Composition No.1

Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com
A new and vital hip-hop crew is born with this set, and their name is LA Symphony. The group represents a united effort of nine diverse MCs and one DJ gathered from all corners of the Los Angeles scene. On Composition No. 1, the slinky, melodic vocal deliveries of these immensely engaging MCs seamlessly intertwine around tight beats, deep bass grooves, and innovative sounds. With the hard-hitting, drop-beat-laden "San Diego", LA Symphony recall Cypress Hill; only where the Hill tread on the dark side--albeit the humorous quarter of the dark side--with their rhymes of Glocks and bongs, LA Symphony lean toward the upbeat and even jubilant. Composition No. 1 is downright fun without veering into De La Soul territory, and in this day of too many self-important rappers and MCs, it's a welcome breath of fresh air. --Michael Wells

MTV
L.A. Symphony addresses relevant topics and personal subject matters in their music, delivering truth with a touch of humor.

Album Description
Composition No. 1 is the debut album from the hip hop crew L.A. Symphony. This CD embodies the creativity and energy that separates LA Symphony from so many of its contemporaries. The tracks are full of life, movement, and meaning. As lyricists, the members are realistic in approach to their lives as hip hop artists in Los Angeles and exercise a dynamic range of subject matter. The sounds are similar to that of the Native Tongues, the Pharcyde, Black Eyed Peas, CookBook & UNO Mas, and FLYNN.

Composition No.1

Moondog 1 & 2
Average customer rating: 5 out of 5 stars
  • This needs a more articulate review...
  • happy music
 Moondog 1 & 2
Moondog
Manufacturer: Beat Goes On
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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  1. Moondog
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  3. The German Years 1977-1999
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  5. Rare Material

ASIN: B00004YU0K
Release Date: 2000-11-06

Tracks:

  1. Theme
  2. Stamping Ground
  3. Symphonique No. 3 (Ode to Venus)
  4. Symphonique No. 6 (Good for Goodie)
  5. Minisym No. 1
  6. Lament, No. 1
  7. Witch of Endor
  8. Symphonique No. 1 (Portrait of a Monarch)
  9. Bells Are Ringing
  10. Voices of Spring
  11. What's the Most Exciting Thing
  12. All Is Loneliness
  13. My Tiny Butterfly
  14. Why Spend a Dark Night With Me
  15. Coffee Beans
  16. Down Is Up
  17. Be a Hobo
  18. Remember
  19. I Love You
  20. Nero's Expedition
  21. No, The Wheel Was Never Invented
  22. With My Wealth
  23. This Student of Life
  24. Some Trust All
  25. Wine, Women and Song
  26. Sadness
  27. Maybe
  28. Each Today Is Yesterday's Tomorrow
  29. Imagine
  30. You the Vandal
  31. Trees Against the Sky
  32. Behold
  33. Sparrow
  34. Pastoral

Customer Reviews:

5 out of 5 stars This needs a more articulate review..........2005-12-10

To tell the truth, the only reason I even listened to this disc in the store is because I spotted the cover, and wondered what the hell a guy who looked like that could sound like. I had a gushing smile on my face as I realized there was real talent and expression behind Moondog's odd facade. The first album on this disc (there are two herein) is made up of more "orchestral" material like none you've ever heard before (one of these tracks "stamping Grounds" is in "The Big Lebowski". The second album is made up of a series of short "rounds"; cyclical songs with naturally repetitive compositions (think row row row your boat, or three blind mice). Due to the familiar nature of such song forms, and the unique compositions employed by Moondog, the second album is quite buoyant and joyful. This is an all around great and very familiar listening experience, and quite a timeless set of albums. Get it while you still can!

5 out of 5 stars happy music.......2002-12-28

Moodog is a realy composer of all time. Is create a new conception of street music and universal sound
Paris, 27/12/02 France
Early Music (Lachrymae Antiquae)
Average customer rating: 4 out of 5 stars
  • one of their best
  • I loved this CD!
  • Not as early as you might think
  • Pleonastic
  • a good one
 Early Music (Lachrymae Antiquae)

Manufacturer: Nonesuch
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ASIN: B000005J4S
Release Date: 1997-09-16

Tracks:

  1. Kyrie I
  2. Rachell's Weepinge
  3. Langdans efter Byfans Mats
  4. Lachrymae Antiqua
  5. Psalom
  6. Two Studies On Ancient Greek Scales: 1. Olympos' Pentatonic - 2. Archytas' Enharmonic
  7. Long-Ge
  8. Totem Ancestor
  9. Kyrie II
  10. Brudmarsch fra Osta
  11. Using The Apostate Tyrant As His Tool
  12. Synchrony No.2
  13. Quodlibet
  14. Viderunt Omnes
  15. Kyrie III
  16. Four Part Fantasia No. 2
  17. O Virtus Sapientie
  18. Uleg-Khem
  19. Farwell My Good I. Forever
  20. Collected Songs Where Every Verse Is Filled With Grief
  21. Requiem Mass: Bells: Tolling Of The Knell

Amazon.com essential recording

Don't get too comfortable with this disc's opening minutes, which sound convincingly like a well-tuned consort of viols performing two short pieces by Machaut and Tye. These two works from the 14th and 16th centuries quickly give way to a piece from 1997 by David Lamb. Then come Arvo Part, Harry Partch, John Cage, and even Moondog, a.k.a. Louis Hardin. Additional instruments come and go- -harmonium, bagpipe, zhong ruan, nyckelharpa, drum--all of which complement and enhance the string sounds. Later, we hear music by Hildegard von Bingen, Perotin, and even Purcell. Most of the selections from early composers are arrangements by the Kronos Quartet and others, but it's a tribute to the recording's producers that in spite of the music's diversity, everything works together to make a coherent, cohesive, intellectually, and musically challenging program. --David Vernier

Customer Reviews:

5 out of 5 stars one of their best.......2005-04-14

If you like simple, string quartet music as much as I do, then you've got to listen to this. It is a generous 68 minutes of plaintive music--no discontinuities and surpises like on their Black Angels recording. It is all slow and mournful.

