The Wire Magazine 1995-01

68 Pages·3.8 MB·English

adventures in modern music

inside
A Guy Called Gerald
Kodwo Eshun meets a Jungle auteur
Jim O’Rourke
John Corbett encounters an avant minstrel
Barry Guy
N|ck Kimberley experiences bass desires
Records Of The Year
From Ambient to Improv to Out Rock, all of 1994’s finest music listed at your fingertips
1994: Rewind
Hire writers spool back through the sonic highlights of the last 12 months
Julian Cope’s History Of Can
The continuing saga of Krautrock and the greatest Kosmische Musik group of all
New Complexity Techno
The future is complicated say Global Communication, Black Dog, Bedouin Ascent and Sahko
s Sounding Off
New Year news, live events, TV and radio, plus Mr Bell Considers...
10 Bites
Ornette Coleman, Earthling, Errtt Graham Haynes, 9 Lazy 9
14 Letter From. . . Albania
Deep Purple, Italian ragga, folk roots under threat, music coming in from the cold..
18 Subscribe
And blag a FREE copy of Isolationism, The Hire's Compilation Of The Year
22 Invisible Jukebox: John Peel
Dave Morrison puts everyone's favourite DJ to the test
66 Letters/Competition
Readers write; plus win a copy of George Lipsitz's Dangerous Crossroads
Print Run
New books Mapping music's global tradewinds
Multimedia Watch
The Rolling Stones and Coldcut on the Net; plus the pick of the interactive year
Soundcheck
The boldest, baddest and best album review section in the West
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soundim
and assisted by Eric Mingus (ah John Stevens, the late free drummer, is commemorated in two live events
um), a number of Jarman's short in January. The first, entitled 'The Blessing Light, is on New Year's Day at the
films will be soundtracked live by Purcell Room on London's South Bank (071 928 8800, 7:30 pm, tickets
Coil and Sussex underground £8). It features 26 musicians all influenced by his life, art and teaching,
sound crew Slack..//! The Shadow including Claire Martin, Eric Mingus (Charles's son), Phil Minton, Maggie
Of The Sun, with music by Nichols, Evan Parker, Eddie PrSvost, Paul Rutherford, Kenny Wheeler and
Throbbing Gristle, also gets a Norma Winstone. The music will take the form of two suites, "Blue" and "The
screening. Entry is £6/£4 cones; Blessing Ught", comprising some of Stevens's final compositions. The second
phone [phone] for details. memorial, called 'In Relation To The Circumstance', has been organised by
Evan Parker, and takes place at London's Conway Hall on 14 January (2
pm-11 pm, £ 10/£8 LMC members). There's a similarly extensive and stellar
line-up, incorporating as many of the musicians and approaches the
drummer worked with throughout his career as possible, including Barry Guy,
Columbia Hall (14), Bristol Fleece Lol Coxhill, John Russell, Steve Beresford, Byron Wallen, Gary Crosby, Paul
And Firkin (16), Portsmouth Burwell, Jim Dvorak, Mark Sanders, and others. Turn up and pay tribute to
Wedgewood Rooms (17), and free music's lost pathfinder.
London LA2 (18), and more to be
announced in February. Support on
The Chill Out Label host a night all dates apart from Dublin comes ‘Anthony Manning 94* The should call Jacqui on 071 720
of sheer bliss at the Subterainia in from Bettie Servieert drawing was part of Manning's 9440.
West London on 25 January. Its in personal collection, and there is a
honour of the release of a new EP No Electronic Lounge this month, reward of £500 offered for its Jazz Rumours rumbles on into
by the urban groove collective, but Robin Rimbaud’s 'digital pub' return. Anyone with information the New Year, with dates for The
Slowly (with remixes by Autechre, will resume activities at the ICA in
Pentatonik, The Drum Club and February. Meanwhile at that other
D'Note), who headline the show. site of progressive electronic beats
Support is from new signings Tribal 'n' textures, Quirky (Fridays at the
Drift, and DJing comes courtesy of Vox in South London, 071 737
the Radio Three Mixing It posse. 2095, £6), expect live sets by
Ultramarine, Laika and Zurich
Derek Jarman's life and work is to during January.
