Playola Promo CD


	Henry Kaiser : PLAYOLA



	THIS PRODUCT IS NOT FOR SALE ! ANNOUNCEMENT: PLAYOLA is a promo only 2-CD set. It is not-for-sale! Neither this website nor HK can send you a promo copy; they only go out with mailings from record labels to radio and print media. PLEASE do not email us asking for copies, we CANNOT supply them. We wish it were otherwise,but this is the deal with PLAYOLA. This is detailed information for radio programmers who have been sent this CD * = radio edit CD 1 1. Murder One 4:17 Henry Kaiser - Marrying for Money 1983 Henry Kaiser - guitar John Hanes - drums Hilary Hanes - bass Glenn Phillips - guitar label: Minor Music and SST This track is a live trio with a great overdubbed intro solo by Glenn. Just the Johan and Hilary and myself improvising together in the studio on the basic. This is just one guitar with live stereo processing and looping. And then Glenn was added later on. The second fuzz solo is me playing live over the loops. I love John Hanes' drumming on this piece. Glenn is a great hero of mine. It was wonderful to have him on this track and a few years later to record the GUITAR PARTY cd with him that was just recently released on the Gaff label. This track is one of my favorite recordings ever. I love the Nancarrow-inspired poly tempos of my live, mutating loops against the drums. 2. O Isa 3:45 Henry Kaiser & David Lindley - A World Out of Time Vol. II 1993 Rossy - valiha and vocal Rakoto Frah - sodina flute and vocal Henry Kaiser - guitar Paul Hostetter - guitar label: Shanachie Rossy was Madagascar's reigning roots-pop star, when David Lindley and I made our World Out of Time recordings back in 1991. Rossy is a master of all of the island's traditional and modern instruments. Rakoto Frah is a 72-year-old master of the sodina, the Malagasy flute. To quote Ben Mandelson's sleeve notes from Rakoto Frah's 1988 album on the British Globe Style label: "Rakoto Frah started to play the flute at the age of seven. His father and uncle were both cow herders who used to play to their cattle and in this way Rakoto Frah learned to play the sodina. At 10 he lost both of his parents, and improved his flute playing skills in order to support himself, forming his first group called 'Ambohijatobe', and starting to play at various festive occasions where music was required, such as exhumations and circumcisions. In 1945 he moved to the Isotry slum quarter of Antananarivo where he still lives. According to friends, he and his quarter go together - he IS Isotry - and it would be impossible to get him to live anywhere else. Isotry is a very poor area which is home to lots of rugby players as well as musicians and where Rakoto Frah is a member of the council." Rakoto Frah constructs his own flutes from aluminum tent or ski poles. In the Spring of 1992 Rossy and Rakoto Frah played American concerts with Henry Kaiser and David Lindley to promote the release of volume one of A World Out of Time. One of the songs played on this tour was O Isa, a traditional standard known to most Malagasy today. The title means "Oh One." It is a moral song, a love song from an older person to a younger one - a parent to a child, for instance. It's a counting song: One, I love you; Two, I miss you; etc. At the end it says things like: if you're pretty, that's not enough, that's the just surface, you must live right too. Rossy plays the valiha, a traditional bamboo harp and Rakoto Frah plays his traditional, end-blown, Malagasy flute. It is a very unusual situation for a young pop star to play together with the most senior traditional master of his country; but it certainly reinforces the connections between modern Malagasy music and its traditional roots. Rakoto Frah died a few years back, but he did get a chance to record several more CDs during the years between this recording and and his passing. They are worth searching out. Last time I talked to Rossy he was in Paris, living in a, hopefully temporary, political exile from his big red island home. 3. Jabali part 2* 9:51 Henry Kaiser & Wadada Leo Smith - Yo Miles!: Upriver 2001 Henry