MEV – United Patchwork (Horo Records ‎– HDP 15-16 / 2LP-1978)

Label: Horo Records ‎– HDP 15-16

Format: 2 × Vinyl, LP, Album, Gatefold cover / Country: Italy / Released: 1978

Style: Experimental, Free Improvisation

Recorded Rome, November 15 and 16, 1977, Mama Dog Studio.

Antonio Ortolan / art direction

Sandro Lodolo / cover art

Maria Tereza Tannozzini / cover design

Raul Matta / graphic design

Aldo Sinesio / producer

Gianni Gualberto / assistant producer

Raimondo Caruana / recording engineer

Joachim-Ernst Berendt / liner notes

Matrix / Runout (Runout Area Side A): HDP 15-16 - 2 A

Matrix / Runout (Runout Area Side B): HDP 15-16 - 2 2

Matrix / Runout (Runout Area Side C): HDP 15-16 - 2 3

Matrix / Runout (Runout Area Side D): HDP 15-16 - 2 4

side 1:

A  -  Via Della Luce  (Richard Teitelbaum) ............................................................... 23:24

side 2:

B1 - Fox  (Steve Lacy) .............................................................................................. 9:43

B2 - Cross Over One  (Karl Berger) .......................................................................... 2:25

B3 - Slugging Rocks  (Garrett List) ........................................................................... 6:48

side 3:

C1 - Psalm  (Alvin Curran) ...................................................................................... 14:07

C2 - What Is Freedom?  (Frederic Rzewski) ............................................................. 5:25

side 4:

D1 - Dewline  (Steve Lacy) ....................................................................................... 7:54

D2 - Cross Over Two  (Karl Berger) .......................................................................... 3:14

D3 - Cross Over Three  (Karl Berger) ....................................................................... 3:06

D4 - Sea Line  (Steve Lacy) ...................................................................................... 5:25

Musicians:

Frederic Rzewski – piano, electric piano, composer

Alvin Curran – synthesizer, piano, vocal, flugelhorn, composer

Richard Teitelbaum – synthesizer, shells, composer

Karl Berger – vibraphone, piano, electric piano, melodeon, composer

Steve Lacy – soprano saxophone, composer

Garrett List – trombone, composer

One of the most mythical experimental groups of all time, Musica Elettronica Viva was formed in 1966 by a group of American composers in Rome, its nucleus comprised of pianist Frederic Rzewski, sound improviser Alvin Curran, and the improvisatory keyboardist Richard Teitelbaum. Taking cues from John Cage and David Tudor, MEV employed open, limitless structures, using found instruments, toys, a homemade synthesizer, and the first Moog to reach mainland Europe. Improv and critical listening practices aimed to liberate listeners from the constraints of bourgeois capitalism and as their sound evolved, forms of Jewish mysticism and surrealist automaticism pointed to transcendent potential.

An abortive US tour in 1970 split MEV into three units, but the Kabbalistic Dixieland band later reformed with Rzewski, Curran, and Teitelbaum joined by saxophonist Steve Lacy, trombonist Garrett List, and keyboardist Karl Berger. The resultant double album United Patchwork, a return to classic form for MEV – after some of the more tripped-out experiments of the early 70s, recorded in November 1977 at Mama Dog for Horo Records, captures MEV in all of their discordant, improvisatory glory, from Teitelbaum's side-long opener, "Via Della Luce", to the honking noise of Lacy's "Fox", the excessive keyboard meanderings of Curran's "Psalm", Berger's vibraphone folly, "Cross Over One" and Rzewski's ponderous "What Is Freedom".
But, the whole album is, thanks to a very freewheeling sense of improvisation, a stunning mix of free jazz and electronics.

Note:

Richard Teitelbaum, an electronic artist, keyboardist and composer who combined an interest in non-western musical languages with a focus on experimental practice, died on Thursday, April 9, 2020 at HealthAlliance Hospital in Kingston, N.Y.

If you find it, buy this album!

MUUN MUSIC UNIVERSE (Ing Rid / Karl Berger / Dave Holland and friends) – Vol. 1 - The Peace Church Concerts (2LP-1974)

Label: Creative Music Communication – CMC 00101

Series: CMC Series – 1

Format: 2 × Vinyl, LP, Album, Gatefold / Country: US / Released: 1974

Style: Free Jazz, Free Improvisation

Recorded in concert on May 25 and May 22, 1974 at the Washington Square Church, New York City.

