Manafonistas

I cannot say how much i love the EXPOSURES boxset by Mr. Fripp circling the years between 1977 and 1983. Frippertronics, Exposure in four editions, Surround, Stereo, and, well well well, God Save The Queen / Under Heavy Manners in toto, with never released tracks is one of the best surround experiences I ever had. Don‘t hesitate to enter Fripp‘s world on our blogroll.

And, in regards to my number two: Steve Tibbetts‘ oeuvre is criminally undersung. For its openness to distant horizons, its exploration of studio technology’s imaginative potential, its instrumental facility and sheer beauty, Tibbetts‘ music deserves much wider recognition. That said, no guitarist got more airplay on my Klanghorizonte nights between 1990 and 2021.

And, well, well, I imagine a listener who is adventurous and never before has encountered the music of Meredith Monk. Shangrila might be waiting for him. For this unknown reader I put Meredith‘s ECM box on Number 3. I never stopped returning (from time to time) to albums like Do You Be, Dolmen Music, Book Of Days and and and. Lifers!  Here‘s something about Meredith, Ingo‘s film.

Nothing is complete. Life a history of holes anyways. Thank you, and dance.

1. Robert Fripp: Exposures Boxset
2. Steve Tibbetts: Hellbound Train
3. Meredith Monk: The Recordings
4. Grounation: The Mystic Revelation of Rastafari
5. Julie Tippetts: Sunset Glow
6. Neil Young & Crazy Horse: Toast
7. The Beatles: Revolver (2-cd-set)
8. Kevin Rowland’s Dexy Midnight Runners: Too Rye Ay*
9. Brötzmann & Bennink: Schwarzwaldfahrt**
10. XTC: Mummer (vinyl edition, 2022)
11. Sun Ra: The Futuristic Sounds Of Sun Ra 
12. Branko Mataja: Over Fields And Mountains***
13. Jonathan Richman: Modern Lovers 88
14. Alva Noto & Ryuichi Sakamoto: Insen
15. Various: United Dreadlocks Vol. 1 & 2
16. Beverley‘s Rocksteady: In A Rocking Mood (1966-1968)
17. Norma  Tanega: I‘m In The Sky****
18. Albert Ayler: The 1970 Fondations Maeght Recordings
19. David Blue: Stories
20. Mavis Staples & Levon Helm: Carry Me Home

* „Let’s make this precious! Having twice before revisited Don’t Stand Me Down, Kevin Rowland now presided over a “director’s cut” of Dexys’ 1982 opus. Rowland’s plan, it transpired, was to reframe specific moments – backing vocals brought down an octave, a female speaking role replaced by Rowland, a trombone instead of a pennywhistle – as well as a general clean-up that added warmth and intimacy to their creator’s Celtic soul vision.“ (Uncut)

** a classic of FMP Records in the 70‘s, now wonderfully put together again, from the Viennese label for free music, TROST RECIRDS: the music, a book with a lot of unseen photos from that legendary trip to the Black Forest, and an insightful essay by David Keenan. i will probably celebrate this re-discovery and extended edition in my JazzFacts Magazine on January 12, 2023.

*** „Born in 1923, this Yugoslavian guitarist and luthier ended up in Hollywood, where he built guitars and recorded his own versions of the folk songs of his childhood land, unheralded as an artist in his lifetime. This first compilation of his wildly inventive work, however, revealed it to be strikingly ahead of its time, with the likes of “Duboko Je More” delaydrenched instrumentals that deserve to stand alongside the work of Eno, Lee Perry and Vini Reilly.“ (Uncut, thx for letting me discover this! – Steve T., you should listen to this one😉 – the last comparison is slightly over the top, but fascinating it definitely is. m.e.)

**** It’s been rewarding to observe, over the past half decade, blossoming interest in the songs and life of Norma Tanega. Her body of work was slight – two solo albums, plus a third, unreleased – but as this anthology confirmed, there was a lot there: an elliptical writer, with songs that mosey and meander, her tenderness and grasp of melody was nonetheless effortless. (Uncut quote  again, and every word is true)