Moondog (aka Louis Hardin): Round The World Of Sound
Liner Notes   Cat. No. 80774     Release Date: 2016-03-25
Dedalus & Muzzix; Didier Aschour, guitar and artistic director; Christian Pruvost, trumpet and co-director; Stéphane Garin, percussion, glockenspiel; Peter Orins, drums; Vincent Bouchot and Nathalie Duong, voice; Sakina Abdou, alto & baritone saxophones, recorder, spinet; Julien Favreuille, sopranino & tenor saxophones, flute; Denis Chouillet, piano, toy piano; Barbara Dang, spinet, organ; Deborah Walker, cello; Sébastien Beaumont, classical & electric guitars, banjo; Nicolas Mahieux, double bass; Maxime Morel, saxhorn, trombone

 

"To reduce the music of Louis Thomas Hardin (1916-1999) to the legendary figure of Moondog would be to pass over the real work of the composer. The melodic invention, the prodigious rhythms, and the mixture of genres, as original as they are obvious, all come together to form a music that merits consideration strictly as music. To interpret Moondog's Madrigals, we wanted to develop aspects of the original recording of 1970, but also to produce a "live" version, one that would express the vitality and energy of ensemble music, and in order to enrich the instrumentation we chose a different combination of instruments for each piece.

"Round the World of Sound is an album of songs, and the singers were employed in many ways: alone or in duets, polyphonic (sometimes a capella) or in chorus, and sometimes the musicians added their own voices to those of Vincent Bouchot and Nathalie Duong. When we were invited to play this music in a festival that contained many types of music, the organizer asked to try to define the genre, and we answered, "Well, let's just call it pop chamber music." -- Didier Aschour, music director, Dedalus

This twenty-five piece selection is entitled Madrigal Book 1, and is a nod to the system Bach used for his Well-Tempered Clavier. Here, Moondog passes through all the major and minor tonalities, following the cycle of fourths. Thus, the opening Bells Are Ringing is in C major, followed by Voices of Spring in A minor, What's the Most Exciting Thing in F major and so on until the return to C major with Sparrows.

The album spans twenty years of composing and bohemian life in the very heart of Manhattan, on its streets and under its porches. The record features pieces from the early 1950s (All Is Loneliness, Be a Hobo) as well as later canons written in June 1968. All are autobiographical, or at least reflect the state of mind of their author. As such, they are either melancholic or cheerful, and can evoke the everyday life (Coffee Beans) or a longing for recognition (Maybe), at all times vibrant with his good turns of phrase and his distinctive philosophy. This collection constitutes a marvelous window into Moondog's universe.

Dedalus

Moondog (aka Louis Hardin): Round The World Of Sound

MP3/320 $16.00
FLAC $16.00
WAV $16.00
CD $25.00

Track Listing

Bells Are Ringing
Moondog (a.k.a. Louis Hardin)
Buy
Voices of Spring
Moondog (a.k.a. Louis Hardin)
Buy
What's the Most Exciting Thing
Moondog (a.k.a. Louis Hardin)
Buy
All Is Loneliness
Moondog (a.k.a. Louis Hardin)
Buy
My Tiny Butterfly
Moondog (a.k.a. Louis Hardin)
Buy
Why Spend a Dark Night With You?
Moondog (a.k.a. Louis Hardin)
Buy
Coffee Beans
Moondog (a.k.a. Louis Hardin)
Buy
Down Is Up
Moondog (a.k.a. Louis Hardin)
Buy
Be a Hobo
Moondog (a.k.a. Louis Hardin)
Buy
Remember
Moondog (a.k.a. Louis Hardin)
Buy
I Love You
Moondog (a.k.a. Louis Hardin)
Buy
Nero's Expedition
Moondog (a.k.a. Louis Hardin)
Buy
No, the Wheel Was Never Invented
Moondog (a.k.a. Louis Hardin)
Buy
With My Wealth
Moondog (a.k.a. Louis Hardin)
Buy
This Student of Life
Moondog (a.k.a. Louis Hardin)
Buy
Some Trust All
Moondog (a.k.a. Louis Hardin)
Buy
Wine, Women and Song
Moondog (a.k.a. Louis Hardin)
Buy
Sadness
Moondog (a.k.a. Louis Hardin)
Buy
Maybe
Moondog (a.k.a. Louis Hardin)
Buy
Each Today
Moondog (a.k.a. Louis Hardin)
Buy
Imagine
Moondog (a.k.a. Louis Hardin)
Buy
You, the Vandal
Moondog (a.k.a. Louis Hardin)
Buy
Trees Against the Sky
Moondog (a.k.a. Louis Hardin)
Buy
Behold
Moondog (a.k.a. Louis Hardin)
Buy
Sparrows
Moondog (a.k.a. Louis Hardin)
Buy