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LP
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SV 196LP
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2024 repress. "By the early '70s, Milford Graves had more or less stopped gigging. Having learned his lesson the hard way in multiple-night runs like a legendary Slugs' residency with Albert Ayler, he knew that the level of energy that he put out during a performance would be difficult to sustain over the long haul. A concert was a kind of absolute ritual for him, after which he would be totally spent, emotionally and physically. Graves rarely left anything on the table. Any musical performance was an opportunity to present an amalgamated version of all the things he had learned. He was an innovator and a teacher at his core, and the concert venue was one of his first classroom settings. In March 1976, Verna Gillis invited Graves to perform on WBAI's Free Music Store radio show. For the date, he chose to present a trio lineup which he had been occasionally playing -- featuring two saxophonists who were dedicated to the drummer's vision. Hugh Glover is almost exclusively known for his work with Graves, while Arthur Doyle would gain exposure later for an obscure record that he made two years later, Alabama Feeling, which would become a highly collectable item among free jazz enthusiasts. Originally released in 1977, Babi remains one of Graves' most seminal recordings. The music played by the trio was ecstatic. Extreme energy music, buoyant and joyful. It relied on Graves' new way of approaching the drum kit, in which he had opened up the bottoms of his skin-slackened toms and eliminated the snare. Graves' art was always unblemished by commercial interests, and this album is its finest mission statement."
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Book
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9781941753378
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2024 restock. "Milford Graves has been a revelatory force in music since the mid-1960s, liberating the drummer from the role of 'timekeeper' to instrumental improviser and giving rise to the Free Jazz movement, with groundbreaking performances alongside Lou Reed, Min Tanaka, and John Zorn. But musical practice cannot contain the energies of his creativity and intellect. Milford Graves' kaleidoscopic genius led him to develop an unprecedented body of interests -- from medicine to botany, stem cell regeneration to martial arts. A Mind-Body Deal is an attempt to open the doors of his habitat and spark curiosity in our own minds, so we too may learn to weave our mind-bodies with the rhythms of the world around us. A Mind-Body Deal gathers the intricate, multifaceted work of Milford Graves, exploring the practices and predilections of this extraordinary 'jazz mind.' Fully illustrated, this catalogue includes documentation from the eponymous show at ICA Philadelphia, exhibiting a collection of Graves' hand-painted album covers and posters, idiosyncratic drum sets, recording ephemera, multimedia sculptures, photographs, and costumes, with elements from his home and scientific studies." 256 pages. Paperback. 0.7" H x 10.4" L x 7.6" W (1.85 lbs)
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2CD
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CVSD 052CD
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2023 restock. R.I.P. Milford Graves, 1941-2021. Please watch the amazing Jake Meginsky documentary film "Milford Graves Full Mantis" if you haven't had the chance (streaming freely in the world).
Corbett Vs. Dempsey presents a reissue of Milford Graves's Bäbi, originally issued in 1977 on Graves's own IPS label. This is the first reissue of one of the most legendary albums in the history of free music. Recorded live in concert in 1976, when Graves' trio with saxophonists Arthur Doyle and Hugh Glover was at the height of its powers, Bäbi is a testament to the absolutely unique approach the drummer had established for himself. He had reconfigured the drum kit, removing the second heads on all the drums and replacing the snare with two toms, which allowed him a much more nuanced sense of indirectness in his multi-directional adventures in time. The track "Ba" remains one of the most astonishing feats of percussion alchemy ever waxed, as funky as ten slap bassists and as free as an exploding grenade. Doyle and Glover are incendiary, too, inspired by Graves to new and shocking heights of achievement, their hoarse cries and whistling split-tones carried to thrilling plateaus on the energy of Graves' hands and feet. The original tapes for the session have been lost, so the reissue was lovingly remastered from virgin vinyl, itself now worth a mint. In 2017, Graves discovered a previously unknown tape in his archives featuring the same trio at its inception, in home recordings made seven years earlier, in 1969. Graves pummels a huge gong while Glover plays an instrument that, after sounding like none ever known, turns out to be bass clarinet. Extreme music recorded up close and very hot, it is among the most searing sessions never heard, until now. Rounding out the two-CD package are three previously unpublished photos by Gérard Rouy, and the original LP cover design by Graves himself.
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CD
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ESPDISK 1015CD
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R.I.P. Milford Graves, 1941-2021. Please watch the amazing Jake Meginsky documentary film "Milford Graves Full Mantis" if you haven't had the chance (streaming freely in the world).
Percussionist Milford Graves recorded his first and only ESP-Disk' recording on August 5th, 1966 along with fellow percussionist, the late Sonny Morgan. According to Milford Graves, the titles were given numbers according to how many beats were in each measure. Milford Graves has been one of the main drummers in the free mode scene (known for skillful inclusion of Asian and African rhythmic ingredients into his solos). He worked with the New York Art Quartet, Giuseppi Logan, Albert Ayler, Don Pullen, Andrew Cyrille and many more. This unique combination of percussion conversations between Milford Graves is a welcomed addition in the new series of digipak re-issues. Liner notes, photos and more. Digitally remastered from the original tapes.
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