Avant-Garde

Tim Berne (born 1954) is an American jazz saxophone player and composer. Though Berne was a music fan, he had no interest in playing a musical instrument until he was in college, when he purchased an alto saxophone. He was more interested in rhythm and blues music--Stax records releases and Aretha Franklin, especially--until he heard a recording by Julius Hemphill. Hemphill was known for his integration of soul music and funk with free jazz. Berne moved to New York City in 1974. There Berne took lessons from Hemphill, and later recorded with him.

David Bowie (born David Robert Jones on 8th January 1947 in Brixton, London, UK) is an English singer, songwriter, musician, and actor. Active in six decades of popular music and frequently reinventing his music and image, Bowie is widely regarded as an innovator, particularly for his work in the 1970s. He has been cited as an influence by many musicians and is known for his distinctive voice and the intellectual depth of his work.

Read more about David Bowie on Last.fm.

Born in Hanau in 1895, Paul Hindemith was taught the violin as a child. He entered the Hoch'sche Konservatorium in Frankfurt am Main where he studied conducting, composition and violin under Arnold Mendelssohn and Bernhard Sekles, supporting himself by playing in dance bands and musical-comedy outfits. He led the Frankfurt Opera orchestra from 1915 to 1923 and played in the Rebner string quartet in 1921 in which he played second violin, and later the viola. In 1929 he founded the Amar Quartet, playing viola, and extensively toured Europe.

Even if you’re fortunate enough to have the original small-run CDR of “Armory Radio,” this double vinyl set should still be of interest as it differs substantially from the first version, with additional material and new thoughts on what went before. If, like me, you’ve enjoyed interstation sounds from shortwave radios, you’ll probably find yourself atuned to this music very quickly. To my ears and imagination, these conjunctions of voices, snatches of music and random tones and whooses conjured up exotic lands and Geoff Mullen’s music has that quality...