositions than Bach (in terms of counterpoint). It doesn't need a master to simply follow a rule-book. I'm beginning to think that Moondog's compositions are somewhat simplistic (in contrast to minimalistic) and naive. Sorry for my harsh words, just my two cents. I still love his Madrigals: Rounds and Canons though.
ReplyDeleteStill looking for "Lovechild Plays Moondog" by the way ;)
The biography is a good read and Moondog's influence goes further than you are likely to think.
ReplyDelete