Sunday, March 31, 2019

Frith Greaves Blegvad - ZU 12/19/78


ZU was a project of UK scenemaker Giorgio Gomelsky, who relocated to New York after helping launch the careers of the Rolling Stones and Yardbirds from his Crawdaddy Club as well as producing early sessions for John McLaughlin, Graham Bond, Alexis Koerner and Soft Machine. He was soon forcing the likes of Magma, Henry Cow and Plastic People Of The Universe on unsuspecting Americans as well as encouraging young Bill Laswell to form a band that became Material after backing Daevid Allen as ZU Band and New York Gong. The present concert took place some two months after Gomelsky's ZU Manifestival - the first progressive rock summit in the United States. Frith played several Manhattan solo shows around this time, including one at Artists Space in Soho where he harmonized with sirens passing in the street below. There was also a misguided booking at the Mudd Club, where devoted fans were refused admittance for showing up in jeans, stocking caps, long hair and pimples. I was once halfway through the door of this chic nitespot behind two downtown celebrity pals when a great arm came down like a railroad crossing gate. Quality control figured there was no way the two sharp suits had come with Travis Bickle. According to the wondrous Blegvad discography that appeared on the defunct idiot dog website, there should be a nine minute reading between Silence and Big Guns Theme, where there is an audible edit. At any rate, it's great to hear the tapers gasping in wonder as they experience their imported heroes in the flesh for the first time.

Fred Frith, John Greaves, Peter Blegvad
w/ Bill Laswell, Fred Maher, Lisa Herman, Eugene Chadbourne, Michael Beinhorn, Dr. Dan
ZU Loft, New York City, December 19, 1978

01 Milk
02 Mostly Twins And Trios
03 For Bearings
04 The Rose Sob
05 Silence
06 Big Guns Theme
07 Alcohol
08 Strayed
09 Actual Frenzy
10 22 Proverbs
11 Riding Tigers
12 A Little Something
13 improv
14 improv
15 improv
16 improv

Photograph from Peter Blegvad / Andy Partridge Orpheus booklet.

FLAC

Recent English Experimental Music - Audio Arts Magazine Volume 3 Number 2

As murky and distorted as any early Hendrix bootleg.

Recent English Experimental Music
Audio Arts Magazine Volume 3 Number 2 
1976 

01 Howard Skempton - Waltz
02 Christopher Hobbs - Aran
03 Christopher Hobbs - Three Piano Duets
04 Gavin Bryars - Ponukelian Melody
05 John White - Piano Duet 10
06 John White - Piano Duet 11
07 John White - Piano Duet 12
08 John White - Piano Duet 13
09 John White - Photo-Finish Machine
10 Michael Parsons - Piano Piece 5
11 James Lampard - The Caterpillar
12 Michael Nyman - The Otherwise Very Beautiful Blue Danube Waltz

deteriorating cassette FLAC

L'Orchestre National Jazz du Dahomey - Impressions Sonores du Benin 1968




A joint effort with Benin music enthusiast Oro, whose original post of NJD 002 was my introduction to these almost forgotten heroes. 002 is reposted here along with 001 & 003, my own recent finds, as natural bookends. Explore Oro for more National-Jazz and countless other African treasures.

L'Orchestre National Jazz du Dahomey
Impressions Sonore du Benin eps circa 1968

NJD 001
01 Gbèto Koclozin Dohoun
02 Homé Su Bu Dè Ko
03 Étoile Sportive de Porto-Novo

NJD 002
01 Ave N'Dé Gninan
02 Jerk-Houélié
03 Ablanon
04 Ade Wè Dji Vi Ton

NJD 003
01 To Hô Gnon
02 A Vespa Ya
03 De L'Argent

FLAC