when the time comes to act - act!

the night before his gig at sinclair auditorium in 1978 (the anniversary of which is tomorrow) robbie basho played four songs at the deli natural restaurant, cedar rapids, iowa (july 21, 1978). here he is singing "omar khayamm country" a song that was never featured on any of his publicly released albums.

horsemouth has been out sunbathing and this has cheered him up. he has been waiting for problems to solve themselves and reading umberto eco and jean-claude carriere’s this is not the end of the book. he was a little uncertain about reading it so he started reading the chapters in reverse order (it seems to be working).

it’s an amiable book where two old duffers (known for their interest in books) talk about books.

in the sun, on the decking in the back garden, with the odd seagull cry, it is like the seaside.

eco and carriere answer questions such as ‘what will happen to your book collections when you die?’ (this is the last chapter in fact). but this is a bigger problem for your average book-loving schmo rather than your published author. your published author can give his carefully curated collection to a university or a museum or a library, your average schmo is threatened with his life’s collection (all those good friends) going in a skip (or at best off to the charity shop to be distributed to the four winds a purchase at a time).

of course a similar question would arise should horsemouth decide to (re)move from the seaside towns (not that his library is carefully curated you understand). there are the gothics, shading into the decadents and such like; there are the russians (the poles etc.) - but what about russian decadents?; there is all that theory (the frankfurt schoolers versus the normaliens), there are the french 19th century novelists and their relay race across the century - balzac handing off to flaubert, balzac and hugo at the start, zola and maupassant at the end; then there are the books on music (as pointless an activity as could be wished for).

his music collection is much reduced. except for his own music (that he has kept close). the CDs get played (some of them). the vinyl stays in its sleeves and in its boxes. the cassettes are long gone (most of them). when the time comes act. meanwhile...

fahey week 2020 day 7 - fahey week ends (basho day)

fahey week ends for 2020 with basho day. it is the anniversary of the birth of john fahey and the death of robbie basho on the chiropractor’s couch. basho was a big fellow plagued with back trouble. unlike fahey who lived long enough to repudiate his earlier ‘cosmic sentimentalism’ basho didn’t and he probably wouldn’t have. while also coming from takoma park basho’s vision was a lush religious, romantic one. basho sings too, often wordless and yearning, there are spoken word interludes and dedications to his guru.

to go all biblical the american primitives begat the wyndham hill new age guitar school. while fahey embraced electric guitar, noise collages and song titles such as the death and disembowelment of the new age, basho let himself be recorded by wyndham hill and arguably produced his best work visions of the country. but it wasn’t what the new age-ers were looking for.

‘on the third day of brexmas my truelove gave to me, three dancers dancing, two bouts of drinking, a diary of a snail and a bag of chips for one pound fifty’

'empires crumble my friend, republics founder and fools survive.’
‘bravo, m. ségalot, ça c'est du meuble !’

anna karina (wearing a fedora) gets up to dance. there’s been a brief discussion as to the moves (which the third dancer wasn’t a part of). m. ségalot interrupts but it all goes off well. every once in a while the music will stop but they will keep on dancing, you can hear their handclaps and foot stomps while the narrator tells us what will happen. godard asserts his authority over the scene at the same time as he breaks the laws of realism in film to show us how the apparatus works.

she’s dead. she’s gone.



over on john fahey and american primitive guitar horsemouth has landed a resonance fm show about robbie basho, his 12 string guitar has been found as have boxes of master recordings some of which have never been released before (exciting times). about 20 people have liked it, it seems to have peaked there.

yesterday (actually the second day of brexmas) horsemouth went round pete’s flat and they dd some work on pete’s tunes (and played a few of the old ones just to keep their hands in). pete fed him (thank you pete) they had a few glasses of red wine and discussed events. today (actually the third day of brexmas) horsemouth will either do some administrations or shuffle them off until tomorrow.

