Word Jazz

Ken Nordine - Word Jazz

This is the original Word Jazz LP.

Liner notes by Ken Nordine:

Some years ago, when I first started fooling around with free association, with letting my mind wander with wonder, I had no idea that my joyful experiments would wind up on this unwinding album. But now, happily, that they have, I'd like to explain what I'm up to. Of course, what's on the record inside should explain itself and I hope you find that it does, but curiosity requires explanations of explanations, so here goes.

Imagine the imagination as a jazz instrument wailing words, verbal riffs that swing from images to ideas to images, a kind of oscillating curiosity creating far-in far-out fantasies on some fact, a going in any direction that seems to make some sense: up or down, in or out, here or there, now or then, for or against, etc. It can be sad or glad or an ambivalent blend of both. Oxymoronic. When it's glad-sad, it has something of the wry tension of humorous blues. It's also out-loud day dreaming that may be of interest to psychiatrists, amateur or otherwise. Let's say that it's something my unfree free will has to do, a necessary something that helps me belong to something larger than myself. Maybe it's a rebellion with cause, and maybe there are a lot of other maybes I don't know anything about and never will. Motivations are like an impulsive child, like the unselfconscious conscious skipping across a pretty muddy puddle. So what do you say we get our four feet back on the ground.

About the recording itself: I'd like to thank a special few. First, there's the genius of Fred Katz, the swinging beginning with his score. Freddie (who works from a very high shelf as cellist, pianist, conductor and composer) has four of his and jazzdom's best friends working with him to make up a group that deserves all the stars it can get and then some. The flute, piccolo, clarinet and sax have the pleasure of Paul Horn's sensitive company; the guitar is likewise pleased by John Asano; the bass has a ball with Jimmy Bond; the drums, bongos, timpani, gongs, and bells are treated the way they like to be by a great drummer named Forest Horn. The sound patterns are the creation of Jim Cunningham (of Robert Oakes Jordan and Associates). Utilizing engineering techniques and five Ampex Tape Recorders, Jim superimposes sound on sound to achieve an abstraction that you have to stare at with your ears. Magnified raindrops, IBM machines, 17-year locusts, reverberant delay, loop tapes, and a little bit of and so forth. Really, there's no way to describe it, it just kind of is.
Maybe, after all, that's the best description of "Word Jazz," too. Anyway, I do hope you enjoy hearing it.
Tracklisting:

Side 1

1. What Time is It? {3:46}

2. My Baby {2:33}

3. The Sound Museum {7:07}

4. The Vidiot {5:29}

Side 2

1. Roger {5:03}

2. Hunger is From {3:48}

3. Looks Like It's Going to Rain {3:29}

4. Flibberty Jib {4:45}

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The George Lewis Solo Trombone Record

George Lewis - The George Lewis Solo Trombone Record

LP released in 1977

Recorded at Thunder Sound, Toronto, Ontario, Canada, on November 21, 1976

All compositions by George Lewis, except "Lush Life" by Billy Strayhorn

In the year before this album was recorded, George Lewis' association with Chicago's Muhal Richard Abrams and the AACM had led to recording dates with Roscoe Mitchell and Anthony Braxton and a tour with Count Basie. Gradually his startling musicianship - the time-honoured jazz virtues of a mellow tone and driving sense of rhythm, harnessed to a soaring imagination and technique - became known to a growing number of listeners. The New York session with Braxton's big band led to a European tour with the saxophonist in 1976. On his return, Lewis came to Toronto to play at A Space - his first solo concert - and to record this album. On the Piece For Three Trombones Simultaneously, Lewis overdubbed all three trombone parts in the studio. The rest is solo. Solo horn albums have a curious ambience, inherent in the perfect clarity with which they reveal a performer's abilities. In this setting this amazing young musician, through the medium of a trombone, reveals himself as a unique solo voice. (David Lee, Coda Magazine)

Tracklisting:

Side One

1. Piece for Three Trombones Simultaneously {19:55}

Side Two

1. Phenomenology {7:43}

2. Untitled Dream Sequence {7:08}

3. Lush Life {5:55}

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Euphonium

Brian Bowman - Euphonium

LP released in 1978

Performers:

Brian Bowman - euphonium
Gordon Stout - marimba (tracks 1-4, Side A)
Marjorie Lee - piano (tracks 5-7, Side A; tracks 1-2, Side B)

About the music:

Four Dialogs for Euphonium and Marimba, composed by Samuel Adler

The Four Dialogs for Euphonium and Marimba were written in 1974 on a commission by the Tubists Universal Brotherhood Association. It was their first commission for euphonium and I felt that the combination of the mellow brass instrument and the marimba, which I consider the mellowest of the percussion instruments, would be a natural for a work of this nature. The piece is in four movements, beginning with a slow movement of improvisational character. The second and also the fourth movement are very fast and furious ones with the third movement a slow, quiet, dreamlike movement. (Samuel Adler)

Partita for Euphonium and Piano, composed by Walter Ross

This work was written especially for and is dedicated to Brian Bowman. It is a composition in three movements which I have titled Partita rather than Sonata because the movements are sectional and none of them are in sonata-allegro form. The first movement is a Toccata and, as the name suggests, allows some technical display by both instruments. The Pastorale is in a more relaxed mood and allows the euphonium a chance to sing. The final movement is a very rhythmic dance. (Walter Ross)

Andante and Rondo from the Doublebass Concerto, composed by Antonio Capuzzi; arranged by Philip Catelinet

The Andante and Rondo from the Double Bass Concerto were freely arranged and adapted for tuba or euphonium and piano by Philip Catelinet.

Sonatina for Euphonium and Synthesizer, composed by John Boda

The Sonatina for Euphonium and Synthesizer was written in 1970, and is performed by the soloist with a tape accompaniment prepared by the composer. The piece is in three sections (fast, slow, fast) played without pause. Themes from the first and second movements are used in various transformations in the third movement.

Tracklisting:

Side A

1. Four Dialogs for Euphonium and Marimba: Quite slowly {2:39}

2. Four Dialogs for Euphonium and Marimba: Fast and humorous {1:57}

3. Four Dialogs for Euphonium and Marimba: Slowly, and rather lazily {3:06}

4. Four Dialogs for Euphonium and Marimba: Fast with a happy spirit {2:00}

5. Partita for Euphonium and Piano: Allegro {3:05}

6. Partita for Euphonium and Piano: Pastorale {3:18}

7. Partita for Euphonium and Piano: Furiant {2:52}

Side B

1. Andante and Rondo from the Doublebass Concerto: Andante cantabile {4:42}

2. Andante and Rondo from the Doublebass Concerto: Rondo allegro {3:43}

3. Sonatina for Euphonium and Synthesizer {10:07}

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Memories of Steam

Kenneth Granville Attwood - Memories of Steam

LP of recordings of steam locomotives at Carnforth, Lancashire on the London Midland Region of British Railways, and at Longmoor, Hampshire on the Longmoor Military Railway.

