Stars Like Grains of Sand

J ohn Cage / Robert Black, Eberhard Blum, Iven Hausmann, Gudrun Reschke, John Patrick Thomas, Jan Williams Ryoanji ★★ ★ ★ It's been a long time since I wrote something long. Almost two months; and during that period of time a lot has happened and it's involved a great range of emotions. And surprisingly, music really hasn't been something that I've turned to. It's been a mix of books and movies, and that's fine but I needed to return at some point. And while this is a daunting hour of music and something I was unfamiliar with, I'd heard good things and was interested in discovering what Cage had to say this time around. I really haven't delved into the later works of Cage, and this being composed between 1983 to 1985 makes it one of the more significant works of his later life. So the story goes that Cage visited Japan and while spending time there, stopped by Ryōan-ji, a Zen temple. The abstractness and fluidity of the rock garden, with i...

A Return Been traveling for a few weeks and taking more time with listening to new music. 

This Heat Deceit ★★ ★ ★ Finally coming around to wrapping up This Heat's very acclaimed album output with their sophomore release. While their first album seemed very industrial and mechanically oriented, This Heat comes with an undeniable humanity on this release. Like a plea to the world, but at the same time accepting whatever the future held for them. The cover is immediately off-putting; the photo collage shaped into a screaming face along with the cutout of an atomic bomb explosion right in the middle. To me, This Heat was very straightforward when it comes to the theme of this album. It focuses on destruction, annihilation, rebellion, and the disdain that existed at the time due to the Cold War and the entire world that was in a state of paranoia. It's the sound of a group that truly and firmly believes that their end was near. Compared to their first release, it's more calculated and explosive. There's more raw passion here and that's boosted...

Sonny Simmons Staying on the Watch ★★ ★ ★ The new school from the west coast makes its way to New York to strut their stuff on ESP. Simmons is the only player I recognize on this quintet recording, and that happens to be from his recording with three-fourths of the John Coltrane quartet, Illumination! . That album was a savory and exciting release from both the respected and innovative rhythm section, as well as the exploratory and curious horn players who were Sonny Simmons, Charles Davis, and Prince Lasha. Now, a couple years later Sonny Simmons arrives to show off his newly gained experience as well as the prowess of the members of his quintet. And it really is something to behold. I got some faint reminders of Billy Harper's album Black Saint . Not really with the soulfulness or grandeur, but a bit with the boundaries it was trying to push while still remaining lyrical and holding onto conventional song structure. It's actually much more sonically up to par t...

Fred Frith Guitar Solos ★★★½ When done right, guitar improvisations can be among my favorite form of music and sound. A key player in that field is Derek Bailey; his music has transformed the way I've understood improvised music especially that of the guitar. Now I haven't gotten around to listening to Fred Frith's music under his own name, but now is the time with his solo debut. I've known about Frith through his work in Art Bears and Zorn's group years later, but I didn't find him very memorable or outstanding. So I went into this album without a clear idea or bias regarding his music, though the album cover really did grab my attention. I heard that Frith was a classically trained violinist before beginning to play the guitar, and I think he brings in some of that 20th century theme regarding sound on this record. Frith is diverse, and it shows with the techniques he uses here as well as the instruments he plays on other projects. Each piece s...