Recording Engineer By – Bob Cummins

Cover Design – Joan Eliott

Photographs – Ray Ross

Concept and written compositions by Karl H. Berger

Distributed in the USA – India Navigation Company

Matrix / Runout (Label side A) [etched]: A- 00101-1 A

Matrix / Runout (Label side B) [etched]: B- 00101-2 B

Matrix / Runout (Label side C) [etched]: C- 00101-1 C II

Matrix / Runout (Label side D) [etched]: D- 00101-2 D II

        SPACE IN TIME

A  -  Part I: Live Time ............................................................................................ 14:40

B  -  Part II: Dance Now Is We Are ....................................................................... 24:10

        SILENCE IN SOUND

C1 - Part I: The Continual Pattern ........................................................................ 14:35

C2 - Part II: Music Is .............................................................................................. 9:40

D  -  Part III: Tune In Time In ................................................................................ 22:10

Musicians:

Ing Rid – vocals, percussion

Karl Berger – piano, vibraphone, percussion

Dave Holland – bass

Richard Teitelbaum – instruments [various], synthesizer

Bob Moses – percussion (tracks: A, B)

Betty MacDonald – violin (tracks: A, B)

Garrett List – trombone (tracks: C1, C2, D)

Ilene Marder – flute (tracks. A, B)

Tom Schmidt – bass (tracks. A, B)

Eva Berger and Savia Berger – voice, sounds [initial sounds] (tracks: A. B)

Very rare original 1974? US private pressing on Creative Music Communication (Woodstock NY) (catalog # CMC 00101 / CMC Series No. 1) recording from Washington Square Church (Peace Church) with original gatefold sleeve. This two record set was recorded by Bob Cummins and distributed by his India Navigation label, but was a production of the Creative Music Foundation.

This is wonderful work in spacy and spiritual atmosphere. It's never released on a CD.

If you find it, buy this album!

LEROY JENKINS – Space Minds, New Worlds, Survival Of America (LP-1979)

Label: Tomato – TOM-8001

Format: Vinyl, LP, Album / Country: US / Released: 1979

Style: Free Jazz, Experimental

Recorded and mixed August / September 1978.

Design – Milton Glaser

Cover Photography By – Steve Salmieri

Engineer – James Mason

Liner Notes – Robert Palmer

Producer – Marty Cann

All compositions by Leroy Jenkins

Matrix / Runout (Runout Area Side A): TOM-8001-1 #4 34601

Matrix / Runout (Runout Area Side B): TOM-8001-2 #4 34601

Tracklist:

A  -  Space Minds, New Worlds, Survival Of America .......................................... 21:09

        I.  Blast Off Day (Love - Tolerance - Understanding)

        II.  Discovery (Knowledge - Doubt - Sensitivity)       

        III.  Euphoria (Beauty) 

        IV.  1984           

        V.  Self-Realization      

        VI.  Return Trip

B1 - Dancing On A Melody ..................................................................................... 4:37

B2 - The Clowns ..................................................................................................... 3:18

B3 - Kick Back Stomp ............................................................................................. 6:23

B4 - Through The Ages Jehovah ............................................................................ 3:05

Personnel:

Leroy Jenkins – violin

Richard Teitelbaum – synthesizer [modular Moog, micro Moog] (side A)

Anthony Davis – piano, electric piano

George Lewis – trombone, electronics

Andrew Cyrille – drums, percussion

Great Tomato label... What other imprint could boast a roster that included Doc Watson, John Cage, Townes Van Zandt, Harry Partch, Philip Glass and Sam Rivers? And of course Leroy Jenkins with his release from 1978, Space Minds, New Worlds, Survival of America. That this almost 40 years old artifact sounds as fresh as it does testifies to the vision of its creators.

The all star band includes Andrew Cyrille on drums, a young Anthony Davis on piano, George Lewis on trombone, and Richard Teitelbaum on Modular Moog/Micro Moog Systems. Teitelbaum, who would go on to further distinguish himself as a composer and performer, had played with George Lewis and Anthony Braxton. His unique programming on the Moog protects the session from quaint-sounding 38-year old electronics. The album features a long track with a wide spectrum of mood and well-integrated electronics from Lewis and Teitelbaum; the latter sits out on the last four cuts, which are all acoustic. Jenkins and company work wonders on the collective improvs, gracefully weaving and circling each other. But do not expect to get a jazz album here.

Space Minds, New Worlds, Survival of America represented Leroy Jenkins' first venture into a field where contemporary classical and jazz were beginning to merge, a more modern Third Stream. His quintet on the title suite includes Musica Elettronica Viva veteran Richard Teitelbaum on synthesizer, and also gives us one of trombonist George Lewis' first recorded forays into electronics. The piece uses extensive improvised passages, but both the written material and the rhythms employed are relatively distant from a jazz feel, though with Jenkins a strong blues affinity is never far beneath the surface. Much of it actually prefigures pianist Anthony Davis' work with his Episteme ensemble of a few years later, and one wonders if his experience with Jenkins was critical to his future development. The four subsequent tracks are acoustic, without Teitelbaum and with Lewis confined to trombone. They range through a similarly semi-classical landscape with a bit of jazzy emphasis on pieces like "Kick Back Stomp." But the true highlight of the session is the final song, "Through the Ages Jehovah," an utterly gorgeous melody that's reiterated by the violin and trombone over sumptuous accompaniment by Davis and Cyrille. It's one of those melodies that could go on forever; its brevity is its only fault. Space Minds... is a fine album, one of Jenkins' best outside of the Revolutionary Ensemble, and an excellent introduction to his world.

