October is upon us, and with it comes new vibrations for the seasonal shift. This month's episode of THE GREEN PATH brings an expansive set, with a selection of works at the crossroads of acoustic guitar and electronic drone, and sounds spanning the foundations of trombone ambient, private press indigenous folk, cosmic free swing, visionary science sound, aeolian harp jazz, and beyond!
Non-stop music on the program, so we’ve included a few notes along with the full playlist below.
Starting things off with an excerpt of the wonderful "Crystals: New Music for Relaxation 2" LP from Craig Kupka. Originally released in 1982, Trombones of Lithia opens the outer reaches of the mind, and serves as a valuable reminder of the under appreciated power of the trombone as a drone instrument. More please! The work has been thankfully reissued on deluxe vinyl by Smithsonian Folkways, remastered from the original master tapes and packaged in classic tip-on jackets with original liner notes, for which we are eternally grateful.
A. Paul Ortega was a legendary Native American musician holding top positions in the Mescalero Apache tribe. He was a traditional healer, tribal council member, elder, and mentor, and began self-releasing his own music as early as 1964. Ortega's work draws upon many aspects of Native culture, blending the strummed guitar of country blues with traditional chant and song, and using storytelling narratives to amplify the Native civil rights movement, addressing the harsh realities and struggles of displacement, forced relocation, and governmental suppression. His songs confront what it meant to be a Native American in modern times, and the sound is timeless, providing an important voice for the contemporary Native experience. The track "Four Ways" on this episode is taken from Ortega's incredible 2nd album "Three Worlds", and has recently been made available on ultra-limited cassette and digital formats by Physical Books and Media, whom we thank for keeping this wonderful music alive.
The extraordinary Professor Bruce Lacey was a visionary artist and creative genius, anarchist spirit, eccentric composer, experimental film maker, synthesist, robot builder, paleo-cybernetician, environmental coordinator, and musical improviser, and “The Spacey Bruce Lacey” compilations on Trunk are invaluable launch pads for diving into his incredible world of homemade electronics, experimental film soundtracks and post-modern theatrical experiments. The track Ancient Sources 8 is a glittering gob of glorious science fiction gurgle from the soundtrack to Lacey's Ancient Forces show in '79 at Acme Gallery, following the concepts of astro-archeology, and seeking to re-sanctify the natural environment and oneself. For more, check out Jeremy Deller's cool doc "The Bruce Lacey Experience".
The Powers/Rolin Duo have been on a hot streak with a string of mystic offerings appearing over the past year in various formations. The “Strange Fortune” LP on Astral Editions is a welcome embrace, with "Drifts" delivering a light filled expanse of harmonious ascension and warm air, spanning the spaces between acoustic drone, cosmic improvisation, and extended technique. Infinite string shimmer, comforting and crucial.
I Hold Dearly (For Miles) from the quartet of Jusell, Prymeck, Sage and Shiroishi stands as a holy shift in space, nearly warping time itself. From the remarkable “Natsukashii (懐かしい)” album on Cached Media, we highly suggest investigating everything this crew lays hands on. They stay busy, pay attention. The upcoming "Hidemi" solo LP from Shiroishi drops at the end of the month, and will undoubtedly slay, awaiting with bated breath.
Eric Arn has been guitar-slinging since back in the 80’s, with a string of more recent solo works on labels like Slooow and Feeding Tube. On his latest album “Higher Order” on Carbon Records, Arn delivers a series of instrumental guitar pieces spanning several dimensions of approach and technique, some decidedly more mangled than others. We found ourselves irresistibly drawn into the deep drift departure of the heady album closer Greets The Dawn, morning drone ascendant.
Moon Glyph has been bringing the heat, with a steady stream of new high caliber head food consistently on offer, and the recent “Simultaneous Systems” cassette from Landon Caldwell & Flower Head Ensemble is certainly one to swoon over. The free, cosmic spirit of Life Underground clears the head nicely. Landon keeps busy, the recent "91 Minutes of Ocean Music" is also a lovely liquid to soak in, vibes for days.
We’re still absorbing Daniel Bachman’s great “Axacan” 2xLP from earlier this year on Three Lobed, and have found deep resonance in each and every groove. With the track Blue Ocean 0, Bachman delivers a cool gust of salty, sea air. Hydration through harmonic frequency, breathe deeply.
