Bird Songs in Your Garden

Arthur A. Allen and Peter Paul Kellogg - Bird Songs in Your Garden

book and accompanying 10" record released in 1961

Produced by Peter Paul Kellogg and Arthur A. Allen from recordings made for the Cornell Library of Natural Sounds.

List of species included in book and record:

Wood Pewee, Cardinal, Robin, Rose-breasted Grosbeak, Catbird, Scarlet Tanager, Song Sparrow, Chipping Sparrow, Red-eyed Vireo, Wood Thrush, Veery, Cedar Waxwing, Brown-headed Cowbird, Blue Jay, Rufous-sided Towhee, Baltimore Oriole, Orchard Oriole, Purple Finch, Yellow-shafted Flicker, White-breasted Nuthatch, Kingbird, Phoebe, Yellow-billed Cuckoo, Black-billed Cuckoo, Screech Owl

Tracklisting:

Side 1

1.  Bird Songs in Your Garden side 1  {12:48}

commentary by Arthur A. Allen

Side 2

1.  Bird Songs in Your Garden side 2  {13:11}

The songs of 25 birds unannounced but identified on side 1

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Meditations sur le mystere de la Sainte Trinite

Olivier Messiaen - Meditations sur le mystere de la Sainte Trinite

released on a 2-LP set in 1973 by Musical Heritage Society (same as 1972 release on Erato)

performed by Olivier Messiaen himself

Organ used on this recording is that of the Church of Sainte Trinite, Paris.

Composed in 1969, the mystical Meditations sur le mystere de la Sainte Trinite (Meditations on the Mystery of the Holy Trinity) is made up of 9 pieces or meditations that reflect on an attribute of the Trinity. The Meditations contain bird songs, plainsong, quotations from Thomas Aqunias's Summa Thelogica, deci-talas (Hindu rhythms). The liner notes include Messiaen's own musical and theological analysis on the music that helps in understanding the music. Also in the liner notes, Messiaen explains his attempt at creating a musical language called communicable language that is incorporated in the music.
Messiaen's version is the only one that I have listened to in its entirety. I'm not sure if it is the essential version although since it's performed by the man himself, it probably should be. The performance and the recording itself is great. I am welcome, of course, to any other suggestions.

Tracklisting:

Side 1

1.  Meditation No. 1  {8:15}

2.  Meditation No. 2  {11:37}

Side 2

1.  Meditation No. 3  {2:19}

2.  Meditation No. 4  {6:30}

3.  Meditation No. 5  {11:18}

Side 3

1.  Meditation No. 6  {8:30}

2.  Meditation No. 7  {6:27}

Side 4

1.  Meditation No. 8  {10:39}

2.  Meditation No. 9  {9:38}

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Hall Overton / Lester Trimble - Split Release (CRI 1972)

Notes (reprinted in spite of the fact that I find them really rather annoying) excerpted from the back cover (included).

Pulsations is the last in Overton's considerable catalogue and is probably the work that most perfectly fuses his own equal and opposite musical loves, concert music and jazz. In his words, it "explores various aspects of rhythm. Instead of avoiding the pulse, my intention was to write music based largely on a strong, steady beat." This is not, however, the primitive pulse of the typical jazz band but ranges from "straight-ahead propulsion, lag beat, silent beat, free time and doubling"". The moderately knowing listener will recognize characteristic jazz figures, along with others that are subtler, more deeply imbedded in the musical texture,  and also more personal to Overton.
In addition to its specific jazz references, Pulsations sometimes achieves a strange and dreamlike atmosphere that seems to represent the unworldly aspects of the jazz scene.
The work is dedicated to Thelonious Monk, the eminent jazz pianist,who is one of the many jazz people Overton worked closely with. It was commissioned by The Ensemble of New York.

The Ensemble; Dennis Russell Davies,conductor

In Praise Of Diplomacy And Common Sense  has been described as "a sonic happening", "an hallucinatory montage", "an ironic sequence." It has been compared to sections of James Joyce's Ulysses and Finnegan's Wake.
To evoke such observations it would seem to be a new and unusual kind of theatre- one might call it "spatial sonic theatre"- which seeks through techniques of musical and verbal overlapping and interpenetration, to evoke the realities of a dramatic event and simultaneously, to make a philosophical comment upon them.
The composer writes:
"The libretto is a montage of news items culled mostly over an eight-day period from the New York Times, the Washington Post, Time magazine, and Life magazine. It presents the simultaneous spectacles of a bloddy uprising in the Congo, the release of the Warren Report on the assassination of John F Kennedy, violent anti-American demonstrations in Egypt, a threatening contretemps between the USA and the Soviet Union in the United Nations, and other examples of human cruelty and intransigence displaying an apparent absence of true diplomacy or common sense from the national and international arena."

The Ensemble; Dennis Russell Davies,conductor; Richard Frisch,baritone

























Hall Overton- Pulsations (17:42)

Lester Trimble- In Praise Of Diplomacy And Common Sense (14:51)


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Sun Ra Arkestra- Media Dreams (Saturn Records,1978)

Sun Ra Arkestra- Media Dreams


Here's the last of my Saturn Records, which I am posting to celebrate the 90th birthday today of Marshall Allen, alto saxophonist and electronic wind instrument player, current leader of the Sun Ra Arkestra- still going strong!

On a personal note:
I had the opportunity to play with Marshall Allen on the 15th in celebration of the 100th anniversary of Sun Ra's birth. Also in attendance was Danny Ray Thompson, playing flute on this occasion, and I had a very fine time, one high point being at the rehearsal where Marshall took the mic and a few of us had a sing-along, Arkestra-style, to the tune of Fate In A Pleasant Mood, which Marshall also seemed to enjoy very much.
 
Marshall has a penchant for saying things like- "You've gotta do what you can while you can with what you've got", and "You've got to take hold of this one life"; things you hear often enough nowadays.
But when you consider that, the day after playing this gig with the Ratchet Orchestra, Marshall and Danny were off to Italy, and from there all around Europe,to Turkey, Japan, Croatia, and all with only a day's rest here and there (see Sunraarkestra.com for the tour dates) you know this man LIVES by these words.I have little doubt that it is precisely this attitude which is at least partially responsible for his amazing energy and longevity.

I can only say "keep saying what you've got to say while you can say it" , and
"Happy Birthday, Marshall Allen!"

About the record:
This is a weird one,
MysterRa plays a keyboard with an "auto-arpeggio" feature (a2) and gets downright goofy with it, getting it to arpeggiate clusters and the like.
There is also some very celestial synthesizer work (a1,a3) and piano (b2) and a couple of fine solos from John Gilmore on Tenor (a2,b2) and Michael Ray on funky Trumpet (a2).
Altogether a very fine and varied record, from Bop and Ballad to the outer limits, and with good sound quality and presence.

