WFMU's Beware of the Blog

Scott Bartlett's Offon (video)

Here is Scott Bartlett's 1967 foray into psychedelic experimentalism, Offon. I won't say much about the film because the clip on the right is a brief (though longer than the actual film) documentary on the history and making of the film. Enjoy.

The Inaugural Poem Remix

By all accounts, Elizabeth Alexander's Inaugural Poem, uh, sucked. We think you could do better. So, here's the deal. Take her poem. Remix it, shred it, speed it up, slow it down, reconstruct it, deconstruct it, warp it, bend it, twist it, scream it, rock it, set it to noise, obliterate it. You get the idea. And I'll play it on my show next week, Weds afternoon, Jan 28, noon-3 pm. I'll also post 'em here on this blog.

Note: sincere recitations will be discarded. Please send MP3 audio only!

Send an MP3 via YouSendIt to kg at wfmu dot org or post a link in the comments.

Here's the video:

Here's the link to the text.
Here's an MP3 of the reading for you to mangle (Thanks, Rokhausen!) LISTENER VERSIONS


People Like Us "An Induction Is A Draft Is A Gust Of Air" (video version)

1. PLU + RIAA "A Golden Induction"
   
2. People Like Us "An Induction Is A Draft Is A Gust Of Air"
   
3. People Like Us "Adjournment-Poem"
   
4. Fatty Jubbo "Histrionic Inaugural Poem"
   
5. Fatty Jubbo "Elizabeth Claire Prophet Inauguration"
   
6. Fatty Jubbo "Riveting Inaugural Poem"
   
7. Fatty Jubbo "A Precious Poem"
   
8. Cy Kottick Channels Jackie Mason Channelling Elizabeth Alexander
   
9. Nick The Bard "Heavy Metal Inaugural Poem"
   
10. Volunteer Gordon "Pathetic Inaugural Poem"
    
11. Reverend Hellbound Alleee "Inauguration Poem"
    
12. Rokhausen "Praise-Song For Tomorrow"
    
13. Sick To The Back Teeth "Take Out Your Boom"
    
14. Sick To The Back Teeth "All at Once"
    
15. Jonathan Wall "Some Someone Someone Someone Something Somewhere"
    
16. Dogwater "Praise Song All About Us"
    
17. Suzie Crews "Inaugural Poem"
    
18. Big Kitty "Praise Sawng"
    
19. DJ Bidet Spret and Rokhausen "Praise Songsmith Slumber Ball Mix"
    
20. The Ubu Orchestra "Inaugural Poem Revisited"
    
21. Nat Roe "Song of a Praise"
    
22. James Urbaniak "What If"
    
23. Giant Pygmy "Inaugural Poem (This National Grievance"
    
24. Raging Horn "The Swearing in Poem (Burnt Bacon Right Remix)"
    
25. Babs Toyfish "I Need to See What's On The Other Side or Inaugural Cough"
    
26. Godxiliary "0 Cliffnote-Sum"
    
27. Godxiliary "1 Cassettegirl-Ko"
    
28. Godxiliary "2 Mikrosophst and Cassettegirl Make Love"
    
29. Godxiliary "3 Cliffnote Synopsis"
    
30. Godxiliary "4 Robot"
    
31. Godxiliary " 5 Cliffnote Selections"
    
32. Gwilly Edmondez "Inaugural Poems One"
    
33. Gwilly Edmondez "Inaugural Poems Two"
    
34. Gwilly Edmondez "Inaugural Poems Three"
    
35. Paid in Puke "Inauguration 4 The Beat Generation"
    
36. DJ Man Rich "Praise Sitting in a Room"
    
37. Tommy Mackay "Everybody's Heard About The Words"
    
38. Babs Toyfish "Reconsider A Widening Pool of Light"
    
39. Pflaphpschoen "Sparklesharp"
    
40. Pflaphpschoen "All About Us Is Noise"
    
41. norelpref "Wait A Minute"
    
42. norelpref "Someone is Trying to Make Music Somewhere"
    
43. norelpref "A Side of Ham is Love"
    
44. I Am A Robot "Poem"
    
45. Easy EW "Praise Song Praise Song"
    
46. Dogwater "Last Minute Speechwriter"
    
47. Daniel Konig "Elizabeth Alexander = Log Lady from Twin Peaks"
    
48. Brian Joseph Davis "The First Ten Words"
    
49. Webhamster Henry "Roses"
    
50. Nosnibor "Lettuce"
    
51. TriFocal "Praise Song For The Day (Cinderblock Dumbbell Mix)"
    

Full text after the jump...