Note: the track names have dates when they were recorded. The dates may be confusing to some visitors as the dates are given in a certain way in England. The dates are also given the same way in most parts of the world, I think. The day comes before the month. Example: 8-6-1968 is June 8, 1968.

Tracklisting:

Side 1 or A

1. Longmoor-92203 on Bulleid Special, 8-6-1968 {1:23}

2. Longmoor-No. 600 Light, 5-7-1969 {1:58}

3. Longmoor-No. 600 on Special, 5-7-1969 {1:50}

4. Longmoor-No. 600 Light & on Train, 5-7-1969 {3:37}

5. Longmoor-No. 196 Light, 5-7-1969 {1:08}

6. Carnforth-No. 44963 on Goods, July 1968 {4:18}

7. Carnforth-No. 45390, 44871 at M & F Yard, July 1968 {2:09}

8. Carnforth-No. 44709 on Goods, July 1968 {2:17}

9. Carnforth-No. 45134 on Goods, July 1968 {1:55}

10. Carnforth-No. 45342 on Goods, July 1968 {2:29}

Side 2 or B

1. Carnforth-No. 45352 on Parcels, May 1968 {2:28}

2. Carnforth-No. 70013 on Dalesman Special, 16-6-1968 {2:26}

3. Carnforth-No. 45025 Shed, May 1968 {1:37}

4. Carnforth-No. 45017, 45342, 44709 Shed, July 1968 {2:33}

5. Carnforth-No. 92077 Light, March 1968 {1:35}

6. Carnforth-No. 48340 Goods, March 1968 {1:27}

7. Carnforth-No. 44894 on Parcels, March 1968 {0:51}

8. Carnforth-No. 45314, 75027, 75019 Goods & Parcels, March 1968 {7:15}

9. Carnforth-No. 44874 Goods, July 1968 {3:47}

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A Closet of Trios (Vinyl Trios Part One)

About a month ago, Loopy C, who is a big fan of the Closet and another artist who generously offers his material for no cost, posted on his blog a set of his improv mashup pieces where he combined three records. This particular set is called A Closet of Trios (Vinyl Trios Part One) where he uses only stuff that's been posted here on the Closet.

Thanks, Loopy C, I enjoyed listening (likewise with your other music) and I hope everyone else does too. Perhaps it will be fun to guess which music from the Closet is being used. :)

Another Collection

We're Late For Class - Another Collection

This band is very generous in allowing the public to download their music for free. They are currently in college who make trippy psychedelic improv music in their spare time (and probably during study time too). They've been at it for a couple of years posting releases on their blog and they've made it to release number 40 which is this one. It's a compilation of their work from previous releases. The band considers it a special occasion as they've nicely asked a lot of blogs in the musicsharitysphere (including this blog) if they could write a post about it. I do appreciate their stance and it will be interesting to see if more artists make use of Web 2.0 as this band has done.

Here's a promotional write-up that the band has provided about this release:

We're Late For Class is an improvisational psychedelic college collective who've been posting free albums on line for over 2 years. Another Collection is their 40th. 2-CDs, 142 minutes, of uncharted improvisation and drug fueled excess, including a seance with Jim Morrison, a musical romp with O.J. Simpson, a homage to producer Jimmy Miller, the theme song for a low budget cable comedy sketch show, one too many accidental nods to Hawkwind and stoned tributes to Ali, Guess Who guitarist Kurt Winter, Pink Floyd and whatever was on the box that given weekend. It's all culled from their previous 19 releases (#21-#39). Last year's #20 A Collection features highlights from #1-#19. WLFC is also prone to 20, 30 & 40 minute space jams, but didn't have the space to include any this time. The best part? It's all free for the taking. You can find We're Late For Class at any local hash bar or at their blog.

Tracklisting:

Part 1

1. Herd Mentality {3:05}

2. Low Budget Cable Sketch Comedy Show Instrumental Theme Song {2:48}

3. Transmission From Jimmy Miller's Car Phone {6:46}

4. Ali Ali {4:57}

5. Under 30 Second Tribute to Kurt Winter {0:29}

6. Lab Animal {3:16}

7. Checkers {5:42}

8. Wind of the Hawk {4:20}

9. 67 {4:23}

10. The Lumbering Rex (Remix) {5:05}

11. Universal Cardigan (Live at Pompeii) {9:08}

12. Dirge Experience (In Easter Hay) {5:31}

13. Buttery Hog Mosh {8:49}

Part 2

14. Sequel to the Return of the Son of Monster Magnet {11:00}

15. The Premiere & Final Performance of Jazz From Outer Space {10:31}

16. Liquidity (The Spastic Conductor) {11:25}

17. The Jim Morrison Seance Tapes {13:57}

18. Trippin' in a Plymouth Belvedere {10:25}

19. Particle Alert {12:55}





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Contemporary Music for Harp Ensemble

The New York Harp Ensemble - Contemporary Music for Harp Ensemble

The New York Harp Ensemble: Eva Jaslar, Dagmar Platilova, Dorella Maiorescu, Barbara Pniewska
Aristid von Wurtzler, Director

Tracklisting:

Side 1

1. Tibor Serly - Canonic Prelude {2:35}

2. Arpad Fasang - Scherzo {3:08}

3. Alan Hovaness - Island of Mysterious Bells {8:16}
[the name is misspelled on the packaging, the correct spelling is "Hovhaness" and I forgot to correct the tags in the file]