4 out of 5 stars I loved this CD!.......2002-11-02

When I was listening to MSN I came across it. I love Early Music and they had a Radio station that was playing it. I decided to listen to it. So as I was lisitening to it I came across the song Collected Songs Where Every Verse Is Filled With Grief. That is the besty song I ever heard in a long time. I like the other songs but this one really spoke to me. It was quite moving if I might say.

4 out of 5 stars Not as early as you might think.......2000-06-07

Yes, there is "old" music on this disc. But works in olden style by John Cage, Arvo Part, et al are also present. Quite a challenging program on the listener - but rewarding as well. I am particularly found of Kronos' setting of Alfred Shnittke's "Collected Songs Where Every Verse is Filled With Grief". Very eclectic recording performed with usual finesse of the Kronos Quartet - and some guests.

3 out of 5 stars Pleonastic.......2000-03-10

Kronos Quarter has been an agile and versatile instrument in the hands of modern composers. It has (re)interpreted music from many sources in a coherent way, thus creating a very distinctive sound. This album offers a mixed program of composers, juxtaposing the modern and the antique. The thesis of the album is (I think) that early composers are surprisingly palatable to modern sensibilities, and that they are close in spirit to a vast array of contemporary musicians. Also, it seems that the bond linking all these authors is a certain state of affliction; hence the subtitle of the album "lachrymae antiquae", ancient tears. Yet, overall, I found this a pretentious album, even in its use of latin. After so many years of philologically accurate renditions of the early masters, performed on period intruments, the operation of K.Q. sounds at least inappropriate if not even a bit obnoxious. It often seems that they are sacrificing the original intentions of the authors to the altar of this "modernity" thesis. The listener should judge by him/herself.

Summing up, I would just say that this is first of all a K.Q. album "inspired by" early music. I would just point out that it doesn't add much to the understanding neither of Machaut & co., nor of K.Q., which is still a great ensemble.

4 out of 5 stars a good one.......1999-12-02

Who can say, as of now, how much of the music the KQ plays will fall, deservedly or not, by the wayside and how much of it will continue for the ages? At any rate, this CD is rewarding. I like the mix of quirky pieces with the staid, even if the title "Early Music" is misleading (since few original instruments are utilized in this record). Fine work; highly recommended.
Moondog
Average customer rating: 5 out of 5 stars
  • 35 unmistakable tracks
  • Wonderful
  • The Different Drummer We Once Were
  • For those who love the music
  • Moondog
 Moondog

Manufacturer: Sony
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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ASIN: B0000026QJ
Release Date: 1989-07-20

Tracks:

  1. Madrigals: Rounds And Canons: No. 12-Nero's Expedition
  2. Madrigals: Rounds And Canons: No. 13-No, The Wheel Was Never Invented
  3. Madrigals: Rounds And Canons: No. 14-With My Wealth
  4. Madrigals: Rounds And Canons: No. 15-This Student Of Life
  5. Madrigals: Rounds And Canons: No. 16-Some Trust All
  6. Madrigals: Rounds And Canons: No. 17-Wine, Woman And Song
  7. Madrigals: Rounds And Canons: No. 18-Sadness
  8. Madrigals: Rounds And Canons: No. 19-Maybe
  9. Madrigals: Rounds And Canons: No. 20-Each Today Is Yesterday's Tomorrow
  10. Madrigals: Rounds And Canons: No. 21-Imagine
  11. Madrigals: Rounds And Canons: No. 22-You The Vandal
  12. Madrigals: Rounds And Canons: No. 23-Trees Against The Sky
  13. Madrigals: Rounds And Canons: No. 24-Behold
  14. Madrigals: Rounds And Canons: No. 25-Sparrow
  15. Madrigals: Rounds And Canons: No. 26-Pastoral

Customer Reviews:

5 out of 5 stars 35 unmistakable tracks.......2005-02-24

You don't need to buy the double-disc "Moondog 1 & 2" to hear the two albums - all that music can also be heard on this (75 minute) single disc.
Even though the only cover art of this edition is the original front cover of the 1969 "Moondog" (no original back-cover thereof nor any art from the 1971 "Moondog II",) all 35 tracks are nicely crammed in here.
What's listed under "Listen to samples" on the amazon page are only the last 20 tracks of this CD and all titles are linked to the wrong tracks.

"Moondog I" (tracks 1-9) opens with "Theme" and "Stomping Ground" - two somewhat coherent pieces which a few years ago were made quite famous through the soundtrack of Coen Brothers' wonderful movie "The Big Lebowski." The album features a 50+ piece orchestra, which, among other greats, includes jazz veterans Don Butterfield (tuba) and Ron Carter (double bass.) In the list of personnel, Moondog is not credited for playing percussion, but the bass, which I assume is a misprint.
The beautiful Charlie Parker homage "Lament I: Bird's Lament" is here performed in its original form, but can also be found on the 1994 Moondog recording "Sax Pax For a Sax" on only saxes and percussion.
The orchestral performances on "Moondog I" aren't flawless, but should not be judged harshly because of the very personal, highly individual, and wonderfully eccentric form of compositions that they are. Budget, which is a very common issue when it comes to orchestral recordings, is another element that probably has not allowed much rehersing or many (if any) re-takes.

Before ordering this disc I knew that I'd love "Moondog I" since I'd heard most of it previously, but I was skeptical towards "Moondog II" because of some reviews I'd read of it. I was however curious, and listening to it when it had arrived was a very nice surprise.
Aside from performances by Louis "Moondog" Hardin (percussion, piano, vocals) and his daughter June (vocals,) "Moondog II" features 6 other musicians who, at different points throughout the album, play virginals, recorders, harpsichords, ancient organs, guitars, schom, viola de gamba, and troubadour harp. These instruments alone make a very individual sound, but the compositions (many of which are in 5/4 and 5/8) and the poetry make this the most wonderful group of rounds (short vocal canons) you've ever heard.

In my 700+ CD collection, this is among my favorites.

