Moondog (album)

Moondog
Studio album by Moondog
Released	1969
Genre	Modern classical, avant-garde, minimal
Length	30:06
Label	CBS Records
Producer	James William Guercio
Moondog chronology
The Story of Moondog (1957)The Story of Moondog1957 Moondog (1969) Moondog 2 (1971)Moondog 21971

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Moondog is the fifth album by American composer Moondog.

Moondog had released no music for twelve years since his 1957 album The Story of Moondog. Finally, in 1969, producer James William Guercio invited him to record an album for Columbia Records.^[1]

The resulting album compiled various music which Moondog had been working on since the 1950s. This included two "minisyms" (Moondog's term for short symphonic-styled works performed by small orchestras); two canons; a chaconne in memory of Charlie Parker; ballet music originally written for Martha Graham ("Witch of Endor"); and three symphonic (or "symphonique") works, one of which was dedicated to Benny Goodman and featured elements of swing. A version of one composition, "Theme", had previously been recorded for Epic Records in 1952.^[1]

The album has been re-released twice as a 2-for-1 CD combining Moondog and Moondog 2: once by CBS in 1989, and once by Beat Goes On Records in 2001.

The album has also been re-released on vinyl LP for Record Store Day 2017.

Track listing

All compositions by Moondog (Louis Hardin)

1. "Theme" – 2:34
2. "Stamping Ground" – 2:36
3. "Symphonique #3 (Ode to Venus)" – 5:48
4. "Symphonique #6 (Good for Goodie)" – 2:44
5. "Minisym #1: i - Allegro, ii - Andante Adagio, iii - Vivace" – 5:42
6. "Lament 1 (Bird's Lament)" – 1:41
7. "Witch of Endor: i - Dance, ii - Trio: (a) Adagio (The Prophecy), (b) - Andante (The Battle), (c) - Agitato (Saul's Death'), iii - Dance (reprise)" – 6:27
8. "Symphonique #1 (Portrait of a Monarch)" – 2:34

Personnel

• Moondog (Louis Hardin) - composition & musical direction, conducting on "Minisym #1" (Andante Adagio only) & "Witch of Endor" (trio section), trimbas on "Witch of Endor" (dance section), unspecified instrumental performance on "Minisym #1" (possibly playing hüs)
• Harold Bennet, Andrew Lolya - flutes
• Harold Jones, Hubert Laws - piccolos
• Henry Shuman, Irving Horowitz - cors anglais
• Jimmy Abato, George Silfies, Phil Bodner - clarinets
• Ernie Bright - bass clarinet
• Jack Knitzer, Don Macourt, Ryohei Nakagawa, George Berg, Joyce Kelly - bassoons
• Wally Kane - bassoon, baritone saxophone
• Teddy Weiss, Mel Broiles, Alan Dean - trumpets
• Joe Wilder - trumpet, flugelhorn
• Danny Repole - bass trumpet
• James Buffington, Richard Berg, Ray Alonge, Brooks Tillotson - French horns
• Don Butterfield - tuba
• Bill Stanley - tuba, tenor tuba
• Bill Elton, John Swallow, Phil Giardina - tenor tuba
• Tony Studd, Charles Small, Buddy Morrow - tenor trombone
• Paul Faulise - bass trombone
• Jack Jennings, Dave Carey, Elayne Jones, Bob Rosengarden - percussion
• Paul Gershman, Aaron Rosand - violins
• Emanuel Vardi, David Schwartz, Eugene Becker, Raoul Poliakin - violas
• George Ricci, Charles McCracken - celli
• Joe Tekula - contrabass cello
• Raoul Poliakin, Eugene Becker - tenore
• George Duvivier, Ron Carter, Alfred Brown, Louis Hardin - bass
• Marc Unger, John Draper, Pam Gross - music copyists

In Popular Culture

"Lament 1 (Bird's Lament)" was featured in the 2008 stoner comedy Pineapple Express, starring Seth Rogen and James Franco.^[2] "Stamping Ground" was used for a segment in The Big Lebowski.^[3]

References