Kaiser - guitar Chris Muir - guitar Mike Keneally - guitar Steve Smith - drums Karl Perazzo - percussion Michael Manring - bass Wadada Leo Smith - trumpet unreleased but probably for Cuneiform release in 2004 Here's an unreleased composition by Miles from the On the Corner sessions. The composition is really just the initial bass line, all else is free improvise by the most recent Yo Miles! configuration. This is from 2 double CDs that we recorded in the SACD format in 2001 by John Cutler at The Site in Marin. Sadly held up in release for several years, this stuff should be out soon. Wadada is a great master of music and this band is the heaviest group I have ever played with. Too bad it's so expensive to keep an all-star group like this out playing gigs... We do hope to be back to playing again soon when the new CDs are released. 4. Drowned Dog Black Night 6:47 French-Frith-Kaiser-Thompson - Live, Love, Larf, & Loaf 1987 John "Drumbo" French - drums and backup vocals Fred Frith - bass and backup vocals Henry Kaiser - guitar Richard Thompson - guitar and lead vocal label: Rhino, Demon, and Shanachie. A great tune by Richard with fun guitar solos from the both of us. This first CD, with three of my favorite collaborators and friends, was so much fun to make. 5. Platelet Ice* 4:04 Henry Kaiser - Antarctic Guitar 2002 Henry Kaiser - solo electric guitar unreleased The most exciting experience of my life has been my Antarctic Guitar project. In the Austral summer of 2001-2002 the National Science Foundation sent me to Antarctica to record a solo guitar album about that amazing place. The CD and DVD should be out in late 2003. Platelet Ice is a musical description of the visually stunning world that I saw as a diver beneath the Antarctic Ice. 600 foot visibility! Delicate, 4 inch, ice crystals floating up form the bottom to the ice ceiling above, through the liquid blue space. The live, solo guitar, track was recorded in my office in the Crary Lab at McMurdo Base, immediately after returning from a dive with Professor Art DeVrie's chief diver, Kevin Hoefling. The piece here is an short extract from an alternate version of the piece of the same title that will be included on the final CD release. Go here to see more about my Antarctic adventures: http://www.kff.org/docs/about/henrykaiser.html 6. Obligatory Blues* 5:53 Scott Colby - Slide of Hand 1987 Scott Colby - slide guitar Henry Kaiser - guitar John French - drums Bruce Fowler - trombone Willie Lapin - bass Jim Germann - baritone sax Benn Clatworthy - alto sax Toby Holmes - trombone label: SST This is one of my two most favorite solos on record. The other is on Hurum II, later on this CD. This is just a strat through a Fender Super Champ. Here is Scott Colby with his notes on this track: "The title "Obligatory Blues" waschosento poke a bit of fun at the presumption that all bottleneck slide guitarists are primarily blues players. Although it is the only "blues" track on an album of original instrumental compositions featuring bottleneck slide guitar, it does not conform to the standard 12- or 16-bar structures. The tune's "head" is 10 bars long, each solo was played over verses that alternated between 14 and 15 bars, and there were different turnaround chords for each soloist. While that technical description suggests this piece was the result of some dry intellectual exercise, the fact is that the melody was born in my head while I waswalking alonga shady road andhummingon my way to eat lunch at a restaurant. I phoned my answering machine, sang it,and added the chords when I got home that night.It wasquite a spontaneous thing, except for writing out the horn charts later. Similarly,Henry's solo was one of those moments when the kind ofspontaneousmagic usually reserved for the stage occurs in the studio. It was not only the first take, but was actually just a test he recorded so that we could check the volume and tone he was going to use. He cut a couple ofadditionaltakes that were also good, but when we listened back to all of them, it was obvious that this was the one we had to keep. More proof that the earliest takes are often the best--and when you're on, you're on." - Scott Colby It's a shame that the LP source for this piece is long out-of-print! Scott, along with Zoot, Ry, Mr. Dave, and Sonny is in my high pantheon of the greatest and most original slide players. Scott plays all too infrequently nowadays - but he is still one of the greats! 