Three Musicians -- Music From The Rochester Folk Art Guild LP

Original 1977 German stereo private pressing on Desmar Records (New York-WEST GERMANY) (catalog # RFAG 1).

Completely obscure experimental private LP from this anonymous Rochester, New York, trio. They pressed the record themselves in Germany. The scope of musical styles and instrumentation on this LP is breathtaking -- see the review below for a good sense -- and the highly original, loosely psychedelic ethnic-folk-jazz on here would appeal to anyone interested in Eastern-influenced folk, freeform experimental jazz, improv, modal jazz, outsider folk, raga-blues, minimal and abstract acoustic music, Arabic music, Indian music, Ancient Greek music, or fusions of any or all of the above... or anyone who likes Sun City Girls at their most mellowed and abstract, or Sandy Bull, Robbie Basho, Peter Walker, Suni McGrath, John Fahey, etc.

One record (from 20 years later) which this LP resembles in many interesting ways is Eyvind Kang's theater of mineral NADEs.

Tonal Bride review: Moving deeper into the zone of culturally hybridized multi-instrumental music, this curiosity yields some really gorgeous stuff, mixing flute, dulcimer, cymbalon, tenor recorder, dombak, dholak, daff, voice, bells and gongs, with some deft craftsmanship and playful arrangements. The songs vary in influence from Middle Eastern, Indian, Greek, Celtic, English minstrel, and North American folk/blues, with only one vocal bit on “The Twenty-third Psalm” which is just that, the singing of the Psalm (to a gorgeous cymbalon backdrop) - It all works. Funny thing about the record, though, no information seems to exists on it (that I could find), and the LP itself doesn’t list any of the personnel - it only says stuff like:

“Where does this music come from? The three come together. They come from their workshops and from the fields. What is created is more than the music of the three who play the instruments. It grows out of the life and work of the Rochester Folk Art Guild, part of the same process that takes place in the workshops and kitchens, in the gardens and fields. We are beginners, or rather, trying to be beginners, looking as we can for the root and branches of the craft of music. This recording reflects our present work. Come listen with us.”

Tracks:

Side One: 1. Santori Tuning (3′39) 2. Duet 1 (1′35) 3. Lydian Improvisation (2′58) 4. Brook In The Valley (2′45) 5. Phrygian Waltz (2′42) 6. Twenty-third Psalm (4′34) 7. Merengue (2′22) Side Two: 1. Up To The Wind (4′18) 2. Duet 2 (1′30) 3. Village Dance (1′25) 4. Phrygian Improvisation (7′32) 5. Muted Meter (3′33) 6. Easter Song (5′31)

CONDITION: Cover NM- / Vinyl NM-   excellent shape, still in shrinkwrap, which has crinkled somewhat and torn just a little bit; vinyl is near pristine, close to NM, just has a few small minor surface marks.

Graded conservatively using Goldmine standards [G / G+ / VG / VG+ / NM / ]
grade only used if record is brand new.
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