Life Lives is one of many musical entities from the mystery anonymous artist known as Robyn Nice (aka Boots, Terry, C.C., Jim Collins, etc). With the track "Rainbow" offering a lilting Andromeda tone, free swing cosmos language for these latter days. According to Discogs, there are are few credited players to connect the normally absent dots on this one, namely Matthew Lux, who put out the great Contra/Fact album on Astral Spirits in 2017. Explore the unofficial, but extensive Robyn Nice Bandcamp, worth digging into.
Thankful for new work to appear from Tuluum Shimmering, and while the scope of the massive new “Sun Bird” album may seem daunting with nearly four hours (!!!) of music, it’s proven to be worth each moment spent. Escape mode through upward trajectory and deep, spacious groove. Truly a blessing. The Tullum website is worth a visit, bearing an expanse of hidden treasures within.
We're grateful for the music of Joseph Allred, known for their angel's touch upon instruments of all kinds, and with noteworthy releases on labels like Feeding Tube, Garden Portal, and Worried Songs, but with the self-released album Pure Land, Allred presents a full immersion into tonal shift, an expanding echo of resonating current. "The Sun, Perennial" opens a window into new realms of thought and understanding, enter well. Allred's Instagram @poorfaulkner bears infinitely inspired improvisations and documents of near daily works for guitar, lute, harmonium, clarinet, autoharp, banjo and more. A joy worth sharing.
Another cool pull recently was Jan Garbarek's '77 LP "Dis", with Jan's sax and wood flute accompanied by Ralph Towner on guitars and with the unique inclusion of an Aeolian harp. The instrument was hand-built by Sverre Larssen and recorded by Jan Erik Kongshaug on the coast of Southern Norway, capturing the harp as played by the powerful winds of the North Sea, forming the harmonic base of the work. A directional focus of nature's breath, listen closely.
We close with a brief excerpt from the great Joel Andrews, wielder of the holy golden harp, sound healer, tree speaker, and bringer of light, from the '75 album "Locrian Invocation". Joel has a fascinating book called "Miracles through Music, The Odyssey of a Music Healer", which purports to share true stories of the many miracles brought through his own music. Are you a believer?
Program broadcast Monday, October 11th at 10pm CST on CAMP Radio: http://listen.camp/
Each episode will be archived HERE and shared through The Green Path mixcloud account: https://www.mixcloud.com/TheGreenPath/
PLAYLIST:
CRAIG KUPKA - Trombones of Lithia (excerpt)
from “Crystals: New Music for Relaxation 2” LP (Smithsonian Folkways, 1982 / 2020)
A. PAUL ORTEGA - Four Ways
from the album “Three Worlds” (Waltiska, 1974 / Physical, 2021)
BRUCE LACEY - Ancient Forces 8
from “The Spacey Bruce Lacey - Film Music And Improvisations Vol. 1” LP (Trunk, 2014)
POWERS / ROLLINS DUO - Drifts
from the “Strange Fortune” LP (Astral Editions, 2021)
JUSELL, PRYMECK, SAGE, SHIROISHI - I Hold Dearly (For Miles)
from the album “Natsukashii” (Cached Media, 2021)
ERIC ARN - Greets The Dawn
from the album “Higher Order” (Carbon Records, 2021)
LANDON CALDWELL & FLOWER HEAD ENSEMBLE - Life Underground
from the “Simultaneous Systems” cassette (Moon Glyph, 2021)
DANIEL BACHMAN - Blue Ocean 0 (excerpt)
from the “Axacan” 2LP (Three Lobed, 2021)
LIFE LIVES - Rainbow
from the s/t “Life Lives” LP (Delta Records, 2004)
TULUUM SHIMMERING - Searching for a Grove to Rest In (excerpt)
from the album “Sun Bird" (Tuluum Shimmering Records, 2021)
JOSEPH ALLRED - The Sun, Perennial
from the album “Pure Land” (self-released, 2020)
JAN GARBAREK - Dis
from the album "Dis" LP (ECM, 1977)
JOEL ANDREWS - Locrian Invocation (excerpt)
from the album "Locrian Invocation" (Full Circle, 1975)
Portions of this program have been sourced from vinyl and cassette formats.
Thanks for listening!