'the big wheel of heaven came down over the little wheel of daily life'

there is a late photo of robbie basho (1985) from a newspaper article a year or so before his death - it is the anniversary of his birth today - horsemouth will be listening to some of his music, he recommends you do the same. the sun is up and peeking through the trees. horsemouth has had his (instant) coffee. robbie basho was mightily cosmic (horsemouth less so).

howard always laughs a bit when horsemouth claims to be influenced by these finger-pickers (basho, fahey etc.), as he did to howard’s next door neighbour yesterday, simply because horsemouth doesn’t put enough work in to be able to play those complicated fingerpicking patterns. frankly he tends to play carter-style (tune in the bass and a chord to keep time) and keep it simple (the better to facilitate singing and recording).

yesterday horsemouth, howard and pete recorded a good solid version of the devil song - horsemouth thanks howard for working through despite having been to the dentist in the morning and pete for adding some double bass at short notice. horsemouth recorded a guitar pass, a vocal, a vocal of him saying the devil at various opportune moments and a ukulele part (broadly a bolero). they recorded two tracks of pete’s bass. he’s pleased (at last he has it in the can).

that’s the end of the recording for this year - now they will import the recordings into cubase and start fiddling about with it whenever they have a spare moment.

to celebrate the end of recording horsemouth and howard adjourned at the sign of the owltopus for a thai curry and a couple of pints. sadly the girl with the owltopus tattoo and the large dude with the beard were gone and the music has gone terrible. still the food and beer was good.

‘bibliometricians are the curse of the age’ (horsemouth sunk beneath taxation)

could this be the mash-up of robbie basho's 'mountain man's farewell' and 'il grande silenzio' by sergio corbucci (beloved of the broadway market cafe occupiers) - indeed it is.

horsemouth is cited hardly anywhere but then, mind you, he doesn’t have to justify his employment on the basis of how many times he has been cited.

as horsemouth has remarked earlier he is now earning so little that he fails to bother the tax system (instead the tax system bothers him - watch his usual panic in january). (next year/ next term sandwiches, salads, a flask of coffee and more taking the bus for horsemouth).

last night he watched cat o' nine tails an early hitchcock-esque giallo thriller by dario argento with a soundtrack by ennio morricone (as indeed does il grande silenzio)

robbie basho and the paramusical ensemble

ok grey day (so far). bbc weather said sun. but then it is, to mix superstitions, friday 13th in a monkey year.



so horsemouth has discovered yet another basho collaborator lurking in the basho archive - allain ribback - drone guitarist (and enthusiast for paramusic) who basho met in new york whilst preparing for his first album seal of the blue lotus (by going on a huge roadtrip).

'from toronto, robbie took a bus to new york and spent three days and nights, sleepless, looking for a place to stay. finally, he was rescued by a fraction of French painters who traded him bed for board. robbie worked the basket houses in the village until he was fired for being non-commercial. at the same time he fell in with allain ribback who was working with paramusic. 

a short and perhaps unjust description of the idea behind the music is: a group of nonprofessional musicians intensively play together until they achieve a music which is expressive of the group as a whole. robbie did some work with allain and the black lotus - hymn to fugen was recorded during this period.... The financial assistance gotten from ribback kept robbie alive for two weeks and enabled him to return to the west coast. '
(from robbie basho archive -http://www.robbiebasho-archives.info/en/rb_spots.html)

as basho writes in his sleeve notes for  seal of the blue lotus;

‘ black lotus - hymn to fugen a blackwash painting of tonalities in the realm of the black lotus. I am aided by wodden organ, drums and templebells. I am also very indebted to allain ribback on drone guitar. he made these pieces possible. fugen is the goddess of the lotus sutra, of charity, of gentleness. this is a hymn of deep spiritual passion rising and falling and finally rolling on the carpet of the clear with the aid of sweet bhikshu bells.'

here paramusic is the name of a movement rather than the usual use in musicology as part of paramusical describing the connotations etc. of music (the things involved in music that are not directly music).

horsemouth has found out little about this movement so far - he has unearthed a performance by the paramusical ensemble comprising of four severely motor-impaired patients (significantly some ex-musicians) and a string quartet at the Royal Hospital for Neuro-disability, London, on 17 July 2015 using brain monitoring equipment to participate in a piece for a string quartet designed by eduardo reck miranda.