be represented on a new CD-ROM
entitled England Through The A plea from Irdial Records
Saying Glass, and there'll be a first concerning their November
chance to view it at a performance evening at the Electronic Lounge:
evening at Brighton's Zap Club on an original piece of art by Anthony
25 January. Its a night of avant Manning was removed from the
garde interactivity: compered by exhibition area while he was
The Devil's Chauffeur from a performing live. It is described as a
stretch limousine outside the black and white drawing of a face,
building (relayed inside by video), 5" by 7", in a black frame, signed
Marcio Matters Quartet (1 January); £7/£5 ICA members/concs; Box
Phil Minton, John Butcher, Veryan Office 071 930 3647.
Weston and Roger Turner (8); Mr BelU, . .
KPaeuitlh D Tuipnpmeattl’ls, TDorneya mLetvimine a (n1d5 T);h e Considers
Invisible String Quartet (22); Tony
Marsh Quartet (29). At the Vortex Decca recording, showing the
Jazz Bar, North London (071 254 confrontational side of the
6516), £4/£3 cones. composer's output as a 1920s Just being in Knightsbridge makes me
young blade. Now you can hear nervous, but tonight I have to play for
Disobey, Disobey (so good they four extracts from the cycle, played Knightsbridge people in a Knightsbridge shop.
named it twice) — the Blast First by The London Sinfonietta on 15 The shop is called Egg, and it's in such a
club with attitude is off to New January at London's Barbican discreet, atmospheric, undiscovered back
York this month, so no show at The Centre (071 638 8891,5 pm). street that I’m not even going to say where it
is. Anyway, tonight they have the opening of
premises of the legendary Knitting Harrison Birtwistle’s music can an exhibition by Sally Hampson. I'm going to
Factory (74 Leonard Street, NY, be heard performed by the BBC play in the background, in a discreet,
NY 10013,tel:[phone] Scottish Symphony Orchestra as atmospheric, undiscovered sort of way.
3658), they'll be stitching together part of their Cutting Edge season at I’m not sure how I feel about live music in
the homegrown talents of Band Of Glasgow's Tramway Hall (041 227 shops. If I suspect a restaurant has live music
Susans with noisy Euro-mongrels 5511). Alongside the world I tend to eat elsewhere. Live music on cross¬
Einheit Brotzmann, as well as the premiere of Sally Beamish's Violin channel ferries is usually just something to
usual fare from Stewart Home and Concerto, you can hear Still laugh at. A friend suggested that larger
DJ Beekeeper (19-20 January). branches of Tesco could have a string quartet occasionally — OK, but |
the man whose choice of luxury where would you put it? Down by the German wines? Near the sanitary £
Christopher Bowers-Broadbent item on Desert Island Discs was a towels? What I’m trying to say is that I’m embarrassed by my own |
and The Smith Quartet both appear chainsaw. presence at these background-music gigs. Where do I put myself? 3
at London's ICA this month as part The shop is very small, so Sally suggests I play upstairs. Or outside in I
of the ongoing New MusICA concert the street. Or moving around the exhibition. This last is the most a
series. Bowers-Broadbent is one of worrying suggestion. What sort of musician plays while walking around a
the foremost organists specialising crowded room for two hours? And yet organisers often think this is a
in contemporary repertoire, and neat idea; maybe they have some concept of a roaming minstrel in
plans to perform works by Dave their heads. It makes me think of the mime artist handing out
Soldier, Morton Feldman, Maurido sandwiches in the film Spinal Tap-, a powerful image of a wacky and
Kagel, Pablo Orta Jo Kondo and totally unnecessary performer getting on everybody's nerves.