7. Hai Sai Oji-san 2:39 French-Frith-Kaiser-Thompson - Live, Love, Larf, & Loaf 1987 John "Drumbo" French - drums and backup vocals Fred Frith - bass and backup vocals Henry Kaiser - sanshin (Okinawan samisen) and backup vocals Richard Thompson - guitar and lead vocal label: Rhino, Demon, and Shanachie. Shoukichi Kina's major Okinawan hit is something that I always wanted to be the first gaijin to record. Many thanks to the rest of FFKT for humoring me and cooperating in the realization of this track. ENGLISH TRANSLATION: Hey Grandad! Hey Pops! If there's a drop of sake left in last night's little bottle give me some... Won't you give me some? Hey boy! Hey boy! You think I'm satisfied with a little bottle? Don't say there's none left! OK man! If the little bottle's not enough get me a keg! Hey Grandad! Hey Pops! What a big, funny, bald spot you have on your head! Hey boy! Hey boy! Bald men are excellent, all the women know that a guy with a big bald spot on top can keep his johnson up all night long! OK man! I'm gonna have cosmetic surgery to have bald spot added! Hey Grandad! Hey Pops! Last night's hooker was really a hot lay, you should get down with her! Hey boy! Hey boy! In Chiiji, Nakajimi and Watanji (Red light districts in Okinawa), the ladies all know me as the big, well-endowed, Daddy of the whore houses! OK man! Then let's go get laid right now! 8. One Of Nature's Mistakes 2:07 Fred Frith & Henry Kaiser - Who Needs Enemies? 1983 Fred Frith - six-string bass Henry Kaiser - six-string bass label: Metalanguage, SST, and Cuneiform. A free-improvised bass duet recorded by my favorite engineer, Oliver DiCicco. 9. Ambilanao Zaho 4:30 Henry Kaiser & David Lindley - A World Out of Time 1992 Paul Bert Rahasimanana, called Rossy (lead vocal, guitar, accordion) Marie-Josephine Rasoarimalala, called Josephine (vocal) Norbert Marie Rakototafika, called Nono (vocal) Jean-Roch Rakotomalala-Andriansolo, called Solo (vocal) Luc-Henri Barege, called Lico (bass guitar) Laurent Razafindraibe, called Lava (vocal, drums) Bruno Randrianasivelo, called Bruno (electric guitar) Herilalao Clement Andrianasolo, called Hery (keyboard) Henry Kaiser (electric guitar) David Lindley (slide guitar) Pana (percussion) label: Shanachie The Rossy group, led by multi-instrumentalist Paul Bert Rahasimanana (aka Rossy), was the most popular and eclectic electric band on the island of Madagascar in the 1990's. They began together as youngsters singing vakisoava (a kind of extremely poetic, call and response, traditional singing that is popular in the slums of Tana) in the streets. In time they developed into an acoustic band composing their own songs. They began to add electric and nontraditional instruments. They journeyed over all of Madagascar in their truck, playing electric "roots" music that synthesized musical elements from all 6 of the island's provinces. The dance rhythm of Ambilanao Zaho is salegy, a coastal style of electric music based upon a widespread dance of the Sakalava people. In the lyrics Rossy tells us of the need for an individual to do things his/her own way. My first guitar solo, after Lindley's initial slide break, was unconsciously based upon the song of the indri lemur. Upon playback of the recording, much to my and everyone else's surprise, the solo was discovered to be an uncannily perfect imitation of that lemur's eerie song. Incidentally, an actual indri lemur is a featured vocalist on one of the tracks on WOOT II. 10. Ode To Billy Joe 9:34 Henry Kaiser - Those Who Know History Are Doomed to Repeat It 1988 Henry Kaiser - guitar Bruce Anderson - guitar Cary Sheldon - vocal John Hanes - drums Hilary Hanes - bass Darol Anger - strings David Balakrishnan - strings label: SST Bobbie Gentry's classic narrative goes a bit psychedelic. 