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$21.99 CDx2
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MOONDOG
The German Years 1977-1999
(Roof Music)
Reality is stranger than fiction, it is sometimes said, and it would be hard to imagine a character as idiosyncratic as Moondog. As a teenager in the late '30s, the man who was born as Louis Thomas Hardin lost his sight, and at a school for the blind in Iowa, he turned to music with determination. He landed in New York City in the early '40s and for many years was an unforgettable fixture of the city, a street musician dressed up as a Viking who stationed himself on 6th Avenue at 53rd Street, where he recited poems and chanted simple, melodic incantations with a triangular drum he'd invented. Before long, he'd made the acquaintance of various New York music world luminaries, from Artur Rodinski -- conductor of the New York Philharmonic in the '40s -- to Charlie Parker and many other jazz giants who performed at the clubs around the corner on 52nd Street, and his compositions were covered by hipster legends from Pentangle to Janis Joplin. It would be equally difficult to imagine the unlikely, ebullient collision of influences that make up the tapestry of Moondog's sound, but this background gives some idea. He studied drum rhythms of the Arapaho Sun Dance in Wyoming, was a rabid fan of Bach, Handel, and Mozart, Lester Young and Benny Goodman, and combined elements of classical music and jazz with motifs borrowed from ancient Japanese music and Latin and Native American rhythms. When he disappeared from the streets of New York in the late '70s, the city mourned his disappearance and feared the worst.
In fact, Moondog had gone to Germany, where he'd accepted an invitation to play a few concerts. While there, he was invited to have Christmas with a family who felt sorry for this blind musician they saw playing in the streets, but when said family discovered an LP in a record store window by that same homeless street musician, and then heard and were deeply moved by his music, so began a new life for Moondog. The family of student Ilona Geobel would house him for the next two-and-a-half decades, where they provided what he called a "composer's paradise" for him.
An anthology culled from various sources (such as H'art Songs, In Europe and Elpmas), disc one is a wonderful collection, and even for those who have heard versions of these songs, pulled together here, they make for a fascinating overview and highly enjoyable play. One can hear Moondog, the classicist, on pieces such as "Prelude and Fugue in A Minor" and his "Art of the Canon" variations, where the influence of Bach is strong. One can hear Moondog, crafter of lullabies, on "EEC Lied" and "Pigmy Pig." Even a cursory listen to tracks such as "Marimba Mondo 2" reveal the influence Hardin had on minimalist composers such as Steve Reich and Philip Glass. In the baroque organ pieces "Frost Flower" and "Log in B," one can also hear similarities with Terry Riley's Poppy Nogood cosmic organ work, while the heartbreaking "High on a Rocky Ledge" recalls some of John Cale's lovely '70s ballads. It's a wonderfully diverse overview of the composer in his fertile later period, but it should be noted that while rhythm and counterpoint always form the backbone of his modal pieces, the idiosyncratic maraca and clave percussion vignettes for which he is probably best known are not heavily featured, the exception being "Single Foot."
Disc two presents Moondog's last live performance, recorded in Arles, France a month prior to his death. Moondog plays the drum, accompanying pianist Dominique Ponty, and the concert displays a stunning clarity, with luminous, dexterous, nuanced and energetic playing. The jazzier pieces, such as "From Jazz Book: No. 4" and the "Mood Montreaux" series are performed with a youthful bounce and delicate precision, while the introspective "Elf Dance" and the "Art of the Canon" pieces display a moving grace. The German Years also includes an extensive booklet with a comprehensive history, making this collection essential. For someone considered such an eccentric, this welcome addition to the Moondog catalog shows once again how his particular combination of playfulness, delicacy, and emotional resonance proves Moondog not a mere novelty, but one of the most fascinating musical artists of the 20th Century. [AG]
Order CD by Texting “omcdmoondoggerman” to 767825 |
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