Sun Ra Arkestra- Media Dreams

a1- Saturn Research (3:10)

a2- Constellation (13:52)

a3- Yera Of The Sun (4:39)

b1- Media Dreams (13:54)

b2- Twigs At Twilight (7:30)

b3- An Unknowneth Love (4:43)
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Sun Ra And His Omniverse Jet-Set Arkestra-Journey Stars Beyond (Saturn 1981)

Today is Sun Ra's 100th birthday.

Here is another of the Saturn Records which Ra and the Arkestra released independently.
These records are very often entirely unique, with the hand-made artwork sometimes being silk-screened stickers, sometimes magic-marker scribbles, and sometimes both or neither.
This one, as you can see, has magic-marker scribbles on the front cover and on one side of the l.p. center label, which I have presumed is side one.
Both center labels bear the suffix "b" after the serial number, which is almost certainly* the recording date: 72881- July 28th, 1981.
 
On the one occasion when I met Sun Ra, I brought this and my other two Saturn Records (and a postcard of Saturn) and asked him to sign them.
He said "These record covers are meant to be looked at under different colored lights" just as I was pulling out a bunch of different colored large-tipped felt markers, so I said "choose your colors, then".
Thus the very pale blue signature on the back: Le Sun Ra.
(These, along with a signed copy of The Residents' "Mark Of The Mole" are among my most treasured records- not for sale at any price).

Anyway- I have not split the tracks on this record, which alternate between solo synthesizer improvisations and duos with trombone or trumpet, and (on side two) an extended solo with a brief Arkestra explosion as well as an hilarious moment of commentary on Ra's excursions by (I think) John Gilmore and the rest of the band.

From what I can glean from info about the cd release of (among other concurrent work) side two of this l.p. by the Art Yard label, the personnel
(not all of whom are heard on this l.p) is:

Sun Ra And His Omniverse Jet-Set Arkestra:

Sun Ra { synth, organ, vocals }
John Gilmore { tenor sax, percussion, vocals }
Marshall Allen { alto sax, percussion }
Michael Ray { trumpet, vocals }
Danny Thompson { baritone sax, flute, percussion }
Noel Scott { alto sax, vocals }
June Tyson { vocals }
Tyrone Hill { trombone, vocals }
Eloe Omoe { bass clarinet }
Craig Harris  { drums }
Tommy “Bugs” Hunter { drums }
Al Evans { flugelhorn }
Jaribu Shahid { bass }
Samarai Celestial  { drums }
Vincent Chancey { french horn }
Francisco “Ali” Mora { drums, percussion }
Tani Tabbal { drums, percussion }
Bright Moments { congas }
The Bell Brothers { bells }
John Ore { bass }
James Jacson { vocals,  Ancient Egyptian
Infinity Lightning Drum }

Recorded at the Detroit Jazz Center**

(*note: It may be the production or release date and not the recording date-info on this and similar matters is often sketchy or downright contradictory.)

(**The date problem makes this uncertain.)

Put on your Outer-Space
flac
jacket!

Repost News

I re-upped a lot of stuff recently including most of the requests. They're all listed on the "Updates about Old Posts" page. I'll take care of the remaining requests soon. Also, new posts are forthcoming.

The Moog Strikes Bach

Hans Wurman - The Moog Strikes Bach...To Say Nothing of Chopin, Mozart, Rachmaninoff, Paganini and Prokofieff

LP released in 1969

This is one of those "switched-on" (classical music performed using Moogs or other synthesizer) LPs that were released on the coattails of the popularity of Walter (Wendy) Carlos's Switched-On Bach record. I often find these hit-or-miss. The LP featured in this post is one that I enjoy more than most of the others.
I'm sure this has made the rounds on various blogs in the past (as can be said for almost everything nowadays). I found this copy a couple of months ago. I thought perhaps this could brought back in circulation.

We are witnessing the birth of a new instrument - awesome to contemplate. The Piano, with all the inspiration it provided for composers in the 100 years after its invention, is so limited compared to the Synthesizer that one cannot even hazard a guess as to what effect the latter will have on the course of composition and performance in years to come. (Hans Wurman)

Hans Wurman is a classically trained musician, a pianist basically, but also an organist, cellist and conductor. His musical interests range wide, and perhaps the best demonstration of the fact is that, at this writing, he is both director of musical activities for one of the large Chicago religious organizations and music director of the Chicago company of the hit revue "Jacques Brel is Alive and Well and Living in Paris." He has the classical musician's discipline coupled with the popular musician's imagination and flexibility.
...
The music chosen for this disc consists mainly of transcriptions, but it also includes a composition written specifically for the occasion.
Chopin's "Black Key" Etude (the right-hand part is played entirely on the black keys of the piano in the original) retains all its fleet-fingered charm as the Moog adds a light countermelody to the rapid melodic line. The Wurman Mooged version of Mozart's Turkish March (originally the final movement of the Sonata in A, K. 331, for piano) brings us the added dimension of bell and percussion effects (created synthetically), such as Mozart and Beethoven used in some of the "Turkish" music they wrote. The Rachmaninoff Vocalise was originally a wordless vocal piece, later transcribed by the composer for strings and since by many others for many combinations of instruments. Note how the Moog can alter the tone character of the melodic line as it moves along. Next comes the Prokofieff Prelude, Op. 12, No. 7, a piece originally written for piano or harp; those glissandos in the middle section of this charming, all-too-seldom-heard piece have never before had quite the treatment that Wurman brings to them!
Hans Wurman speaks of his Variations on the Paganini theme as having been specifically composed for Moog and four-track recorder. In writing them he joins such illustrious company as Liszt, Brahms, Schumann, Rachmaninoff and the contemporaries Blacher and Lutoslawski, all of whom have composed variations on the same theme, itself originally written as the basis for a set of variations in the last of Paganini's 24 unaccompanied violin caprices.
The towering Bach Toccata and Fugue in D Minor, no doubt the best-known of the composer's organ pieces, here receives a performance which particularly displays both the performer's and the instrument's improvisatory capabilities in its concluding pages. The final selection is Mozart's delightful serenade, Eine kleine Nachtmusik, heard in adventurous new sounds that give transparency to the four voices, originally written as string parts.
It's marvelous music, imaginatively realized and beautifully played. And it's great fun, too.  (Norman Pellegrini from the liner notes)

Tracklisting:

Side 1

1.  ''Black Key'' Etude, Op. 10, No. 5  {1:33}
Chopin

2.  Turkish March  {3:22}
Mozart

3.  Vocalise, Op. 34, No. 14  {6:17}
Rachmaninoff

4.  Prelude, Op. 12, No. 7  {1:54}
Prokofieff

5.  Thirteen Variations on a Theme of Paganini  {10:04}
Wurman

Side 2

1.  Toccata and Fugue in D Minor  {7:15}
Bach

2.  Eine kleine Nachtmusik: I. Allegro  {5:23}
Mozart

3.  Eine kleine Nachtmusik: II. Romanze: Andante  {5:36}
Mozart

4.  Eine kleine Nachtmusik: III. Menuetto: Allegretto  {2:27}
Mozart

5.  Eine kleine Nachtmusik: IV. Rondo: Allegro  {2:48}
Mozart

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Arpa Paraguaya

Jorge Gurascier - Arpa Paraguaya

LP released in 1971

Unfortunately, there is not any useful information to be found about Jorge Gurascier or this particular LP. No liner notes have been provided by the label. All I can say is that if you enjoyed the Paraguayan Harp, Vol. 2 post from last year, you'll enjoy this one.