Gerald Barry on an imported Allan In the end I decide to play on the stairs, sort of in the shop but above
electronic organ (8 January, 8 pm). it "You're sure I won't be in the way here? People won't need to use
The Smiths play quartet works by the stairs?" "Absolutely not'
Russell Pinkston, Conlon Nancarrow, Sure enough, the first guest to arrive marches straight up the stairs,
Ralph Shapey, Elliott Sharp and and for the rest of the evening there is a steady flow of people politely
Michael Daugherty to highlight their pushing past me, occasionally knocking framed photographs off the
increasing interest in Amencan New wall. I play squeezed up against the bannisters, trying to sound
Music (15,8 pm). All tickets are apologetic and inspired at the same time. After an hour the party
reaches the shouting stage, and no one would hear you anyway unless
you were playing the trombone.
the office ambience haNtse, vfelur tmesi,n dt:e ath est reaxihnibeirtsio ann ids wsoon odner, fualp. pIafsr ean tcloyl lfercotimon tohfe cRositsuhmmeoso,
The Wolf That House Built - Little Axe (Wired) Islands somewhere in the Pacific. They were all collected in the 1920s
Systemisch — Oval (Mille Plateaux) by anthropologist Kitty Lake, who is in her nineties now. Her
When In Vanitas... - Brise Glace (Skin Graft) sketchbooks and letters are included. Kitty’s old teddy bear wears a
Violin/Hom Concertos — Robin Holloway (Collins Classics) traditional blue fishing outfit made by the Rishmoo Island children.
Dub Selection Volume One — More Rockers (More Rockers) There's a Typhoon Pipe and a Typhoon Robe. Many of the objects are
Blowout Comb — Digable Planets (Cooltempo) beautifully made but very hard to fathom: they have the flavour of a
Ethiopian Groove: The Golden 70s - Various Artists (Blue peaceful island utopia, probably vanished by now. And of course it’s
Silver) possible that the whole thing is the product of Sally Hampson's heated
Criminal Justice — D*Note (Dorado) imagination.
Black Secret Technology — A Guy Called Gerald (Juice Box) In my jacket and tie, I wouldn't be mistaken for a Rishmoo Islander.
To Each... — A Certain Ratio (Creation) But I do my best to play music similar to the Rishmoo oral tradition,
sounds which Kitty Lake might have heard in the 1920s. Huddled up
Compiled by The Wire Sound System on the stairs I imagine the Rishmoo people, dignified but quite easy¬
going, and try to let that come out in the music. CLIVE BELL
0223 357851), London Queen Readership Survey
Elizabeth Hall (26,071 928 Thanks to everyone who
8800), Manchester RNCM (27,
061 273 4504), Leicester survey in October 94 — your help
Phoenix Arts Centre (28,0116 has been invaluable and much
255 4854), Birmingham Adrian appreciated. First two names
Boult Hall (29,021 236 3889), chosen in the prize draw were Paul
Billingham Forum (31,0642 Bull of Leicester and Toby Mann of
611625), and Leeds Irish Centre Bristol. Congratulations — record
(2 February, 0532 455570). tokens worth £ 100 each are on
their way to you.
Flute Soulfulness, the polystylistic
one-worlders led by Rowland
Sutherland and Keith Waite, play at In our Bite on 0 Yuki Conjugate
London's Purcell Room (071 928 (The Wire 130), the distributor of
8800) on 30 January (7.30 pm, the Staalplaat label was incorrectly
£8). They're joined on the date by named as Vital. Its actually handled
violinist Shirley Thompson to in the UK by Voltage Distribution.
perform her composition Transition, Also, we neglected to credit
a four-movement suite for jazz Richard Georgeson’s picture of
Angelique Kidjo comes in for a Colosseum (5), Leeds Metropolitan ensemble. percussionist Graham Kirkland on
short tour this month, following the University (6), Northampton our subscription insert Apologies to
Roadmenders (7), Manchester all concerned. □
Dates are at Manchester Ritz University (8), London Shepherds
Ballroom (17), Edinburgh Festival Bush Empire (9), and Norwich UEA saxophones and at Norwich's Other
Theatre (18), Leeds Irish Centre (10). Sounds club (at Norwich Arts
(19), Warwick Arts Centre (20), Centre) on 18 January. Ring 0603
and London Shepherds Bush Don Grolnick. the pianist who's 660352 for more details.