4 out of 5 stars Wonderful.......2004-01-26

Beautiful, quirky, fascinating. A combination of classical, jazz, and improv, this collection made me close my eyes and just feel the music. Interspersed with several of Hardin's two-line poems as punctuation, the musical pieces are truly a wonder.

5 out of 5 stars The Different Drummer We Once Were.......2004-01-05

I bought this album because of a memory, but the music stands up remarkably well to a more objective listening.

It was my first trip to New York City, and my father approached the wildly-dressed, tall and intiimidating figure standing on the corner of 56th St. and 7th Ave. They conversed in Norwegian long enough for me to draw nearer and realize the stranger represented no threat. In fact, I left with a book of hs canons, which remains in my collection of piano literature to this day.

I met Moondog once again--serendipitously, on Milwaukee's Wisconsin Avenue one day in the seventies. I have no idea how he got there or how he left, but this time I wanted to protect him from the insensitive pedestrians swirling around us and threatening our shared moment.

Moondog's music is as singular as he is, and offers a glimpse into his creative spirit. It begins with an idea and a form, not with an emotion or sentiment. Each piece is simple and brief, but not simplistic or fragmentary. He avoids any form of dissonance, even seventh chords and "blue" notes (flatted thirds). Music, like life, he seems to be saying, can be a straightforward, delighting adventure, providing one cherishes the quest itself above its so-called object and maintains a focused attention on the wonders of the present moment.

My only slight disappointment with this recording is that the madrigals, sung by Moondog and his daughter, are subjected to some studio effects that make them sound more artificial and commercial than they deserve to be.

5 out of 5 stars For those who love the music.......2003-11-29

It is simple, it is clear, it is wonderful! I don`t know what style is this. Some people call it `jazz`, but second disc is strongly attached to european madrigal canons. I think, if we listen really good music, we never asked about styles. I heard familiar tunes from Tchaikovsky to Resident`s Duck Stab. You must have this if you`re music lover. If you`re musician (who plays music, dont `have a job`) you must have it too. Listen once or twise, if you don`t like it, simply put it on the shelf. Properly time will come.
P.S. My favorite `I love you` and `Nero`s Expedition`

5 out of 5 stars Moondog.......2002-05-16

I was in the St. Thomas Boys Choir in the early 70's. We would walk to church for rehearsal, and pass Moondog, standing on the corner, usually by the ABC building. A couple of us would talk to him in our free time...he knew our names by our voices. We would listen to his poetry, and he seemed intigued by our choir, although he never heard us, I think. I got his album around this time, and have had it ever since. Fascinating pieces, very intricate, but also with "a hook"...that you find yourself humming along with. I heard he moved to Germany, where he wrote a nine hour canon. Overall, an amazing life story, and an incredible talent.
Round About Weill
Average customer rating: 5 out of 5 stars
  • HIDDEN JEWELS
  • Innovative and dreamlike
  • This is amazing
  • magical music
 Round About Weill

Manufacturer: Ecm Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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ASIN: B0007DHQ34
Release Date: 2005-04-19

Tracks:

  1. Dov'e La Citta
  2. Ach, Bedenken Sie, Herr Jack O'Brien
  3. Tango Ballade
  4. Improvvisamente
  5. Divagazioni Su 'Youlkali'
  6. Mahagonny, Scene 6
  7. Ein Taifun!...Tifone? No, Pioggerella
  8. Lieben
  9. Boxen
  10. Round About Weill I/Denn Wie Man Sich Bettet, So Liegt Man
  11. Mahagonny, Scene 13
  12. Essen
  13. Round About Weill II
  14. Tief In Alaskas Schneeweissen Waldern
  15. Ach, Bedenken Sie, Herr Jack O'Brien, Var
  16. Mahagonny, Scene 4
  17. Aber Dieses Ganze Mahagonny
  18. Alabama Song
  19. Mahagonny, Scene 6, Var.
  20. Alabama Song, Var.
  21. Interludio 'Ma Che Modi Sono?...': Cumparsita Maggiorata
  22. Interludio 'Ma Che Modi Sono?...': Tristezze Di Fra' Martino
  23. Denn Wie Man Sich Bettet, So Liegt Man, Var.

Customer Reviews:

5 out of 5 stars HIDDEN JEWELS.......2006-04-22

Gianluigi Trovesi (clarinets) & Gianni Coscia (accordion), Round About Weill (5*)
Gianluigi Trovesi (clarinets) & Gianni Coscia (accordion), In Cerca di Cibo (5*)

Gianluigi Trovesi is a hidden jewel in today's jazz. Perhaps he's undersung because he's Italian: he performs and records in Italy, not in American jazz clubs or for a central American jazz label. Maybe, on these two albums, it's because some afficionados look down on the "European" clean jazz typical to ECM records. Above all, I suspect it's because the music he plays --though not the way he plays it-- is hard to classify.

Take these two albums. Are they jazz? Italian folk music? Composed or 'classical' music? Trovesi and Coscia mesh as well as any duo in jazz --think of the exquisite music made by duos such as Charlie Haden and Kenny Baron, Jim Hall and Ron Carter, or Gary Burton and Chick Corea on Crystal Silence. But the music Torvesi and Coscia produce on these two albums is devilishly difficult to classify. Sometimes they settle for composed lines, heartbreaking melodies played simply, simply. At other times, they clearly improvise, but seldom on recognmizable jazz lines. They are demons --Trovesi especially-- at quoting wildly from other pieces: they close one piece on the Weill album with "Blue Moon," another time with (almost) "Frere Jacques." But it's jazz nonetheless, played by two hyper-alert and super-intelligent musicians who mine their musical ancestry to consummate effect.

Of the two albums, my wife has a very slight preference for the Weill album, which is made up half of tunes written by Weill and most of the rest of the artists' own tunes that fit the mood of Weill. Both clarinet and acordion capture well the cabaret atmosphere of so many Weill tunes, including different versions of "Alabama Song" and "Tango Ballade."