Puffy Areolas in WFMU's Studios: Not the Bent Wind Times the Black Crowes

A half hour of solid rock from Toledo, Ohio's favorite psychedelic sons, the Puffy Areolas, who rule for many reasons but especially for fact they have a singer named Krauty McKraut. Live on Brian Turner's show, January 13, 2009, engineered in WFMU's studio and 4th floor lavatory by Mark Triant and Jeff Mullan.

"If I Had a Hammer" (MP3)
"Norwegian Wood" (MP3)
"Dandy" (MP3)
"Henry the 8th" (MP3)
"Drinking My Own Sperm" (MP3)

The Secret for Perpetual Life (MP3)

The Secret for Perpetual Life (10:14)

Another Bert Tenzer record found it's way into my hands last year. Like his other recordings, it's an advertising record that potential customers could take home and play to build a frothing consumer desire for a product that would turn into a sale. Bring the album back, and you get a special gift from the store, along with a chance to win a Swiss watch.

No Mason Adams this time around, but Bert Tenzer himself is listed as the narrator, so one of the mysteries surrounding these records is solved. There are several voices familiar to Tenzer fans in the cast, including, if I'm not mistaken, the actor who played the father in the sublime "Marriage Union (for teen-agers)" produced by The Christophers.

I won't spoil the surprise of this dramatic adventure in salesmanship, but I will say that the choice of the word "perpetual," rather than "eternal" is a bit of a giveaway. From 1963, this has all the qualities that make Tenzer's records a real joy and a fun change of pace for those who love radio drama.

Max Tundra Live at WFMU (mp3)

London's electro-pop mastermind and Domino Records recording artist Max Tundra (aka Ben Jacobs) made his official USA debut last week, and it all started with a live set here at WFMU. The set was recorded on Jan 15th, and broadcast on yesterday's episode of Talk's Cheap.

When artists stop by the wfmu live room, they usually want to know about typical backline items like drums and amplifiers. Max Tundra was more interested in our toy piano and an ancient accordion. He layered glockenspiel, melodica, casio synths etc on top of his meticulously spliced beats and live vocals. Improv isn't necessarily what I'd been expecting from Max Tundra, but I should've known better -- in our interview Ben revealed that he had played in North America before, at a jazz festival in Nova Scotia. I suppose that different people will hear different things in Max Tundra's music; each song is so chock-full of hooks and ideas that one listen is never enough. I definitely recommend listening in headphones

Max Tundra Live at WFMU
Engineered by Matt LeMay and Jason Sigal on Jan 15th, 2009
Broadcast on Talk's Cheap Jan 20th, 2009 [playlist]
1. Which Song  |  2. Lysine (mp3)  |  3. Orphaned  |  4. Labial  |  5. Lady Madonna (instrumental cover)

"Which Song" and "Orphaned are from 2008's Parallax Error Beheads You, while "Lysine" and "Labial" are found on Max Tundra's previous album, 2002's Mastered By Guy At The Exchange (so named because it was in fact mastered by a guy named Guy at a place called the Excange). On that album, "Lysine" and "Labial" featured vocals by Ben's sister Becky Jacobs (who now sings in Tunng). Ben claims that he has since honed his voice through rigorous karaoke; he is the lone vocalist on his new album Parallax Error Beheads You, and it was a treat to hear his vocal take on the old favorites.

In between albums, Max Tundra has done official remixes for Von Südenfed, Mogwai, The Strokes, Kid606, the Pet Shop Boys, and many more. He approaches even his own compositions through the eyes of a remix artist -- songs like "Orphaned" seem to be built entirely upon samples of his own music.

Max Tundra also hosts a weekly radio show on London's ResonanceFM 104.4. Max Tundra's Rotogravure airs every Saturday at 2:30pm UK time (that's 7:30pm east coast USA time), playlists here. In 2007, Max Tundra did a Listener Hour here on WFMU, here's the playlist and archive. He's off to tour Europe, hope to see him back in the US again soon!

23 Seconds with Lassie

Is Jay Z the new Humpty?

