Pierre Schaeffer / Pierre Henry "Symphonie Pour un Homme Seul" / "Concerto des Ambiguïtés" Vinyl, LP, Album,

The two giants, or as I like to say "the two Pierres'" are the great poles of the French Musique Concréte.  Side one is a work by both Pierres, ' and it's a masterpiece.  The piano riff alone is worth the price of the album, and what comes within its mix, the textures, is something, in one word, awesome. Side two is Pierre Henry's "Concerto des Ambiguites, important" and it's foundation is two pianos but filtered through layers of electronic effects.  Speeded up, slowed down, it's like a world turned over, or at the very least a soundtrack to a Warner Brothers cartoon from the 1950s.  Both pieces were written in 1950, which must have been like a new horizon or possibilities in what one can do with the aural world.   As necessary, and a joy to listen to.  

André Almuro - "Poésie de Cruauté"

André Almuro - Artaud, Genet, Lorca, Cocteau, Larronde, Almuro - Poésie de Cruauté

Vinyl LP (Download), 1962

Disques Mouloudji

A mysterious album that I downloaded from god knows where, but what a cool piece of vinyl.  I’m on the hunt for it.  The little I know is that André Almuro worked in radio, and was or is (he’s still alive at 82) a figure in the French Music Conncréte world.  He met a 15 year old Pierre Clémenti and worked together making films, and recording Clémenti’s poetry.  Eventually in the 40’s he hooked up with the legendary Pierre Schaeffer and joined his Radio Télévision Française.  

Poésie de Cruauté is a fascinating piece of work.  Here Almuro makes music behind the narration of various poems by Artaud, Lorca, Genet, Cocteau and Olivier Larronde, who I don’t know at all.  The poems are read by Jean Bollery and Pierre Frilay, with a certain amount of vocal effects for their voices.  A great album, and without a doubt I am going to look for Almuro’s films.  Fascinating.

Also of great interest is that this album was released on the great Left-Bank (Vian pal) Mouloudji’s record label.