JAYNE CORTEZ AND THE FIRESPITTERS – MAINTAIN CONTROL (BOLA PRESS, 1986)

I was preparing this post for a request from May 2012, when I found,sadly, that Jayne Cortez died on 28 December 2012. A powerful poet, both in writing and performance, and a civil rights activist, Jayne released numerous books and albums. Her first album as leader was with Richard Davis on bass (Celebrations and Solitudes, Strata-East). Many later albums were written with her band, The Firespitters, produced with her son, Denardo Coleman, and featured leading free jazz and African musicians.

Obituary

Rest in peace

Jayne Cortez, poetry
Al MacDowell, bass
Bern Nix, guitar
Denardo Coleman, percussion
Charles Moffett Jr, tenor saxophone

Ornette Coleman, alto saxophone (A4)
Abdul Wadud, cello (B4)

A1. Maintain Control     3:40    
A2. Economic Love Song     2:03    
A3. Tell Me     5:13    
A4. No Simple Explanations     6:59    
A5. Briefing     5:21    

B1. Kai Kai (For The Poets)     4:42    
B2. Deadly Radiation Blues     4:30    
B3. Chocolate     4:50    
B4. Commitment     4:07    
B5. Everything Is Wonderful     1:48    

Bola Press – BP-8601

Vinyl Rip

Michel Magne-L'interdit, Delectation suave pour une mor Heureuse-1977 ( l'expression, Strassbourg LP)

A lovely and rather rare lp by French Composer Michel Magne .... best known for his film scores ,including most infamously the soundtrack to "Barbarella"

picked up years ago in a junk shop , including a signed score printed on heavy cotton rag.
Magne was a friend and Collaborator of French Neo-Dadaist Yves Klein and also Collaborated with jazz musicians , did some arranging for pop bands , as well as composing purely electronic pieces.

From the 40's onwards he was evolving a concept of so called visual music, on paper quite similar in many respects to the bahaus visual-aural synthesis of a Klee or a Kandinsky except with sound as the prime element.

A cursory google search.. reweals that quite a bit of his film and pop orientated work is up on blogs ..
including a particularly engaging collaboration with jazz pianist Martial Solal, at OIR.


A dreamlike music which builds slowly from small cells that appear to float as if suspended in time , odd intervals , Microtones .. and Glissandi Galore ..
unusual instrumentation ...  Also..texturally reminiscent of Claude debussy's late chamber music,

Marie-Claude Vallin soprano
Janine Kieffer-violin
Detlef Kieffer-Cymbalom

A-L'interdit (the forbidden, my trans)
B-Delectation suave pour une mor Heureuse.. ( Suave anticipation of an early death-my trans)


AThe notes refer to these performers as having a record out of work by Haubenstock -ramati, as well as a recording of Schoenberg's pierrot lunaire.


Magne @ Myspace