On the Weill album, Trovesi continues his fascination with John Lewis's "Django," the moving funeral dirge for French gypsy guitarist Django Reinhardt first recorded by the Modern Jazz Quartet. (Trovesi plays "Django" on In Cerca di Cibo and quotes it on Around Small Fairy Tales.) This is appropriate because in some respects, Trovesi is like Lewis, though much hotter and more earthy at times. Both composed and have led groups that played music that critics saw as too 'classical.' Both used non-jazz idioms for jazz purposes.

I own five albums by Trovesi now, which is all I've been able to find and buy to date. Around Small Fairy Tales features Trovesi playing his own compositions with a string orchestra. From G to G and Fugace feature his octet, which sounds at times like a slightly woozy stepchild of the great George Russell experimental groups of the very early sixties. In an age that slights the clarinet as a solo instrument, Trovesi is arguably the best clarinetist in jazz, a major soloist and melodist.

I love this man and he's never sounded better than playing with Coscia. Needless to say, these two ECM albums are impeccably engineered for sound.

Dave Keymer

4 out of 5 stars Innovative and dreamlike.......2005-10-24

The two reed instruments complement each other wonderfully in the tonal range of the human voice. They are smoothly blended even in stacatto pieces. Coscia reminds me of Dino Saluzzi, not as expressive, yet more rhythmically emphatic than Saluzzi and with much more variation in style. Trovesi's clarinet has a beautiful, liquid sound. The music varies from oom-pah folk to hypnotic wandering, all of it inventive. There are no cliches here. Reviewed well in Downbeat, but is it jazz? There is a classical foundation, but the rhythms, harmonies and melodies are all over the map. Even so, there is a certain sameness that sets in after a while, due to the limited pallette.

5 out of 5 stars This is amazing.......2005-07-02

First, this CD is impressible-only two instruments but the music they play is incredible.The music in this CD-slow and fast-emotional.Amazing.And again...highly recommended!

5 out of 5 stars magical music.......2005-05-03

Like this duo's ECM release "In cerca di cibo", this disc has a wonderful old world feel. The combination of trovesi's clarinets and Coscia's accordian suite Weil's compostions well. Beatuiful playing and recording quality. Highly recommended.
Ulysses' Gaze
Average customer rating: 5 out of 5 stars
  • Meditation Music
  • I LOVE this CD!
 Ulysses' Gaze

Manufacturer: Ecm Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Similar Items:
  1. Weeping Meadow
  2. Trojan Women (after the play of Euripides)
  3. Eternity And A Day (1998 Film)
  4. There Is Still Time
  5. Elegy of the Uprooting

ASIN: B0000031ZH
Release Date: 1996-02-27

Tracks:

  1. Ulysses' Theme
  2. Litany (Variation I)
  3. Ulysses' Theme (Variation I)
  4. Woman's Theme
  5. Ulysses' Theme (Variation II)
  6. Ulysses' Theme (Variation III)
  7. The River
  8. Ulysses' Theme
  9. Ulysses' Theme, Litany
  10. Ulysses' Gaze: Woman's Theme, Ulysses' Theme, Lento, Largo, Dance
  11. Byzantine Psalm
  12. Ulysses' Theme (Variation IV)
  13. Ulysses' Theme (Variation V)
  14. Ulysses' Theme (Variation VI)
  15. Ulysses' Theme, Lento, Largo
  16. Litany (Variation II)
  17. Ulysses' Theme (Variation VII)

Amazon.com

As a movie, Theo Angelopoulous's Ulysses Gaze is, at the very least, epic in scale. For three hours, Harvey Keitel travels to and through war-torn Sarejevo seeking ancient film footage. The story labors, but its images are beautiful, as is its soundtrack--composed by Eleni Karaindrou and led by the haunting viola solos of Kim Kashkashian. The instrumentation accentuates the flick's somber setting: viola, oboe, accordion, and trumpet sound like they're all wailing away here. On the scores best cuts, the instruments all take alternate turns--these melodic conversations (as on track nine) give the disc its character. This is really music for rainy days, but it also lacks enough dynamics to make it memorable. "Ulysses Theme" shows up nine different times here--making this less a full-bodied score and more a disc of variations. As good as it is, you can't help but wonder if a little more sonic variety would have made this movie ponder just a bit less. --Jason Verlinde

Customer Reviews:

5 out of 5 stars Meditation Music.......2007-07-12

Actually the sound track for the Greek movie 'Ulysses Gaze" with an eclectic mix of instruments; of viola & cello, oboe, squash box, trumpet and french horn, overlaid by Kim Kashkashian's viola. This is the very opposite of many current frenetic sound tracks; a simple slow theme with 7 variations, many featuring an individual instrument to evoke a visual image: accordion for peasant music, the pure tone of oboe, the authority of trumpet, flowing one into the other, held together by the viola, to produce, somehow, utter tranquility.

5 out of 5 stars I LOVE this CD!.......1998-11-26

The music is soaringly, achingly beautiful. First heard it on HOS while soaking in candle light and bubbles. It's great for quiet, contemplative times and is one of my all time favorites.
Branca: Symphony 1
Average customer rating: 3 out of 5 stars
  • Symphony No. 1 is great!
  • great piece of music
  • Absolute sh*t
  • puh-lease
 Branca: Symphony 1

Manufacturer: Roir
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Similar Items:
  1. The Ascension
  2. Lesson No. 1
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  4. Symphony Nos. 8 & 10 (The Mysteries)
  5. DNA on DNA

ASIN: B000009PWY
Release Date: 1998-09-01

Tracks:

  1. Symphony No. 1: First Movement
  2. Symphony No. 1: Second Movement
  3. Symphony No. 1: Third Movement
  4. Symphony No. 1: Fourth Movement

Album Description

For Fans Of: Sonic Youth, Swans, Helmet, Rhys Chatham, Phillip Glass, Steve Reich, Terry Riley, LaMonte Young, Noise Bands, Guitar Driven Heavy Metal. Recorded July 18 & 19, 1981 at The Performing Garage, NYC. Produced by Lee Ranaldo.Digitally Remastered By Glenn Branca and Wharton Tiers June 1998!