Nicked from delete yourself

mush a boom

When the temperature falls well below freezing my definition of comfort food includes lots of deep down warmth.  Just opening the fridge this week has made me re-think why I was originally standing in front of this monstrous cavity of cold air.  For the second time in this blustery run of arctic weather I have solved the comfort food dinner craving with a gorgeous mushroom risotto.   Roasted beet risotto is a staple in our house, so changing the risotto menu wasn't the most natural jump.  But a beautiful selection of mushrooms at the market changed all that.  I love cremini mushrooms, but feel free to use your favorite.  Jaime Oliver's first Naked Chef cookbook was my intro to this recipe but I improvised easily from that foundation.

Mushroom risotto

1 quart chicken or vegetable stock
10 oz fresh cremini (or your fave) mushrooms
14 oz Arborio rice
4 TBL olive oil
4 finely chopped shallots
a few stalks of celery or ½ bulb of fennel, finely chopped
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
½ cup dry white vermouth or dry white wine
5 TBL butter
3 ½ oz freshly grated parmesan
1 large handful of flat parsley, chopped
1 handful of thyme, chopped
1 pinch of pimenton (Spanish smoked paprika)
1 squeeze of a fresh lemon
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Clean and dry the mushrooms.  Slice them thinly, or tear in half, depending on the type you have chosen.  In a medium hot large (cast iron) pan heat 2 TBL of olive oil, and 2 chopped shallots.  Let soften than add the mushrooms and thyme.  Cook for about a minute, tossing, then add 1 chopped garlic clove, and a pinch of salt; until they are nicely tender and tasty.  Add some parsley, a hefty pinch of pimenton, a squeeze of lemon and a little black pepper.  Toss again and taste.  Empty the mushrooms into a bowl and set aside.

Pour the stock into a separate pot and set on low heat.  Wipe out cast iron pan but do not wash.  Heat remaining 2 TBL olive oil, 2 chopped shallots, celery or fennel, and a pinch of salt.  Cook these veggies for about 3 minutes then add garlic. After about two minutes, once the vegetables have softened, add the rice.  Turn up the heat and slowly stir, as the rice becomes coated with the oil.  Keep the rice moving.  If it starts to color or stick, turn down the heat.  After 2-3 minutes it will start to turn translucent, and maybe crackle.  At this point add the vermouth or wine, stirring continuously. 

Once the vermouth has been soaked up add a ladle or two of stock.  Lower the heat to medium high, but don’t boil the rice in the stock.  It needs to absorb, not burn off.  Next, add mushrooms.  Set a timer for 2 minutes and add a ladle or two of stock every two minutes, stirring as you add the stock, but then leave it to cook until the timer rings again.  I have found this method easier, and it prevents the rice from becoming tough.  Don't let the rice dry out, add enough stock each time to keep it just shy of drying out and sticking.

After about 15 minutes, taste the rice.  Is it cooked?  Add a pinch of salt and continue cooking until the rice is soft with a slight bite.  Check seasoning.  When rice is done remove from heat, add butter and most of the Parmesan cheese.  Gently stir.  Serve with more sprinkled cheese and chopped parsley.

My Childhood Sewer

They weren't actually sewers, but we liked to refer to them as such. They were really storm drain tunnels, miles of which run underneath the suburbs of Plano, Texas. Even though there's no direct human or household waste flowing through them, it's odd looking back and realizing that at the time we assumed there was, and that it didn't bother us. It never smelled more than just musty, and there was never more than a small trickle of water running through them. The tunnels were mostly bone dry, so it was easy to navigate on their poured concrete surfaces with sneakers and not feel like you'd stepped in something gross. These cylindrical, concrete caves provided a chilly, dim, wholly other universe for me and my friends while growing up...always waiting there for us mere inches beneath our front lawns. The real purpose of storm drain tunnels is to prevent flooding in low-lying areas: drains built within the grid of paved streets (usually along the curbs) sieve off rainwater directly into large tunnels under the ground, or sometimes smaller connecting ones, which lead to others, and others, and eventually dump out into creeks. Rainwater run-off, lawn water run-off, street water, creek water, storm drains, storm tunnels: to us...they'll always be sewers.

1. The Regal Road tunnel

View Larger Map

Here's one of the most-trafficked curb drain exits of the first storm drain tunnel we ever discovered as kids. The Regal Road tunnel was the best one, and the first we happened upon (at about the age of seven). It's length was about one mile, and it had many connecting tunnels of various sizes and indeterminate lengths. Of course a curb drain manhole exit of a storm drain tunnel is only the tip of the iceberg. What lies beneath is far more vast...

