The Grand Vizier's Garden Party

"The Grand Vizier's Garden Party" is a three-part instrumental from Pink Floyd's Ummagumma album.^[1] The name refers to the Grand Vizier of the Ottoman Empire, who was the first minister of the Sultan.^[2]

Recording

All three parts are written by Nick Mason^[3] following the structure of the album in which each band member made his own composition. Like the majority of songs on the album, it is a highly experimental track and is divided into parts: "Entrance", "Entertainment" and "Exit".

"Entrance" (Part 1) consists of a short flute melody, followed by a drum roll and cymbal, comprising the first minute. "Entertainment" (Part 2) follows, containing a variety of percussion, including the standard kit and timpani. It begins with various tape loops and percussive sounds, including cymbals, snare and tom drums. This is followed by an ambient piece played on a mellotron, with reversed percussion in the background. A drone is made out of a heavily reverbed timpani, followed by tape loops of drum rolls on the different parts of the drum kit and a drum solo. The final portion, "Exit" (Part 3), concludes the piece with several flutes in harmony for the final 40 seconds. Parts 1 and 3 were composed by Ron Geesin and played by the flautist Lindy Mason, then Nick Mason's wife.^[2]

"Entertainment" was one of the many tracks which were played at some point or another in the concert piece The Man and the Journey under the name "Doing It!" Others included "Syncopated Pandemonium", "Up the Khyber", "Party Sequence" and "Skins", as all of these prominently feature drums.

Personnel

• Nick Mason — drums, percussion, Mellotron, xylophone

with:

• Lindy Mason — flute^[3]

References