Paramusical Ensemble from cinema iloobia on Vimeo.


interestingly his researches (a few poorly thought out google searches) also threw up a most attali like book the sense of sound: musical meaning in france, 1260-1330 by emma dillon, focusing on charivari and carnival - music/ noise making as protest (following bakhtin) - in this it is more like michael channan’s work than attali’s.

robbie basho - duets and accompanists (and a choir) take two

the story so far; stung by a comment on nts radio, about basho being anti-social and so not playing much with other musicians, horsemouth went in search of the musicians basho had played with - he thinks the list goes something like this,

- the violin on  rocky mountain raga by Toni Talia Marcus
- the tabla player on robbie basho's roses and snow (from the album song of the stallion)- one William Wright.
- South Indian mridangam player Ramnad V. Raghavan who played on both of basho's albums zarthus and the voice of the eagle.
 - Susan Graubard – flute on tassajara from the Falconer's Arm I recorded in 1967.

these musicians he discussed in yesterday's post. in addition there are the following,

- Victor Chancellor - drone guitar on Eagle Sails the Blue Diamond Waters (horsemouth has been able to find out exactly nothing about him, any news gratefully received)
- Moreen Libet – viola, and Kreke Ritter – french horn, on Song for the Queen,  from Venus in Cancer.

on new llhasa new year's chorale from basho sings (early album on takoma - a very fahey title), we find quote unquote ‘THWAP---Supplied by Scooter Woodriff - harp guitar’. (about whom horsemouth has been able to find out nothing more).

plus oriental love song recorded in February of 1965 and first released on Robbie Basho's the grail and the lotus album was originally a song with words by Mary Koth an ex- new york schoolteacher. (about whom horsemouth has been able to find out nothing more).

he thinks this is Moreen Libet here (but it could just be  a popular name).

 - this just leaves the consortium choir directed by David Hogan on land of our fathers (hopi hymn)  from bouquet above.

David Hogan was a busy choir director, organist and composer, co-founder of the Walden School. In 1979 he moved to California to become director of music for the Consortium of the Arts, a school of continuing education which offers programs for children and adults in the San Francisco Bay area and Washington, D.C. He also served as music director for the Meher School, an innovative private primary school in Lafayette, California.

He died in the explosion that destroyed a TransWorld Airlines jet over Long Island, N.Y on July 17, l996.

robbie basho duets and accompanists (take 1)

encouraged (nay stung) by a comment on NTS's radio show on robbie basho hosted by throwing shade and robbie dawson (about basho being essentially solitary) horsemouth decided to investigate robbie basho's duets, musical collaborations and what had become of the musicians he played with.



he begins with the violin on rocky mountain raga by Toni Talia Marcus who studied Ali Akbar Khan, Pandit Pran Nath and has played with Ornette Coleman, Carla Bley's Jazz Composers Orchestra, La Monte Young, Tony Conrad, and Alan Sorrenti and David Jackson of Van der Graaf Generator (and worked with Van Morrison).  the best source on her is probably the german wikipedia article https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toni_Marcus

in particular she plays on carla bely's tropical appetities 




she was a child prodigy (as the following clip makes clear) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B-Cl3-SUp_c



ALAS  horsemouth has been able to find out exactly nothing about the tabla player on robbie basho's roses and snow (from the album song of the stallion)- one William Wright. (any news gratefully received)

and so on..

both of basho's albums zarthus and the voice of the eagle feature South Indian mridangam player Ramnad V. Raghavan who'd also played with John McLaughlin (as part of shakti)  Ali Akbar Khan / L. Subramaniam and Maynard Ferguson (probably best known as the trumpet player who wrote the rocky theme music - no not eye of the tiger). this probably makes him the longest serving of any of basho's accompanists.

next up with Susan Graubard – flute on tassajara  from the Falconer's Arm I recorded in 1967 - now Susan Graubard Archuleta she's probably most famous for having been in an early improv folk ensemble called  the new age.

   

'come in. I hear a voice. come inside...'

horsemouth is back from a screening of voice of the eagle a film about the life and music of robbie basho at the VUE piccadilly (central london basement multiplex). it was shown as part of the london raindance film festival which continues. there was a short Q and A at the end with the film’s frighteningly young maker liam barker.


horsemouth got there early and bought one of the last four tickets but was surprised to discover only one other person in the screening room when he got down there. (he turned out to be a sufi who’d tried to promote robbie basho gigs with not much interest in 78 or so - he’d also managed a duo who’s died in a car crash who were now (moderately) famous due to their horror movie soundtracks - does that sound familiar to anyone? horsemouth didn’t catch the name.) 

of course for the price of a cinema ticket in central london horsemouth could have gone to the launch gig at cafe oto seen 3 modern guitarists and bought a beer (but hey then he wouldn’t have been out at the bermondsey folk festival).