Performers: Glenn Branca (Soprano and steel-wire guitars) with:
Craig Bromberg:

Tenor, soprano, bowed; Richard Edson :Trumpet and octave guitar; Dave Buk: Trumpet, baritone horn; Ned Sublette:Soprano, tenor and steel-wire guitars; Ann DeMarinis:

Keyboard, percussion: Barbara Ess: Baritone and bass guitars, percussion; Robert Harrison: Soprano, tenor and bowed guitars; Thurston Moore: Tenor, soprano and bowed guitars; Lee Ranaldo: Soprano and steel-wire guitars; Wharton Tiers:Keyboard, soprano and steel-wire guitars /percussion; Gail Varchon:

Keyboard; Fritz Van Orden: Tenor saxophone; Stephan Wischerth: Drums, percussion; Margot Zvaleko: French horn; David Rosenblum: Baritone and Steel-wire guitars


What the press had to say about Glenn Branca and "Symphony No. 1" released as a ROIR cassette in 1983:
"Symphony No. 1 is the acme of what recent New York art rockers have yet accomplished. This may be the loudest piece of music this writer has ever heard." John Rockwell, New York Times. July 19, 1981

"Imagine a lion roaring and put your head in its mouth. Then you might get close to the impact of Branca's music. All the flesh of pop music is hacked away, but the terrifying bones still remain." New Musical Express, UK, January 14, 1984

"He succeeds in turning over the so-called evil sexual powers of rock music in its primitive state into a form of resistance." Kim Gordon, Art Forum, January 1983

"Awesome orchestral impact of Branca's massed minimalist heavy metal mantra." Michael Shore, SoHo News, August 8, 1981

"Those who heard Symphony No. 1 in 1981 knew it left them all shook up. This recording shows there was method in the mayhem. Huge and brutal and utterly magnificent." Jon Pareles, New York Times, Liner Notes, 1983

Customer Reviews:

4 out of 5 stars Symphony No. 1 is great!.......2005-12-30

This symphony by Glenn Branca is great! Each movement is as powerful and rockish as the last while managing to be quite different from the one that proceeds it. The first movement is a rocking tour de force based around a simple E chord and its harmonies, dissonances, etc. The drums are pounding and primal on this one. The second movement is like psuedo-gamelan music, with lots of choked cymbals, chimes, horn blats, and things of that sort. The third movement builds around a throbbing guitar-and-horn, um, (I'm at a loss for words) which is eventually accompanied by rolling, thudding drums, crescendoing and becoming more and more startling in its power until it ends abruptly at about 17 minutes and 30 seconds. The fourth and final movement starts with simple, thudding percussion (including metal barrels), accompanied by low-pitched guitars, and slowly, gradually begins to change, and is all in all, a great finish to the piece.
Branca has composed a near-masterwork with this symphony, and to the reviewer who claimed you could do this with your kid brother and his buddies in your basement, I'd like to see him try. I look forward to purchasing more of Branca's compositions in the future.

5 out of 5 stars .......2005-02-13

the comments of the people before have been very disapointing and very ignorant. This peice is a masterwork of giagantic porportions very itricitly composed. The ignorant narrow-minded naysayers below me just dont understand anything that pushes the limits

This is a must have for anyone that isnt an ignorant narrow minded naysayer but even for them it is truely a must have

5 out of 5 stars great piece of music.......2004-11-10

I have no idea where some of the other people reviewing this album are on, especially the one that likes to go around giving instrumental bands 1-star reviews and praising Nickelback and Creed. With that being said, this CD is awesome! This is definetly at the top of Branca's list along with The Ascension and Lesson No.1. The sound on this CD is massive, I believe he had 16 musicians on this symphony. This is music for people with open-minds. Excellent.

1 out of 5 stars Absolute sh*t.......2004-10-20

I've heard so many people tout Glenn Branca as the single most important artist in the past 2 decades. That's a pretty loft claim to live up to. Laughably, he falls ENTIRELY short. This is amassed, dissonant ("out-of-tune" would be the more appropriate phrase here), amusical GARBAGE. What Branca has composed here is utter crap, and the crappiness of the music itself is only augmented by the musicians involved with performing it, in particular, Stephan Wiscerth's awful drumming. I understand that Thurston Moore, Lee Renaldo, Michael Gira, and (less importantly) Page Hamilton have all played with him, but do not let that fool you -- Branca's music is completely unredeeming, humorless, and pretentious to the point of ridiculousness. Don't be fooled!

1 out of 5 stars puh-lease.......2003-09-23

To call Branca a composer is like calling someone's nose-picking Art. He is without a doubt the most talentless, the most uninteresting, the most humorless tertiary affiliate of the music scene, a man comfortable neither in the world of progressive rock (he has no rhythm, no chops, no ear) nor that of serious, i.e., classical music (he has no understanding of composition--I doubt he even knows how the circle of five works). It really doesn't matter how many guitarists he's got for this particular recording. They all sound terrible because the music Braca "wrote" is terrible. Just one monotonous strum on all six strings after another, with no rhyme or reason. You can do this with your kid brother and his twelve-year-old buddies anytime of the day in the luxury of your own basement. And you'll have more fun listening to the result taped on your beat-up radio afterward.
Lusty Gallant: England's Golden Age
Average customer rating: Not rated
    		Lusty Gallant: England's Golden Age

    Manufacturer: Harmonia Mundi Fr.
    ProductGroup: Music
    Binding: Audio CD

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    ASIN: B00099FVCE
    Release Date: 2005-09-13

    Tracks:

