Exposé issue #38 Summary
Features in this issue include:
MIKE KING:
Reel Records impresario Mike King has a fascination with British jazz, the process of tape archiving and re-mastering, and a strong passion for independently produced music. Our interview also covers his efforts supporting the February 23rd Queen Elizabeth Hall evening celebrating the life and music of Nucleus founder Ian Carr, and his work as the author of the important Robert Wyatt chronology Wrong Movements. (Interview by Jeff Melton)
DEMETRIO STRATOS:
Greek-born, Italian-based singer Demetrio Stratos died from aplastic anemia on June 13, 1979. The thirtieth anniversary of his death gave rise to a wide range of initiatives: concerts, CD reissues, books and a film on his life, La voce Stratos, an intriguing collection of interviews, videos and archive footage by Turinese directors Luciano D'Onofrio and Monica Affatato. Our feature piece looks back at the accomplishments of this amazing singer and musician (by Alessandro Michelucci)
TINYFISH & DEE EXPUS:
What will the world of British progressive rock look like without their founding fathers? Many of the second wave groups of the 80s are still active, including IQ, Marillion, and Pendragon, though most are comfortably settled into middle age and show little intention of blazing any trails of innovation. That task has been handed down to a newer generation of British bands that trace their origins to the post-grunge era. Most famous of these is Steven Wilson’s Porcupine Tree. But numerous lesser-known bands are also on the rise, and look to fill the void, as well as point the way to the future. Just what will the scene look like 10 or 20 years from now, when Yes, Genesis, and Jethro Tull are long gone? A clue to that answer may be found in two up and coming British bands, one from the northeast and one located south of London. (Feature by Paul Hightower)
HENRY COW:
Even after 40 years it’s difficult to use the past tense when considering the work of Henry Cow. Its importance grows and influence continues to be felt. And while it’s absurd to add that "it always will", for every practical purpose, it always does. The two 40th Anniversary Boxes – The Road Volumes 1-5 and The Road Volumes 6-10 represent a documentary effort that underscores two points particularly unique to Henry Cow. First, that there is no absolute version of any piece of their music and second, that improvisation is incessantly present not only in their approach to performance -- a context in which improvisation is more traditionally expected -- but more uniquely in their process of formal composition, embedding a feedback loop that shapes both. (Feature review by K. Leimer)
COLD FAIRYLAND:
Cold Fairyland has emerged as the preeminent Chinese band fusing traditional music with progressive rock, touching on folk, jazz, pop, and New Age along the way. The band started as a home recording project by Lin Di (pipa, keyboards, voice) and Su Yong (bass, guitar) and soon developed into a band. The name came from the Chinese title of the novel by Haruki Murakami known in English as Hard-Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World. Since 2001, three albums have been released under the band’s name, two Lin Di solo albums, and another Lin Di solo album under the name Miyadudu. (Interview by Jon Davis)
UPSILON ACRUX:
The band is one of those rare anomalies of the San Diego music scene, a hard-edged experimental indie-rock ensemble that has as much in common with industrial rock as it does with King Crimson. Exposé caught up with bandleader Paul Lai upon the release of their last Cuneiform release to set the record straight. (Interview by Jeff Melton)
RICK WAKEMAN’S SIX WIVES LIVE:
It took many years for this writer to really appreciate all of the Six Wives works. Though attracted by the easy grace of “Catherine of Aragon” and “Catherine Howard” there are other pieces which were decidedly more avant garde and difficult for my young ears. For instance, the massive Hammond C-3 organ attack of the second track, “Anne of Cleaves”, was shocking enough to drive me away from the platter, and the brooding church organ fugue of the “Jane Seymour” track is probably what prompted one reviewer to compare the record to “Italian horror music”. It wasn’t until I started getting deeper into more aggressive, even atonal works by the likes of Gentle Giant and King Crimson that I returned to the Six Wives recording and realized what an astonishing musical masterpiece it was. Seeing Wakeman perform Six Wives with symphony, choir, and band was easily one of the top three concert experiences of my life. (Concert review by Doug Harr)
Also included in issue 38: All of our regular reviews sections -- Roundtables, New Releases, Books, Archives and Reissues. 92 Pages total.