Zola Jesus Live on WFMU

Coming off two killer 7"'s and on the verge of releasing the excellent Tsar Bomba EP on Troubleman, Zola Jesus was nice enough to drop by for a brunch-hour set on a winter Sunday morning.  The Madison, WI-based band is led by the warped caberet chanteuse vocalizing of Nika (sometimes aka Zola Jesus, actually) who constructs and plays the tunes herself on the recordings.  The live band version consists of Max Elliott (floor tom), Lindsay (ex-Pink Reason, bass) and Dead Luke (synth).  Zola Jesus stirs up a charming mix of synth-mired darkwave and lo-fi bedroom haze with charisma to spare.   The Jersey Boy bagels were a big hit with the band.

Zola Jesus - Odessa
Zola Jesus - Dog
Zola Jesus - Orthodox
Zola Jesus - Last Day

The live audio in this post is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-Share Alike 3.0 United States license.

RIP Patrick McGoohan

In honor of Patrick McGoohan, who died last Tuesday, this is a repost of a video which Hatch put up here two years ago. McGoohan created the psychedelic TV cult classic The Prisoner, in which he also starred as the main character, Number 6. And here it is, The Times with the song "I Helped Patrick McGoohan Escape". [YouTube link]

And for all of you who haven't seen the original series or who want to watch it again, AMC has all 17 episodes on-line for free. Stream them while you can!

Motor/Mouth: Andrew Cohen

Motor/Mouth is a bi-weekly series all about WFMU staffer's rides, whether motorized or non, private vehicle or public transportation, new and fuel-efficient or old and ready for the junk heap: everyone's got to get to the station one way or another.

We kick things off with Andy Cohen, co-host of Shut Up, Weirdo, Fridays at 6 PM (a time-slot I remember well!):

Main form of transportation: 2007 Toyota Prius, 23K miles, purchased Sep. 2007 at Toyota of Caldwell.

What made you pick it? Good mileage (duh!). Didn't make rattling sounds like previous car ('94 Saturn SL1). Was much less expensive than first-choice car (Lexus ES350), but still had a cool high-tech vibe that made up for the lack of leather seats and burled wood.

Your nickname for it: "The car," as in "Hey, I'm taking the car to the store. You want anything? Really? Nothing? You sure? Well tell me now, because I don't want to have to make two trips like last time … Right, got it. Hey, aren't we low on milk, too? Well, check then. I'll get that, too. Skim, right? OK. Bye." (We just have one car.)

How much longer will you keep it? About 10 years.

Favorite thing about it: Ridiculous amount of leg room in the back seat. It's like a Lincoln Town Car back there, but still has the same overall length (i.e., easy to park) as our old Saturn. Also: Driving in near-silent electric mode, a.k.a. stealth-ninja mode, which frequently startles peds who don't look first before jaywalking. And it's cool to not be pointlessly burning gas when you stuck at a long light or in creepy-crawly traffic.

Least favorite thing about it: I wish it was two inches wider. I wish I could see better out the back window and didn't need the supercool dashboard video screen that works as a display for the rear-mounted back-up video camera.

Rate your satisfaction level from 1 – 10: Oh, hard 8.

What is your dream form of transportation? Magical luxury-appointed limo-bus that shows up when you want it and takes you nonstop to your destination quickly and quietly at minimal expense. I'd go for that.

Bob Crane: Sex on the Drums

Surely in the annals of sitcom lore, no one's story is more fascinating than that of Hogan's Heroes star Bob Crane. Paul Schrader's dark biopic Auto Focus (2002) brought to the fore front the legends of Crane's sexual obsessions and in particular his insistence on documenting his sexual exploits, initially with Polaroid snapshots and then with the advent of home movies and video technology - smutty films galore. They all starred Bob Crane and definitely were not a Bing Crosby Production. Knowing the undercurrent that was Crane's Id makes everything he did professionally kinda fascinating to watch. So there's something about these four foxy Go-Go dancers whooping it up to the already kinky These Boots Are Made For Walking, while Crane wails and sweats on the skins - that makes it all the more randy. It kinda feels like a real life version of that Elisha Cook Jr. scene in The Phantom Lady (1944).

