|
Produced
by Alan Schneider © + ® 1997 No More Records
Recorded by Daniel Goldaracena on March 30, 1997
@ the loft of Alain Kirili and Ariane Lopez-Huici
Digital editing and mastering by Chris Flam @ Mindswerve
Studios, NYC Photographs by Ariane Lopez-Huci
Photo scanning by Jill Schneider and Liz Leggett
All songs by Billy Bang
Published by Ghazal Music (GAMMA) except for:
Swing Low Sweet Chariot (trad.), They Plan To Leave (by
Sun Ra / Enterplan/BMI), Music For The Love Of It (by Lawrence
Douglas ´Butch´ Morris/Advance Systems/BMI)
|
|
| This
solo violin date on an Easter Sunday afternoon is considered
to be one of the best recorded performances of Billy Bang
and his unique acoustic sound. Originals, spirituals and Sun
Ra to boot, Bang wows an invitation only audience with stories
and music. |
|
Producer´s
note
|
| |
Excerpt
from an interview with Billy Bang conducted by Alain Kirili
The concert was given on Easter. We decided to do something
that was a communion of my sculpture and your music. Can you
comment on what you decided to do on that day?
I couldn´t tell initially what the material was that the
sculpture is made out of. It looked hard, metallic, but then
it looks like it is made of wood. It is the combination of
the softness, the hardness and the shapes that helped inspire
me to play. This is where I get my connection from, particularly
for solo violin. In solo, you try to acquire as many artistic
references as you can. You try to get the separate influences
in the environment around you and channel it internally and
execute it as a meaningful expression. Aside from the artistic
levels of that day, it did bring religious and spiritual qualities
that I try to encompass in my music. (…)
All the sounds of the concert were acceptable to the ear.
There was a human touch from very deep to very light, when
it got abstract, it was very different from John Cage. Cage
would use a sound that would equal the material of an object
to the voice. In your music, the human material is superior
and a priority.
The symbols that I use in my music are contrary to the
western pre-conceived concepts. Perhaps it is something embedded
in me over a long period of time that comes out. The more
I deny my western education, the more I understand the alternative
or an optional understanding of life. I try to blend them
both because I am western, particularly American, and at the
same time I have a lot of Southern African roots in me and
I really try to incorporate them all, not deny them, but when
you bring the two together to find a harmony with both of
the cultural differences, then you come up with something
that is not the norm for most people. (…) |
|
See
booklet
|
| |
About
No More Records:
The underground/underdog American label documenting the
current movements in the NYC Jazz/Improv scene. The label
specializes in less commercial recordings that would go undocumented
but we feel that these recordings are the defining aspects
of an artist’s career. The emphasis has been in utilizing
the best recording techniques to capture solo, duo and small
groups; highlighting the great uniqueness of the artist with
their sound and visions. |
Alan
Schneider
|