4. Aristid von Wurtzler - Space Odyssey for Four Harps {6:01}

Side 2

1. Gerard Bertouille - Prelude for Four Harps {4:26}

2. Josef Wilkomirski - Passacaglia {3:57}

3. Geza Frid - Fugue for Harps, Op. 62 {4:24}

4. Adnan Saygun - Two Preludes {6:03}

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Music for Flute and Piano

various artists compilation - Music for Flute and Piano

The unaccompanied flute presents a special challenge to the composers represented on this disk because in writing for it their proven means of assuring variety are not available. Extreme contrast in timbre, density, and dynamics has been normal in the work of younger Europeans ever since the "Klangfarbenmelodie" of Webern; their fascination with "beauty of sound for its own sake" has led to an increasing use of noises and special sounds, produced by percussion, electronic means, or conventional instruments. Heterogeneous groups have replaced the string quartet and solo works are usually assigned to instruments capable of a large range of unconventional sound, such as the percussion battery or (preparable) piano. Music for solo flute is an exception to the trend: three octave-fulls of twelve tones, a range of timbre more restricted than that of many other instruments, one or two associated noises (the rush of breath without pitch or the tapping of hole-covers against rims) are all there are to work with. Even a texture of wide staccato leaps will have a ribbon-like continuity on the flute because of its homogeneous tone-color and comparatively narrow dynamic range. The composer will be working in miniature, articulating subtle shades of attack and tone-color at the disposal of his flutist: angle and pressure of breath, varieties in tonguing, the choice of fundamentals with which to overblow tones in the upper registers.In trying to do more with the instrument he will be pitting himself against Theobald Boehm, whose formidable arrangement of rods and levers had subjected the venerable flute to the requirements of 19th Century music. Flexibility and individuality among pitches had been sacrificed to perfect intonation and agility. But there sometimes appear composers and players imaginative enough to make instruments the servants of styles for which their builders did not intend them (such as in the unaccompanied violin music of Bach or the bassoon phrases in "Sacre"). In the pieces of Berio and Maderna, to some extent, and particularly in the one by Evangelisti, Gazzelloni is able to break through the chromatic grid of precisely bored holes and their perfectly tuned partials to give us glissandos, airy organums, the glint of distant overtones flickering in the midst of notes spoken "falsely." Such sounds give the hearer a fresh sense of the mystery of the vibrating air column and he becomes conscious of the mechanics of venting and overblowing which had formerly been private concerns of the player. (David Behrman, from the liner notes)

Severino Gazzelloni - flute
Aloys Kontarsky - piano

Tracks A1, A3 and B2 are for solo flute.
Tracks A2, B1, and B3 are for flute and piano.

Tracklisting:

Side A

1. Franco Evangelisti - Proporzioni {4:40}

2. Niccolo Castiglioni - Gymel {4:32}

3. Luciano Berio - Sequenza {6:32}

Side B

1. Olivier Messiaen - Merles Noir {7:01}

2. Yoritsune Madsudaira - Somaksah {5:56}

3. Bruno Maderna - Honeyrêves {6:15}

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Environmental Sounds: Mountain Stream

Bernie Krause - Environmental Sounds: Mountain Stream

The universally-loved sounds of a babbling mountain stream, wandering gently over water-sculpted stones through forests filled with sounds of summer songbirds. A pure, environmental sound recording, masterfully produced to recreate one of nature's most pleasant sound experiences.

Tracklisting:

Side 1

1. Mountain Stream side 1 {29:28}

Side 2

1. Mountain Stream side 2 {29:27}

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Espírito do Tempo

Espírito do Tempo - Espírito do Tempo

This was sent to me by young Brazilian musician Renato Cardoso as a gift as he is a big fan of A Closet of Curiosities. Renato is the leader of the group Espírito do Tempo. He is the composer, lyricist, arranger and director of the band. He has been influenced lately by the gamelan music as well as by avant-garde chamber and orchestral music from Penderecki, Stockhausen, etc. However, none of those influences show up. This is a short 6-song album of Brazilian pop or what is called MPB (Música Popular Brasileira). It was recorded and released last year. It is different from what I usually post or listen to, but I thought it was enjoyable. It inspired me to further explore a style of music that I am not familiar with.

The first, fourth and fifth songs ("Na Primavera", "Hin-Hin" and "Meu Mito" respectively) are done in a bossa nova style. Renato said that he intended to take a different approach on the fourth and fifth songs, "the rhythm cells are the same, but they are played in a diferent context, more dissonant and with comtemporary influences." The second song, "Sem Benção", does sound like MPB from its first formative stages in the 1960s. The third and sixth songs ("Ela Não é a Única" and "Depois do Fim") are sambas. "Depois do Fim" is certainly an interesting one. Renato says that "the eletric guitar is played like a Cavaco( sort of brazilian banjo used in samba) with a Bossa nova in the contrast section." The middle part has a flute glissando form that sounds like the flute is accompanied by bird calls from the Amazon rainforest.

Credits:

All music composed, written and arranged by Renato Cardoso.

Renato Cardoso - viola, guitar, voice
Beatriz França - voice, acoustic double bass on "Meu Mito" and "Hin-Hin"
Caio Uesugui - voice, electric double bass
Bruno Degani - percussion, sonorous effects
Julliana Cavalcanti - violin
Emerson Nazário - cello
Aquiles Guimarāes - flute
Bruno Zibordi - voice on "Sem Benção"

Tracklisting:

1. Na Primavera {2:49}

2. Sem Benção {4:48}

3. Ela Não é a Única {2:47}

4. Hin-Hin {3:30}

5. Meu Mito {5:00}

6. Depois do Fim {3:59}

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Ulysses

James Joyce - Ulysses [film soundtrack]

Happy Bloomsday!

This is actually a 2-cassette recording of the soundtrack from the film adaptation of the James Joyce classic. The soundtrack is not the theme or any indidental music, but only some of the dialogue itself with sound effects in the background. The dialogue is all taken from the novel. The film adaptation of Ulysses was filmed on location in Dublin, where the novel takes place. It was released in 1967.

Obviously, the 2-cassette version presented here is condensed. Side 1 opens with the scene where Buck Mulligan is shaving on a roof-top platform and conversing with Stephen Daedalus where Mulligan brings up the point that his aunt thinks that Daedalus killed his mother. Sides 1, 2 and 3 depict Leopold Bloom's metaphorical The Odyssey journey (or exile from his home) through Dublin. Side 4 is devoted entirely to Molly Bloom's stream-of-consciousness soliloquy (which is over 40 pages in the book, btw). For those struggling with the novel (it can be difficult to read and understand) or those curious yet do not have the time to devote to the book, this would help in obtaining basic knowledge about the work in around 90 minutes.

Tracklisting:

Side 1

1. Ulysses side 1 {20:53}

Side 2

1. Ulysses side 2 {23:10}

Side 3

1. Ulysses side 3 {24:46}

Side 4

1. Ulysses side 4 {24:39}

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Songs of Western Birds

Donald J. Borror - Songs of Western Birds

LP released in 1971

From the liner notes:

With the assistance of this recording the birdwatcher or nature lover can learn to recognize the versatile songs of such species as the western meadowlark, the curve-billed thrasher, and Bell's vireo, as well as the simpler songs of other species. Prepared by Professor Donald J. Borror of the Departments of Entomology and Zoology of Ohio State University, this record reproduces the songs and calls of 60 different birds that are common in the western United States.
Because the identification of western birds is based largely on where the bird is found, Professor Borror, a widely acclaimed expert in animal sound responses, has arranged the bird songs by geographic area and habitat. The order of the songs is based on their increasing complexity. The listener learns to identify the different species by the general pattern and quality of the songs, the cadence of the songs, how the bird uses its song repertoire, and just where the bird is found. This careful and thorough treatment of the songs allows the listener a knowledge not only of the particular song, but of the general kind of song as well. A fine companion to Borror's previous Dover records (Common Bird Songs and Songs of Eastern Birds), this recording of bird songs offers both beginners and practiced bird lovers a start at becoming acquainted with the songs of all western birds.