Tracklisting:

Side A

1.  Pajaro Campana  {4:23}

2.  Canto del Reservista  {3:41}

3.  Rodriquez Pena  {2:03}

4.  Misionera  {3:11}

5.  Que Sera de Ti  {3:30}

6.  Asuncion  {3:10}

Side B

1.  Tren Lechero  {3:06}

2.  Sueno Otonal  {3:47}

3.  Cascada  {3:55}

4.  India  {3:48}

5.  Virgencita de Caacupe  {2:23}

6.  Mis Noches Sin Ti  {3:36}

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Frog Talk

NorthSound - Frog Talk

CD released in 1990

I figured it was time for an actual new post. As usual, my time lately has been occupied by real life. But, hopefully, I can find time to post a little more often as well as re-up more material. I do promise that there will be another new post within the next few days. BTW, check the "Updates about Old Posts" page. I re-upped several posts earlier today.

It's been a long while and long overdue since frogs have last made an appearance. It's as a good time as any since winter is almost over (here in the northern half of the planet).

Since the beginning of time, a nightly chorus of frogs has heralded warm-weathered evenings in the wilderness. The chirps, peeps, and deep-bellied croaks create an auditory enchantment with the power to soothe. The orchestration of a gathering of frogs is not only a delight to the ear, but an indication of the natural evolution of the day. As Thoreau commented: "They would begin to sing almost with as much precision as a clock ... every evening."

Immerse yourself in a serene northwoods chorus of wood frogs, leopard frogs, and spring peepers! These are the same sounds that lulled you to sleep on camping, canoeing, or hiking forays into the wild. These are sounds that have been with humankind since the beginning of time. If you long for tranquility, let the ancient sounds of a spring evening soothe your soul.  (from the liner notes)

Tracklisting:

1.  [track 1]  {29:18}

2.  [track 2]  {29:12}

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CAPAC Musical Portraits #3

Here is another installment in the CAPAC Musical Portrait series posts.

This one features the Larry Lake record missing from the post of January 14,2013 (featuring the work of the other members of the Canadian Electronic Music Ensemble).At the time of that post, I was missing the record from the sleeve and I promised to post it if I ever found it.

Well,it's been a stretch but, (ahem)-
PRESTO! here it is- compliments (once again) of my father, who is much better these days at finding records than I am.

He is also responsible for finding the other two records in this post; part of a collection of some 60 or so Musical Portraits which he managed to find. These were among the duplicates,many of which he sent to me.

Thanks, Daddy-O!

I focused my attention here on records containing electronic music although acoustic instruments are also in evidence, both in the Bruce W Pennycook and in the Rudolf Komorous.

Larry Lake- Musical Portrait QC-1287
 
a1-Sonata (excerpt)
 
a2-Face (excerpt)

b1-Le Bord Du Son (excerpt)

b2- Cavatina (excerpt)


Bruce W Pennycook- Musical Portrait  (Series 3) QCS-1497

a1-gr,RR (excerpt)

b1-August Suite No 3; Intermezzo

b2- Three Complaints for Flute* and Countertenor
3- The Trouble With Geraniums

b3- Three Miniatures for Harp Flute and Clarinet
2- In Strict Tempo

b4- The Yonge Street Variations No 1 and 2

*(Note-The trouble with "The Trouble With Geraniums" is that the Flute is much too Guitar).-Dr E


Rudolf  Komorous- Musical Portrait QCS-1192

a1-York/1967/ (excerpt)

a2-part of a canon from Anatomy Of Melancholy/1974

b1-Rossi/1974-75/ (excerpt)

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FYI

FYI-in case you were wondering:
I know I haven't posted much lately-(an understatement if ever I heard one!), and it seems like all of my Rapidshare links of the past two years are now dead.
I'll post this (above) on a site which has proven relatively trustworthy so far (though not without its own inevitable drawbacks) but I'm not sure if they will be more or less dependable in the future...
That said, I plan to begin posting again with a little more frequency, but I also wonder how many of you may want re-uploads of past posts instead.Not many requests have come in, (and I haven't even filled any of those yet).
With the wretched state of the filehosting sites and the depressing uncertainty I feel toward them as a result, I wonder whether it's worth trusting any of them enough to make the effort.

Nonetheless, above is a post which I hope you will enjoy, whoever and wherever you are, and I hope you continue to have a Happy Holiday.

Best wishes from myself AND on behalf of our indefatigable host,
grey calx.

It Was Twenty Years Ago Today

(Well, maybe not EXACTLY today, but close enough)
...that Uncle Willie closed up shop at UWEB; the  Residents fan club.

While I regret not having taken advantage of all of the "members only" Residents cd's offered there, I can still look back with some satisfaction for having taken advantage of the pool of like-minded musical minds to be found among the members there.

Ca. early 1992 I sent the following letter to Uncle Willie:

The result was a musical project which had 10 musicians (plus one who could substitute for any participant unable to maintain the strict schedule), each initiating a four-track cassette which would be sent around its own particular route, reaching all the participants twice, each person adding his or her part anywhere on the cassette (a total of 4:30 - 9:00 each time,(depending on the speed of the recorder). Each person thus had equal time and equal opportunity to choose whether to work alone (building up all 4 tracks alone), or adding their own part(s) to any existing part(s) played by anyone else,wherever and whenever an empty track allowed.

I received a number of letters (remember letters?) from respondents who wrote too late to join the project, one of which contained a very interesting cassette.(Many of the respondents sent me cassettes of their music). I thought it a shame that he could not participate in the "Buddy Project", and so I asked him if he would like to collaborate with me and one other Buddy whose music I found similar enough to inspire the idea of doing a side project of Christmas music.

This project took the name of BooDooRoo X-Mas.

It had 3 cassettes making the rounds of we three until they were full.
Boo recorded at regular or double speed
Doo recorded at double speed
Roo recorded at regular speed.

this created the unusual situation where only one of the participants (Boo) could actually hear the music made by the other two at the proper speed, while Roo heard Doo's music at half-speed
and Doo heard Roo's music at double speed.