Ed Curran: Looking Back

Another entry in the lost-jazz-musician-now-found category, Ed Curran played clarinet and alto and was active in the '60s on the New York scene and then "disappeared," at least according to lore.  He released one record under his name on Savoy, called Elysa, produced by Bill Dixon when Dixon was A&R man presiding over Savoy's New Jazz Series in the mid-60s.  Ed contacted me after I put together a Beware of the Blog post about his former partner-in-crime Cleve Pozar, in an effort to get back in touch with Cleve (they've since rekindled their friendship).  Ed and I have had some subsequent e-mail correspondence and he was nice enough to send me a few CDs, including a burn of Elysa.

The record's become a real treasure to me.  The tunes show a small debt to Ornette Coleman, but where Ornette's compositions have a heat-centered intensity, Ed Curran's approach is wider, more cinematic, more benevolent.  (Actually, Curran's compositional style reminds me of Grachan Moncur III on Evolution or the stuff Moncur did for Jackie McLean's bands in the mid-'60s.)  On Elysa, it's the soloists that are intense.  Both Ed (on alto saxopone and clarinet) and Marc Levin (on cornet, mellophone and flugelhorn) reveal laser-focus and a tough individuality, honed to a sharp point by the ecstasy of free jazz.  I can hardly think of a brass player who does more with fewer notes, aside from Miles, than Marc Levin.  Ed Curran sounds like a character of his time (stylistically, Bill Dixon comes to mind, actually).  This is especially noticeable when he's on clarinet, revealing a molten modern phrasing, and, I might add, a clear refusal to transpose ragtime moves to the New Thing. The rhythm section of Cleve and Kiyoshi Takunaga on bass, is driving, flexible and inventive, as good as it gets.  Elysa has been a stunning discovery: a seriously accomplished band, playing seriously good tunes with style.  A lot worse has been reissued.

Ed Curran Quartet - Cire (from Elysa, Savoy MG 12191)

Ed Curran Quartet - Lady A (from Elysa, Savoy MG 12191)

Ed Curran agreed to answer a few of my questions and also to allow me to post a couple of the tracks from Elysa.  My original intention was to take Ed's responses and edit them to a reasonable length and for clarity, but, really, the whole banana is worth publishing, so I'll just leave it in Ed's words (links and extemporaneous parentheses are mine!):

Noah's Best of 2008

Noah of Coffeebreak for Heroes and Villains and the Coffee 2 Go podcast presents his top 10 list in no particular order:

1. The Rap Records by Freddy Fresh (2nd Edition Revised)
The first edition alone was pretty exhaustive, this one surpasses that by miles. Only a true fanatic can put a book like this together. It's the most comprehensive guide I have EVER seen on rap 12"s.

 

2. Arabian Prince - Innovative Life: The Anthology 1984-1989 (Stones Throw)
Very glad someone finally decided to praise this electro genius! Great booklet as well!

 

3. Miles Davis - Kind Of Blue 50th Anniversary box set (Sony Legacy)
Tons of bonus tracks, 60 page hardcover book, a poster, photos, a dvd, not enough? Let's press up a vinyl copy of the original record too and include that....THIS is why I still buy re-issues!

 

4. Esoteric vs. Japan: Pterodactyl Takes Tokyo! (Fly Casual Creative)
Esoteric (of 7L & Esoteric) has only been producing steadily maybe the last two years and has easily become one of my favorite artists. This record also reminds me that rap can still be enjoyable and creative.

 

5. B-Boy Records: The Masterworks (B-Boy Records)
4 data discs of every record released on B-Boy Records, over 250 tracks! Over 19 hours of music, sick, sick!! Let's not forget they released the song "Strong Island" by JVC Force, one of my all time favorite songs!

 

Hausu: Surreal Japanese Horror

Manga, Vienna Aktion, weird experimental optical printing and a white cat collide for the most insane two and a half minutes I have ever seen. The entire film can be viewed on Youtube here.

(via Wheat)

Video Truffles: Everything is Terrible

First of all, Happy New Year from Roger Ebert. Which reminds me of Everything is Terrible.

Everything is Terrible takes the baton passed from TV Carnage and The Found Footage Festival, and passes it on to the internet with daily postings of genuinely ridiculous videos and out of context movie scenes ripped from old VHS releases. From an interview posted at Cinevegas the team behind Everything is Terrible explain their utterly perfect name: "The way I see it, there can only be great movies and terrible movies. Mediocre movies are the absolute worst. The fact that our name ends in an exclamation point is because we love the fact that the world sucks. We want to rub our faces in it." Or, if you prefer more of a battle cry, "Terrible, which is everything! Therefore everything is worthy and thus every quality of everything is Terrible! Hence forth and so one making everything Terrible!"