Sorry, no booklet available.

Tracklisting:

SIDE ONE

1. Clark's Nutcracker, Steller's Jay, Oregon Junco, Orange-crowned Warbler, Townsend's Warbler, Western Tanager, Solitary Vireo {6:19}

2. Black-billed Magpie, Western Wood Pewee, Western Flycatcher, MacGillivray's Warbler, Rufous-sided Towhee, Green-tailed Towhee {4:54}

3. Clay-colored Sparrow, Black-throated Gray Warbler, White-crowned Sparrow, Lazuli Bunting, House Finch, Black-headed Grosbeak {4:59}

4. Western Kingbird, Scissor-tailed Flycatcher, Lark Bunting, Cassin's Sparrow, Baird's Sparrow, Western Meadowlark {5:23}

5. Willet, Black-necked Stilt, American Avocet, Long-billed Curlew, Yellow-headed Blackbird {3:53}

SIDE TWO

1. Pauraque, Chachalaca, Great-tailed Crackle, Blackcrested Titmouse, Golden-cheeked Warbler, Painted Bunting {5:29}

2. Ash-throated Flycatcher, White-winged Dove, Cactus Wren, Rufous-winged Sparrow, Black-throated Sparrow, Curve-billed Thrasher {5:29}

3. Vermilion Flycatcher, Wied's Crested Flycatcher, Black Phoebe, Olive Sparrow, Brown Towhee, Lucy's Warbler, Bell's Vireo {6:06}

4. Mexican Jay, Cassin's Kingbird, Mexican Junco, Scott's Oriole, Rufous-crowned Sparrow {4:06}

5. White-throated Swift, Canon Wren, Rock Wren, Coues' Flycatcher, Olive Warbler, Grace's Warbler {4:16}

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Opus 81

various artists compilation - Opus 81

LP released in 1981 featuring three pieces of Dutch avant-garde music

MEEUWIS REBEL
Varia

Performed by Netherlands Clarinet Quartet

Varia was composed for the Netherlands Clarinet Quartet, and it takes the form of a theme with variations. The theme is stated at the beginning by the bass clarinet and high E-flat clarinet, accompanied by two B-flat clarinets.

BERNARD VAN BEURDEN
Les Deux

Performed by Netherlands Clarinet Quartet

The title of the clarinet quartet, Les Deux (The Two) refers to 2 chords which play an important part in this composition. While improvising in the first part the 4 players try to discover what can be done with the two chords. A rather quiet second part leads into the final fast movement.

PETER-JAN WAGEMANS
String Quartet Opus 15

Performed by Gaudeamus Quartet

The String Quartet Opus 15 was commissioned by the Amsterdam Arts Fund. It consists of 6 parts: 3 toccatas, 2 arias and 1 recitative.

Tracklisting:

Side A

1. Meeuwis Rebel - Varia {11:58}

2. Bernard Van Beurden - Les Deux {12:35}

Side B

1. Peter-Jan Wagemans - String Quartet Opus 15 {19:49}

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Inside the Powers of Nature

Paul Horn - Inside the Powers of Nature

The challenge of this recording was to see how much could be done with flutes alone in a recording studio. No electronic sounds are used anywhere. The background sounds on Side One are all natural sounds from nature, created and put together especially for this recording. Side Two contains the actual sounds of Haida, a male killer whale living at Sealand of the Pacific in Victoria, B.C., Canada. Both sides contain a lot of multiple tracking. The Bach chorales are all played on various flutes including alto and bass flute, sometimes with a multi-vider. The Kyrie from the Palestrina Mass has seven overdubs. The making of this recording was a wonderful creative experience. (Paul Horn)

Consider this as a kind of bonus of more nature/environmental sounds for the week, although they are blended with music as the above liner notes already mention. I'm trying out another service as some folks are having trouble with the service used in the previous post. Let's hope this service works better.

Tracklisting:

Side One

1. The Mahabhutas (Elements) {19:05}
(a) Prithivi (Earth) (b) Vayu (Air) (c) Tejas (Fire) (d) Apas (Water) (e) Akasha (Space)

Side Two

1. Haida {5:23}

2. Bach Chorales {4:07}

3. Centaur {6:04}

4. Mass: Kyrie {2:30}

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National Geographic: Songs of the Humpback Whale

Roger Payne - National Geographic: Songs of the Humpback Whale

This recording is on an Eva-Tone soundsheet. It was inserted in the January 1979 issue of National Geographic to accompany marine biologist Roger Payne's article "Humpbacks: Their Mysterious Songs". Roger Payne first discovered that humpback whales sing and has been recording their music for many years. He gives commentary that explain the songs heard on the record and how he recorded the songs. The whales on this record were recorded at Bermuda and Hawaii. An excerpt from the article that explains more in detail is here.

Tracklisting:

Side 1

1. Songs of the Humpback Whale side 1 {4:56}

Side 2

1. Songs of the Humpback Whale side 2 {5:08}

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Music for Clarinet and Tape

various artists compilation - Music for Clarinet and Tape

LP released in 1978

performers:

Phillip Rehfeldt - clarinet
Jonathan Kramer - mixer
Gene Kimball - electronics

Ran I.X. for Solo Clarinet and Tape (1976) by Victor Saucedo

RAN I.X. for Solo Clarinet and Tape was completed in April 1976. An algorithm was used to generate musical processes and a score on the IBM 360/22 computer at Southwestern College. The first part of the title, RAN, refers to the random number generator used in a subroutine to define parameters, i.e. rhythms, modes of execution, dynamics, etc. Limited dimensions were placed on the parameters and specific distribution curves applied to insure compatible melodic contours, rhythms, and dynamics between the final computer composition and the clarinet. I.X., a variable name for the values that are transferred from the subroutine to the main program, initiates distinct random number generation sequences. As the value of I.X. changes so does the random number sequence and subsequently the parameter definition, i.e., the general outline of the composition. The program, with the set values for I.X. then, is the essence of the clarinet part.
...
In this music the "dynamic rhythm" and reiterative melodic concepts of Amerindian music have been diametrically transformed and modulated as complements. The result is a duality similar to the duality concept of clarinet multiphonics versus computer multiphonics or clarinet random notes versus computer random notes, or even the idea itself of using an advanced technique such as the computer to generate primitive concepts associated with mystic ritual. (Victor Saucedo)

