Esoteric tunes

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I can recommend a tremendous album by a band called Red Snapper entitled "Making Bones". Basically they are a jazz collective with electronica and ska influences, but if you can check out the opening track, "The Sleepless", which abounds with esoteric references to Osiris, Isis, Jesus, John the baptist etc.
The most important factor though is the sheer quality of their playing, which I can testify to after seeing them in a festival in 2003. I don't think they've got a record deal at the present time (typical!), but I'm sure we haven't heard the last of them.
A little more art of this quality would do us all the world of good, so does anyone out there have any other recommendations of esoteric tunes (lyrically)??
 
For something plain funny, listen to "Voyage of Gurdjieff" (The Fourth Way) by Swedish symphonic metal band Therion.

In general 60s garage psych bands did esoterica better than "we" do it today.
 
Excellent! I have "A Love Supreme", which had quite an effect upon me immediately, and a fair smattering of Miles Davis records. Sun Ra sounds intruiging...but metal bands tend to bludgeon me a little, but I may be pleasantly surprised! Folk bands..I am familiar with "The Fakir" by Davy Graham, so TISB may be worth a listen.

Any ideas why modern bands struggle to convey the esoterica so successfully?
More to the point, the cultural shift away from the spiritual is probably a determining factor.

Cheers guys!!
 
Actually Sun Ra is an old-style 40s jazz swing band. But a swing band whose leader claims to have come from outer space! Here is Wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sun_Ra on him:

Sun Ra (May 22, 1914 - May 30, 1993) was an innovative jazz composer, bandleader, piano and synthesizer player, who came to be known as much for his "cosmic philosophy" as for his musical compositions and performances.

Born Herman Poole Blount, in Birmingham, Alabama, he was nicknamed Sonny from his youth. He later abandoned his birth name and took on the name and persona of Sun Ra (Ra being the name of the ancient Egyptian god of the Sun). He led The Arkestra, an ensemble with an ever-changing lineup, which also used a variety of names: "The Solar Myth Arkestra," the "Blue Universe Arkestra," "The Jet Set Omniverse Arkestra," and many other permutations.

Claiming that he was of the "Angel Race" and not from Earth, but rather from Saturn, Ra developed a complicated persona of "cosmic" philosophies and lyrical poetry that preached "awareness" and peace above all. Some regarded him as a kook in this regard, but most recognized his immense musical talents.

He eschewed racism (having been a victim of it many times experienced during his touring and booking schedule with the Arkestra) and insisted his musicians avoid drug abuse, though he rarely came out and directly spoke about any controversial subjects.

There is some disagreement as to Sun Ra's date of birth. Sun Ra himself stated that he "arrived on earth" at any number of ancient dates. The date listed above appeared on Sun Ra's passport, but others place his birth anywhere from 1910 to 1918, with most sources supporting a birth year of 1914 or 1915. Incidentally, Sun Ra reported that his astrological sign was Gemini, which coincides with the above mentioned birthday.
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Never heard of Davy Graham but just looked him up. Sounds fascinating. Thanks.

Skystalker said:
Excellent! I have "A Love Supreme", which had quite an effect upon me immediately, and a fair smattering of Miles Davis records. Sun Ra sounds intruiging...but metal bands tend to bludgeon me a little, but I may be pleasantly surprised! Folk bands..I am familiar with "The Fakir" by Davy Graham, so TISB may be worth a listen.

Any ideas why modern bands struggle to convey the esoterica so successfully?
More to the point, the cultural shift away from the spiritual is probably a determining factor.

Cheers guys!!
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It is perhaps not so much that modern bands struggle to convey esoterica, it is that machismo and shaking asses and bling sell more product to an increasingly culturally deprived and illiterate youth market. You just need to "look" in different places.

Living artists with more than moderate commercial success, going off the beaten path at times, include David Sylvian, The Tea Party, Dead Can Dance (Lisa Gerrard/Brendan Perry), The Church, The Swans, Killing Joke (Jaz Coleman).
 