    1. I Cannot Keepe My Wyfe At Howme
    2. Up Tails All
    3. The Spanish Pavane
    4. Robin Hoode
    5. John Com Kisse Me Now
    6. Chromatica Pavana
    7. Galliard
    8. Sueit Smyling Katie Loves Me
    9. Put On Your Sark On Monenday
    10. Buckinghames Branle
    11. The LaydieLouthians Lilte
    12. La Volta
    13. Wolsey's Wilde
    14. Pavana Bray
    15. Galiarda
    16. Will Yow Walke The Woods Soe wylde
    17. My Lord Willoughbies Welcom Home
    18. Pavin
    19. Galliard
    20. Lusty Gallant
    21. A Ground
    22. Home Again, Market Is Done
    23. Trenchmore
    24. Mall Symes

    Tracks:

    1. 'En Me Revenant
    2. Courante
    3. Courante 'Son Adieu'
    4. Courante Sur 'J'avois Brise Mes Fers'
    5. Chacogne
    6. 'Filou'
    7. Prelude
    8. Fantasie
    9. Galliard Upon A Galliard
    10. Pavin
    11. Almaine
    12. Fantasia
    13. Fantasia Sopra 'La Canzon Degli Ucelli'
    14. Fantasia
    15. Fantasia
    16. Fantasie
    17. Ballet
    18. Courante
    19. Courante Sur La Courante De Perrichon
    20. Sarabande
    21. Fantasia
    22. Sarabrand
    23. Pavin
    24. Courante
    25. Courante
    26. Courante
    27. 'La Jeune Fillette'
    28. Paven Of The Composition Of Mee Herbet Of Cherbury And Castle Island 1640
    Complete Piano Music, Vol. 1
    Average customer rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    • Early beautiful meditative Cage
    		 Complete Piano Music, Vol. 1

    Manufacturer: MD&G Records
    ProductGroup: Music
    Binding: Audio CD

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    ASIN: B0000021HL
    Release Date: 1997-10-21

    Tracks:

    1. Bucchanale
    2. Totem Ancestor
    3. And The Earth Shall Bear Again
    4. Primative
    5. I.
    6. II.
    7. Our Spring Will Come
    8. A Room
    9. Tossed As It Is Untroubled
    10. I.
    11. II.
    12. III.
    13. IV.
    14. V.
    15. VI.
    16. Root Of An Unfocus

    Tracks:

    1. The Unavailable Memory Of
    2. Spontaneous Earth
    3. Triple Paced
    4. I.
    5. II.
    6. III.
    7. Prelude For Meditation
    8. Mysterious Adventure
    9. Daughters Of The Lonesome Isle
    10. Music For Marcel Duchamp
    11. I.
    12. II.

    Tracks:

    1. Sonata I.
    2. Sonata II.
    3. Sonata III.
    4. Sonata IV.
    5. Interlude I.
    6. Sonata V.
    7. Sonata VI.
    8. Sonata VII.
    9. Sonata VIII.
    10. Interlude II.
    11. Interlude III.
    12. Sonata IX.
    13. Sonata X.
    14. Sonata XI.
    15. Sonata XII.
    16. Interlude IV.
    17. Sonata XIII.
    18. Sonata XIV.
    19. Sonata XV.
    20. Sonata XVI.

    Customer Reviews:

    5 out of 5 stars Early beautiful meditative Cage.......2005-01-26

    You will not be disappointed or dismissive of this early music, primarily for prepared piano, an instrument that has sort of fallen out of existence. I know of no vigorous repertoire that had followed Cage's innovations. The idea for placing nuts and bolts, woodscrews and erasers between the piano's internal strings was from Henry Cowell, a piano timbral innovator in his own right. Cage developed the instrument as an accompaniment to the performances of Merce Cunningham dance in the early Forties, and the idea simple took off toward theatre,toward performance art and associative images, Lincoln Kirstein also commissioned works from Cage. Well here you get the full weight of this repertoire, and my favorite is "Perilous Night", it reveals the "subjectivity" residing in Cage despite his numerous attempts to circumvent his persona, Well it comes through here although you always sense that timbre and rhythm remain the primary focus of this early music.Also the un=prepared works, single exposed threadbare lines are what interested early Cage .The timbral differences of the piano preparation are interesting in and of itself and seem to engage concept and image;as "prelude and meditation",a minimal work of three four lines, only a few strings are prepared, or the "Music for Marcel Duchamp" where only the middle register of the piano is utilized with a single melody written in alto clef. This work has more a lyric interest yet having a deeply sombre feel to it.

    The more expansive "Sonatas and Interludes" are all here, and there are now dozens of recordings,(like a standard within the repertoire,as Chopin's "preludes") and some play them fast(Joshua Pierce) others slow. I prefer the John Tilbury, Decca recording (now unavailable) but here as well the renderings/readings are quite engaging. The negative feature to all this music is that the timbre seems to never suggest anything more than what it is, it is like anything remains beautiful. Perhaps that is why there has not been a "thousand flowers" blooming from this instrument. It has astatic quality to it,one-dimensional. Cage you feel knew this and did introduce as much variety, distributions of densities, and rhythms, textures, and the structural plan as well adheres to maintaining an agenda for variety. The "Sonatas" here being the primary focus, the exposition, and the "Interludes" the digression relief from the gestural whole.
    Sax Pax for a Sax
    Average customer rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
    • JUST WONDERFUL! AND HIP TOO!!!
    • another great one out of print
    • Sax Choir Arrives
    • yes, oh yes, moondog is the best
    • eccentric and top rate
    		 Sax Pax for a Sax

    Manufacturer: Atlantic / Wea
    ProductGroup: Music
    Binding: Audio CD

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    5. Moondog 1 & 2

    ASIN: B000002JF3
    Release Date: 1997-11-18

    Tracks:

    1. Dog Trot
    2. Paris
    3. Bird's Lament (In Memory Of Charlie Parker)
    4. Sandalwood
    5. Tout Suite In F Major: 1. Mov.
    6. Tout Suite In F Major: 2. Mov.
    7. Tout Suite In F Major: 3. Mov.
    8. D For Danny
    9. New Amsterdam
    10. Sea Horse (Piano)
    11. Fiesta (Piano)
    12. Novette No.1 In D Flat Major: 1. Mov.
    13. Novette No.1 In D Flat Major: 2. Mov.
    14. Novette No.1 In D Flat Major: 3. Mov.
    15. Single Foot
    16. Mother's Whistler
    17. Present For The Prez. (In Memory Of Lester Young)
    18. Shakespeare City
    19. EEC Suite: Golden Fleece
    20. EEC Suite: Hymn To Peace
    21. EEC Suite: Eec Lied