Antiphon II for Solo Clarinet and Tape by Michael Horvit

Antiphon II was written on commission from Phillip Rehfeldt and Barney Childs. It is the second in a series of works which combine solo performers with electronic tape, others being for saxophone, piano, violin, organ and marimba. The work is in two movements played without pause: "Atmospheres" and "Moto Perpetuo." It is based upon a twelve tone row but is freely tonal, particularly the jazzy second movement. "Atmospheres," as its title implies, is concerned primarily with color. It opens the row presented polyphonically on the tape alone. A dialogue follows between the tape and the clarinet during which they respond to each other, first the clarinet, then the tape, leading the way. Out of this grows a highly "atmospheric" section, arching higher and higher until the uppermost limits of the tessitura are reached. After remaining on this plateau for a moderate span, the music gradually descends, returning to a brief restatement of the opening material. "Moto Perpetuo" is built around a rhythmic ostinato. Jazzy in style, the clarinet and tape take turns with soloistic "rides." (Michael Horvit)

Renascence for Clarinet, Tape Delay System and Pre-recorded Tape (1974) by Jonathan Kramer

Renascence was commissioned in 1974 by Phillip Rehfeldt and Barney Childs under a faculty research grant from the University of Redlands. The title refers to (1) the rebirth of diatonic modality and constant pulse in contemporary music, (2) the rebirth of continuity from fragmentation within the piece, and (3) the poem by Edna St. Vincent Millay. The work is scored for solo clarinet, tape delay system, and prerecorded tape. The tape delay system records music played by the clarinetist and allows it to be played back some 20 seconds later, at which time it may again be recorded for later playback, etc. After an introduction the technician selects, in accordance with the score, certain fragments of the solo line to go into the tape delay system. When this music returns after 20 seconds, more music is added by the clarinetist, some of which is again selected for recording by the technician. In this manner a multi-layered texture is built up. At first the clarinet supplies more and more notes to fill in gaps in a melody previously recorded, so that a continuous line eventually emerges (right channel). This tune is strange, since it is continuous in terms of notes and rhythms but not in terms of tone quality, since each successive re-recording in the tape delay system diminishes the richness of the clarinet sound a bit.

Tracklisting:

Side 1

1. Victor Saucedo - Ran I.X. for Solo Clarinet and Tape {19:59}

Side 2

1. Michael Horvit - Antiphon II for Solo Clarinet and Tape {9:57}

2. Jonathan Kramer - Renascence for Clarinet, Tape Delay System and Pre-recorded Tape {10:20}

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The New Music Volume 3

various artists compilation - The New Music Volume 3

LP released in 1968

Performers:

Rome Symphony Orchestra, Bruno Maderna - conductor

Severino Gazzelloni - flute

The term "modern music" no longer suffices to describe the latest expressions of recent avant-garde cmposers. Modern music still means the music that came after Debussy and Strauss. It is Stravinsky and Ravel, Hindemith and Falla; it is Bartok, Prokofieff, Britten and Malipiero. Modern music is the breakdown of tonality and traditional harmony and the development of the twelve-tone system used by the masters of the Viennese school - Schonberg, Berg and Webern - and the spreading of this method in every country since the war. Modern music is still Dallapiccola and Petrassi, and the ready listener has little by little grown accustomed to all these expressions - the more recent ones (those relating to the relinquishing of traditional tonality) with somewhat greater difficulty.

But the works of the latest generation, those composers who have come to the fore since Hiroshima, seem to cut away violently from this pattern, as difficult as its acceptance had proved to be. So, for them the term "new music."

The evolution which has led to today's baffling results is governed by an inner logic. Once the use of the twelve-tone "series" was firmly established, the desire quite naturally arose to extend this serialization process to the other "parameters" of music, that is, to subject its rhythmic, timbral and dynamic aspects to the same laws governing the disposition of the pitch of the notes.

"Structuring" (the organization of musical material) by means of total serialization of parameters was the first step the new music took beyond Webern. This extension of the serialization process to all parameters brought about a heightening of interest and investigation into the qualities and components of sound. The increased concern for this "tone color" and other hitherto unstructured aspects of sound and the diminishing interest in pitch as the primary structural element made it necessary to alter traditional listening habits. Where pitch distribution had been the primary expressive unit, now the other parameters took on equal or greater importance.

The new music, like all other forms of contemporary art, may or may not be liked, but its consistency cannot be questioned. There is an inner logic which has determined the various phases described above and which is already creating others in more and more rapid succession, and they must not be taken as gratuitous and unrestrained expressions of individual extravagance. (from the liner notes)

Tracklisting:

Side 1

1. Luigi Nono - Y su sangre ya viene cantado {15:57}

2. Kazuo Fukushima - Hi-kyo {9:19}

Side 2

1. Luciano Berio - Serenade I {10:22}

2. Hans Ulrich Lehmann - Quanti {10:50}

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Environmental Sounds

Yorkshire Records - Environmental Sounds

An LP of two side-long recordings of "nature's music ... recorded live on this planet". These occurred during the summer and autumn in New York (United States).

A Mid-Summer's Thunderstorm

This was recorded in mid-July, near Saratoga, New York. It was one of those hot, heavy summer days when the air pressure increases until your veins are about to burst.

In the blackness forming to the Southwest came the first rumblings. We ran to the studio and set up our microphones. The storm continued to build, the rumblings increased and lightning ignited the horizon. Though it was early afternoon, it appeared to be nearly nighttime. The wind began to blow, the leaves of the maple trees outside began to rustle, and the first drops began to fall. It was incredibly exciting.

The rumblings continued to build slowly, the rain fell quietly. Then suddenly it came, from across the field you could see a wall of rain coming. And it engulfed everything. But the rumblings continued. Then as the rumblings were beginning to die out - lightning struck a tree only a few hundred yards away. There was so much power behind it, it was enough to make your hair stand on end. This was followed by several other sharp cracks, but far less threatening.

Eventually the storm subsided, the sky became light, the rain lessened to a pleasant shower, and the first bird began to tweet. A dog could be heard and the sun came out. Other birds joined in and finally in the Northeast an amazing rainbow appeared against the dark sky.

The record finally ends with a single bird that perched near our microphones warbling through the most amazing repertoire of songs, paying homage to the fresh new world.

The Wind in the Autumn Woods

This was also recorded in upstate New York near Saratoga, but in late October. We were fortunate enough to record this on one of those quiet sunny afternoons, the last few days of Indian summer. The leaves, all red and orange and golden were beginning to fall, and the wind, in the tree tops above was shaking them loose (you may be able to hear some landing near our microphones). As we recorded this, lying on our backs on a bed of leaves and looking up through the lacework of branches above, we found ourselves amazed at how little we'd heard before; the wind coming in such unpredictable gusts, rising and falling with no perceptible pattern; the groups of geese from Canada headed south; the loud squawks of bluejays arriving to spend the winter; birds gathering in flocks preparing to move South (these were a little late, most had left by then); a dog barking and a cow mooing on a farm a half a mile off; a single engine airplane passing over; later a train far off in the distance; and the lonesome cry of crows in an open field about a quarter mile away. The wind subsided and we switched for a close-up to a set of microphones set very close to the leaves - dry and rustling quite loudly. With this close-up you can also hear flies buzzing, playing in the warm sun chasing each other, doing loop-de-loops, and one even landing on the microphone, sitting for a spell then zinging off again.