Empire (21). produced Yoko Ono, among
others, and recorded for the Blue Network was a CD of musical
Killing Joke release a single on two Note label, takes a seven-piece miniatures released at the end of
CDs, "Jana" and "Jana Live- band including the Brecker 94 by the Discus label, and now
(Butterfly), on 16 January, and have brothers, Peter Erskine (drums), label boss Martin Archer is putting
announced details of their and Robin Eubanks (trombone), on out a call for submissions for
Pandemonium Tour at the end of the road at the end of January as Volume Two. Pieces can be in any
the month. Dates are as folllows: part of the Contemporary Music style as long as the duration is 90
Bristol Bierkeller (30 January), Network’s spring touring seconds max. Send thirty-second
Nottingham Rock City (31), programme. The dates are: operas and minute-long concept
Newcastle Riverside (1 February), Southampton Turner Sims Hall (24 albums to PO Box 658, Sheffield
Glasgow Plaza (2), Wolverhampton January, 0703 595151), S10 3YR.
Wulfrun Hall (4), Watford Cambridge Com Exchange (25,
televiSio^adlo
Live At The Lighthouse (Carlton TV, 18 January Hour Of Silence (BBC Radio One, 1 January 7
11.10 pm). 90 minute record of October's Aids pm). In which the usually terse humourist Paul
Benefit concert at the London Lighthouse, with Merton investigates silence from a number of
appearances by Suede, St Etienne, Neneh Cherry, unusual angles. Includes interviews with Brian Eno,
Pulp, Sheila Chandra and others. Presented by Holly percussionist Evelyn Glennie, Tony Slattery, producer
Johnson. George Martin, and a man who constantly hears
humming in his ears.
Harrison Birtwistle At SO: Down By The
Greenwood Side (BBC Radio Three, 3 January 9.30 Midnight Oi/(BBC Radio Three, Fridays 11.30
pm). Stephen Plaistow presents the first programme pm). Cutting edge contemporary music. Features on
in a series examining Birtwisde in relation to his Sirinu (6 January), American experimentalism —
musical influences, in particular the English pastoral Alvin Lucier and La Monte Young (13), Jan
Garbarek’s Indian crossover collaborations (20).
newnotes^t^glance^
information from SPNM
featuring to subject themselves to it would be forewarned.
But it's not my place to censor Ornette, and if he
hadn't wanted to issue a warning, we probably
the 300-seat would have allowed him to keep it a surprise*
Masonic Auditorium low) - Fakir Coleman's septet Prime Time followed the
.eft play!' and entr'acte, performing its dense, complex electro-
ended with "It's your body — have fun with it." tribal fusions with focus and integrity. Prime Time
Then he ran a long needle through the cheeks of paused for a reading by Dr Vincent Harding, a
theologian, of his poem 'In The Light Of
iic innovator Ornette Coleman through an inch or two of pinched-up chest flesh Thoughf, which spoke to Coleman's Tone Dialing
a stakes for his music as performance on a male volunteer. concept (there was also a trio of dancers
re San Francisco Jazz Festival in The sell-out audience reacted with jeers, boos, improvising “Stories Of Motion’ to the music) in
ier by presenting a local fakir and very slight, scattered applause to the 20 terms of spiritual healing and transition into the
entitled 'Mastering The Mind 21st century.
Of Matter'in, Coleman, whose alto sax playing and
■We only refunded 16 tick compositions anchored the entire concert, said,
deluge; said Randall Klein, “I was very happy to see how upset everyone
got, what a disturbance the body piercing
democracy is moving towards in this country," created. The whole gamut of feelings humans
said Coleman afterwards. ‘But then I found a the city. "We've gotten about hat have was present at that concert, and thafs for
book on Malaysians practising piercing as a form the better of all people. It was very healthy. It
Coleman as an artist, but. . :
discriminatory since nobody did it to them, they 'We ourselves didn’t learn about the piercing
did it to themselves, i thought, 'Wouldn't it be until Ornette's dress rehearsal, and even then do to get in touch with their spirituality." Howard
HANDEL Tone Dialing is being considered for
another culture?” known, I would have asked Ornette to announce eventual release on CD and video on Ornette
After a strong set by Coleman's New Quartet Colemans new Harmolodics label (via Polygram)