It also created a situation where the mixdowns made by each of us sounded distinctly different, not only because of the preferential musical choices of each of us, but because of this speed discrepancy.

This is a selection chosen from the mixdowns made by Roo (about one half of the total music), in which Doo is heard usually as the slow,low sounds in the mix, Roo at regular speed, and Boo at either, depending on whose part he considered the primary focus when he added his part.

Boo is: Boojer Golder, later Foe Foe Foe Foe Foe. (Canada)
Doo is: Dr. Eyescope (Canada)
Roo is: Kim Kangaroo (Belgium)

Hope you enjoy it.
Merry Christmas Too All, and to All a Good Night.

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P.S. Be forewarned that the music here is distinctly LOW-FI.

Chamber Concerto/Ringing Changes

Charles Wuorinen - Chamber Concerto/Ringing Changes

released on LP in 1971

I'm glad that I am able to have a new post in what has been a few months.

Chamber Concerto

composed in 1963 for cello and 10 players

Fred Sherry - cello

The Group for Contemporary Music:

Harvey Sollberger - flute
Josef Marx - oboe and English horn
Jack Kreiselman - clarinet and bass clarinet
Donald MacCourt - bassoon
Jeanne Benjamin - violin
John Graham - viola
Alvin Brehm - double-bass
Robert Miller - piano
Raymond DesRoches, Richard Fitz, Claire Heldrich - percussion

Charles Wuorinen - conductor

The Cello Concerto was composed over the first six months of 1963 for the Group for Contemporary Music, which Harvey Sollberger and I had founded the previous spring. It was premiered in January of 1964 by the Group at Columbia University, with Robert Martin as soloist and Arthur Bloom conducting.
The external design of the work divides it into five connected movements, each of which casts the soloist in a different light. In the first, his role is conventionally bravura, and this is what separates him from his accompaniment. In the second (barring short interludes in which he does not participate), he plays the lead voice in a four-part canon; the other three voices are divided between the two groups of accompanying instruments, so that each group has only six pitch-classes in its vocabulary. The cello here is unique in its ability to utter all twelve. In the third movement, the soloist asserts himself by initiating events, which are then reflected elsewhere in the ensemble ... The fourth movement sees the cello as leader of a concertante group drawn from the larger ensemble, which varies in instrumentation at each appearance. Behind the relatively fast music of the soloist and his immediate friends is a slow-moving background ... The final movement offers a summary of all these solo-ensemble relations, for along with other transformations, it is a retrograde of the entire work, first at four times the original speed, then twice, then undiminished, and finally, for the very last notes, augmented.
The cello is accompanied by a divided ensemble, and occasionally you can hear the music localized in one group or the other; there is, however, no overt or consistent antiphony between the two. To the right as we face the cello are flute, oboe, clarinet, bassoon, violin, and viola; to the left are piano, contrabass, and percussion (in this recording divided among three players, rather than the two called for in the score). (Charles Wuorinen)

Ringing Changes

composed in 1969-1970 for percussion ensemble

The New Jersey Percussion Ensemble:

Raymond Des Roches - director

Joseph Passaro - vibraphone and timpani
Marty Martini, Louis Oddo - vibraphone
Dean Poulsen, Eugene McBride - piano
Ken Hosley, Donald Mari - drums
Matthew Patuto - brakedrums
Doreen Holmes - almglocken
Michael Moscariello - cymbals
Vincent Potuto, Jr. - tamtams
James Pugliese - string drum and chimes

Charles Wuorinen - conductor

Ringing Changes was composed in 1969 and '70 for the excellent ensemble of student percussionists founded and directed by Raymond DesRoches, the group that performs it here. The work is in a single long movement, and is - somewhat like the Concerto - based on a continuous polyphonic skeleton which lies beneath the sonic surface of the work, and which generates the moment-to-moment continuity. Here the music is divided between pitched and non-pitched voices, and a basic four-voice polyphony is disposed with two voices given to pitched instruments - mainly piano four-hands and vibraphones - and two ("noise" or relative-pitch) given with various alternations and duplications to sets of 12 metal instruments, 12 drums, 6 cymbals, and 4 tamtams. An occasional inflectional role is performed by a string drum, and at the end chimes and timpani appear.  (Charles Wuorinen)

Tracklisting:

Side One

1. Chamber Concerto  {18:05}

Side Two

1. Ringing Changes  {16:50}

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The Music of Cheops

Steve Douglas - The Music of Cheops

released on LP in 1976

I found another LP where the music was too recorded in the Great Pyramid. I thought the Paul Horn - Inside the Great Pyramid was the only album of its kind. Now I wonder if there were more albums recorded in the Great Pyramid and if so, how many.

Throughout most of his career, Steve Douglas (1938-1993) has been a session musician playing sax on recordings of some of the biggest names and notables in pop and rock music including The Beach Boys, Elvis Presley, Aretha Franklin, Duane Eddy, The Righteous Brothers, The Ramones, etc. Douglas was a part of hit maker Phil Spector's "Wrecking Crew", a group of session musicians Spector used for his sessions. Douglas was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2003 in the Sideman category.

Douglas also plays the flute which he does on this album in addition to the sax. The Music of Cheops was recorded on February 10, 14, and 15, 1976, all during at night. Douglas composed and played all the music in the King's Chamber, a room that is 34 feet long, 17 feet wide, and 19 feet high. From listening to the record, the room sounds like an awe-inspiring acoustic space where the echoes give the music an otherworldly sound, a sound that probably could only be achieved in such as space as the King's Chamber.
His Rock & Roll Hall of Fame bio actually mentions this album. According to the notes in his bio, Douglas wanted to keep a low profile because of health problems in the early 1970s. Apparently, he didn't record many sessions during that time. He recorded his own music. Curiously, his bio does not mention what other albums he released. The Music of Cheops sounds like something that Douglas made just for himself, the kind of music he wanted to play. It seems like he wanted to get away or needed to get away from the intense environment of the music industry. It's meditative serene music similar to Paul Horn's, but Douglas is more free flowing. His music goes in different directions and he does more to take advantage of the space by exploring and producing more sounds from his instruments. He also was there before Horn by a few months.

Tracklisting:

The Pyramid [side 1]

1.  Pharoah's Piper  {4:34}

2.  Impressions from the IVth Dynasty: A. Pyramid Power  {1:44}

3.  Impressions from the IVth Dynasty: B. Nubian Lament  {1:32}

4.  Impressions from the IVth Dynasty: C. Flight of Horus  {0:57}

5.  Impressions from the IVth Dynasty: D. Reflections Along the Nile  {4:00}

6.  Impressions from the IVth Dynasty: E. Procession  {2:18}

The Sphinx [side 2]

1.  Time Capsule - 1976 A.D. - 2860 B.C.  {1:54}

2.  Meditations at Luxor  {5:47}

3.  Journey from Atlantis  {8:09}

4.  Ascent  {0:54}

Disclaimer: I was unable to erase a lot of crackle and surface noise on side 1. I am seeking a better copy. If I ever find one or able to get a hold of one, I'll re-rip side 1. At least, you'll know what the music is like. I think my rips of side 2 sound fine.
Update: In the comments section, there is a link to my files that have been cleaned of most of the noise on side 1.

