Moondog [CBS]

by Moondog

Overview

Moondog's second self-titled album (the first one came out in 1956 on the independent jazz label Prestige) was the idiosyncratic composer's first release in 12 years, and it shows how much Moondog's already rich music had matured since 1957's The Story of Moondog. Where Moondog's '50s records were jazz-based, Moondog showcases the composer's orchestral side; producer James William Guercio assembled an orchestra of over 40 musicians from the classical and jazz worlds (including flutist Hubert Laws and bassist Ron Carter), and although the pieces are quite compact -- ranging from the expansive three-part ballet suite "Witch of Endor" to the eight-second spoken poem "Cuplet" -- Moondog uses the expanded range of tonal colors and dynamics impressively. For someone who spent most of his career performing solo on a street corner in Manhattan, Moondog's arrangements on pieces like the jazz-canon's "Stamping Ground" are not only admirably complex, but also richly melodic. Although Moondog is often thought of as a mere exotica novelty, thanks to the composer's eccentricities, it is, in fact, one of the finest third stream jazz albums of its era. The best-known track on this album, "Bird's Lament," was the uncredited basis for dance DJ Mr. Scruff's "Get a Move On," which was used in an extended series of minivan commercials in 2002. ~ Stewart Mason

Product Details

Release Date:	06/30/2017
Label:	Caribou Records / Sony Music
UPC:	0889854401610

Tracks

1. Theme
2. Stamping Ground
3. Symphonique No. 3 (Ode to Venus)
4. Symphonique No. 6 (Good for Goodie)
5. Minisym #1; I - Allegro
6. Minisym #1; II - Andante adagio
7. Minisym #1; III - Vivace
8. Lament I, "Bird's Lament"
9. Witch of Endor; I - Dance
10. Witch of Endor; II - Trio; A. Adagio (The Prophesy)
11. Witch of Endor; II - Trio; B. Andante (The Battle)
12. Witch of Endor; II. Trio; C. Agitato (Saul's Death)
13. Witch of Endor; III - Dance (Reprise)
14. Symphonique #1 (Portrait of a Monarch)

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Moondog   Primary Artist,Vocals,Harmonica,Keyboards,Percussion
Alfred Brown   Bass
Charles McCracken   Cello
Paul Faulise   Trombone
Tony Studd   Trombone
Harold Jones   Piccolo
James Buffington   French Horn
Melvin Broiles   Trumpet
David Schwartz   Viola
Emanuel Vardi   Viola
Jack Knitzer   Bassoon
Joe Wilder   Trumpet,Flugelhorn
Hubert Laws   Piccolo
Ron Carter   Bass
Louis Hardin   Bass
Phil Bodner   Clarinet
Paul Gershman   Violin
Ray Alonge   French Horn
Jack Jennings   Percussion
Buddy Morrow   Trombone
Richard Berg   French Horn
Brooks Tillotson   French Horn
Raoul Poliakin   Viola
George Duvivier   Bass
George Berg   Bassoon
Bobby Rosengarden   Percussion
George Ricci   Cello
Don Butterfield   Tuba
Alan Dean   Trumpet
Bill Elton   Tuba
Wally Kane   Bassoon,Sax (Baritone)
Bill Stanley   Tuba
Jimmy Abato   Clarinet
Andrew Lolya   Flute
Irving Horowitz   Horn (English)
Aaron Rosand   Violin
Henry Schuman   Horn (English)
Eugene Becker   Viola
John Swallow   Tuba
Danny Repole   Trumpet
Dave Carey   Percussion
Harold Bennett   Flute
Elayne Jones   Percussion
Rieko Nakagawa   Bassoon
Charles Small   Trombone
Phil Giardina   Tuba
Don Macourt   Bassoon
Joynce Kelly   Bassoon
Teddy Weiss   Trumpet
Ernie Bright   Clarinet (Bass)
George Silfies   Clarinet

Technical Credits

Fred Plaut   Engineer
James William Guercio   Producer
Louis Hardin   Composer
Arthur Kendy   Engineer