Kenny Graham and his Satellites: "Moondog and Suncat Suites" Vinyl, Albums, LP, Reissue, 1957/2010 (Trunk Records)

How can one avoid the great compositions by Moondog, as done by British sax player Kenny Graham with the top English Jazz musicians, and then top it off, Joe Meek was the engineer for these recording sessions. Moondog, a 20-century genius composer, an eccentric figure in Manhattan during the 1950s and 1960s, and even was a roommate of Philip Glass. Graham must be one of the few who went out of his way to record Moondog's compositions. The album is a delight, but if you are a Moondog fanatic, you may find these recordings not as wonderful as the original versions done by Moondog. Still, Kenny Graham brings these works into a very 'British' cool manner that I find intriguing. The playing and arrangements are top-notch. The second-side is all Kenny Graham compositions that are influenced by Moondog. More exotic, popish, and it does have that mid-century design of sound polish. I have two other Kenny Graham albums, and they are different in style and temperament. I suspect the more one gets into Kenny Graham, the more gems one would find. But it seems he only has a handful of recordings. There must be more out there in the world? 

Buddy Holly - "The Complete Buddy Holly" 6 X Vinyl, LP Box Set, Compilation, 1979 (MCA)

The first album I purchased when I got a turntable in the 21st century was Buddy Holly's "The Complete Buddy Holly."  Six vinyl albums that start off at the very beginning of Buddy with the influence of Country and Rockabilly to the recordings he did in New York City, right before his plane accident.  For me, Holly was the essence of modernity.   When I listen to him, I don't connect to a given moment or even place.  There was something futuristic about his vision and songs that I don't think was thought out to a great degree.  He just had that essential genius approach to music.  Also, the Crickets were an amazing band, so he had that fantastic backing to wander the music landscape of his time.  

"The Complete Buddy Holly" is a museum piece, and unlikely a package one is going to listen to in one sitting.  Well, you can, but I think mentally it may be healthier to take it bit-by-bit.   There are even interviews with the great man on the last disc.  I may have miscounted, but I think there are 119 songs in this box set.  That's a lot of work from a young man who died way too young.   If Buddy lived, I suspect that he would be making exciting music until he was an old man.  There were reports that he frequent the jazz clubs in New York during the 1950s, and god knows what sort of influence would have shown up in his music of the 1960s if he lived.   

Strangely, I see Holly as the less-eccentric brother of Moondog.  Both had a sense of minimalism in their work, that's driven by rhythm.  Also, Holly was interested in the recording process, and I think he would have used the recording studio as a separate instrument, in a similar fashion as Eno (but not...).   He was an artist that explored the cultural landscape, and his death took away a talent that I feel was much needed in our world.  "The Complete Buddy Holly" is a collection that I keep going back to, due that it's endless and nothing but beauty left on its grooves. 

Moondog - "Moondog" Vinyl LP, Album, white vinyl, reissue, 2017 (Columbia Masterworks)

A brilliant album that was recorded in 1969 and produced by James William Guercio, who also worked with Chicago and Blood Sweat & Tears.  Thank god I didn't know that till I read the credits after listening to the album.  Which is incredible by the way.  There is nothing slick and phony about the production.  It's there to support Moondog's vision.  So in other words, he is just another fan.  The big theme here is Moondog's music arranged for a full orchestra.   What an odd narrative this Moondog fellow is.  Street performer in Manhattan in the early 1950s till the 60s, and friends to Leonard Bernstein to Charlie Parker.   And oddly enough, a roommate to Philip Glass.  Clearly,  Moondog is an influence or inspiration for Glass. I can hear the Moondog arrangement in Glass's work.  

The album starts off giving me goose-bumps all over my body.  The percussion kicks off, and the string section makes these tight notes that are hypnotic and then the melody kicks in.  It's called "Theme, make" and that is a proper title to such a hopeful and powerful piece of entrancing music.  The thing about Moondog's music is that it's very much an enjoyable experience. There's no cynicism in his approach making music that inspires to, as well as being touched by beauty.    There are the Bach like layers of sound that builds on top of each other.  He's a riff master!  

Even though it's a full orchestration, it sounds like a funky band, and how he does that is amazing.  A lot of the arrangements here are horn orientated with full strings behind it, and then there's the percussion which is in front and out of the mix.  "Lament 1" which is a tune he wrote for Charlie Parker, is really something.  Two saxes - one alto and the other baritone answering to each other's call, with the strings kicking in behind them.  A great piece of music.  Moondog's birthday is coming up next May (as I write it's April 30) and if alive he would be 100 years old.  A remarkable composer and performer.   May his recordings never fade. 

Moondog "The Viking of Sixth Avenue" (Honest Jon's Records) Double Vinyl Album

Moondog “The Viking of Sixth Avenue” (Honest Jon’s Records) Double Vinyl Album

The great thing about art is one never knows when they will confront genius. Moondog was a composer and performer who played his music on the streets of Manhattan. To be exact on 6th Avenue and anywhere between 52nd and 56th street from the late 1940s to 1972. An odd tourist attraction but he also had some positive attention from Charlie Parker, Leonard Bernstein, Steve Reich, Julie Andrews, Igor Stravinsky, and his future roommate Philip Glass. 

In appearance, this blind composer and musician wore eccentric costumes that resemble Viking uniform, including helmet. He would stand on a busy street corner, playing his compositions on his own hand-made instruments. Yet beyond all of that, Moondog’s music is extremely original, catchy, with beautiful melodies. On the surface, one can hear the sounds of the Native American, but mash-up with the textures and overtures of Bach’s compositions. Clearly he influenced both Reich and Glass, but overall Moondog made music for everyone. He wrote and performed pop, ambient, rhythmic compositions, as well as classical. In other words, an artist that is extremely hard to be defined, and truly original. 

Causally, Moondog can be seen as an outside music artist, because he did work on his music without proper schooling or music industry backing - although he did end up on a major recording label. Yet, his music is very much disciplined and not always eccentric. When you see the iconic vision of Moondog or hear stories about him sleeping on the streets of Manhattan, you get a sound in one’s head. And you do get that, but Moondog went beyond the cliché outside artist by making accessible music that anyone can enjoy. He’s avant-garde, but Moondog is also very much of a pop artist or composer. There are melodies on this album that will stick inside your head and heart. 

Honest Jon’s Records (label out of London, as well as a record shop) has released “The Viking of Sixth Avenue” which is a double vinyl album compilation of early Moondog EPs (from his own label at the time) as well as the rare 10”s. Some of the recordings are from the streets of Manhattan, as well as in the studio. All superb. In a beautiful way, the street sounds add texture to the Moondog performance, and in no fashion does the urban traffic sounds interfere with the aural delights of this genius and his recordings.  I suspect one is not going to find a more perfect album than “The Viking of Sixth Avenue.”