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African Tribal Dances

various artists compilation - African Tribal Dances

released on LP

From the liner notes:

"The greatest free show on earth!" These words were used by an overseas visitor to Africa to describe the African Tribal Dances heard on this hi-fi recording made on the Witwatersrand. Every Sunday morning various mines take the turn in presenting to the public, visitors in particular, a cross section of the dancing of the tribes employed on the mines. These people come from many parts of Africa and use the dances as a form of exercise and a means of retaining their identity. The excitement is intense and it can certainly be described as the greatest free show on earth!

Technical notes:

These recordings were made with the camera in mind; the movement of sound in the recording follows the most likely camera requirements. To achieve this effect 6 Neumann microphones were suspended over the dance arena resulting in the best possible pick-up of the action taking place. This is a complete transistorised recording, a special 6 channel mixer being used in conjunction with a Nagra transistorised recording. The recordings were made by Alan D. Boyle and the recording lasting approximately 36 minutes was edited from 3 hours of tape to bring you the best sounds of each group participating.

Tracklisting:

Side 1

1.  Mzingili - untitled  {4:02}

2.  Nguni - untitled  {2:36}

3.  Bapedi - untitled  {1:59}

4.  Bakwenas (Bechuanas) - untitled  {1:59}

5.  Whistling Bechuanas (Balete) - untitled  {3:01}

6.  Hlubi - untitled  {3:09}

7.  Batswa (Shangaan from Nyambane) - untitled  {3:03}

Side 2

1.  Mchopi - untitled  {3:04}

2.  Amakway (Shangaan Choir) - untitled  {1:49}

3.  Amakwenkwe (Xhosa) - untitled  {2:04}

4.  Pondo - untitled  {2:27}

5.  Baca (Gumboot Dancers) - untitled  {3:11}

6.  Bacas Umzimkulu - untitled  {2:51}

7.  Barotse - untitled  {2:31}

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Steel Rails Under Thundering Skys

Brad Miller - Steel Rails Under Thundering Skys

released on cassette in 1972

Recordings of steam engine trains with thunderstorms in the background (or were the storms mixed in?). Brad Miller first started out recording trains. Those recordings were on several albums including this one. He later founded The Mystic Moods Orchestra and Mobile Fidelity Sound Labs, both of which he is most remembered for.

There are supposed to be separate tracks, but they were mixed together. Separating them would have been disruptive so I made the decision to rip each side as one track. It sounds coherent which I'm sure was the intention. The trains recorded are mentioned below in the tracklisting.

Tracklisting:

Side 1

1.  Steel Rails Under Thundering Skys side 1  {20:08}
No. 1702 2-8-0 Reader Railroad, Reader, Arkansas ; No. 11 2-6-2 Reader Railroad, Reader, Arkansas ; No. 8444 4-8-4 Union Pacific Railroad, Denver, Colorado ; No. 34 2-8-2 Sierra Railroad, Jamestown, California

Side 2

1.  Steel Rails Under Thundering Skys side 2  {21:01}
No. 759 2-8-4 Steamtown Foundation, Bellows Falls, Vermont (ex-Nickle Plate) ; No. 28 2-8-0 Sierra Railroad, Jamestown, California ; No. 2102 4-8-4 Steam Tours inc. (ex-Reading Railroad), Roncevert, West Virginia ; No. 1246 4-6-2 Steamtown Foundation, Bellows Falls, Vermont (ex-Canadian Pacific) ; No. 1278 4-6-2 Steamtown Foundation, Bellows Falls, Vermont (ex-Canadian Pacific) ; No. 4449 4-8-4 Amerian Freedom Train Foundation (ex-Southern Pacific GS4) ; No. 36 2-8-2 White Mountain Scenic Railway, McNary, Arizona (ex-Sierra Railroad)

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Music Box Opera

[music boxes] - Music Box Opera

released on cassette in 1989

I found this tape with Mechanical Opera on one of my shopping trips, therefore making this a companion to the prior post. This will be the last "music box" post here for some time.

From the liner notes:

A native of northeastern Italy, Rita Ford came to the United States when she was six. She spent her childhood and young womanhood on Fisher's Island, New York and in Hartford, Connecticut. She was graduated as a registered nurse when she was 19 and worked in that capacity, as well as that of social worker, for a number of years in Hartford. When she moved to New York upon her marriage in the 1930s, she started to visit antique galleries and shops and to collect in a small way. It was when her husband became incapacitated that she turned to the antique field professionally. Occasionally, when purchasing a group of antique items, a music box would come her way. She gradually developed such an interest in them that about 30 years ago she decided to specialize exclusively in the purchase, sale, and repair of music boxes, and now owns the only such all-music box shop in the country (in New York City).

Tracklisting:

Side 1

1.  Semiramide: Overture  {4:02}
composed by Gioacchino Rossini

2.  Mystery Piece: Belosi Celeh  {3:46}
composed by Gioacchino Rossini

3.  The Barber of Seville: Overture  {3:45}
composed by Gioacchino Rossini

4.  The Barber of Seville: Una Voce Poco Fa  {3:45}
composed by Gioacchino Rossini

5.  La traviata: Libiamo  {4:15}
composed by Giuseppe Verdi

6.  Carmen [excerpt]  {4:20}
composed by Georges Bizet

7.  Faust [excerpt]  {4:17}
composed by Charles Gounod

Side 2

1.  Cavalleria rusticana [excerpt]  {4:16}
composed by Pietro Mascagni

2.  Der Freischutz [excerpt]  {5:44}
composed by Carl Maria von Weber

3.  Don Giovanni [excerpt]  {5:35}
composed by Wolfgang A. Mozart

4.  Die lustige Witwe [excerpt]  {2:24}
composed by Franz Lehar

5.  Die Walkure [excerpt]  {2:36}
composed by Richard Wagner

6.  Rigoletto [excerpt]  {2:40}
composed by Giuseppe Verdi

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Mechanical Opera

[music boxes] - Meachanical Opera

released on cassette in 1987

Music boxes were a phenomenon of the 19th century and were developed during a period of immense change. The industrial revolution brought riches to a few and comparative wealth to many of the new middle class. Home entertainment became a new industry; the intricate music box was symbolic of this new age of machinery. The tastes of the day are reflected in the tunes which are included on the music box discs and cylinders: in addition to many popular songs, hymns, and an abundance of dance tunes, one finds a wealth of opera arias. Most of these opera favorites are popular to this day and will be familiar to opera lovers.
The instruments featured on this recording are from two collections: The Roy Mickleburgh Collection of Bristol and the collection of Tony Sherriff of Truro, Cornwall. All the boxes have undergone careful restoration; the voices of our "prima donnas" are much as they were a hundred or more years ago. We hope that these charming tones will delight, entertain, and possibly amuse opera and music-box lovers everywhere.  (from the liner notes)