Here are some of my favorites so far - all featuring really creepy men.

After the jump are some other random video clips from around yon internets for your enjoyment.

Lucky Dragons Live on WFMU

Equally adept at community building, sonic exploration and art making, Lucky Dragons brought all sides for a live set recorded just before the holidays for the Long Rally.  It's one long track of computer gamelan, echoed out flutes, and tiny percussion.  Take a listen or download away.  Thanks to Jason Sigal for engineering.  And for all LD all the time, hit up the website, Hawks and Sparrows.

Lucky Dragons - Desert Rose/Band Hammer

The live audio in this post is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-Share Alike 3.0 United States license.

Jamie and the J. Silvia Singers - Encore (MP3s)

1. Hold on Tight (2:37)

2. Goin' Out of My Head (2:51)
3. Secret Love (3:07)
4. I've Grown Accustomed to Her Face (2:26)
5. What the World Needs Now (2:42)
6. The Inch Worm (2:50)
7. You've Got Your Troubles (2:31)
8. Sweetness Is My Love (2:37)
9. What Now My Love (2:12)
10. Dear Heart (2:20)
11. Who Am I? (2:31)
12. Sleep Away (2:00)

The final commerical album by Jamie and the J. Silvia Singers finds them again matched with Sinatra arranger Don Costa and taking on a collection of modern classics. As a whole, this is a much better collection than Jamie and the J. Silvia Singers, although the swing jazz backgrounds of the J's with Jamie albums are again sacrificed for a '70s-contemporary big band sound.

Wisely, this time, Jamies voice is back at the front of the mix. You'll even get a solid sense of the group's past triumphs on "What the World Needs Now" and "The Inch Worm," the latter of which would be the best recording of this song, if the charmingly offbeat Odd Couple version didn't exist.

Someone thought an electric guitar would be a good idea on "Hold on Tight." It's not, and that's thankfully not an ELO cover.

Again, no copyright, but the cover of Anthony and the Imperials "Goin' Out of My Head" dates this past 1964. This album followed Jamie and the J. Silvia Singers, and there's something about the mix and arrangements, a self-conscious attempt at creating the "oldies" sound that haunted AM radio, that leaves me thinking this was released after 1968.

That forced band sound winds up being the only distraction. The vocals and harmonies are much tighter here, but the backing music gets in the way at times. The producers just can't figure out what they want this album to be. It's aiming for a young audience with popular covers while still trying to please the elderly AM fans of the day with "beautiful music."

Fortunately, the group is able to rise above these background music and production meanderings. You'll find a new favorite or two among this set, though it will leave you nostalgic for the Columbia recordings.

As always, my thanks go out to Jim Maroney for the excellent transfers and album art scans.

Lost and Blessedly Found: Giuseppi Logan! (MP3/videos)

While it is well-known among jazz fans in New York that the great virtuoso Charlie Parker lived across from Tompkins Square Park during the 1950s—a jazz festival in his name takes place there every year—another vitally important saxophonist was, it has only recently been discovered, a one-time homeless inhabitant of New York, possibly in Tompkins Square itself, as well as in shelters and institutions around the city and elsewhere. In fact, the revelation that this man is still alive puts to rest an enduring and agonizingly unresolved mystery: the unknown whereabouts and presumed demise of Giuseppi Logan.

(This photo: © Eric Weiss)

The circumstances behind Giuseppi Logan's disappearance have long been one of those widely traded free-jazz urban legends. Some who knew him and of his heavy drugs use back in the day assumed he'd gone to prison or overdosed, or both. (At least one website still refers to his death "circa 1991.") Word that he'd been spotted here or there surfaced every so often, but none of Logan's musical compatriots had ever been able to recall seeing him any later than the early 1970s, when he simply vanished from the scene.

After studying at the New England Conservatory of Music, Logan arrived in New York in 1964 having gigged in Boston with drum shaman Milford Graves. Graves introduced Logan to Bernard Stollman, whose ESP-Disk label was the first to capture the burgeoning free jazz scene in all its joyous, frantic intensity. The transcendent The Giuseppi Logan Quartet was one ESP's earliest releases. In 1965 Logan recorded a second album for ESP, then appeared on only a couple of more recordings in 1966, and that was pretty much it.

Here is a short film by Edward English from 1966 of Logan and his son in Tompkins Square Park: