[Music] Ganelin Trio – 1976 Live (Soviet Jazz)

I owe Leo Feigin of the stellar imprint Leo Records perhaps the greatest debt of my musical life. It was he who introduced me, via releases and correspondence, to the works of Sergey Kuryokhin and The Ganelin Trio somewhere near 30 years ago (how time flies…). This is the trio at their peak.

Personnel:

Vyacheslav “Slava” Ganelin – Piano
Vladimir Tarasov – Percussion
Vladimir Chekasin – Saxophone

[Music] Spooky Tooth & Pierre Henry – Offering

I am well aware that some of my friends and colleagues hate this song, considering it near the bottom of Pierre Henry’s musical canon. So be it.

The reason I’m featuring this tune, however, is for two reasons. First, it was my introduction to Henry’s work. I wasn’t much of a hard-rock guy, and Spooky Tooth didn’t hold a lot of interest for me, but seeing the record cover had me wondering what sort of racket these guys were making. Second, the concept of a rock/experimental mass, based on the Apostolic Christian model, left me intrigued.

I know that Henry’s fellow composer, Pierre Schaeffer, was a devout Roman Catholic, but I read nothing of Henry’s beliefs over the years. Still, it was a nice gesture, an interesting project, and a doorway to Pierre’s far more adventurous works.