Tracklisting:

Side 1

1.  24 1/2" Disc Polyphon (Penny-in-the-Slot) - Czar and Carpenter: Once I played with a scepter  {2:00}
composed by Albert Lortzing

2.  Paillard Vaucher Fils Cylinder Music Box - The Marriage of Figaro: Non piu andrai  {1:06}
composed by Wolfgang A. Mozart

3.  Le Croix "Mandoline" Cylinder Music Box - La dame blanche: Viens gentille dame  {0:57}
composed by Adrien Boieldieu

4.  22" Disc Polyphon with Glockenspiel Attachment (Penny-in-the Slot) - Mignon: Do You Know the Land?  {1:57}
composed by Ambroise Thomas

5.  Sublime Harmony Piccolo Cylinder Music Box - Lohengrin: Wedding March  {0:52}
composed by Richard Wagner

6.  Paillard Vaucher Fils Cylinder Music Box - Tannhauser: Grand March  {1:09}
composed by Richard Wagner

7.  Le Croix "Mandoline" Cylinder Music Box - Les cloches de Corneville: Chorus  {0:52}
composed by Robert Planquette

8.  Paillard Vaucher Fils Cylinder Music Box - A Midsummer Night's Dream: Wedding March  {1:09}
composed by Felix Mendelssohn

9.  Nicole Freres Cylinder Music Box - La fille du regiment: Ah! Mes amis, quei jour de fete  {1:41}
composed by Gaetano Donizetti

10. Nicole Freres Cylinder Music Box - Linda di Chamounix: Mia vendetta  {0:40}
composed by Gaetano Donizetti

11. 12 Air, 2 Comb Cylinder Music Box and 27" Disc Regina - Lucia di Lammermoor: Sextet  {2:00}
composed by Gaetano Donizetti

12. Paillard Vaucher Fils Cylinder Music Box - William Tell Ballet: "Tyrolienne"  {1:06}
composed by Gioacchino Rossini

13. Le Croix "Mandoline" Cylinder Music Box - William Tell: Ah Matthilde  {0:53}
composed by Gioacchino Rossini

14. Paillard Vaucher Fils Cylinder Music Box - The Barber of Seville: Una Voce Poco Fa  {1:06}
composed by Gioacchino Rossini

15. Le Croix "Mandoline" Cylinder Music Box - The Barber of Seville: La Calunnia  {0:55}
composed by Gioacchino Rossini

16. Nicole Freres 10 Air Cylinder Music Box (1841) - I puritani: Quartet: A te O cara amor talora  {0:50}
composed by Vincenzo Bellini

17. Nicole Freres Cylinder Music Box - I puritani: Se tra il buio  {0:53}
composed by Vincenzo Bellini

18. Paillard Vaucher Fils Cylinder Music Box - La sonnambula: Ah perche non posso odiarti?  {1:07}
composed by Vincenzo Bellini

19. 27" Disc Regina Music Box - Norma: Mira, O Norma  {2:01}
composed by Vincenzo Bellini

20. Le Croix "Mandoline" Cylinder Music Box - Norma: Mira, O Norma  {0:53}
composed by Vincenzo Bellini

Side 2

1. 24 1/2" Disc Polyphon (Penny-in-the-Slot) - Il trovatore: Cabaletta: Di Tale Amor  {2:03}
composed by Giuseppe Verdi

2. Le Croix "Mandoline" Cylinder Music Box - Il trovatore: Chorus: Convent Scene  {0:52}
composed by Giuseppe Verdi

3. Paillard Vaucher Fils Cylinder Music Box - Ernani: Ernani Involami  {1:14}
composed by Giuseppe Verdi

4. 27" Disc Regina Music Box - La traviata: Gypsy Chorus  {1:58}
composed by Giuseppe Verdi

5. Le Croix "Mandoline" Cylinder Music Box - La traviata: Gypsy Chorus  {1:01}
composed by Giuseppe Verdi

6. Le Croix "Mandoline" Cylinder Music Box - Rigoletto: La donna e mobile  {0:54}
composed by Giuseppe Verdi

7. Ducommum Girod Cylinder Music Box - Nabucco: Overture  {0:42}
composed by Giuseppe Verdi

8. Paillard Vaucher Fils Cylinder Music Box - Il trovatore: Miserere  {1:08}
composed by Giuseppe Verdi

9. Excelsior Piccolo 12 Air Cylinder Music Box - The Mikado: The Flowers That Bloom in the Spring  {0:44}
composed by Gilbert & Sullivan

10. Nicole Freres 19 1/2" Fortepiano Interchangeable Cylinder Box - The Mikado: The Flowers That Bloom in the Spring  {0:51}
composed by Gilbert & Sullivan

11. 45-Note Penny-in-the-Slot Piano - The Pirates of Penzance: Poor Wandering One  {1:39}
composed by Gilbert & Sullivan

12. Sublime Harmony Piccolo Cylinder Music Box - HMS Pinafore: I'm Called Little Buttercup  {0:51}
composed by Gilbert & Sullivan

13. Nicole Freres 19 half" Fortepiano Interchangeable Cylinder Box - HMS Pinafore: When I Was a Lad I Served a Term  {0:48}
composed by Gilbert & Sullivan

14. Nicole Freres 19 half" Fortepiano Interchangeable Cylinder Box - The Mikado: Tit Willow  {0:51}
composed by Gilbert & Sullivan

15. Excelsior Piccolo 12 Air Cylinder Music Box - Faust: Soldier's Chorus: Deposons Les Armes  {0:45}
composed by Charles Gounod

16. 15 1/2" Disc Regina Music Box - Faust: Soldier's Chorus: Deposons Les Armes  {0:52}
composed by Charles Gounod

17. Sublime Harmony Piccolo Cylinder Music Box - Carmen: Toreador's Song  {0:54}
composed by Georges Bizet

18. 27" Disc Regina Music Box - Carmen: Toreador's Song  {2:03}
composed by Georges Bizet

19. Nicole Freres Cylinder Music Box - Les Huguenots: Air de ballet  {0:48}
composed by Giacomo Meyerbeer

20. Paillard Vaucher Fils Cylinder Music Box - Robert le diable: Sicilienne  {1:09}
composed by Giacomo Meyerbeer

21. Le Croix "Mandoline" Cylinder Music Box - Robert le diable: Sicilienne  {0:56}
composed by Giacomo Meyerbeer

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Hovhaness/Husa/Straight-Split Release (CRI 221) ca. 1968

Notes excerpted from the back cover (enclosed)

The Hovhaness TRIPTYCH was commissioned by the Columbia Broadcasting System,each number being composed for a specific Christmas of Easter broadcast.