The wind whistled and whispered, and did all those beautiful things poets celebrate as nature's most intimate music.

Perhaps what fascinates us most about this recording is the purifying effect the wind has. There are times when I listen to this that I can feel that all negative stuff in me that's been collected during the day is being blown away. Whatever it is, it leaves me with a good cleansed feeling and makes a nice background environment, bringing the autumn woods into my room. (from the liner notes)

Tracklisting:

Side 1

1. A Mid-Summer's Thunderstorm {23:52}

Side 2

1. The Wind in the Autumn Woods {25:03}

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Structures for Two Pianos

Pierre Boulez - Structures for Two Pianos

Let's get this show back on the road. I meant to have a new post up on either Tuesday or Wednesday. The cord on my AC adaptor broke while I was visiting family and I used up all of the battery on my laptop which is actually my only computer. I didn't have access to my laptop for the past few days until I made it back home where I have a backup AC adaptor.

Performers: Alfons Kontarsky and Aloys Kontarsky

From the liner notes by Tom Carlson:

Dating from 1955, the Structures are revealed upon close examination as a very logical yet complex arrangement of the materials used. In selecting his material, Boulez arranges the tone row to form a quotation from Messiaen's "Mode de valeurs et d'intensites." This passage is notable for its lack of intervals below six; however, in its inversion, it contains only intervals below seven, and the interworking of the two lines against each other gives the work its initial propulsion. To some degree, the working of musical values might well have been determined by computer, but this is true only up to a point, after which the composer must select a direction for the music to take. The notes used, their duration and dynamics are the result of serial technique, plus pre-determined tables to indicate their interaction. The composer has chosen to use all transpositions of his notes in their original form, inversion, cancrizan and inverted cancrizan, each used only once. Again, these are played with or against the previously determined dynamic shadings and time values. Beginning with the Messiaen quotation, the work is essentially "creatio ex everything," considering the wide variety of technical permutation used in the constructon of the work, and the composer's selection of various treatments to which it is subjected.

Tracklisting:

Side A

1. band 1 {3:22}

2. band 2 {8:26}

3. band 3 {2:10}

Side B

1. band 1 {8:26}

2. band 2 {10:32}

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A Closet of Curiosities is 3 Years Old

Well, we made it through another year (May 26, 2006 - present). This may seem egotistical for me to post another anniversary or birthday post since I did it last year, but I believe that three years is a milestone in the blogosphere especially of this type of blog. A Closet of Curiosities has come far from an obscure blog with just a few visitors to a semi-obscure blog with more traffic.

I would like to thank H.C. Earwicker and Telvin Bartruss for contributing worthwhile and compelling posts during the past year. I would also like to thank other folks for posting contributions in the comments section including Davis for the Twilight Zone soundtrack box set.

Another thank you goes out to the folks who joined The Closet of Curiosities Fan Club (i.e. followers of this blog) as well as a thank you to those who left comments (except for those that left spam). Sorry, I haven't responded to all of the comments due to lack of time. I read all of them and they are appreciated (except the spam of course). I should also thank people who support this blog by linking to this blog on their blogs, websites and personal social networking pages.

Finally, I would like to thank my visitors for stopping by and checking out the stuff I post. I hope that so far I have accomplished what I set out to do which is for this blog to be an educational resource for electronic, avant-garde, ethnic, environmental/nature, improv and ambient music and sounds as well as the quirky novelty recordings and whatever else I occasionally like to show off to the world.

Looking back on the first post of A Closet of Curiosities, the post sounded ambitious. I am thinking about mixing it up a little by posting about books or visual art for example, but I do not want to stray too far from what I have been doing for the past 2 1/2 years on this blog that I was given. Then again, that is what my Twitter page is for and I need to really update that thing.

I was in the process of planning something special for this day, but a few incidents in real life occupied my attention this past weekend. So all I have is this chocolate cake that I found which looks tempting although I'm not crazy about the font. Dig in.

The Avant Garde String Quartet in the USA

various artists compilation - The Avant Garde String Quartet in the USA

I'm going to be taking the next few days off for the Memorial Day three-day weekend holiday as I'll be spending some time with relatives. Also, I apologize that there will not be a nature/environmental sounds post this upcoming Sunday.

Meanwhile, here is this 3-LP set of interesting string quartet pieces by notable and interesting composers. This should keep everybody busy for a while as there is over 2 hours of music to digest.

Performed by The Concord String Quartet

Mark Sokol - violin

Andrew Jennings - violin

John Kochanowski - viola

Norman Fischer - violincello

released in 1973

From the liner notes by Lejaren Hiller:

The present album is the third part of a projected three volume survey of the development of the American string quartet from its beginnings in colonial times. The first album, "The Early American String Quartet," already released as Vox Box SVBX-5301, contains performances by the Kohon String Quartet of works ranging historically from a string quartet attributed to Benjamin Franklin to works by early 20th-century composers like George Chadwick and Charles Griffes. A projected second album is planned to fill the gap between that set and the present one, which is a survey of the period since the end of World War II.

There is no doubt that writing string quartets appeals to composers today just as in the past. The number of such compositions written during the past twenty-five years by recognized composers both here and abroad is by no means small despite the fact that the contemporary composer often finds it difficult to persuade established performance groups to extend their repertoires beyond the "classics" - especially if his work is technically or stylistically innovative. The Concord String Quartet, here making its recording debut, is a happy exception among these performance groups because it is currently engaged not only in learning a substantial number of works composed in America since World War II but is commissioning new works as well. The performances of the compositions recorded here, all of which have been worked out with the composers, are a first realization of this commitment.

One of the striking characteristics of the contemporary American string quartet literature is its enormous variety, a feature that will be immediately obvious upon listening to the music in this album. There is not a quartet included here that does not exhibit a strong and independent musical profile. Stylistic heterogeniety and healthy eclecticism have always been characteristic traits of the best American Music and the literature here demonstrates that this continues to be so. The particular quartets recorded here provide a distinguished cross-section of what has been written during the past two decades. It goes without saying that this group of works by no means exhausts the list of first-rate compositions for the medium.

