aworks :: "new" american classical music

The Thief of Bagdad (1940). Miklos Rozsa #johnfahey

Soundtrack: The Music of the Movies:

Rozsa's scores for The Thief of Baghdad and Rudyard Kipling's Junle Book (1942) attacted considerable attentioni; they abounded with appropriate orientalisms, blended with Rozsa's own lyrical, chromatic texture.

The John Fahey Handbook: Vol. 1:

In 1948, at age nine, Fahey became interested in music aftrer watching The Thief of Bagdad. What fascinated him most was the musical score of the film, and he made his father take him to see it at least five times.

As one who is obsessed with both American classical music and the music of John Fahey, I find it interesting that the two most recent books I've purchased intersect.

  

aworks +1 web log :: the legend of john fahey

Wikipedia

John Fahey - The Legend of Blind Joe Death

• Sligo River Blues
• Uncloudy Day
• In Christ There Is No East or West
• Desperate Man Blues
• Sun Gonna Shine in My Back Door Someday Blues
• Poor Boy Long Ways from Home

John Fahey - Rain Forests, Oceans, & Other Themes

• Melody McOcean
• Layla - Eric Clapton
• Rain Forest
• Lullaby & Finale from the Firebird - Igor Stravinsky
• Samba De Orfeo
• Atlantic High
• Juroscho Ascopi

John Fahey - Railroad (not available on rdio)

• Summer Cat By My Door
• Medley: Imitation Train Whistle's, Po' Boy
• Afternoon Espee through Salem
• Delta Dog through the Book of Revelations

Sharks (1997). John Fahey /fever dream/

The late John Fahey's website describes the music as "american primitive guitar." The piece Sharks may be a particularly good example of the primitive, yet innovative sound Fahey could achieve. Songza coughs up a minute clip of it:

Derek Taylor reviews Sharks:

A collaboration with Jim O’Rourke, taped in the younger guitarist’s bedroom, the album makes extensive use of echo, loops and samples on pieces like the bottleneck-by-way-of-sine-drone “Sharks” to create music that is equal parts ambient and terrestrial, fever dream and reverie.

I've been more strenuously listening to the music of Fahey for the last year or so. I'll say the same thing I would say about Miles Davis -- he was an artist, not just an instrumentalist.