I:The AVE MARIA is scored for two oboes,two horns,harp and women's chorus.It is  a four-part polyphonic motet in ancient modal scales.

II:The CHRISTMAS ODE is scored for piano, strings and celesta.It opens with a brief introduction for solo violin over plucked sounds and bell-like celesta in a polymodal idiom. this leads to a soprano solo, interspersed with lively but chorale like string interludes and modal counterpoint creating a mood which the composer describes as "celestial joyousness".

III:The EASTER CANTATA,dedicated to Oliver Daniel, was composed in three days for the Easter broadcast of 1953. Since Mozart's Jubilate was on the same program, Hovhaness was required to use the same instrumentation for his work: two oboes,two horns and strings (plus, at his request,a harp and celesta). The composer writes:
  "The EASTER CANTATA  begins with a tiny prelude in fantastic sounds,tuning the ear to the musci of lamentation.A mournful air and chorus follow, depicting the sorrow of the Crucifiction.A soprano aria changes the mood to ecstasy as it contemplates the Resurrection.Canonic textures of harp,celesta and pizzicato strings prepare the entrance of the soprano solo over drones, and continue their polyphony throughout the movement.A lively double canon in the orchestra accompanies a joyous  polymodal canon sung by the chorus,forming the climax of the Resurrection movement".

Karel Husa:MOSAIQUES FOR ORCHESTRA
Professor Husa describes the review of Hans Hauptmann as a completely unclued statement of his own meditations while composing the music:

"It reaches spectacular orchestral display with rather macabre tone effects.Rhythm and instrumentation combine into an organic conglomeration of rising bizarre grandiose sounds.The entire work appears menacing and diabolic.It is a clarion call of defense,an admonition to meet chaos with the unification of coordinated powers.In the end we have a quiet,soothing release of unrestrained form."

Willard Straight;DEVELOPMENT FOR ORCHESTRA was commissioned by Mrs.Courtney Campbell for the 1961 Washington Square Concert series and premiered that year undr the direction of Russell Stanger.It was composed for the limited instrumentation available (flute,oboe,two horns,two trumpets,percussion and strings) and has no programmatic implications beyond the musical one suggested by the title.It is a series of free and contrasting variations not of a melodic line but of the harmonic structure of the opening measures.
-Carter Harman
 
Side One:

a1-3:Alan Hovhaness:TriptychMembers of the Bamberg Symphony 
Singers:Benita Valente,soprano
Alferdo Antonini,conductor

I- Ave Maria 2:44
 
II- Christmas Ode 6:28
 
III- Easter Cantata 13:12 


Side Two:
 
b1: Karel Husa: Mosaiques For Orchestra (1961) 16:03 
Stockholm Radio Symphony Orchestra
Conducted by the composer.  

b2:Willard Straight: Development For Orchestra (1961) 8:42
London Philharmonic Orchestra
Russell Stanger,conductor
 























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Accent on Steam Volume One

Arkay Enterprises - Accent on Steam Volume One

released on cassette in 1978

Cassette has recordings of train engines and train whistles from various places such as Ecuador, Argentina, South Africa, what was then Czechoslavakia, what was then West Germany, Canada, and the United States. Recordings of gate and bell mechanisms, cannon fire, chipmunks, and birds make brief appearances. In my modest collection of train sound recordings, this one may be my favorite.

Tracklisting:

Side 1

1.  Guayaquil & Quito Railway #44, 2-8-0  {2:36}

2.  On Board Guayaquil & Quito Railway #44, 2-8-0  {3:57}

3.  Argentine National Railways #1321, 2-10-2  {0:58}

4.  Argentine National Railways #3035, 4-6-2  {0:59}

5.  South African Railways, Double Headed Garratts  {2:56}

6.  South African Railways #3422, 4-8-4, Class 25NC  {2:05}

7.  South African Railways, 4-8-4, Class 25NC  {1:55}

8.  South African Railways, 4-8-2, Class 15AR  {2:59}

9.  South African Railways #3693, Class 24, 2-8-4  {1:40}

10. Denver & Rio Grande Narrow Gauge #484 and #498  {2:12}

Side 2

1.  Chessie Steam Special #2101, Orleans Road  {4:24}

2.  Chessie Steam Special #2101, Sandpatch Grade  {4:37}

3.  Czechoslovakian 2-10-0, Class 566  {3:41}

4.  Czechoslovakian 2-10-0, Class 556  {2:51}

5.  German 2-10-0, 3-cylinder, Class 043  {1:26}

6.  Canadian National #6218, 4-8-4  {1:46}

7.  Cass Scenic Railway, 4 Shays, 2-3-4-5  {3:31}

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The Runaround

Some of you may have experienced frustrating restrictions on the flow of the Rapidshare files:"File owners' public traffic exhausted" is how they put it.
Those new restrictions allow for only 1Gb outgoing traffic per day.
And recently RS limited the capacity of free accounts to 5Gb.

THE GOOD NEWS:
For the next month, until April 24, there are NO restrictions on Rapidshare traffic.
You are encouraged to grab whatever intrigues you during this open period..
It (RS availability) will return to "normal" after April 24,

Thanks to all the visitors who left comments of support and suggestions to a recent post regarding the current difficult times.

We appreciate it.

Master Musician of India

Ustad Ali Akbar Khan - Master Musician of India

released on LP in 1966

The title of Chandranandan alludes to the Hindi words "chandra" (moon) and "nandan" (son). Accordingly, it is evening music, and introspective rather than romantic. After the briefest possible alap the basic rhythmic pattern of sixteen beats (teental) is set by the tabla. This particular performance unfolds first in vilambit laya (slow rhythm), gaining momentum with the ensuing madhya laya (moderate rhythm), then breaking into drut laya (fast rhythm). An unusual feature here, beginning about three-quarters of an inch from the end of the side, is the yugal-bandi ("yugal", concert; "bandi", a sort of contest) or question-and-answer exchange in which the sarodist and tabla player "talk" to each other, the latter replying to the former in precisely the same "words", mutatis mutandis. Not once in the heat of this episode do the artists traduce the fundamental teental; the "questions" are exactly eight beats long and the "answers" begin on the ninth beat and end on the sixteenth. Nor does this fidelity to the rhythm waver in the ati-drut (very fast) peroration, which readers such an overwhelming climax that one of the invited guests at the recording session could not forebear from applause despite a strict injunction. The engineers could not edit out the spontaneous first moment of this reaction without doing violence to the recording., and so it is still there to be heard, at the very end of the side.
The word "Gauri" is a proper female name; the prototype was the wife of none less than Lord Shiva, the Hindu deity who was among other things god of the arts. The word "manjari" means flower petals.Gauri Manjari, then, one may take to be an artist's offering to his muse. Properly under these circumstances, it is not one of the thrice-familiar ragas. It is in fact one of the aprachalit ones - "unpopular" is the translation but in the sense that it is relatively new and known only to Ali Akbar Khan's audiences. Being without benefit of tabla, this recorded performance seems to be all alap. In truth it is a complete but compact ragini. There is no rhythmic pattern, but in the absence of beats there is a clearly defined pulse and a feeling of laya (which alludes to bar-lines; the teental units on the overside contain four layas each). When this pulse quickens, about one inch in on the side, we are in the jor, corresponding very roughly to what we would call the development section. Less than another inch later we are precipitated into the concluding jhala, which emphasizes overtones and Beethoven-like patterns of repeated notes and dazzling pyrotechnics all contained within the compass of the ragini as initially stated by the composer-performer.  (James Lyons from the liner notes)

