The New York Tapes

Various Artists (Artist) | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (June 1, 2007)
• Original Release Date: 2010
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: ICTUS Records
• ASIN: B000RLUWFK
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #844,129 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars A reissue that seems somewhat lacking., March 3, 2008

By 

Michael Stack (North Chelmsford, MA USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The New York Tapes (Audio CD)

So looking at the track listing, I had assumed this was essentially a reissue of Environment for Sextet. The liner notes (and the Amazon description) make mention of this being a different (apparently the desired) edit and different it is. Somehow it seems to be missing something in the sense of immediacy that the previous issue has.

This isn't to say that it's not an intriguing recording, but that perhaps the erroneously released edit seemed to have more of a sense of immediacy and energy to it. Further, it doesn't include my favorite cut from Environment for Sextet ("Improvviso III [Duet]"). Having said all this, for what this recording is, a document of a bygone era, it's certainly an intriguing value. These musicians (Polly Bradfield- violin, Andrea Centazzo- percussion, Eugene Chadbourne- guitars, Tom Cora- cello, Toshinori Kondo- trumpet and John Zorn- reeds) have been extensively documented later in their careers, but their formative years tend to be sketchy at best. With Zorn's Game Pieces being the biggest thing in print by these guys and those providing a slanted view, it's nice to hear a different context from them. I'd refer you to my review of Environment for Sextet for my thoughts on the period and the value of this music. If you're a collector of any of these guys, this one may be essential because of its rarity.