    Amazon.com

    The first new music from Moondog, nee Louis Hardin, in more than 20 years, Sax Pax for A Sax is probably the best introduction to the work of this eccentric former street musician. A joyous outburst, Sax Pax touches on influences ranging from Miles Davis' groundbreaking "Birth of the Cool," sessions ("Dog Trot"), medieval motets ("Tout Suite No. 1 in F Major"), and bebop's harmonic innovations ("Bird's Lament" and "Present for the Prez"). There's even a male chorus showing up occasionally, sounding like they stepped out of a Busby Berkely musical as they jauntily sing the praises of Paris, New York, and London. But the music's precise counterpoint and buoyant inventiveness could only be Moondog; listen and be enthralled. --Steven Mirkin

    Customer Reviews:

    5 out of 5 stars JUST WONDERFUL! AND HIP TOO!!!.......2007-05-03

    Great Americana! Hip! Just wonderful!
    My one regret is that I didn't have a chance to book this in US before he died. There is a video of this btw.

    5 out of 5 stars another great one out of print.......2006-04-14

    This is amazing. And no, it's not jazz. This is composed music, and it spits in the face of the academic axiom that concert music has to suck in order to be any good. Truly unique and truly listenable, why isn't this a best-seller?

    5 out of 5 stars Sax Choir Arrives.......2005-08-29

    I grew up loving Boots Randolph, Ace Cannon, King Curtis, and Johnny and the Hurricanes. I was browsing through the net looking for something on Simon Haram(a well known current European classical Saxophonist) and stumbled on this Album. I have never heard anything like this. Its my music find of the year (I am an iPod addict). This is a Sax dectet (1 Sopranio, 2 Soprano, 2 Altos, 2 Tenors, 2 Baritones and Basses) and then they throw in drums, piano, and bass guitar. My ears feel massaged with sound. I will only quote some review from the net:"The dectet of saxophones plus piano and bass guitar that is London Saxophonic is staggering... sounded like an Arvo Pärt choir jamming with the Bulgarian National Assembly of Throat Singers, yes it was that good." The Independent -- Believe this!!

    5 out of 5 stars yes, oh yes, moondog is the best.......2002-08-29

    this music was already in my head before I heard it. blocks of chords ascending and exploding in fugal fireworks, plus evocations of an imaginary jungle-jive Paris love affair. unbelievably soulful, funny, charming, surprising. you like moondog! you like moondog! buy moondog!

    5 out of 5 stars eccentric and top rate.......2000-01-05

    Fun and crisp. "Paris" had us dancing in the living room and "Movts 1, 2, 3" are sweet lullabies. Highly recommended
    The German Years 1977-1999
    Average customer rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    • Missed opportunity (but still essential)
    • Moondog's last concert!
    • Late Moondog
    		 The German Years 1977-1999

    Manufacturer: Roof
    ProductGroup: Music
    Binding: Audio CD

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    5. Rare Material

    ASIN: B0002MRE00
    Release Date: 2004-08-23

    Tracks:

    1. Bird's Lament
    2. Pigmy Pig
    3. Viking I
    4. Dog Trot
    5. High on a Rocky Ledge
    6. Log in B
    7. Marimba Mondo 2
    8. Paris
    9. In Vienna
    10. Eec Lied
    11. Fujiyama 2
    12. Heimdall Fanfare
    13. Sea Horse
    14. Single Foot
    15. Do Your Thing
    16. Bumbo
    17. Dark Eyes
    18. Logrundr XII
    19. I'm This I'm That
    20. Frost Flower
    21. Message
    22. Introduction & Overtone Continuum

    Tracks:

    1. Jazz Book: No. 2
    2. Carnival
    3. Elf Dance
    4. From Jazz Book: No. 4
    5. Fiesta
    6. From Jazz Book: No. 3
    7. Chaconne in a Minor
    8. 3 Couplets
    9. Prelude and Fugue in a Minor
    10. From Art of the Canon, Book I: No. 3, 6, 7, 8, 10, 13, 14, 16, 18, 20,
    11. From Art of the Canon, Book I: No. 3, 6, 7, 8, 10, 13, 14, 16, 18, 20,
    12. From Art of the Canon, Book I: No. 3, 6, 7, 8, 10, 13, 14, 16, 18, 20,
    13. From Art of the Canon, Book I: No. 3, 6, 7, 8, 10, 13, 14, 16, 18, 20,
    14. From Art of the Canon, Book I: No. 3, 6, 7, 8, 10, 13, 14, 16, 18, 20,
    15. From Art of the Canon, Book I: No. 3, 6, 7, 8, 10, 13, 14, 16, 18, 20,
    16. From Art of the Canon, Book I: No. 3, 6, 7, 8, 10, 13, 14, 16, 18, 20,
    17. From Art of the Canon, Book I: No. 3, 6, 7, 8, 10, 13, 14, 16, 18, 20,
    18. From Art of the Canon, Book I: No. 3, 6, 7, 8, 10, 13, 14, 16, 18, 20,
    19. From Art of the Canon, Book I: No. 3, 6, 7, 8, 10, 13, 14, 16, 18, 20,
    20. From Art of the Canon, Book I: No. 3, 6, 7, 8, 10, 13, 14, 16, 18, 20,
    21. From Art of the Canon, Book II: No. 6, 9, 22, 23
    22. From Art of the Canon, Book II: No. 6, 9, 22, 23
    23. From Art of the Canon, Book II: No. 6, 9, 22, 23
    24. From Art of the Canon, Book II: No. 6, 9, 22, 23
    25. Sea Horse
    26. From Jazz Book: No. 1
    27. From Jazz Book: No. 5
    28. 3 Couplets
    29. From Art of the Canon, Book V, No. 9
    30. Mood Montreux: 1st Movement
    31. Mood Montreux: 2nd Movement
    32. Mood Montreux: 3rd Movement
    33. Santa F
    34. Barn Dance

    Album Description

    Beautifully packaged two CD compilation consisting of recordings from the last 20 years of Moondog's life, when he resided and recorded in Germany. Disc One consists of studio recordings from 1977-99 and features 'High On A Rocky Ledge', 'Do Your Thing', 'I'm This, I'm That', 'Heimdall Fanfare', 'Fujiyama 2 (Lovesong)' and more. Disc Two is his last live performance, recorded a month before his death, and is wonderfully recorded, sounding as well-produced as the studio tracks on the first disc. The packaging includes 44 pages of liner notes featuring essays, interviews, photographs and other information, all packaged in a hard cardboard sleeve, creating a virtual work of art.