Chandranandan and Gauri Manjari are both raginis (female). The playing time for Chandranandan is between 8 P.M. and 3 A.M. It has three expressions of human feelings (rasas); they are Karuna (pathos), Bhakti (devotion), and Sringara (love). In the beginning, the melody creates the pathetic emotion, and then leads to the expression of devotion. When the Bhakti or devotion is settled and established in the tune, then through a change of notes, but maintaining the same ragini, it takes us into the feeling of love. And that is Sringara. This Sringara rasa is not bound by the carnal desires. It is a love which is based above that; the love which comes through the pains of life and the devotion of life.
Gauri Manjari is composed of Bhakti (devotion), Karuna (pathos), and Vir rasa (the rasa of strength), mixed with very little Sringara. The time for this music is between 9 P.M. and 2 A.M. Gauri Manjari begins with a feeling of uneasiness of mind, and then, gradually, the rasas will bring the other feelings one by one, and end in the notes of happiness.
These two raginis took several years to compose. They are my original creations. I have taken the characteristics of many ragas and raginis and mixed them, and created a new color and character. This is the final shape and expression of the tunes.  (Ustad Ali Akbar Khan)

Tracklisting:

Side 1

1.  Raga Chandranandan  {21:28}
Ustad Ali Akbar Khan - sarod ; Pandit Mahapurush Misra - tabla ; Anila Sinha - tanpura

Side 2

1.  Raga Gauri Manjari  {19:07}
Ustad Ali Akbar Khan - sarod ; Anila Sinha - tanpura

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Paraguayan Harp, Vol. 2

Ed Lange and His Trio Andeno - Paraguayan Harp, Vol. 2

released on LP in 1977

I found this record at a thrift store. While finding really good records like this one between $1 and $2 at thrift stores and other similar places is great, one of the drawbacks is that volume 2 of something is there yet volume 1 or other volumes are missing. I searched in the same racks again twice trying to find the first volume of Paraguayan Harp. No luck. Perhaps someday I'll obtain volume 1. In the meantime, do enjoy Paraguayan Harp, Vol. 2 supremely produced and performed.

From the liner notes:

The Indian Harp of Paraguay was most probably introduced to South America by the Jesuit missionaries of the middle 1500's. These astute men studied the Guarani language (the language of the Tupi-Guarani Indians in and around Paraguay) and Christianized them in their native language, and taught them to sing and dance in celebration of the God of the Western European world. Most probably it was the medieval harp of Ireland that was carried to Paraguay. After many turbulent years, during which the missionaries were killed or run out of Paraguay, the musical instruments and European influence remained.

Until the turn of this last century, the harp was most probably an accompanying instrument, and differed in shape and tonal quality from the present one. As the harp gained popularity, it became more and more the focal point of conjuntos [groups], and began to attract the attention of prolific folk song composers. The Paraguayan harp of today is a highly sophisticated, incredibly fine-tempered instrument, and is still undergoing changes. It is distinctively Paraguayan, and yet has found popularity the world over. It is a diatonic instrument, and has 36 strings covering five octaves. It is played with the fingernails and callouses to achieve a wide range in tonal qualities. Although diatonic, much of the solo music of the harp is played in the relative minor key, and guitars sometimes add in missing notes to achieve otherwise impossible chords. The masters of the instrument have achieved a rapid dexterity that entrances audiences, who see hands flying all over the harp. This is a virtuoso's instrument, and to play it well requires either brutal attack of the instrument - or tender caressing of the strings. It is a harp played by men and yet... it sings to the Gods.

Tracklisting:

Side 1

1.  Pajaro Campana (The Bell Bird)  {4:16}

2.  El Condor Pasa  {3:56}

3.  Malambo  {4:03}

4.  Lamento Paraguayo (Paraguayan Lament)  {3:22}

5.  Rio Rebelde (Rebel River)  {2:45}

Side 2

1.  Mi Atarraya (My Fishing Net)  {3:06}

2.  El Tren (The Train)  {2:35}

3.  Zambita  {3:07}

4.  Torrealbara  {3:06}

5.  Caballito (Little Horse)  {2:30}

6.  La Calecita (Merry-Go-Round)  {1:52}

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Yet Another Message

This is yet another one of those "I haven't posted in a while" type of posts. Given what's been happening lately including blogs disappearing or quitting, I wonder if people no longer visit music blogs frequently. I have been noticing that in some other areas of the blogosphere, bloggers are posting sporadically and visitors hardly come to the blogs. It seems a lot of the people have migrated over to Twitter and Facebook. I have been considering reviving my Twitter account and possibly start posting shares over there. I still have a Facebook account, but I am using it less often. I don't feel it's safe for me to post there considering Facebook's stance on not valuing privacy. I also don't really like it much. I don't think I've ever felt more uncomfortable on the Internet when I was using Facebook.

Now to the main point of this post. A lot of my links have been dying lately. One of the main culprits is Mediafire. It's been using a bot to find and block access to what has been programmed in its system as copyrighted material that is available on iTunes and/or Amazon. Often, the bot does a poor job. It has blocked access to a lot of my files because it has mistaken the tracks posted for some different artists' tracks that seem to have similar names. I know that Mediafire is using the bot because of panic caused by what happened to Megaupload and threats from the MPAA (Motion Pictures Association of America). I won't be using it anymore. I'll always remember that it was once a great site to store files from the late 2000s to 2012.
Anyway I have read the numerous re-up requests in my past posts. I am having trouble finding time to do re-ups, but I am still trying to meet requests. Finding reliable file hosters is becoming more difficult. It may be a long while before I can have at least most of them back up. Patience is a virtue.
I did re-up several electronic music albums a few days ago. Check the "Updates" page.
I'll try to keep on putting more back up. They'll be in small batches. Keep checking the "Updates" page.