11. Free To Choose 3:58 Henry Kaiser - Devil in the Drain 1987 Henry Kaiser - keyboard label: SST This was a film cue from the Secrets and Mysteries TV show that I scored. I later stuck it on an SST album. I played this in some kind of trance. I remember hitting RECORD, but I could not recall how I played it one second after it was done. The thing is, I cannot really play keyboards... But some how I did play this. 12. Bagpipes (Bartok violin duo #36) 1:05 Henry Kaiser - Ice Death 1977 Henry Kaiser - guitar Chris Muir - guitar label: Parachute One of my oldest music pals and collaborators is Chris Muir. We recorded this Bartok violin duo on two electric guitars for my very first album. Today, twenty five years later, we still play together. 13. Hurum II 7:52 Henry Kaiser - Hope You Like Our New Direction 1988 Sang-Won Park - kayagum and vocal Charles K. Noyes - drum kit percussion Henry Kaiser - guitar label: Celluloid One of my favorite long term musical collaborations has been with Mr. Noyes and Mr. Park in this Korean Invite the Spirit group. This piece, which has changed constantly over the years, is something like our theme. I think we were one of the very first cross-cultural free improvisation groups. We started playing back in 1984. 14. Annihilation In Allah 4:40 Henry Kaiser - Hope You Like Our New Direction 1991 David Balakrishnan - violin Henry Kaiser - electric guitar & acoustic guitar Jin Hi Kim - changgo drum Gary Lambert - bass guitar Richard Thompson - vocal & acoustic guitar label: Reckless Oddly enough this was recorded in the dressing room of the Fillmore Auditorium in San Francisco after Richard's sound check with his own band. "Oh you who seek annihilation in God say constantly, Allah, Allah. Withdraw into him from all that is other than him and witness God directly through your heart."... 15. The Fishin' Hole 5:42 Henry Kaiser Band - Heart's Desire 1989 Henry Kaiser - guitar Bruce Anderson - guitar Cary Sheldon - vocal John Hanes - drums Hilary Hanes - bass Tom Constanten - keyboards label: Reckless Well, we had had a lot of fun in The Henry Kaiser Band creating our various interpretations of rock "standards". As some of the more outside jazz artists from Coltrane to Ra to Braxton have expressed themselves through unusual interpretations of standards, we have tried to do something similarly expressive with the rock idiom. We have also tried to approach this sort of work in a much more open, eclectic, improvised and unpredictable mode than is generally the trend in in rock. Here's a live, in-concert, version of the Andy Griffith Mayberry TV show theme, with Cary singing the long forgotten words. 16. Sarayushka (La Grange) 2:26 Crazy-Backwards Alphabet 1986 John French - drums Henry Kaiser - guitar Andy West - bass Michael Maksymenko - vocal label: SST A spontaneous version of ZZ Top's big hit.... in Russian. Graceful, light, and not too greasy boogie drums from Maestro French. 17. Maran II 0:24 Crazy-Backwards Alphabet 1986 Henry Kaiser - guitar Andy West - bass Michael Maksymenko - drums label: SST Michael Maksymenko ended his promising hockey career from a bicycle accident at age 14 and began composing music with the same technical skill, improvised choreography and telepathic collectivism as he used on the ice; teamed up with twins Thomas and Stefan Agaton, he originally recorded Maran on the first EP of his amazing group: Kraldjusanstalten. He wrote this to submit as the TV theme for Swedish Ice Hockey. Needless to say, the Swedish TV network declined to use it.... It was an honor to resurrect the tune for CBA. And today it fills just enough space to make this CD completely full of music. CD 2 1. Meet The Flintstones 6:58 Henry Kaiser - Lemon Fish Tweezer 1991 Henry Kaiser - guitar and vocal label: Cuneiform I thought this was funny when I recorded it. Most listeners seem to think it is sad. No, it's not sad, it's funny, but true. I was there, I should know. 2. The Skunk's Tears 3:14 Henry Kaiser - Hope You Like Our New Direction 1991 Henry Kaiser - guitar John McCain - guitar Mark McQuade-Crawford - drums Gary Lambert - bass label: Reckless Here's a composition by my old friend Bob Adams. I first met Bob over twenty years ago when we were both members of the group Name. Bob also wrote songs with John French for the French Frith Kaiser Thompson records and he was also a member of the later versions of Crazy-Backwards Alphabet. Bob is my favorite composer of electric guitar instrumentals. The song tells the instrumental tale of what it's like to grow up next door to Disneyland and then to have to spend the rest of your life running a uniform laundry. 