Gina Leishman, alto sax, bass clarinet, piccolo, accordion, piano, toy piano, vocals; Doug Wieselman, soprano, tenor & baritone sax, clarinet, E-flat clarinet, castanets; Steven Bernstein, trumpet, cornet, flugelhorn; Ralph Carney, alto & tenor sax, clarinet, harmonica, toy piano; Jeff Cressman, trombone; Danny Frankel-percussion, whistle; Bob Lipton, tuba
While the artists of every generation must invent their own means for self-expression, that responsibility is complicated by the necessity to sift through the precedents and legacies of previous generations. That challenge can be especially taxing for musicians who have come of age in the so-called postmodern era, when history and world culture seem to be contracting into an undifferentiated blur under the influence of instantaneous mass communication. How do you come up with something new under the sun, not only in the shadow of everyone from J.S. Bach to John Cage, from Louis Armstrong to John Coltrane, and from Robert Johnson to Frank Zappa, but also when virtually all ethnic traditions around the globe—Bulgarian choirs, Balinese gamelan, North Indian improvisation, South African pop, Tibetan chants—are at your fingertips?
In Madam Marie's Temple of Knowledge, the members of the Kamikaze Ground Crew have succeeded in forging a musical language that is at the same time rife with familiar references and bristling with novel ideas and innovative constructions. In the ten years since they first came together as the horns-and-percussion pit band for the Flying Karamazov Brothers, they have expanded dramatically that original nouveau vaudeville vision of musical and theatrical collaboration. What has emerged is an extraordinarily eclectic ensemble that draws from a diverse array of sources for a variety of special projects, including concert performances, theater productions, and recordings.
The most creative music, whether or not it can be categorized, recognizes no borders. The Kamikaze Ground Crew shares a sense of adventure and exploration with such composers and ensembles as Duke Ellington, Charles Mingus, Sun Ra, Carla Bley, the Willem Breuker Kollektief, and the Vienna Art Orchestra. But its music also springs from a generation whose experience has made eclecticism and multiculturalism organic components of its artistic understanding of the world.
Kamikaze Ground Crew: Madam Marie's Temple of Knowledge
| MP3/320 | $16.00 | |
| FLAC | $16.00 | |
| WAV | $16.00 | |
| CD-R+ | $25.00 |
A *.pdf of the notes may also be accessed here free of charge.
Track Listing
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Cowboys
Gina Leishman
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Some Wild Water
Doug Wieselman
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Buy
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Tears and Tango
Gina Leishman
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Buy
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A Man A Plan
Steven Bernstein
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Buy
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Poppa Dance
Doug Wieselman
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Buy
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Blue Lake Dances
Gina Leishman
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Buy
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Cloud
Steven Bernstein
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Buy
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Baby Doll Lounge
Gina Leishman
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Buy
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Too Much Time in Brooklyn
Doug Wieselman
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Buy
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Homage Au Soleil: Chorale
Gina Leishman
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Buy
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Homage Au Soleil: You Are My Sunshine
Gina Leishman
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Buy
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