Fred Frith, John Greaves, Peter Blegvad - Zu Loft (1978, Usa/England)

1978-12-19 - New York, NY - Zu Loft

Setlist:

01 Milk
02 Mostly Twins And Trios
03 For Bearings
04 The Rose Sob
05 Silence
06 Big Guns Theme
07 Alcohol
08 Strayed
09 Actual Frenzy
10 22 Proverbs
11 Riding Tigers
12 A Little Something
13 improv
14 improv
15 improv
16 improv

Musicians:
Fred Frith/ Guitar
John Greaves/ Vocals, Electric Piano, Bass
Peter Blegvad/ Vocals, Guitar
Eugene Chadbourne/ Guitar
Lisa Herman/ Vocals
Bill Laswell/ Bass
Fred Maher/ Drums (on 22 Proverbs and other Greaves songs)
Dr. Dan/ Drums, Vibes (all songs except Frith vibes on Young Ladies)
Michael Beinhorn/ Synth Drone (9)

ZU was a project of UK scenemaker Giorgio Gomelsky, who relocated to New York after helping launch the careers of the Rolling Stones and Yardbirds from his Crawdaddy Club as well as producing early sessions for John McLaughlin, Graham Bond, Alexis Koerner and Soft Machine. He was soon forcing the likes of Magma, Henry Cow and Plastic People Of The Universe on unsuspecting Americans as well as encouraging young Bill Laswell to form a band that became Material after backing Daevid Allen as ZU Band and New York Gong. The present concert took place some two months after Gomelsky's ZU Manifestival - the first progressive rock summit in the United States. Frith played several Manhattan solo shows around this time, including one at Artists Space in Soho where he harmonized with sirens passing in the street below. There was also a misguided booking at the Mudd Club, where devoted fans were refused admittance for showing up in jeans, stocking caps, long hair and pimples. I was once halfway through the door of this chic nitespot behind two downtown celebrity pals when a great arm came down like a railroad crossing gate. Quality control figured there was no way the two sharp suits had come with Travis Bickle. According to the wondrous Blegvad discography that appeared on the defunct idiot dog website, there should be a nine minute reading between Silence and Big Guns Theme, where there is an audible edit. At any rate, it's great to hear the tapers gasping in wonder as they experience their imported heroes in the flesh for the first time.

Hoppy Kamiyama + Bill Laswell ‎– A Navel City / No One Is There (2004, CD, Japan)

Both of these music personalities are well-known for their assorted collaborations, so it should be no surprise that they have finally gotten together to see what results. Tokyo-based Kamiyama is a producer and keyboardist, perhaps best known as head honcho of the God Mountain label and the impresario behind acts as varied as eX-Girl and the Pugs, while producer and bassist Laswell has been involved with everything from Material and Painkiller to remixing Miles Davis.

The idea of Laswell's deep dub sensibilities combined with Kamiyama's more prankish nature intrigued me as soon as I heard of the project. These seven long pieces place Laswell's bass and Kamiyama's keyboards over drums by guest Kiyohiko Semba, with tricky sound effects by both Kamiyama and Laswell sprinkled liberally throughout. The good news is that the outcome of this collaboration balances the impulses of both strong personalities, giving the listener deep grooves and playful touches. Semba's strong, nimble drumming is worthy of more than just a brief mention as well; he moves easily from simple, straightforward beats to fast, head-spinning fills, and is an excellent match for both Laswell's dub pulsing and Kamiyama's weird jazz moments.

The disc's opener, "Azlo," begins with Laswell's bass and echoing drums. As it progresses, though, the rhythm section heightens the tempo with some very impressive drum fills, as synthesized pings and bells enter here and there. "Todes Fuge" features sparkling piano work with metallic sound effects, while "Sospirando" layers a variety of electronics over a simple, strong beat.
The drums are again noteworthy on "Zarathustra," after a slow introductory movement filled with cymbals and what's probably ultra-compressed bass. "Sad Emission" also evolves from one sonic signature to another, beginning with slow, thick bass and drums that quickly accelerate, dominated by alien keyboards and a dense bassline. Later it slows again, morphing into a gently jazzy piece with drops of rainlike piano and strangely murmuring background sounds.

All in all, these and the other songs here offer a fair variety while concentrating on what each of the participants does best. Unlike some collaborations, which can seem forced, these pieces feel comfortable in the sense that Kamiyama and Laswell apparently realized how they could best take advantage of their combined strengths. Good work all around. (By Mason Jones)