3. I Alamino* 5:30 Dama & D'Gary - The Long Way Home 1993 D'Gary - vocals, electric and acoustic guitars Dama Mahaleo - backing vocals Pana - percussion Henry Kaiser - electric and acoustic guitars label: Shanachie Malagasy rhythms are at once simple, subtle and elusive. Watching Malagasies tap their feet to a piece of music makes it clear they share a rhythmic sensibility found nowhere else. A basic Malagasy rhythm, a fast three with the accent falling on the second beat, can confound western players, mostly because phrases don't necessarily begin or end on downbeats. Its poly rhythms sound simple until one tries to play them. This is about the best job that I have done, playing together with one of the best guitarists of the island. D'Gary is probably the most amazing acoustic guitarist I have ever seen. This song is from his album with Dama that we recorded in Louisiana. On one level, this song is an example of "manly advice," an admonishment to be cool because life is actually good and all will be well. A story of a valiha player is an allegory, who because he always has another engagement, comes and goes, untroubled. 4. On Broadway* 4:17 Kaiser-Kimock-Mandel-Roulette - The Psychedelic Guitar Circus 1993 John Hanes - drums Bobby Vega - bass Henry Kaiser - guitar Freddie Roulette - steel guitar Harvey Mandel - guitar label: Sky Ranch and Ryko Harvey and Freddie were two of my big heroes before I ever first picked up a guitar. They are both visionary geniuses. It was great to join forces with them and my pal Steve Kimock to make this fun CD. Here is a tune that we picked out of the little repertoire list that Freddie carries in his guitar case. 5. Fanoan'ny Ankizy 2:19 Henry Kaiser & David Lindley - A World Out of Time 1992 Samoela Andriammalalahanjaona , called Sammy (vocal, valiha, marovany, kabosy) Claudia Ramasimanana (vocal) Solomon Ratianarinaivo, called Tiana (vocal, kabosy, percussion) Josefa Andriamanirisoa (vocal, percussion) Serge Ramasimanana (guitar, vocal) Gerad Ranarison (percussion, vocal) Eric Ranarison (percussion, vocal) Henry Kaiser (National acoustic guitar, electric guitar) David Lindley (Weissenborn slide guitar) Pana (percussion) label: Shanachie Tarika Sammy is led by Samoela Andriammalalahanjaona (aka Sammy). Like the Rossy group, Tarika Sammy has the ideal of creating new music that is universally Malagasy. Sammy is an instrument designer & builder. He gave me and Lindley several beautiful flutes that he had made. He is a multi-instrumentalist who plays virtually all of the island's traditional instruments. On this track, a song about children playing in the moonlight, Sammy plays the valiha, the traditional zither of the highland plateau. The valiha is a tubular zither, usually with metal strings, that is constructed from a piece of bamboo. It is usually tuned diatonically. The first instrument that you hear on this track is the valiha. The second instrument that you hear is Lindley's Weissenborn slide guitar answering the valiha's melody. Be sure you don't confuse Tarika Sammy with a low quality, over-hyped, Malagasy group called Tarika (though some call that other group "Tarika Scammy"). Check out the next track here for more on this topic..... 