Night With a Viking

Moondog - The Viking Of Sixth Avenue (2005) {Honest Jon's Records HJRCD18}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 325 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 171 Mb | Artwork | 5% repair rar
© 2005 Honest Jon's Records | HJRCD18
Classical / Jazz / Avant-Garde / Modern Classical / Minimal / Experimental / Third Stream

Moondog, much like Sun Ra, was a notorious musical eccentric whose reputation almost certainly reached more ears than his music (the use of a Mr. Scruff remix in a commercial doesn't count). Also like Sun Ra, Moondog was a serious and idiosyncratic composer/musician who jumped from label to label and even resorted to self-releasing material back before there the D.I.Y. ethic was a movement. Viking of Sixth Avenue is the first compilation that spans more than one label, and therefore serves as probably the best introduction to Moondog's music that's out there. The music covers a lot of territory: from full orchestras to solo performances and from brief rhythmic percussion exercises to vocal rounds to swinging horns or dulcimers.

Using location recordings, weather, birdsong and radio, BJ Nilsen (Hazard) continues to map and explore uncharted territory. A follower to 2005's "Fade to White", BJ Nilsen develops his work further, based on field recordings and electronics. This time he adds harsher yet clearer harmonies with musical elements to the compositions, creating a beautifully complex and detailed study. Recorded in 2006-7 with mostly analogue equipment, using up to 50 year-old tapemachines, filters and generators that end up being the soft cushion in these cold location recordings.