Columbia
Columbia Records is the oldest surviving brand name in recorded sound, dating back to 1888, and was the first record company to produce pre-recorded records as opposed to blank cylinders. Today it is a premier subsidiary label of Sony BMG Music Entertainment, Inc.
The World Of Harry Partch
180 gram exact repro reissue, originally released in 1969. Classic Harry Partch, and the kind of record that's a great introduction to his music. There's lots of Partch's weird invented instruments – like chromelodeon, diamond marimba, mazda marimba, cloud-chamber bowls, gourd tree, and the crazy "spoils of war". "The World of Harry Partch collects three of his best short pieces. 'Daphne of the Dunes' (1967) is a side-long update of 'Windsong' written for dance. The melodic segments are given mo…
Bitches Brew
One of those records that keeps cropping up on Greatest Albums of All Time lists, and one whose historical significance can’t be denied — the crazy rhythms, the spirit of unconstrained innovation - and it's pure listening pleasure. "Thought by many to be among the most revolutionary albums in jazz history, Miles Davis' Bitches Brew solidified the genre known as jazz-rock fusion. The original double LP included only six cuts and featured up to 12 musicians at any given time, some of whom were alr…
Columbia-Princeton Electronic Music Center
Columbia-Princeton Electronic Music Center was an album of electronic music released in 1961. It was the recording of a concert performed at the McMillin Theatre (today called the Miller Theatre) at Columbia University on May 9 and 10, 1961. The Arel composition is completely electronic, with articulated signals over a continuous background texture. El-Dabh's composition, an "electronic drama," has a text drawn from the epic of Layla and Majnun, and consists primarily of tape manipulated instrum…
The End Of An Ear
At this point Wyatt was in between work with the Soft Machine and Matching Mole and was aided by the likes of Elton Dean (alto saxello), David Sinclair (organ), Mark Charig (cornet), Neville Whitehead (bass), Mark Ellidge (piano) & Cyril Ayers (percussion). Wyatt himself on drums, mouth, piano, organ. The album opens & closes with a baffling space-jazz 'cover' of Gil Evans' 'Las Vegas Tango' that is quite deep, and proceeds through various settings of psychedelic jazz, Gong-like jamming and free…
Third
The Soft Machine plunged deeper into jazz and contemporary electronic music on this pivotal release, which incited the Village Voice to call it a milestone achievement when it was released. It's a double album of stunning music, with each side devoted to one composition -- two by Mike Ratledge and one each by Hopper and Wyatt with substantial help from a number of backup musicians, including Canterbury mainstays Elton Dean and Jimmy Hastings The Ratledge songs come closest to fusion jazz althoug…