6. Aye Aye Monster 6:16 Keneally-Kaiser-Prince-West - The Mistakes 1995 Mike Keneally - guitar Henry Kaiser - guitar and vocals Prairie Prince - drums Andy West - bass label: Immune This track comes from one of the best and most hard-to-find releases of mine. We hope to see it reissued with a bonus live CD someday. Here's the very sad "Sammy vs. Scammy" story in a song: THE AYE AYE MONSTER (Kaiser-Keneally) Aye Aye Monster nourished by primeval slime plotting out sins Maimbo grins and wrecks havoc through recorded time Marina sings in the village of kings his music brings magic to many while out in the wings Maimbo thinks things that he sings will bring many a penny In another strange land we find Jethro a man who has money and evil ambitions The Aye Aye seduces and quickly deduces the path to Marina's perdition Aye Aye Monster with money man deep in its pocket steals Marina's magic and conceals it where none may unlock it Marina cries to the merciless skies as the evil ones carry out their mission the money man yawns and crushes his pawn who does deeds not of his own volition Marina begs them they capture his legs then that he cannot return to his home he threatens to shout they capture his mouth that their evil shall never be known Aye Aye Monster brings pain without warning or cause Lays with the money man with Marina impaled on its claws I would be more than glad to tell the story the way it really is but jackals would soon emerge and feast on my pathetic head. It's so very nice to know in Modern America that must never unveil the truth about the injustices under the bed - where industry's born and bred without risking wrath from a gaggle of of blood-starved men who'll strip you of all that you are before you count to ten. And so I must sing you this tale as a metaphoric stew because if you knew all the facts that I knew they might come for YOU. Aye Aye Monster nourished by primeval slime prey for the day it no longer wrecks havoc through time NY TODY TSY MISY NY ATAO NO MIVERINA... (key: Hanitra means good smell in Malagasy....Maimbo means bad smell, Marina means one who speaks the truth. NY TODY TSY MISY NY ATAO NO MIVERINA = something like: If you defecate in your bad, you will have to sleep in it...) 7. We Are Not Amused 3:30 Crazy-Backwards Alphabet - We Are Not Amused 1988 Henry Kaiser - guitar Bob Adams - guitar Andy West -- bass Michael Maksymenko - drums and vocal unreleased From the unreleased second Crazy-Backwards Alphabet album, which also features John French on most of the other tracks. Maksymenko's lyric genius turns to a heartfelt critique of post modernists. 8. Cash Calls Hell 2:56 Henry Kaiser & Sergei Kuryokhin - Popular Science 1989 Henry Kaiser - keyboards Sergei Kuryokhin - keyboards label: Ryko Collaborating with the late Russian maestro was especially fun because he spoke no English and I spoke no Russian! 9. The Wood Nymph's Call 4:10 Henry Kaiser & David Lindley - The Sweet Sunny North Vol. II 1995 Tone Hulbækmo - vocal and harp Knut Reiersrud - guitar Henry Kaiser - guitar and bass Annbjørg Lien - fiddle Paolo Vinaccia - percussion label: Shanachie In October of 1991 when Henry Kaiser & David Lindley returned from Madagascar with their German production team of Birger Gesthuisen & Bernhard Ramroth, they knew that they wanted to continue to make new musical expeditions to other parts of the planet. The exceptional critical and commercial success of their World Out of Time recordings of Malagasy music insured that further trips would be possible. The World Out of Time recordings were a new and unprecedented kind of collaborative project between artists from very different cultures. The production's policies of fair payment & publishing for all the artists, respect for the music & culture, naturalistic audiophile recording, and lots of fun collaborations between Henry, David and the local artists resulted in its unique combination of artistic enthusiasm and musical integrity. The success of A World Out of Time and the solo CDs of D'Gary, Dama and Rossy resulted a sudden boom of recognition for the music of Madagascar and a great source of income for all the Malagasy artists. Various destinations were considered and much research transpired before Norway was selected for this recording expedition. Then followed months of research and planning for the trip. Upon their arrival in Norway and throughout their visit in the