Tracklisting:

Side 1

1. Stefan Wolpe - String Quartet: I. 92 {8:10}

2. Stefan Wolpe - String Quartet: II. 144 {8:54}

3. Earle Brown - String Quartet {11:29}

Side 2

1. John Cage - String Quartet in Four Parts: I. Quietly Flowing Along {4:33}

2. John Cage - String Quartet in Four Parts: II. Slowly Rocking {4:56}

3. John Cage - String Quartet in Four Parts: III. Nearly Stationary {10:17}

4. John Cage - String Quartet in Four Parts: IV. Quodlibet {1:19}

Side 3

1. George Crumb - Black Angels (Images II) for Electric String Quartet {22:10}

Side 4

1. Lejaren Hiller - String Quartet No. 5 (In Quarter Tones): I. Theme I {1:13}

2. Lejaren Hiller - String Quartet No. 5 (In Quarter Tones): II. Variations {5:23}

3. Lejaren Hiller - String Quartet No. 5 (In Quarter Tones): III. Theme II {1:16}

4. Lejaren Hiller - String Quartet No. 5 (In Quarter Tones): IV. Variations {7:49}

5. Lejaren Hiller - String Quartet No. 5 (In Quarter Tones): V. Theme III {1:18}

6. Lejaren Hiller - String Quartet No. 5 (In Quarter Tones): VI. Variations {7:56}

7. Lejaren Hiller - String Quartet No. 5 (In Quarter Tones): VII. Theme IV {1:09}

Side 5

1. Leon Kirchner - Quartet No. 3 for String Quartet and Electronic Tape {17:37}

2. Christian Wolff - Summer {4:30}

Side 6

1. Jacob Druckman - String Quartet No. 2 {18:14}

2. Morton Feldman - Structures for String Quartet {5:52}

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Dahl-Lesemann-Kraft

Dahl-Lesemann-Kraft - Dahl-Lesemann-Kraft

LP released in 1973

Performers:

Karen Ervin - percussion

Louise DiTullio - flute

Mitchell Lurie - clarinet

Thomas Ervin - trombone

Tape collage by William Malloch on "Encounters IV."

Excerpts from the liner notes by Frederick Lesemann:

Music is a most profoundly social art. True, decades of solitary practice must preced even mere competence by professional standards. But the end, the purpose, is that day of participation in what one knows is a great performance while it is happening. The exhilaration of hearing one's colleagues performing superbly, and having the skill to rise to the occasion, to match them, is overwhelming. It is an ideal to which lies are dedicated.

Small wonder, then, that musicians congregate. And in their association another social dimension of their craft evolves: they learn from each other and the art of music grows. It is normally a slow process. Musicians are a conservative lot. But sometimes it is very rapid - explosive, even. And nowhere has this been more true in recent decades than among percussionists.

...

For Ingolf Dahl the challenge presented by the new means in percussion technique was to find the equivalents, in subtle changes of color, for the details of pitch relationships. When listening to his "Duettino" it is not enough to realize that a drum is being played. One must realize that it is being struck in different places on the instrument. The minute color changes are the percussionist's contribution to a dialogue between the flute and percussion that is the substance of the piece. This is particularly clear in the Fugheta (third movement). The chromatic steps in the fugue subject are reflected in color changes in the drums by striking each instrument in different places on the drum head. Such attention to detail requires particular acuteness both of the performers and of listeners. We hope that the listener will agree that this recording realizes these subtleties with clarity and exactness.

"Encounters IV," by William Kraft, is one of a series of works inspired by the concert series, Encounters, at the Pasadena (California) Museum of Art. It explores the dynamic possibilities of a conflict between the performers. The first movement, 'Strategy,' consists of 12 "attacks" by the trombone (including the message "make war to make peace" in Morse code) and 12 "counterattacks" by the percussion, representing peace. The second movement, titled 'Truce of God' in reference to the Medieval custom of a sabbath respite, employs a variation on "Beata Viscera," from the conductus by the thirteenth century composer Perotin, in the trombone, antiphonal "bell" sounds on gongs, vibraphone and steel mixing bowls, and a tape collage, created by William Malloch, of World War I speeches, songs and other, later materials. It is intended as a representation of the "folly of war, of man's self-deception". The third movement, 'Tactics', is characterized by the composer as "all out war" - the combatants locked in virtuosic battle.

William Malloch offers the following notes to his tape collage for William Kraft's "Encounters": This second movement makes me think of a kind of boneyard wherein War lies, having been put to death, of course, for the last time. The musical ghosts which flit through it are part of the cultural dumping ground. They derive largely from root material I used in the disc "Stars and Stripes and You." Most of it (like "Let's Bury the Hatchet in the Kaiser's Head") comes from World War I, but at the finish we hear equally incredible stuff from more recent times.

What is there in us that makes us get taken in at the time by pompous guff put forward by Harding (WWI), Roosevelt (WWII), and MacArthur (Korea). Just before the final montage an "anthem" made up from old scraps of the Russian Czarist hymn, "God Save the King", the "Hallelujah Chorus", and the "Volga Boatman's Song" tries to emerge from the grave. The scraps hapen almost to spell out a new "anthem" much sung by today's fashionable "underground". But it's made up of old stuff. We should let it fade away.

Tracklisting:

Side A

1. Frederick Lesemann - Sonata for Clarinet and Percussion {12:29}

2. Ingolf Dahl - Suettino Concertante for Flute and Percussion {10:41}

Side B

1. William Kraft - Encounters IV, A Duel for Trombone and Percussion: I. Strategy {3:51}

2. William Kraft - Encounters IV, A Duel for Trombone and Percussion: II. Truce of God {4:54}

3. William Kraft - Encounters IV, A Duel for Trombone and Percussion: III. Tactics {5:10}

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Music of Henri Lazarof

Henri Lazarof - Music of Henri Lazarof

Third Chamber Concerto for Twelve Soloists (1974)

Performed by the Contemporary Chamber Ensemble.

The composition is in one movement and its form is defined by the distribution of materials through its continuously shifting groups of duos, trios, quartets, sextets and with occasional appearances of soli. The Third Chamber Concerto continues to explore elements of structural media and textural aspects which were already at work in the preceding two Chamber Concerti: "Espaces" for 10 players and "Omaggio" for 19 players.

Cadence VI for Tuba and Tape (1973)

Performed by Roger Bobo - tuba

It was commissioned by and dedicated to Roger Bobo who first performed it at the First National Symposium at the University of Illinois. A short work of a rather "espressivo" nature, "Cadence VI" uses a tape consisting of pre-recorded tuba.

"Duo-1973" for Cello and Piano

Performed by Gabor Rejto - cello and Alice Rejto - piano

The overall free form allows both performers to explore the work independently as well as equal partners. From a hesitant and rather mystic beginning, the piece progresses through a slow display of its events with a gradual increase in dynamic tensions reaching a climactic ending with a short "Hommage a Ludwig" quotation.