    Album Details

    Includes Material from 1977 Thru 199, plus Moondog's Last Live Concert with Dominique Ponty, Previously Unreleased.

    Customer Reviews:

    3 out of 5 stars Missed opportunity (but still essential).......2005-10-25

    Why are there so many tracks on disc 1 that are readily available on the Sax Pax for a Sax CD? It's too bad more of the impossible to find recordings from this period couldn't have been included instead.

    Otherwise, it is great to finally hear some of this material and the disc 2 live concert is a treasure. All things considered, a bargain and a must for Moondog devotees.

    Also note the packaging is very attractive -- but unfortunately on my copy, the binding/glue is already falling apart so the CD trays have seperated from the cover... sometimes plastic is a better way to go...

    4 out of 5 stars Moondog's last concert!.......2005-10-12

    This is a professional production of an official double disc set that was released in 2004 (5 years after Hardin's death.) It looks good and has 44 enclosed pages of valuable information about Moondog, such as a detailed biography, discography, Moondog's own words about the recordings, personnel listings, lyrics, pictures and a poem that Leonard Bernstein wrote to and about Moondog.
    Also seeing quotes of Benny Goodman and Frank Zappa praising Moondog's music is particularly exhilarating for a Zappa fan like myself (I had no idea.)

    The first disc consists of already released material, most of which I already owned when I bought this set. This disappointed me a bit, as I'd expected additional versions of these titles provided on the back.
    The set is called "The German Years," but includes 5 tracks that are taken from "Sax Pax for a Sax" - an album that was recorded in England and performed by English musicians, and consists mainly of material that was written while Moondog lived in New York. Other albums that songs have been taken from are "H'art Songs" (4 tracks,) "In Europe" (4 tracks,) "Elpmas" (4 tracks,) "A New Sound of an Old Instrument" (3 tracks,) "Big Band" (1 track) and "Bracelli" (1 track.)

    The 56 minute long disc #2 is the essential music in this set as it consists of only previously unreleased material. It is Moondog's last concert, which was recorded in France on August 1st, 1999 (less than 6 weeks prior to his passing.)
    The concert, which consisted of both rare and recent material, was performed on solo piano by Dominique Ponty. At times Moondog joins in on bass drum, and here and there he recites a few couplets - a nice treat. But as always, when it comes to live recordings of solo piano performances, we have to deal with intruding sounds; aside from applause we get a few hundred coughs, a squeaking door that repeatedly opens and closes, at one point the barking of a distant dog, at one point the sirens of an ambulance driving by the recording location, and believe it or not - audience members trying to clap along to one of the solo piano canons! ...but overall the sound quality is very good and clear.

    I'd recommend "The German Years 1977-1999" to Moondog fans (who haven't heard his last concert,) but to people who aren't familiar with his work, this might not be the optimal place to start.

    5 out of 5 stars Late Moondog.......2005-04-27

    When Louis Hardin moved to Europe in 1974, he was received as visiting royalty -- unlike his home country who treated him as some sort of one-joke street-performer. For the next 25 years, until his passing in 1999, he produced an astonishing variety of music for organ, brass band, voice, piano, percussion, small chamber ensemble, and string quartet.

    Disc one of this collection contains an anthology of his German recordings, and presents a clear advantage over the originals in that every track is on a different instrument. The listener never gets a chance to grow weary of any one style, allowing you instead to concentrate on the commonalities running through all of Hardin's music. As a sampler of the work done in his senior years (ages 61-83) it's a remarkable collection showing verve, inventiveness and playful iconoclasty.

    Disc two presents his last concert, previously unreleased, from Arles France on August 1st 1999, just five weeks before his death. Pianist Dominique Ponty, who I believe is the daughter of famed violinist Jean-Luc Ponty, plays 34 of his pieces for piano or arranged for piano. Louis 'Moondog' Hardin himself accompanies her on tambour, a big skin drum, on several of the tunes, and recites six couplets in his rich ageless baritone.

    Also included, a 44-page booklet of photos, notes, lyrics and critical comment. This is a first-class production for one of the last century's most enduring and original composers.

    Music:

    1. Conception
    2. Deliver the Juice [CD-single] [Import]
    3. Don't Worry About the Bumps In Life
    4. Dub Housing [Import]
    5. Easter Theater [CD-single] [Import]
    6. Flux
    7. From the Other Side of the Window [Explicit Lyrics]
    8. Healing Sounds of AnaMata: Cosmic Feminine Energy
    9. I Want To.. [Explicit Lyrics]
    10. Journey Home

    Music

    music

    Music

    Android Domina

    Carl Reinecke: Sämtliche Kinderlieder, Vol. 2

    Divertimenti, Vol.4

    Female Country Ballads, Vol. 1 [Enhanced] [Karaoke]

    Sunset Wading [Import]

    Ecco: Songs of Time [Soundtrack]

    Every Kind in the Net

    Darius Milhaud: Complete Piano Works, Volume 2

    Discovery Channel: Travel Channel -- Around the World

    Extensions

    Featuring "Birds"

    Dixie from the Island V.1 [Import]

    Champ [Import]

    Gautier de Coincy: Miracles of Notre Dame

    Monologue