early summer of 1994, many Norwegians asked Henry & David, "Why Norway, after Madagascar?" Norway, like Madagascar, is another kind of "World Out of Time". Norway has, in some ways, remained musically very isolated from the rest of the world and thus many of its cultural traditions have remained strong, alive and developing; without being destroyed by the international television/disco/manufactured pop culture. Music in Norway is surprising, powerful, deep, and magical. Henry, David, Birger & Rammy love music and they love people. That is what this project is about: people meeting and sharing music, new ideas and friendships. Everyone involved is proud to be able to share these musical adventures and discoveries amongst themselves and with you. This tune has the Norskie title: HULDRI ROP ÅT KJERRING I LI. A spooky tale from Norway. It tells of a huldri, a supernatural spirit with the front of a beautiful; woman but the tail and ass of a cow, that often attempts to seduce men in the mountain valleys. This performance that was recorded during the Sweet Sunny North USA tour, that was done without David Lindley. 10. Mason's Children 4:57 Henry Kaiser - Eternity Blue 1988 Henry Kaiser - guitar David Gans - guitar and vocal Cary Sheldon - vocal John Hanes - drums Hilary Hanes - bass and vocal Tom Constanten - keyboards label: Reckless The first ever released recording of a Hunter-Garcia-Lesh song before it was ever released by The Grateful Dead. A forerunner to New Speedway Boogie, it deals with Altamont, but also fits well with the death of the counterculture and the death of Jerry... or for that matter, with the death of The Dead...... Note that TC played this tune in the old days as a member of the Grateful Dead, back in '71. Note also the transition into the second part of Veterans' Day Poppy at the very end. 11. Improvisation 102a 1:29 Henry Kaiser - Protocol 1978 Toshinori Kondo - trumpet Henry Kaiser - guitar label: Metalanguage This free improvisation is from the Kondo-Kaiser side of this double duo LP; the other side was me and drummer Andrea Centazzo. The track was recorded in New York City and the engineer, Les Paul Jr., is the son of the famous guitarist. 12. Now That I Am Dead 3:27 French-Frith-Kaiser-Thompson - Invisible Means 1990 John "Drumbo" French - drums and lead vocal Fred Frith - bass and backup vocals Henry Kaiser - guitar and backup vocals Richard Thompson - guitar and backup vocals label: Windham Hill and Demon Not only is Drumbo one of the most original and creative rock drummers ever, he's also a great songwriter. This novelty song is a true classic of some genre. 13. Words 6:23 Henry Kaiser - The Bridge: A Tribute to Neil Young 1989 Henry Kaiser - guitar Barbara Higbie - piano Victoria Williams - vocal Greg Gumbel - lap steel and mumble John Hanes - drums Mark McQuade-Crawford - drums Gary Lambert - bass label: Caroline I love playing Neil Young's music. Something I don't often get the chance to do. This was a CD-only bonus track on a nice NY tribute CD, compiled by Terry Tolkin. I first met Victoria Williams a few years before her first record was made. I have always wanted to work with her again. She is great. Mark and John are playing two kids' toy drum kits on this tune. 14. The Devil's Dance 3:42 Henry Kaiser & David Lindley - The Sweet Sunny North 1994 HELGE FØRDE -trombone JAN MAGNE FØRDE -trumpet, flugelhorn JARLE FØRDE -trumpet, flugelhorn EGIL "BOP" JOHANSEN -drums RUNAR TAJFORD -french horn STEIN ERIK TAJFORD -tuba Annbjørg Lien - fiddle Paolo Vinaccia - percussion Steinar Ofsdal - birchbark flute Henry Kaiser - guitar label: Shanachie This number, Fanitullen, is possibly the most famous Hardanger fiddle tune. The story of The Devil's Dance originated at a wedding in Hallingdal in olden times. Such gatherings were often the scene of fistfights and brawls. According to the story, the master of ceremonies was on his way down the cellar stairs to refill the beer supply when he suddenly heard frenzied fiddling from down below. In the cellar, when his eyes had become accustomed to the dark, he was astonished to see