Recorded in 1983, originally released in 1984 on Celluloid, then reissued on Tzadik in 2007.
Henry Kaiser is one of the most prolific and versatile American free improvisers of the last 50 years. He’s played with a massive variety of artists during his 30+ year career, working with the likes of Fred Frith and Derek Bailey, but also treading ground with the Grateful Dead, Jim O’Rourke and Richard Thompson. This album sees him teaming up with Charles K. Noyes - a percussionist with whom Kaiser’d often play downtown at this time - and Sang-Won Park.
The presence of the South Korean Park is what brings the album it’s unique sound. His kayagum playing, unique vocal style, and the spirit he invites on what must be one of, if not the first fusion of downtown free improvisation and traditional Korean instrumentation, melds bizarrely and impeccably with Kaiser and Noyes. The music on this record is very sparse and strange…
….I couldn’t find this on any other blogs….so enjoy!
Keiji Haino - electric guitar, voice, loops Recorded live on September 21, 2003 at Jerry Jeff in Nishi-Waseda, Tokyo.
First up, the illustrious madman who's legend traverses 40 years of the seediest recesses of Japanese underground - Keiji Haino. Having built up a miniscule following during the 70s as frontman for free-jazz outfit Lost Aaraaff, Haino went on to form the now-legendary outfit, Fushitsusha. The band's untitled, double-disc debut didn't come until 1989 (leaving some 10 years or so in Haino's story up to our imaginations) as the 3rd releases for PSF Records. After this album of beautiful, noisy rock featuring wild vocal and guitar improvisations from Haino, Fushitsusha morphed and evolved alarmingly quickly into the ultimate power trio of free-noise-rock-fusion insanity Haino has championed. Haino has also built up a reputation for wild solo LPs, including 1997's infamous So, Black is Myself on Alien8 Recordings (an album that consisted of little more than 60 minutes of a single tone) and several wild improvisations for Hurdy Gurdy,
However, this particular record has to be one of my personal favourites. One single 30-minute track consisting of some of Haino's softest guitar lines looping nihilistically, while he weaves in his beautiful vocals. The song - "Koko"which is Japanese for "here" - has been recorded several times before, most notably on Keep on Breathing - a minimal songwriting showcase from 1997 - and on the aforementioned Fushitsusha debut.
Tracklist: 1) 記憶は遠い (6:01) 2) 朝の光 L'aube (1:43) 3) 断章I (3:51) 4) 断章Ii (1:53) 5) 亀裂 (4:39) 6) The Last One (22:22) 7) 黒い悲しみのロマンセ Otherwise Fallen in Love With (8:06)
Mizutani Takashi - guitars, voice Makino Tadanaka/Shodo Shunichiro - percussion Kubota Makoto/Nakamura Takeshi - rhythm guitars, bass guitars Tracks 1-5 recorded ina studio in Kyoto 1970, Track 6 is live in Kyoto 1970, Track 7 is live in Tokyo 1973
Next up, the founding fathers of heavy, noisy, guitar-improv-led Japanese rock: Les Rallizes Dénudés. These guys are pretty awesome; basically the brainchild of guitarist/songwritervocalist, Mizutani Takashi, Dénudés play a simplistic sort of music that never fails to invoke European Son era Velvet Underground when Moe Tucker would simply bash away a simple rhythm while Lou Reed and Sterling Morrison laid down fuzzed-out guitar beauty almost endlessly. Dénudés also have a lighter side, many of their songs - or at least the bookends for Mizutani's solos - follow an almost doo-wop-esque style of simple chord movements, but with somewhat more beautifully pained vocals. This album which emerged in 1993 exemplifies most of Dénudés' genius. There are several shorter tracks of acoustic-led poppy 60s numbers, the 22-minute "The Last One" - which would become a live standard for the group - and the beautiful closing live number from 1973.
It's probably best to let the music speak for itself, but this is one of Dénudés' more consistently listenable, and most coherent releases to date. As a band who incredibly rarely released anything in an official capacity, Dénudés' catalogue is made up almost exclusively of bootleg recordings. There are dozens of Les Rallizes Dénudés recordings available online now, but this one remains the most unique.
Get ready to space out halfway through "The Last One"...
Tracklist: 1) Everybody Daylight (6:01) 2) Friend of Time (6:30) 3) Fry Bread (1:46) 4) Star Blanket River Child (10:29) 5) All We Have Broken Shines (5:06) 6) A River Could Be Loved (4:03) 7) Amber Canyon Magik (4:54) 8) Black Feather Wishes Rise (5:05) 9) Come Another Rain Down (3:16) 10) We Share Our Blanket with the Owl (5:39)
Nathan Shineywater - guitars, vocals Rachael Hughes - keyboards, vocals + Ray Agee - trombone Robbie Lee - flute Paz Lenchantin - bass guitar, piano Magic Andy MacLeon & Elias Reitz - percussion Aaron Novak - clarinet Gail West & Ann McCrary - harmonies
The second album from Rachael Hughes and Nathan Shineywater melts over you like a warm summer breeze. Reverb-soaked vocals float over some wonderfully phrased wurly piano and comfortably subtle percussion. The lyrics may be abstract hippie gibberish ("With silver cloud came a rainfall, with rain made a river come all for you"), but this doesn't mar the record's beauty. The definite highlight is the ten-and-a-half minute "Star Blanket River Child" wherein the band find a chilled out, dynamic groove, reminiscent of 1968's Super Session featuring Al Kooper with Mike Bloomfield and Stephen Stills - but somewhat more subdued.