(_Review by Brian Olewnick)

If you find it, buy this album!

RICHARD TEITELBAUM & ANTHONY BRAXTON – Time Zones (LP-1977)

Label: Arista – AL 1037, Freedom – AL 1037
Format: Vinyl, LP, Album; Country: US - Released: 1977
Style: Free Jazz, Experimental
"Crossing" recorded live in concert on June 10, 1976 at the Creative Music Festival, Mt. Temper, New York and mixed at Sound Ideas, New York City. 
"Behemoth Dreams" recorded on September 16, 1976 at Bearsville Sound, Woodstock, New York.
Art Direction – Bob Heimall
Artwork [Cover Art] – Dennis Luzak
Design – Howard Fritzson
Photography By – Raymond Ross
Producer – Michael Cuscuna, Richard Teitelbaum
Vinyl Rip

Tracklist:
A - Crossing
Engineer [Mixing] – Jay Borden Engineer [Recording] – Bill Warrell 23:58
B - Behemoth Dreams
Engineer – Thomas Mark 21:20

Anthony Braxton – Sopranino Saxophone, Alto Saxophone, Bass Clarinet [Contrabass Clarinet]
Richard Teitelbaum – Synthesizer [Modular Moog, Micromoog], Liner Notes, Composed

... Now for Braxton and Teitelbaum. The only way I think you'll be put off is if you hate the sound of the contra bass clarinet, which I think has a wonderful sound. It actually has a much richer sound than the contra bass sax, which is an instrument that Braxton drags out now and again these days. I've heard that on some occasions Braxton will play this instrument with notes not too far apart in range and also in rapid succession. When he does this, the notes get blurred together because at this extremely deep range, it's just hard to distinguish the variations. But for the most part, Braxton is pretty deft on this unusual instrument. And I treasure this recording and would have paid 4 times as much just to get the two tracks because of not only Braxton's stellar performance on a scarcely heard instrument, but the very masterful performance on synthesyzers by Teitelbaum. I don't really know how the man procuces the sounds or what equipment he uses, but I know he and Braxton really get into some heavy meditations. Braxton is for the most part good about playing notes with sufficient intervals to be distinquishable, but he is just about as deft as he would be on his alto. Mainly what you notice is he can't go on and on. I mean he's got to empty his lungs to get notes out of that thing. It's really out there. I mean this stuff is not like anything I've heard. And as much as I like Braxton, I tend to think he could use a little innovation when he improvises. But here is something I've never heard from him or anyone else. If you're not sure, there are youtube videos of Braxton and Teitelbuam playing some of this stuff. That will give you an idea and incidentally sent me on a massive search to see if I could find any of the tracks upon which I was amazed that the album was less than four bucks. But I won't complain. Anyway, I think nuff said.

Review:

"With Anthony Braxton" was a credit printed on this album's front and back cover in a typeface only a notch smaller than Richard Teitelbaum's name. Braxton is everywhere here, and has everything to do with this album. He plays in duo with Teitelbaum the electronics maestro on the entire album, and surely engineered the deal to make it possible for his buddy to release the record on Arista, which at that point held an exclusive contract with Braxton himself. It was also Braxton who basically promoted Teitelbaum within the confines of the avant-garde free jazz scene, talking him up in interviews and fitting pieces involving him into several different recording projects. There are tastes of the duos these artists have created splashed through the Braxton discography like ice cream stains on a rumpus room rug. This album combines a summer's evening live concert with a studio session cut the following fall, and is quite an accurate document of their work together in the '70s, complete with Braxton's usual dedications, this time to Roscoe Mitchell and Maryanne Amacher. This duo was one of the great instrumental combinations of the '70s, the reed arsenal of Braxton and seemingly unlimited sonic arsenal of Teitelbaum coming together like two great French chefs with a hall full of guests to feed. Each man never seems to stop listening, not only to each other but to a greater force as well, as if in complete understanding of the ramifications of each development. This album should satisfy a listener's desire to hear truly imaginative and successful improvisation involving both electronic and acoustic instruments. The album was later reissued, under Braxton's name, as part of a Black Lion package.

_ By Eugene Chadbourne



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