And thank you... I didn't know that Kevin Shields and Primal Scream borrowed the term "Arkestra" from Sun Ra.
 
I listen to Keith Jarrett's cd of Gurdjieff hymns often. Also, if you like progressive rock and a keen sense of humour, check out some of the new King Crimson stuff (like "The ConstucKtion of Light").
 
I didn't know that Keith Jarrett has produced any of G's music - can you tell me the title and record label?

Phil
 
pstott said:
I didn't know that Keith Jarrett has produced any of G's music - can you tell me the title and record label?

Phil
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Keith Jarrett - Sacred Hymns

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00000DTER/102-9455343-9956965?v=glance&n=5174
 
MaskedAvatar said:
It is perhaps not so much that modern bands struggle to convey esoterica, it is that machismo and shaking asses and bling sell more product to an increasingly culturally deprived and illiterate youth market. You just need to "look" in different places.
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I think this is largely true. There is also an unfortunate obsession in popular music these days with making things seem "easy." It's cool if it gives off the vibe of being tossed off like no big deal (plenty of exceptions...but the rule, no doubt). Bands rarely even get political for fear of glossing people's eyes over. I think the assumption is that people aren't interested in 'working at' their music. But, then they aren't given many opportunities to experience music actually worth that work. I think people are way more interested in being stimulated and challenged by their music than most artists are giving them credit for, but they need to be led in to the experience thoughtfully. I think this is why there are some new bands cropping up recently that are really trying to create immersive live experiences and are introducing multimedia explorations etc. They are beginning to remember what the 70/80s post-punk scene (and many others) taught us: it is always fruitful realizing these 'extra' endeavors as integral to making music experiential. This is at least how I would loosely define "esoteric music."

I do think there are a lot of bands that are starting to do really interesting things with the ideas of "strange reality," dimensions, densities, archetypal themes (Of Montreal, to name one), but a spiritual undertone is almost categorically avoided.
 
Anybody who has listened to music by Steve Roach?
He is supposed to recreate the music he heard while having an NDE experience.
 
Keith Jarrett

Keith Jarrett (best piano player ever in my opinion) has for a long time been a source of inspiration (musical and otherwise) for me and I thought I'd share some of his music here with you.


For those already interested in Gurdjieff, here is an album (here in its entirety) called Sacred Hymns where Jarrett is apparently playing some music that Gurdjieff composed: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7xq1Tj2isQw



Here is a piece (unfortunately fragments on YouTube because the concert has two pieces, one 40+ mins in length and one that is 20+ mins in length) which is in my opinion, one of his best works ever (in a more than 40 year career). It is called the Vienna Concert. It is completely improvised solo piano, and it is very challenging to listen to, but very worth it. It starts of very tenderly and after a while descends into the abyss but ends with utter glory, and that is just the first piece. here is an excerpt from the liner notes:


"I have courted the fire for a very long time, and many sparks have flown in the past, but the music on this recording speaks, finally, the language of the flame itself."


The Vienna Concert (you may be able to find all of the part on YouTube but I recommend finding the CD): [/size]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W9FMR8Un940[size=small]


Enjoy!
 
Re: Keith Jarrett

Lovely - thanks. :)


Bach – “it’s about striking the notes at exactly the right moment”.


edit=quote correction
 
Mr. Premise said:
Sun Ra, Rahsaan Roland Kirk, Pharaoh Sanders, John Coltrane, The Incredible String Band.
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I have also spent a lot of time with John Coltrane, and although I don't listen to him much any more, I will always love him.


Here is a song from an album of the same name called Stellar Regions, one of his best records and and last records before dying of liver cancer in 1967:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1QiVRmvkwYM


I love how Rahsaan Roland Kirk can make me laugh and cry in the same song. The Inflated Tear: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZoFcpWAYEDs
 
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