the sufi guy was soon in conversation with the IT textbook writer next to him who praised the old ways - the juxtapositions of music created by the limited number of radio stations in the UK and blamed algorithms for the narrowing of people’s tastes if you like...then...(horsemouth actually thinks it goes the other way - he listens to a broader range of music now than he used to. what the wire shows is the mainstreaming of eclectic tastes. the internet/ social media has brought much that was lost back. look at this film - kickstarter funded, digitally edited, almost impossible to make without email).

the room filled up. the film began - it’s a little overlong. it has a natural end with basho’s death and funeral service (the sufis danced and scattered rose petals in a circle). but then it must continue, to steffan basho-junghens, to track down basho’s ‘lost’ recordings and artefacts - his guitar, his guitar case, a harmonium.

the sufi guy liked the film - he’d got to see all his friends of the meher spiritual center in myrtle beach - afterwards the sufis had split some remaining with the temple some going their own way. pete townshend was actually good on this (as a follower of meher baba himself) - the sufis are goofy in love - a quality you find in basho.

"the moon and sun are travelers through eternity. even the years wander on...'

horsemouth has worked and walked back home and has had a little nip of pastis to celebrate (he will now have a coffee to sober back up and probably fry some potatoes). horsemouth has been listening to robbie basho's two concerts from Coe College's Sinclair Auditorium and to an unreleased rarity death song, basho uses his wordless singing the way most rock bands would use a lead guitar solo - to take him up and beyond.

beautiful golden autumn sunlight is shining into his room - horsemouth would like more beautiful autumn sunlight to shine in his room but without rearranging the building it is impossible.

horsemouth has a plan to tour around the sun - if a leeway of a week is allowed - horsemouth has already played the summer solstice 21/06 (on 28/06 as part of musicians of bremen at ayesha's secret house party), lammas (9/08) on 6/08 for tim goldie's abject bloc, the autumn equinox... musicians of bremen lamentably failed to play on but they did manage samhain (well halloween) on 31/10 at cafe bohemia. horsemouth has a cunning plan to play the winter solstice (21/12) on the 20/12 as a solo gig (more details soon). of such bodging and haggling is his life made. but it feels good to get his musical endeavours in sync (sort of) with the heavens. thereafter his next gig should be early february (imbolc/ groundhog day) midway between this and the vernal equinox is fahey week (incorporating basho day) - horsemouth will try to get blue crystal fire (by robbie basho) an airing.

today is the anniversary of the death of the poet matsuo bashō (from whom robbie basho took his name);

 "The moon and sun are travelers through eternity. Even the years wander on. Whether drifting through life on a boat or climbing toward old age leading a horse, each day is a journey, and the journey itself is home.”

variations on austerity

horsemouth is listening to robbie basho live at sinclair auditorium, leo kottke studies with basho then records a track called easter, it's a pretty thing basho admits, basho was revenged  in a track called variations on easter. even among the bearded writers of steel-stringed guitar soli there is envy and jealousy driving innovation.

yesterday afternoon horsemouth got that good sunlight into his flat, he read the copy of the ft left by his drop on thursday (still no stock worth picking) - the losses of 2008 have been made up (by whose labour?) and it's as if they never happened, except for the recommendation of austerity for the poor, strangely that's not over. and yet even more strangely the amount spent  by the government (out of taxation) on housing benefit to people in employment , the subsidy just to enable the workers to pay their rent, will soon stand at  5 billion a year. surely, in a 'functioning' economy,  this should be covered out of the workers wages paid by the capitalists? - and who benefits from this subsidy? the owners of the property (the rentier class) and the owners of the businesses (who get to pay less wages). of course nothing is so dangerous as being in bed with the government relying on their money and policy. it only takes some bright policy wonk to notice that a certain policy would be popular (even if actually unworkable) for it to be implemented with catastrophic results for the plebs and the low level rent seekers - take a look at the bedroom tax. 

... and then there's those zero hours contracts taking the risk out of employment (for the capitalists) - you've seen on the waterfront- pushing this risk (the need to get enough work) onto the employee. of course the new communications technologies make this easier, the  new spirit of capitalism  (being flexible and all that shit) migrates down the foodchain in a strange kind of race to the bottom as capitalism moves to shed what is unwieldy and inflexible to be a perpetual start-up,- or is it, isn't it just farming out the risk (whilst keeping a tight grip on the reward).

basho has a song based on a navaho chant  moving up a-ways about how spirit moves on up through the soil and the plants and the animals and the humans 'to the sun, we are one',but that isn't what's going on here.