Message-ID: <Pine.NEB.4.64.0702170229430.89@panix3.panix.com>
From: Alan Sondheim <sondheim@panix.com>
To: Cyb <cybermind@listserv.aol.com>, Wryting-L <WRYTING-L@listserv.wvu.edu>
Subject: Qbico 56 LP review
Date: Sat, 17 Feb 2007 02:29:59 -0500 (EST)
Qbico 56 LP review Review @ http://www.volcanictongue.com/ Alan Sondheim 56 Qbico #56 LP £12.99 Poet, metalinguist, cultural theorist and musician Alan Sondheim is best-loved by consumers of sub-underground fare for the stellar sides he recorded for ESP-Disk in the late-60s. But prior to that he was already active as an improviser in Rhode Island working with Ritual All 770, a multi-disciplinary group that combined brass, vocals, tranced hand percussion, bass and drums with a great up-ending attitude to avant garde sources that was reminiscent of the way that the Los Angeles Free Music Society would later use a goofy strategy of provocative art prank as a cover to allow non-initiates to work on serious formal breakthroughs. The Songs - an early collaboration between the two - was originally issued on Riverboat Records in 1967 and has remained fairly unknown outside of All 770's appearance on the legendary Nurse With Wound list that appeared in copies of that group's first album, Chance Meeting On A Dissecting Table Of A Sewing Machine And An Umbrella. 56 represents his first new LP in 35 years. Here Sondheim is solo, using guitar, alpine zither, electronics and field recordings. The guitar material orbits a bunch of singular hemispheres that would seem to locate the arc of his melodic thought somewhere between the odd, baroque constructions of Sandy Bull and the knotty dissonance of John Fahey - or even at points Derek Bailey - while the electronics and field recordings are full of subtle concentric rings of melodic suggestion and feel almost like close-ups on organic events, full of refracted slow-motion pulses and coronas of phantom tone. The whole set is perfectly assembled, with tracks short enough not to be too gruelling and long enough to reveal their full transportational properties. Indeed, I'd go so far as to say it was Sondheim's most accomplished work to date. A classic of avant extension and highly recommended. news tip of the tongue catalogue contributor columns label events email updates contact order info secondhand & rare wholesale & distribution photos http://www.a-musik.com/cart/catalog.php?label=739&am_id=238b... SONDHEIM, ALAN 56 red vinyl with white, photos by alan sondheim, cover by qbico. rec. 2005/06 in ny and la. "after releasing two unique lp back in the 60's for the legendary esp label with his ritual all 770 and another one for riverboat, finally alan sondheim is back ! this is his 1st lp after nearly 35 years and here he plays guitar, alpine zither, electronics, field recording... as usual he present us an eclectic mix of fascinating sounds..." (label info) QBICO LP E17.90 http://www.lifegatemusicshop.it/catalog/product_info.php?ln=fra&products_id=C68061 Recherche Avancée Recherche Avancée SONDHEIM, ALAN - 56 22.03 Euro Date de sortie:2007-02-01 Support:1 LP Genre:EXPERIMENTAL MUSIC Label:QBICO Disponibilité dans:20-22 jours Barcode: Imprimé en:NL === Also look for FireMuseum ski/nn and The Songs, ESP recordings, etc. ===