who was playing! The fiddler sat on a beer barrel, stamped to the beat with a horse's hoof, and had horns sprouting from his forehead. He held his fiddle backwards and upside-down. There was no doubt at all: it was the devil himself sitting there! Shocked and frightened, the man rushed up the stairs to escape, but he managed to remember the tune, which was handed down from generation to generation ever since. Henry suggested the idea for this crazy arrangement to The Brazz Brothers and Annbjorg. Brother Helge Forde wrote out the horn charts and Paolo Vinaccia's percussion backs up the flute and guitar solos by Steinar Ofsdal and Henry in the middle section. 15. Toward Betty's Door 3:04 Everett Shock - Ghost Boys 1987 Henry Kaiser - guitar Bob Adams - guitar Mark McQuade-Crawford - drums Rick Crawford - bass Everett Shock - vocal label: SST A freely improvised rock track that Everett later added vocals to. Ghost Boys is really the last recording by Name, a group that made a couple of other records. I loved being in this band, which usually featured a 4 guitar front line. We played primarily composed music, which was quite complex. We also developed a refined musical telepathy that enabled us to bang out track like this on demand. Bob Adams here is my favorite writer for guitar. And of all the great drummers that I have played with Mark is the most sympathetic and the most understanding listener to my guitar. I have not played with him for many years and I miss him a lot since he moved down south to Ojai to pursue a career in film writing. 16. Everyday Objects Everyday* 3:05 Fred Frith & Henry Kaiser - Who Needs Enemies? 1983 Henry Kaiser - guitar and Linn drum Fred Frith - guitar and bass label: Metalanguage, SST, and Cuneiform On our second album together Fred and I explored atypical studio use of drum machines, more than 10 years before the bass 'n' drums guys began to get up to the same things. 17. Chrysanthemums* 1:36 Derek Bailey & Henry Kaiser - Wireforks 1995 Derek Bailey - guitar Henry Kaiser - guitar label: Shanachie My greatest guitar hero and I recorded together in Santa Barbara by the eccentric Kavi Alexander. Derek and Elliot Ingber inspired me to play guitar in the first place. 18. Seeing Red 3:33 Henry Kaiser & Sergei Kuryokhin - Popular Science 1989 Henry Kaiser - keyboards Sergei Kuryokhin - keyboards label: Ryko We are both playing my old Synclavier that I was using for a lot of TV scoring work at the time. I guess this piece is a sort of whacky, collaborative collage of disparate elements. 19. Dali's Car 1:19 Henry Kaiser - Ice Death 1977 Henry Kaiser - guitar Evan Cornog - guitar label: Parachute This from my first album on Eugene Chadbourne's Parachute label. My college pal Evan, who later went on to be press secretary to Koch, the mayor of New York City, joins me for a Vliet guitar duet tune from Trout Mask Replica. 20. Japan In A Dishpan 3:03 Henry Kaiser - Hope You Like Our New Direction 1991 Henry Kaiser - guitar John McCain - guitar Mark McQuade-Crawford - drums Alan Smithee - bass label: Reckless One of my favorite tunes from Beefheart's Lick My Decals album. Not an easy tune to learn and play. Mark made it possible by effortlessly dancing out Art Tripp's original improvised drum parts. 21. The Big Clock 4:39 Henry Kaiser - Marrying for Money 1983 Henry Kaiser - guitar John Hanes - drums Hilary Hanes - bass label: Minor Music and SST This track is a live trio. Just the three of us improvising together in the studio. This is just one guitar with live stereo processing and looping. This is my favorite statement in the art of using loops in non-obvious ways. I did not use live loops very much after 1984. Many other folks, like my pals Frisell and Torn, began to use loops a lot after that, but I think that I was one of the first players to use digital looping live; which I began doing around 1997. This is one the most original rock constructions that I have participated in. What do you call this thing? I don't know of anything else like it. I love it. I really really love it. Note also that the improvisation is all in 10.