Garden Of Delights
Emma Myldenberger : Tour de Trance (D,1979)****°
According to the booklet notes in the new reissue, during a long period of touring in 1979, throughout the whole of Germany mostly, a percussionist originating from Israel, Rammy Mizrachi spontaneously joined the band for a while, which led to longer improvisations and tracks, a result which was going to be heard on their new album. While the first album was a 2-take, 2-track recording, the group now had the opportunity of a 10 days session and an 8-track recording studio, which led to additional arrangements of tampura, tabla, and other percussion overdubs. The album now is reissued for the first time, using the NoNoise system of Cedar on a mint LP. Additionally 4 live tracks, done a month later; are also added.
The first track, “Ein Bischen” is the only track which roots more clearly into folk and medieval origins. You can hear the vivid and experienced live energy of the band. It has impressive, fast flute playing with some violin parts. Then comes the big masterpiece, a wonderfully arranged classical suite with guitars, banjo, mandolin, violin, cello, double bass, choir-like vocals, flutes, and oboe passages. A piece like this I've never heard of in folk or pop music, and it is also much more vivid and spontaneously developed than any note-by-note classical music piece interpretation. It includes a few folk themes (like a Bulgarian theme), and has two rather medieval song sections, based upon a 15th century text from Wolfgang Borchert, amongst improvisations. It is very understandable how a part of one of the improvisations, led by a hobo/violin duet with banjo & mandolin & tabla rhythms easily brings here the Third Ear Band into mind, although Emma Myldenberger’s compositions brings the listener to more melodic challenges. The other tracks also are basically chamber music pieces with some improvisation. “Lenya’s Fantasie” for instance has a small flamenco-theme on guitar into it, and “RAA” includes an interesting jazzy double bass improvisation. Hobo with violin lead here more than once. Last track, “Wassensteyn’s Hochzeitsnacht” seems like to start with thumbpiano, then gets almost Baroque melodic chamber improvisations, medieval flute and so on, and ends with a more experimental, rather psychedelic conclusion with more vocals, at times improvised with folk overtones. “Das war’s” says the last sentence (“=that’s all folks”)…
The first two bonus (good quality) live recordings show very much how the band interpreted the compositions from the album in a live session. Also these versions are original and luckily a bit different. Also included is a Grateful Dead cover, “I know you Rider”, from which the fast flute makes it more special.
PS. During the LP the 6 piece band had the help of 7 additional musicians.
(The live tape from 1980-1981 will be re-released around april).