"Adieu" for Clarinet (Bass Clarinet) and Piano (1974)

Performed by Gary Gray - clarinet and Irma Vallecillo - piano

It's introspective character becomes apparent from the very beginning and continues to be the leading element until the very end. Passages marked "as slow as possible" and accompanied with quarter tones and multiphonics are prevalent throughout the composition. (from the liner notes)

Side 1

1. Third Chamber Concerto for Twelve Soloists {12:48}

2. Cadence VI for Tuba and Tape {6:12}

Side 2

1. "Duo-1973" for Cello and Piano {12:57}

2. "Adieu" for Clarinet (Bass Clarinet) and Piano {12:41}

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The Perilous Night (And Other New Sounds in American Music)

Richard Bunger - The Perilous Night (And Other New Sounds in American Music)

Richard Bunger - pianist

This is a recording of the live performances of avant-garde material at Warner Concert Hall on the campus of Oberlin College (Ohio, USA). Only "Prelude No. 4" for piano and electronic tape (1966) by Morton Subotnick was not recorded live, but recorded in a studio to have a separate stereo channel for the electronic tape. A Buchla synthesizer was used for "Prelude No. 4." It says on the back cover that all live performances are unedited.

Here are the selections performed live:

The Perilous Night, Suite for Prepared Piano (1943-44) by John Cage

The prepared piano was originally intended as an accompaniment to dance performances. This piece shows that the prepared piano could also be the center of attention at concerts. Cage's instructions for preparation of the piano for this piece includes the insertion of weather-stripping, flat pieces of bamboo and nuts, bolts and washers inserted between the strings. It takes about a half-hour for experienced pianists of Cage's music to prepare the piano.

TV Koln (1958) by John Cage

This is the first recording of "TV Koln." TV Koln is a television station in Germany that commissioned the work. It is about 32 seconds long. Bunger performs it twice.

Cadence IV (1970) by Henri Lazarof

This piece has moments where the performer plucks and plays the piano strings directly.

37 Songs (1971) by Barney Childs

Childs wrote this piece for a 16 year old student to play in a piano contest. Apparently this piece was too weird for either the student or the people that ran the contest so the student ended up playing something by Samuel Barber. Childs describes his piece as "anti-piano music in that it avoids the offensive (to me) genres both of the Official Masterpiece 19-century sounds, a large portion of the piano repertoire, and the current international-style total-piano piece."

Chorale for Quarter-Tone Piano (1903-04 and/or 1923-24?) by Charles Ives

Ives hoped that his quarter-tone piano music would be performed on a two-keyboard quarter-tone instrument. No such instrument existed at the time. Another performer, Lodi Bunger, was brought in to play the second piano. This was performed on one piano tuned at a normal pitch and on another piano tuned a quarter-tone higher. There is not a mention of who performed on which piano.

From the liner notes by Melody Peterson:

Dick found a copy of John Cage's Perilous Night at the back of a drawer in Brodt's music store in 1966. He was never the same again.
His first prepared piano was like a pregnancy. Every twinge counted for something. The pluck of a penny or a slat of bamboo or a wedge of felt between the strings sent him into ecstasies of a new consciousness.
He tried it out on Charlotte, North Carolina in the fall of 1967. Youngsters in the audience wanted to know how to prepare their pianos. Conservative elders were shocked. Perilous, then 23 years of age, still made waves.
Dick first met its composer in Rock Hill, South Carolina in the spring of '68. Cage was there with the Merce Cunningham dance troupe. In the midst of his laconic narrative in How to Pass, Kick, Fall and Run, the composer popped a champagne cork high into the air above the audience and right into Dick's lap. An omen.
Dick gave a command performance of Perilous and Cage offered his autograph on the by-now tattered score:

For Richard Bunger with gratitude for his

bringing this piece again to life. John Cage

In the fall of '68, Dick returned to Oberlin College, the Bach-and-Beethoven land of his undergraduate days. He taught there for a year, helping to radicalize an already astute student population by playing Ives and Cowell oldies, salty theatre pieces and, for the first time, duets with a tape recorder (in Subotnick's Prelude No. 4).

His colleagues composed for him. His repertoire expanded. And Dick moved West. By the end of 1970 he had done a jazz stint at L.A.'s International Hotel and concert premieres of things by Geroge Rochberg, Eliott Schwartz, Randy Coleman, Barney Childs and others. Question-and-answer previews became part of his concert format. His repertoire was all very American, and Dick preferred it that way. Other pianists thoroughly covered the modern European and Asiatic traditions, yet there was much fine new American music needing to be played and heard.

So, from Hawaii to Florida, from London to Berlin to Oslo, Dick lugged his preparation kit, his own specially designed "Bungerack" (a music rack which allows unobstructed access to the innards of the piano) and a suitcase full of tapes, mikes and American manuscripts.

In 1970, Dick offered the premieres of Lazarof's Cadence IV and Ricercar and, in '71, the first U.S. performance of his Textures for piano and orchestra. A Rockefeller grant (also in 1971) enabled Dick to commission additional new piano-and-ensemble works from Jon Appleton and Olly Wilson. Washington D.C.'s National Symphony, Paris' Ensemble Instrumental de Musique Contemporaine and student groups in Cincinnati, Minneapolis and Los Angeles were among the first partners in these adventures.

In 1972, Childs' 37 Songs mystified and enchanted audiences, while ragtime numbers appeared as footstomping encores. In addition to performing and teaching, Dick composed an electronic score for a California State College production of Oedipus Rex and, AT LAST!, completed the writing and illustration of his manual, The Well-Prepared Piano (published by the Colorado College Music Press).
This little book may well be said to mark the end of Dick's first stage and the beginning of his second as a new-music researcher and performer. The Well-Prepared Piano is a tribute to the past - to Cage and a once-scandalous musical technique now accepted with pleasure by most listeners. It is also a guide to the future - a sharing of knowledge directed toward the inquisitive student and gleaned from a tough lot of practical experiences.

This recording, similarly, is marked by the instant past and fleeting present of our future-shock world.
While you are listening to it, Dick may be in his Los Angeles studio playing through one of the dozens of new works he receives each year. He may be on a plane figuring out the logistics for a multi-media piece or examining the score of a work for electronic synthesizer.
Or, he may be standing in an auditorium in Toronto or Tampa answering questions like, "Why don't you play Chopin?" And he will answer that he loves to play Chopin and Brahms and Bach, but that his most important task now is to give us the opportunity to make contact with the music of our time.
Thank you Mrs. Brodt, wherever you are.

Tracklisting:

Side 1

1. The Perilous Night [composed by John Cage] {10:06}

2. Prelude No. 4 [composed by Morton Subotnick] {6:55}

3. TV Koln [composed by John Cage] {1:37}

Side 2

1. Cadence IV [composed by Henri Lazarof] {8:11}

2. 37 Songs [composed by Barney Childs] {4:38}

3. Chorale [composed by Charles Ives] {3:37}
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